Cal sophomore gets nod for UC student rep

By Robert Salonga
DAILY BRUIN STAFF
[email protected]

Second-year UC Berkeley student Matthew Murray was nominated as
the 2003-04 student representative to the UC Board of Regents, the
UC announced Tuesday.

“I am passionate about public education, and I am looking
forward to making a difference,” Murray said in a
statement.

His nomination is pending approval by the full board at its
September meeting.

Though only in his second year at Berkeley, Murray grew up in
the university system ““ his father is a faculty member at UC
Irvine. And those who interviewed him said people should not be
fooled by his sophomore status.

“He was very well-informed and able to articulate the
difficulty and promise for the UC in the next few years,”
said Student Regent Tracy Davis, a member of the regents’
selection committee.

To get to this point, Murray went through several interviews
with the UC undergraduate and graduate student governments, the UC
Students Association, and finally, by the regents’
committee.

“I think he will be a strong advocate for students but
will also carefully consider the different constituencies of the
UC,” said UCSA chair Kenny Burch.

If approved, Murray will become the 29th student regent of the
UC. He will succeed fellow Berkeley undergraduate Dexter
Ligot-Gordon, who will take the post of student regent July 1 when
Davis officially steps down.

Murray would first serve as student regent-designate for the
2002-03 year, a position designed to get him acclimated to the
board.

Murray is co-founder and president of the Berkeley chapter of
the American Civil Liberties Union and serves as a student
representative to the Academic Freedom Committee of the Academic
Senate.

He is also the recipient of the UC Berkeley Alumni Scholarship,
the chancellor’s scholarship, and is a National Merit
Scholar.