Every once in a while, you receive a nugget of wisdom that has the power to shape your perspective about your world and the systems that make it. For me, that nugget was: "once you get a seat at the table, scoot over and pull up a chair for someone else."
I am now embarking on my second year at the University of California, Los Angeles. During my time as a student at UCLA, I have made several observations about the University of California educational system:
1. The UC educational system is considered by many to be the prized jewel of the state of California.
2. The UC system is comprised of numerous stakeholders, whose interests sometimes conflict.
3. Shared governance is more than just an ideal to strive for, it is a reality which requires our active engagement.
4. As students, representing the greatest percentage of stakeholders of the University system, we have the opportunity and responsibility to set the trajectory for what the UC will look like today, tomorrow, and every day after.
The UC system is supported and propelled by of hundreds of incredibly bright, passionate, charismatic leaders who commit themselves tirelessly to bettering the system every day. No two students embody these ideals more than our Student Regent, Avi Oved, and Student Regent-Designate Marcela Ramirez.
The UC is governed by the Board of Regents, which is comprised of 26 voting members: 18 Regents appointed by the Governor of California, seven ex-officio members ex-officio members, and a student Regent who is appointed by the board to serve a one-year term. The Student Regent-Designate and two non-voting faculty representatives do not have voting rights. The Board's authority and powers are drawn from the California state constitution.
Two student regents represent roughly 246,000 students in the UC system. That's a ratio of about 123,000 students:1 student representative:1 student vote. But as we all know, quality supercedes quantity, and in that respect our Student Regents have never lacked.
The Student Regent position was first conceived in the early 1970s, following tensions between students and administrators at the UC. It was proposed in the form of Proposition 4, a referendum on the 1974 California state ballot, which amended the section of the state constitution pertaining to the UC Board of Regents. It stated that the Regents would annually appoint one student to serve as "Student Regent" with the same powers as any other voting Regent.
However, as has been remarked by numerous student regents of the past, the power of the position does not come from the vote. Rather, it comes from the ability to foster lasting relationships with other influential voices at the table and contextualize them to institutionalize change for the students of the UC.
Since the establishment of the position 40 years ago, Student Regents have served as champions of student issues at the Regents table. They've advocated for affordability, sustainability, and tolerance. They've held the Regents accountable and served messengers for our student voices. Dare I say, the UC would not be the system it is today without them.
And now, 40 years after the first Student Regent sat at the Regents table and made history, the 41st Student Regent does the same.
On Jan. 21st, Student Regent, Avi Oved will be proposing the addition of the Student Advisor position to the Board of Regents.
The Student Advisor proposal is clear in its intentions, goals and motivations. The Student Advisor is not a Student Regent. He or she will have neither voting power, nor admission into closed sessions of the Board.
However, the Student Advisor will have a voice in shaping the policy that affects all 246,000 students of the UC. He or she will enhance the voices of the existing two student representatives on the Board and further the UC's goal of shared governance. The position is the long awaited mechanism to ensure that the student voices on the Board represent a diverse cross-section of educational programs, as well as an array of communities and backgrounds. The Student Advisor will undoubtedly increase the access of students to the Board -- and of the Board to students -- on all issues of concern to our student body. And most importantly, it will enhance what can, and should be, described as a recovering relationship between the Regents and the students.
The success of Student Regents on the board has never been contingent upon their vote. Whether we like it or not, the student's vote on the UC Board of Regents has always been outnumbered by those of their non-student counterparts. With that being said, the current system has never gotten in the way of students' ability to make change; and the Student Advisor position is no exception.
In an interview with the Daily Cal, the 2014-2015 Student Regent, Sadia Saifuddin said that a majority of the Student Regent's power comes from the media coverage they can leverage to put their fellow Regents in the "hot seat." That sentiment was echoed by our current Student Regent, Avi Oved who in that same interview said that "the power of the position is...access and immediacy to decision makers."
A voice, access, immediacy, and the ability to contextualize conversations -- these are the tools at the Student Adviser's disposal. These are the faculties that matter. This is a position that matters.
Over the course of the last 41 years, 42 students have had the honor of having a seat at one of the most influential tables in the state of California. 41 years later, one student regent has made it his mission to pull up another.
No, the University of California is not perfect, but with the approval of the Student Advisor proposal, we'll be that much closer.
And that's why I say #OneMoreVoice.
