Official Blog | UCGPC

UCGPC officers, staff, and student advocates to the regents or StARs amped up student representation at the January Regents meeting held in UCLA on January 17, 18, and 19, 2023. Items discussed at the Regents meeting included the CA Governor’s budget allocations to the University of California, the UC Compact Report, student athletes, and disability workgroup recommendations, among other topics.

In these discussions, student input is considered through four pathways: Student Regents , Student Advocates to the Regents, UCSA and UCGPC presidential remarks, and public comments. On the second day of the meeting, UCGPC Organizing Director Adam Cooper delivered a public comment focusing on a fossil free UC and the climate crisis.

UCGPC selected and sponsored two StARs from UCSF and UCR. StAR selection was carefully considered by UCGPC board directors who serve as student leaders at each UC campus. On the final day of the meeting, StARs David Asakitogum and Justin Freebourn emphasized graduate student basic needs in their public comments and interactions with UC decision-makers. UCGPC President Hayden Schill delivered her remarks on the UC compact, increasing graduate student enrollment and support, and the strike attestation forms (Cal Matters, Mikhail Zinshteyn). Read your graduate student representatives’ remarks below.

Learn more about the Regents meetings: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/meetings/past-meetings/

Justin Freebourn, UCR, and the compassionate clause

My name is Justin Freebourn. I’m a doctoral candidate in political science at UC Riverside. I’m speaking today on behalf of my teaching assistants who are immunocompromised people with children too young to be vaccinated. We would like the Regents to extend the compassionate allowing for remote work for those living with at risk people. Now, no one should have to live and work in fear that they may be the bringer of a disease that kills or harms their friends or family. I believe that restoration of the compassionate clause and remote work is key to maintaining the UC as an accessible workplace. We must realize the gains of creativity and psychological safety. Science needs diversity of perspectives to flourish, and that diversity must include us. Thank you for your time.

January 18, 2023, Public Comment at the UC Regents Meeting in UCLA

David Asakitogum, UCSF, and expanding walk-in and emergency services

Good morning, regents. I am a graduate student UCSF, representing UCGPC. Provide UC students with walk-in health care services. Student Health is an important aspect of overall success. It is the major factor that contributes to students’ excellent academic output. However, there are few differences in student healthcare centers across the UC campuses. For example, there is limited walk-in medical services. Agent and emergency health care services attract a higher Insurance Co payment, while medical appointments takes weeks to months. These add more pressure on students. Long wait times for medical appointments may have a negative impact on the students. Mental health status affects their attention span and lower their productivity. I call on the UC Regents to provide walk-in health care services for UC students. Thank you.

January 18, 2023, Public Comment at the UC Regents Meeting in UCLA

UCGPC President Hayden Schill’s Remarks

President Drake, Chairman Lieb, honorable board of regents: It is a privilege to speak to you today as a representative of graduate and professional students. Governor Newsom has recently released a budget proposal maintains a commitment to the multi year compact as has been touched on in several meetings already. I appreciate the significance of this it shows that higher education is a priority and an important investment for the state. It shows the commitment to the compact and to the University of California. Unfortunately, important climate initiatives were some of the victims of the deficit year, including the UC Berkeley clean energy campus project. The timing of this project is of course quite sensitive in light of the worsening climate crisis, which California feels the impacts of more every year. The UC has an outsized role to play in solving global climate disruption, so we must act with urgency in that scale. As CFO Nathan Brostrom said yesterday. The UC is uniquely positioned to make a difference in the world. As you know, the Berkeley energy campus program would serve as a blueprint for other universities both nationally and internationally, internationally. And this is especially relevant to this meeting in light of the UC sustainability report presented yesterday. In that update, I was heartened by the support in general consensus to move away from carbon offsets and to establish strong specific policy policy milestones on the route to reach a carbon zero or Fossil Free you see. Especially exciting is the establishment of the pathways to Fossil Free Taskforce as well as conversations around establishing goals to move from and beyond carbon neutrality. You will ask this sustainability staff, how can we expedite and move things forward more quickly over the next year? That seems like a theme emerging out of this meeting and a good time for as we start the new year. One way to one way is to make sure that the UC Berkeley clean energy campus project moves forward. I urge you to think about how you can make sure this funding delay does not delay this important program.

UCGPC President Schill: support graduate students by not strike docking their pay after the strike

I would be remiss not to mention the contracts recently ratified to better support graduate student researchers, unnecessary contracts that not only supports the mission of increasing affordability and access to the UC but also can and is already being used as an example for how universities can support their workers. I hear students who are especially excited about the enhanced paid family leave benefits and new health care supports for dependents which will be a game changer for student parents.

I want to highlight faculty concerns with the current financial models of supporting graduate education as brought up by academic senate tourist season conquering yesterday. I urge the regents to take a critical look at this unsustainable system and support faculty and providing critical research doctorate positions and maintaining and expanding access so that diverse graduate students can continue to attend the UC faculty cannot admit more graduate students not only does this constrain a source of upward mobility and economic strength for the state, but it also makes it difficult for the UC to fill its side of the bargain to the state compact of increasing graduate student enrollment.

As I thank you for your support and reaching a fair contract that will benefit underrepresented graduate students at the most. I also urge you to support students who are undergoing academic retaliation for participating in the strike. Students are being fired for going on strike and receiving blemishes on their academic records. Finally, I wanted to raise concerns about forms currently being circulated regarding a testing to labor without during the UAW strike. These forms are causing many students anxiety around whether they will be able to afford or rent especially concerning is that low income students or primary caregivers, students who needed to go on strike the most will be hurt the most if the UC chooses to lay called pay. I say this to highlight what I have seen as what I see as a disconnect between all of the conversations around expediently increasing affordable housing in this meeting and the potential withholding of two months of pay for even the most vulnerable student populations. I once again want to thank the regents and President Drake for their support and one has a meaningful contract for many students, and ask that you continue to support UC graduate students against academic retaliation. Thank you, Chair Lieb. President Drake. That concludes my remarks.

Apply to be a StAR at the March 2023 Regents meeting. Apply now! Visit https://www.ucgpc501c3.org/stars