The University of California Students Association discussed
plans for its campaign against student fee increases, policies on
its own funding and a genocide resolution at the meeting at UCLA
this weekend.
Members of the statewide lobbying organization expressed
concerns in light of a recent decision made by the UC Board of
Regents to postpone voting on the issue of student fee
increases.
Faced with the possibility of yet another round of UC budget
cuts, the regents might decide to implement additional fee
increases on top of its original proposal of 35 percent.
Delaying the vote would not give enough time for incoming
students to prepare for the fee increases the next academic year,
said UCSA Chairman Steve Klass.
Klass said representatives from UCSA will be asking for the
regents’ support for Assembly Bill 550, which would establish
a Statewide Student Fee Advisory Committee and give students the
opportunity to participate in the formal discussion process in
shaping fee policies.
Board members also finalized plans for a rally that will be
taking place at the upcoming regents meeting in San Francisco.
Members representing most campuses said they had arranged
transportation for their constituencies to travel north to
protest.
As part of its “No More Tuition Increase” campaign,
UCSA is also planning to call and pay visits to California
legislators during the week of May 19-23.
“We need to approach the issue from both angles “¦
the legislators who are deciding the budget and the regents
who’s reacting to the cuts,” Klass said.
In addition, UCSA is working with the California Statewide
Affirmative Action Coalition in lobbying against the Classification
by Race, Ethnicity, Color and National Origin initiative.
The initiative would ban state agencies from collecting
information on racial and ethnic data.
Representatives from the coalition said they were working on
trying to get as many people as possible to stay overnight for the
CRECNO protest despite the regents moving discussions on the
initiative to Thursday.
Concerns over student fee increases remained on the minds of
many members as discussions turned toward considering proposed
bylaw changes.
A bylaw proposal that would formally establish annual stipends
for the chair and vice chair positions was adopted after debates
over concerns of constituents opposing the idea.
April Labbe, University and Student Fee Affairs director, said
UCSA should provide detailed descriptions and time commitment of
the positions, so that students would have a better understanding
of why stipends would be needed in order for the incumbents to work
effectively.
Many members also said that having stipends would increase
accessibility to the offices. In the past, capable students had
been unable to take on the positions because they needed to work
other jobs to support themselves.
Another bylaw proposal that would raise the minimum contribution
from student associations on each campus by 25 cents per student
per year was also approved, with members agreeing that increased
funding is necessary for the organization to perform to its fullest
capacity.
“In order to become an effective organization, we need to
have a solid foundation and not be bogged down in our work because
of funding problems like this year,” said Matt Kaczmarek,
chief of staff in the External Vice President’s Office at the
Undergraduate Students Association Council.
Members also approved a bylaw proposal that would create a
separate standing committee focusing on graduate and professional
student issues.
“We need a separate committee that would focus on issues
pertaining to graduate students … These issues are very different
from what the undergraduates face,” said Laura Sanchez,
representative from the Graduate Students Association, adding that
members of the committee could also include undergraduate
students.
“It would not necessarily disallocate graduate students
from other committees,” she said.
Members then turned to discussing the adoption of a series of
letters urging the House of Representatives to support a resolution
commemorating the anniversary of the Genocide Convention
Implementation Act of 1987, and encouraging the United States to
commit itself to genocide prevention.
UC academic chairs and campus newspapers have been targeted by
people wishing to encourage genocide denials, said Haig Hovsepian,
member of Armenian GSA who proposed the letters to be addressed to
the Speaker of the House and Chair of the Judiciary Committee.
Letters would also be sent thanking supporters of the resolution
and urging nonsignatories to co-sponsor the resolution.
Members unanimously voted to adopt the four letters without much
debate.