Future of student regent position unsure
Student voice could be eliminated; lack of productivity
cited
By Michael Howerton
Daily Bruin Staff
Less than three weeks after the UC Board of Regents voted on a
nomination for next year’s student regent, a proposal was announced
yesterday to eliminate the position.
The announcement brought sharp criticism from the University of
California Student Association who has recently charged that the
board refuses to hear student opinions.
"Once again students are being attacked by the UC regents," the
association said in a released statement Monday night. "The latest
move to eliminate the student regent position comes amidst numerous
attacks on students for voicing their concerns."
Proposed by Regent Glen Campbell, the motion to discontinue the
student regent position will be voted on at the regents’ meeting on
Feb. 15. Campbell, whose term expires this month, was first
appointed by Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1968 and is the longest serving
regent on the board.
At the January board meeting, Regent William Bagley indicated
that discussions of eliminating the student regent had already
begun.
"Some regents think that the student regent is not productive at
all," he said at the meeting.
Other regents reaffirmed the importance of having a student
regent on the board.
"As one of the largest constituencies in the university, the
students not only have the right, but we are obligated to offer
their viewpoint (in the form of a student regent)," Regent Judith
Levin said.
The student regent position has been particularly contentious
this year. The affirmative action decision has caused a split, not
only among the board, but between the board and the students –
catching Student Regent Ed Gomez in a position where he has
antagonized the board over their decision.
This has been to the detriment, some have speculated, of
providing student representation at the meetings. The University of
California Student Association charged that the board’s failure to
notify Gomez of the proposal was indicative of the rift between the
regents and their constituencies.
A committee of regents selected a student nominee for next
year’s student regent at the January meeting. The nominee, Jess
Bravin of UC Berkeley Boalt Law School, is to also be placed before
the board at the February meeting for ratification.
After his nomination, Bravin expressed optimism that the
divisive struggles between the regents and the students which have
handcuffed the student regent lately could be overcome.
"We have the opportunity to set a new vision into the new
century," Bravin said. "I want to be part of that and I want to
make sure that the students have a part in that."
Bravin could not be reached yesterday for comment on the motion
to eliminate the position for which he has been nominated.
Surrounding his nomination in January was criticism from the
University of California Student Association and other campus
groups that the student regent selection process was unfair to
student representation on the board. While all other regents are
directly appointed or sit on the board by the nature of their
office, the student regent is selected by the board.
Candidates for student regent are chosen by student government
presidents. The student association narrows the group to three
finalists, and an appointee is selected after an interview with
regents. The student regent nominee is then confirmed by the full
board.
This process deprives the students of the dignity of electing
their sole representative to the board, student advocates
charged.
"It’s a token appointment and still we can’t have final say in
our token appointment," UCLA undergraduate president York Chang
said.
At the January meeting, Bagley presented the regent’s
justification for reserving the final approval of the student
regent.
"The whole process is so that the student has credibility with
the regents and can represent the students," he said. "We have a
process where the regents are involved in the selection, (thus) the
student is better received and has more credibility."
With the motion to eliminate the student regent set to be voted
on at the meeting, as well as the ratification of Bravin as the
student regent, the February meeting is shaping up to be a battle
over the student regent position.
The meeting has already been anticipated as a battle over the
implementation of the new admission guidelines. University
officials have been debating when affirmative action will be
removed as a criterion for admissions.Comments to
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