In November, some members of the UC Board of Regents were bombarded with vinegar-soaked bandanas, wooden sticks and countless chants by thousands of impassioned students.
Yet just three months later, many of these students will join in unity with the regents. What brings them together? The very issue that divided the two groups in the first place: the contentious intricacies of higher education.
On March 1, the University of California Student Association will host a rally and march in Sacramento to inform legislators and raise support for higher education.
While there is a clear student movement behind the UCSA-declared “month of action,” the role of the governing Board of Regents and administration leaders is distinctly different.
“We were asked by UC students to join them at a few meetings with legislators, and we’re happy to do that,” said Regents Chairman Russell Gould in a written statement. “It’s part of our overall advocacy strategy ““ to marshal the efforts of all segments of the UC community to make the case that what’s good for the University of California is good for the entire state.”
UC President Mark Yudof said that, per request from the students, the UC regents and chancellors will not be participating in the public rally, but acknowledged their support of the campaign.
“The plan is, all the regents will participate one way or another,” said Bruce Varner, who has been a regent for three and a half years. Varner was unsure which regents would be attending and in what capacity, but said they would likely be helping students to lobby state legislators.
Other regents were unavailable for comment, but student organizers said they are hoping for solidarity on March 1.
“I think it would be kind of sad for any of (the regents) to miss the most important day for higher education in a very long time,” said Christopher Santos, UCSA Undergraduate Committee chair and third-year UCLA psychobiology student. “I would love to see them all there.”
The receptive attitude from students contrasts the highly charged atmosphere of the protests during the November board meetings, when the regents decided to raise student fees by 32 percent.
“We’re taking the next step forward to say we disagreed with you (the regents) on raising fees and we still disagree with you,” Santos said. “But we’re ready to go onto the next step and really go to the core of the issue.”
In November, more than 2,000 students and community members poured into areas surrounding Covel Commons, where the Board of Regents met and voted to increase student fees. Shouts of “Education should be free; no cuts, no fee” filled the air, highlighting the financial troubles many students face with mounting student fees.
“Obviously you could feel the frustration; some of it may have been beyond what was necessary,” Varner said, referring to the fee hikes protests. “The protesters, obviously they had a right to protest. … I think people just get carried away.”
Nevertheless, Varner and other UC leaders said they have no issue working with the students now, and the emphasis is on the priority of funding for higher education.
“My feeling is that what’s done is done,” Yudof said. “I’m not angry. I try to understand what motivated people, and I’m happy to work side by side with them.”
In addition to advocacy and outreach to legislators, the regents and chancellors are considering a variety of other options to alleviate the budget problems, from federal matching funds to private donations to the use of more online courses. The administration wants to preserve the community impact and public service the University of California system provides.
“It impacts the entire state and the entire nation. It’s a major public research institution,” Varner said.
The UC Commission on the Future, which is co-chaired by Gould and Yudof, is expected to examine the use of funds and provide recommendations to improve efficiency in reports that will come out in early fall.
“We don’t want to let the status of the university drift back into mediocrity,” Varner said. “It’s one of the finest institutions in the world. … We’re doing everything we possibly can to make sure we deal with the current situation.”