Calling all public-minded, policy-savvy or just plain
power-hungry students ““ this is your chance to get an early
start in the running for the next student regent.
Out of nearly 180,000 students enrolled in the University of
California, only one has a vote on the UC Board of Regents, the
governing body of the university. For those who want a chance to
cast their own vote, applications are due Feb. 20 at 5 p.m.
In a typical year, about 60-90 students across the UC system
will apply for the post, many from UCLA.
“UCLA usually has the most number of applicants each
year,” said Mike Cohn, student regent recruiter at the Center
for Student Programming.
There is no profile for the typical applicant, Cohn said.
Students interested in the job reflect a wide variety of
educational experience and interests.
“There’s no method to the madness at all …
there’s no running theme through the applications,” he
said.
Whoever is selected, whether a graduate student in law school or
a second-year art history student, will serve a two-year stint,
starting out as a non-voting student regent designate in 2003-2004
and acquiring full voting powers in 2004-2005.
Student regents, like the full-time members of the board, are
not paid for their service, but perks include exemptions from
student fees and systemwide parking privileges.
Current student regent Dexter Ligot-Gordon called the five-month
application process “nerve-racking.”
“The competition’s pretty intense,” he said,
adding, “I was surprised to get the position, knowing I was
up against law students and graduate students.”
The post is open to all UC undergraduate and graduate students
in good academic standing. Applications are first evaluated by the
presidents of the undergraduate and graduate student assemblies on
each campus, who will choose nine from across the system. These are
forwarded to the University of California Students Association
board, which narrows the competition to three students. The final
choice is made by the regents.
Competitive applicants will need a thorough understanding of how
the UC operates.
“Find out whatever you can about the university, how it
works, be involved on campus,” said student regent-designate
Matt Murray.
Student regents spend large amounts of time on UC business,
which can make it tough to concentrate on studies.
Murray, who called the job “life encompassing,” said
time was the biggest sacrifice associated with the job, and that he
takes a reduced course load to balance his commitments as a student
and regent-designate.
Effective students on the board should be able to objectively
consider multiple sides of an argument, but should also have a
clear idea of how they want to impact the university.
“If you don’t have a general set of issues,
you’re going to be fumbling around,” Ligot-Gordon
said.
Both Ligot-Gordon and Murray attend classes at UC Berkeley. For
the past seven years, only students from UCLA and UC Berkeley have
been selected.
Ligot-Gordon and Murray attributed the trend to the high
proportion of UCLA and Berkeley students among the applicant pool,
but whatever the reason, some hope to see a change.
Stephen Klass, who as UCSA chair will have a hand in the
selection process, would like to see a successful applicant emerge
from another campus.
“We need a shift away from UCLA and Berkeley to get away
from this flagship mentality,” he said.