A UC Board of Regents’ special committee nominated Jonathan Stein, a graduate student in public policy and a law student at UC Berkeley, to be the 2012-13 student regent.
The board is the governing body for the entire UC system, and includes 18 regents with 12-year terms and one student regent who is appointed every year.
During their July meeting, the regents will vote on Stein’s nomination.
If approved, Stein, who expects to graduate in May 2013, will serve as student regent-designate for the coming year and will participate in board meetings, but will not be able to vote until his term begins in July 2012. Stein was away for travel and unavailable for comment.
The UC Student Association interviewed 10 semifinalists out of 56 applicants from all 10 UC campuses, according to a statement from the UC Office of the President.
The UCSA then submitted three finalists to a special committee of six regents for their consideration.
“Jonathan has got energy to spare,” said Dianne Klein, a UCOP spokesperson. “He’s very politically active and really has the fire in his belly for advocating for UC students.”
A native of Cupertino, Stein studied English as an undergraduate at Harvard University. He worked as a reporter for the political magazine Mother Jones for two years, covering topics including the 2008 presidential race.
As a graduate student at UC Berkeley, he founded Berkeley Common Cause, an organization that focuses on effecting state government reform to end the UC budget crisis, according to UCOP.
Stein also took a prominent role in the 2010 elections, working to generate support for a proposition regarding legislative votes on budget issues.
David Croom, a master’s student in public policy at UC Berkeley, has worked with Stein in their school’s Graduate Assembly.
“He’s been pretty big about getting involved with our legislators around Berkeley,” said Croom, who is legislative director of federal affairs for the Graduate Assembly. “He always knows what’s going on in the UC system and what’s going on with the budget as well.”
Alfredo Mireles, the incoming student regent, described Stein as “incredibly humble, down to earth and approachable.”
“He’s somebody who does not shy away from the big problems facing our university or state government,” said Mireles, a graduate student in health policy at UC San Francisco.
In addition to advocating for access and affordability, Stein also aims to improve the campus climate for diversity during his one-year term as student regent, according to UCOP.
“Campus climate and inclusion issues continue to be a challenge at every campus. … It’s audacious yet inspiring that someone wants to help take on these challenges despite how large they are,” Mireles said, using the “Asians in the Library” video as an example. “I think the students of UCLA will be really happy with the work that he does.”
With reports by Kelly Zhou, Bruin senior staff