UCSA recap – Jan. 7-8

The University of California Student Association is composed of representatives from most undergraduate and graduate student governments in the University of California. The organization’s Board of Directors held its monthly meeting at UCLA on Jan. 7 and 8.

Saturday

• UCSA President Ralph Washington, Jr. called on other student leaders across the university to speak against the potential tuition hike. He said he wants to mobilize students to fight against the hike by publicizing video interviews with UC students speaking about the positive impact UC education and research has had on them and California. He also said if the tuition increases, he wants students to have input on how the revenue will be distributed.
• Anaïs LaVoie, UCSA operations and development director, said UCSA needs applications for student advocates to the regents. Student advocates will meet regents and UC Office of the President staff to discuss student priorities at the January UC Regents meeting.
• A representative from the UC Office of the President said UC Davis, Santa Cruz, Merced and San Francisco have not yet replied to UCOP on how they will spend the $25 million allocation from UCOP to support undocumented students. The deadline was Friday.
• Student Regent Marcela Ramirez, in a phone call with UCSA board members, said she wants students advocating against tuition increases to also discuss the full cost of attendance. She pointed out that campuses such as UCLA face growing demands for housing, with 73 percent of all student rooms at UCLA being triples.
• A resolution calling for the resignation of Norman Pattiz from the UC Board of Regents passed unanimously. Several audio clips revealed Pattiz made lewd comments and harassed female employees.
• The board passed another resolution calling for a greater cooperation between undergraduate and graduate student leaders.
• The undergraduate committee discussed how to better advocate for the needs of UC Merced and its students, given that the campus is not as established as other campuses in the UC. The committee also heard a presentation from the Bruin Consent Coalition on its effort to educate UC community members on the concept of consent and to address and prevent sexual assault.
• The graduate committee opposed the UC’s current proposal to change the policy on the Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition, which is a fee on top of graduate students’ tuition. The committee voiced its concern about removing a 5 percent cap for an annual increase in PDST.
• The graduate committee decided not to take an official position in the UC’s proposal to enroll 900 additional graduate students across the system. Michael Skiles, UCLA Graduate Students Association president and a member of the committee, said the committee was concerned about adding more students without having adequate support and resources for the existing graduate students.

Sunday

• Undergraduate Students Association Council External Vice President Rafael Sands presented the new website for Fund the UC campaign, which seeks additional state funding for the UC and a reform in Proposition 13. The proposition limited the amount of property taxes, which limited the amount of state revenue.
• The board discussed how to mobilize against the proposed tuition hike. It also discussed ways to use the additional revenue to address student priorities, such as mental health and food insecurity, if the regents vote to increase tuition.
• The board discussed several recommendations to improve the Students of Color Conference.