The governing board of the University of California met for the third day of its November meeting at UC San Francisco on Thursday. The Board of Regents discussed resolutions honoring Gov. Jerry Brown and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, a framework for a multiyear plan and the UC’s budget for 2019-2020.
Board of Regents
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Students urged the Regents to strengthen Title IX policy, specifically by increasing funding for Campus Assault Resources & Education offices and speeding up the process of investigation. Eliza Davis, a student from UC Berkeley, said the CARE offices at Berkeley have taken on increased responsibility because other campus services are underfunded. Annie Price, a student from UC Berkeley, added that the Regents should work to speed up investigations, as long timelines can lead to processes that take years, which can impact students’ academic careers for many semesters.
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Students expressed frustration with how the UC is handling issues of air quality at UC Berkeley and UC Merced during the Camp fire. A third-year student from UC Berkeley, who urged the university to cancel classes, said she had to check a friend into the emergency room the morning of the meeting because of the air quality. Ella Smith, a second-year student from UC Berkeley, said over 14,000 students had signed an online petition to cancel classes at the time she addressed the Regents.
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Aiden Arasasingham, a second-year student from UCLA, urged the Regents to address issues of deferred maintenance, adding that it is an issue that affects students across the entire UC system. He added that it is particularly an issue at UCLA, citing a situation in which he had to write an essay for a midterm during the past week without a desk.
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Jamie Kennerk, external vice president of UCLA Undergraduate Students Association Council, urged the Regents to find systemic solutions to the pay issues occurring with UCPath, adding that hundreds, if not thousands, of students are not being paid correctly. She added that the only resource she currently knows of for students facing issues with UCPath is an emergency loan system.
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Caroline Siegel-Singh, University of California Student Association president and third-year student at UC San Diego, commended the Regents who attended UCSA board meetings and discussed the ways in which the UC could improve its relationships with students. She focused on relationships between graduate students and their faculty advisers, saying the power imbalance in these relationships has historically led to emotional and labor abuse. She added she hopes to see increased accountability for faculty as the systemwide Title IX policies are revised.
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Siegel-Singh added that, with the upcoming change in the state legislators, the UC needs to make it clear that an investment in the UC is an investment in the future of California.
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Siegel-Singh also discussed the relationships between the UC Office of the President and unions, specifically in terms of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, which represents more than 25,000 service workers and patient care technicians in the UC system. She said that she and other students stand in solidarity with AFSCME and she thinks the UC should communicate respect in its negotiations with the union.
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The Board of Regents moved on resolutions in appreciation of Gov. Jerry Brown and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson for their contributions to public education in California.
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The Board of Regents discussed a preliminary plan for a multiyear framework including three main goals, such as granting 200,000 more degrees by 2030 and investing in the next generation of faculty and research.
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The Board hopes to grant 200,000 more degrees by 2030 by improving timely graduation, expanding three-year graduation pathways and targeting enrollment growth. The Regents also hope to increase the number of degrees by expanding undergraduate pipelines to graduate programs, increasing graduate student enrollment, making summer sessions and UC Extension programs more affordable routes to finish courses, and expanding online educational options.
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Nathan Brostrom, executive vice president and chief financial officer for UCOP, said that the UC needs permanent funding to offset the long-term decline in funds available per student. He added that while funding has gone up by 10 percent, the number of students has gone up by 60 percent, resulting in a 31 percent decrease in amount of funding per student. He added this has led the student-to-faculty ratio to increase.
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Student Regent Devon Graves asked the Regents to consider adding about $7.5 million to the UC’s 2019-2020 budget to fund basic needs such as food and housing insecurity. Graves asked the Regents to consider the additional funding given that the $15 million currently set aside for students’ basic needs would increase financial aid but would not provide funding for other food insecurity programs such as food pantries.