Stephanie Valadez, UCLA
Luskin Conference Center
University of California, Los Angeles
8:30 AM on July 17, 2025
Good morning, everyone, it is a privilege to share space with all of you as we discuss urgent issues facing the UC graduate and professional student community. I want to extend my gratitude for your attention, and look forward to a productive year of collaboration, reciprocity, and mutual learning. I have the distinct pleasure, and the incredible task, of succeeding UCGPC past president Ryan Manriquez. Through my work with Ryan and UCGPC last year, I have been inspired and motivated by the resistance and resilience of the most vulnerable members of our community. It is through this lens that I position myself today, and every day for the rest of my term, in service to my community.
I would like to take the time to acknowledge the access, privilege, and opportunity that we all have to be in this room as a direct result of the dispossession of the communities that lived in concert with, and as stewards of, the land long before the University of California occupied this space. As direct beneficiaries of the heinous acts leading up to and through the formation of land grant universities, I acknowledge we are now occupying the ancestral lands of the Tovaangar. UCLA professor Mishuana Goman reminds us that, “Tovaangar was (and still is) home to the Gabrielino Tongva people, who lived on and cultivated the land for thousands of years before settlers arrived in search of fertile soil,” subsequently stealing their land, enslaving their people and forcing them into labor.[1]
For most of you, I am an unknown face. My name is Stephanie Valadez. I am a PhD student and Cota-Robles Fellow. I have spent the last three years at UC Santa Cruz studying Cross-Cultural Musicology with a Designated Emphasis in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies. I will be continuing this fall at at the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA where I will be continuing my studies in the Ethnomusicology department. This board-room was never a place I anticipated myself ever entering. As an artist my spaces look quite different. So, though it is not the primary topic of my address today, I would like to explain the moment I was moved to advocate at the systemwide, state, and federal levels.
The night of May 30th, 2024, I was off-campus for a meeting while my two children were in the care of a babysitter through the Bright Horizons Childcare Program. Shortly before midnight a force of hundreds of police in riot gear descended on the Santa Cruz campus pulling from police departments from across the state to conduct the Police Raid on the Gaza Solidarity Encampment.[2] When returning to campus, police officers stopped me and threatened me with arrest despite explaining that I was the only parent here for my young children. I needed to get home and relieve the babysitter. I pleaded to the officer’s humanity and in one final forceful demand he made it clear that no matter what path I tried to take or mode of entering the campus, I would be arrested. I cried on the phone to my babysitter, and she promised to stay. While waiting in a nearby parking lot, I watched police with their names and badge-numbers covered with tape and bodycams removed, as they brutalized my unarmed classmates. I alternated between driving back and forth to campus in unsuccessful attempts to go home and watching from afar through my peers’ livestreams and clandestine posts. Feeling entirely hopeless, I knew I failed my duties as a mother for having brought my babies into this country, to this University.
Finally, at 6:30 in the morning I arrived on campus to my home, where my babysitter had been signed out since 11:30 the night before by her employer, and by extension, the University. It was only out of the goodness of her heart that my two children were not left unattended for 7-hours because of the school’s negligence and gross mishandling of the situation. My children already struggle with separation anxiety from immigration trauma, and that night, my toddler woke to find his worst nightmare actualized at the hands of the University. He woke to find his only remaining parent in the household was now also gone.
The University acted impulsively, endangered my children, and caused our family significant harm. This was not the first time my expectations of the University were left unmet. After five quarters of excusing the University taking advantage of my family’s vulnerabilities, I could no longer rationalize and excuse the University’s actions and culpability for the impossible rent burden, the health concerns from moldy carpets, the asbestos in our floors, the peeling lead paint on our walls, the termites swarming out of our windowsills, the rusty nails where our children play, the falling retaining walls, and so much more.
Despite my overburdened work and study schedule, this was the motivator for me to find my way here, in this position, and in this room, with a seat at the table, to represent students with similar stories. Our students aren’t just students, they are caretakers, providers… lullaby-singers.
Our students aren’t just students, they are caretakers, providers… lullaby-singers.
They are all of these things that need to be considered when making these, quite frankly, unlivable increases to the rental rates. This is the community that continually makes severe sacrifices in the pursuit of education and the greater goal of a brighter future for our posterity. In my experience it is often our most vulnerable communities who experience unjust atrocities while simply working to advance their education and contribute in a productive way to society.
What does it mean when the student has to abruptly start looking for housing in areas that are predominantly unaffordable like Berkeley, like Los Angeles, like Santa Cruz? The administration keeps quoting rent at 30% below market rate, however it is inconsequential as the University is not only our landlord, but also our employer, our educator, our childcare provider, and so much more. As such, it is important to compare rent to our income, rather than market rate. In a letter signed by 386 UCSC community members it is stated that “For FSH residents … rent burden is 65%—considered a ‘severe’ level of rent burden as defined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.[3] Santa Cruz has surpassed San Francisco as the most expensive city for renters in the entire US,[4] and the UC itself bears a significant responsibility for driving up local housing costs through its large, local real estate acquisitions.”[5] [6] The rent when moving to the new facility is 2,500 dollars and income for a level one TA, which I will be the next time I TA, would be roughly 3,400 dollars after taxes as a “head of household” with two children. So, rent alone would be 74% of my income. Leaving only 900 dollars per month to pay for food, medication, transportation, and other basic needs.
Now imagine you are not even as lucky as me to be offered a space. Instead you are added to the waitlist and a representative of the University hands you an official document as seen in the screenshot on your handout; which of the ten shelters listed would you choose to take your toddler to? The Salvation Army? The Pájaro Valley Shelter? Or would you just sleep in your car? Something’s gotta give. What are you giving up? Healthy food? Routine medications? The roof over your child’s head?
Now the easy answer, and maybe some of you are already thinking this, is just get another job, don’t go to grad school, stop whining. You would be right, that would be the easy way, but while we, the students, would lose so much richness in our lives, it is really the University that would be losing much more. The diverse voices would be forced out; those of parenting students, students with dependents, lower income students, students of color, students from adverse upbringings, and so many others. This is the diversity that drives forward research; by including a multitude of voices we are able to approach research from different epistemologies, from different walks of life. You don’t want carbon-copy students with almost indistinguishable academic backgrounds, socioeconomic status, and family make-up. You will lose the plethora of innovation and collaborative work that moves research forward in the sciences, humanities, arts, in higher education- and by trickle down the undergraduate level, high school, middle school and eventually an entire generation of diverse ways of thinking and research will be lost.
You control the housing market, it is not an abstract entity that is forcing you into a corner, but rather it is your hypercapitalist policies that have driven you away from the humanity that the University once embodied. In a 1962 letter from Thomas D. Church to Jack Wagstaff,[7] architects working on the Santa Cruz campus, he stated, “There will be no indiscriminate removal of major redwood groves to accommodate preconceived architectural schemes…. The buildings are less important in the visual composition than the trees. Instead of remaking the land, the land must remake our standard conception of building and plaza and parking lot.”[8] Church emphasizes the importance of maintaining a reciprocal relationship with the land in his sage advice, “But gentle be the hand it lays upon the land.”[9]
The UCSC Family Student Housing community still holds the beauty, reciprocity, and gentleness that was thoughtfully cultivated in the 60’s. Perhaps the current housing project has advanced too far to integrate such radical change, but I humbly ask you to save the remnants of this epistemology as you move forward in future capital planning projects. By this, I ask that indigenous voices, environmental concerns, and a holistic view of students are prioritized in an approach over financial growth plans and capital success. As a public trust, the University takes advantage of legal loopholes that are detrimental to students as California residents.[10] A prime example of this is the significant rent hikes that have been happening across campuses, most recently UC Santa Cruz where the rent is increasing by 32% which is over three times the limits set for typical landlords by California Law.[11]
To resolve the issues facing some of our most vulnerable students as mentioned above, I suggest that we forge a path together, working toward holistic student support starting with three concrete solutions. First, I propose that 12 months of additional financial support be provided to students with families that have been severely impacted by the rent hikes and the decrease in available units at UCSC. With 12 months of additional support, the Regents, campus administrations, representatives of the UAW (4811), and representatives of non-ASE students can work together to create an equitable solution that aligns on-campus rent in a direct relationship to income. As President Milliken becomes acquainted with the University of California and our diverse populations, I invite him, and all of you, to review the living conditions of students with families and provide support based on the number of dependents, household income, or other points of vulnerability to make housing expenses more accessible. Funding support for parenting students should not solely depend on federal programs that are set to be eliminated, like CCAMPIS (Child Care Access Means Parents In Schools). The University should look inward to support its students, such as with the $10 million from the Strategic Priorities Fund that is available as of May 2025 and set aside for “urgent and emergent issues.”[12]
Second, I propose to the Board to involve itself in oversight of the lease language across the ten campuses. The new Terms and Conditions released for the current Family Student Housing contract at UC Santa Cruz redefines what a “family” is. This new lease language means that at UC Santa Cruz — LGBTQ+ domestic partnerships and marriages without children are not families, students taking care of elderly parents or disabled siblings are not families, households with teenage children are not families and the list goes on.[13]
“If you take occupancy on or after January 1, 2018 and your eligibility is based on living with an adult child, sibling, parent, or grandparent, then your eligibility for Family Student Housing will end on June 30, 2026” with additional stipulation stating, “ if you take occupancy on or after January 1, 2019 and your eligibility is based on living with a spouse or adult partner without a minor child, then your eligibility for Family Student Housing will end on June 30, 2026.”UCSC FSH 2025-2026 Terms and Conditions
This new definition of “family” makes access to the waitlist exclusive, thus giving the false perception that the needs of this community are being met, and subsequently generating misinformation and perhaps less future capital support to effectively address community needs. Furthermore, all of these people are also excluded from living in single graduate housing so essentially this discriminatory policy not only undermines the family as a unit of care, love, and worthy of recognition, but it also puts the students at a disadvantage by disallowing and blocking their access to on-campus housing.
I know you believe in the power of diversity. Just look at the diversity of this room, Regent and astronaut Jose Hernandez pushing boundaries in the aerospace field, Regent and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis serving as an influential role model for women in politics and an advocate for underserved communities, Regent and Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Greg Sarris promoting indigenous epistemologies and uplifting Native American students, not to mention Regent, Family Student Housing resident, first-generation college student, and parent Sonya Brooks advocating through the power of her positionality. This is just to name a few, but I challenge all of you to think about how diversity in this space has made the Regents and by extension, the University of California, better.
On Monday, I had the opportunity to brainstorm solutions with Dr. Laura Arroyo, Associate Vice Chancellor, responsible for housing at UCSC. I made her aware of the problematic lease language and she is currently reviewing the matter. I would urge the Regents not to wait for it to resolve just on one campus, but rather to create a system of oversight on the lease language presented in housing documents across the UC system. Any discriminatory language undermines the student and their families’ right to be in this space and their contribution to the academic community.
My final request is for a shift in ontology and epistemologies for a return to humanity and morality. I propose a conscientious focus on the indispensable nature of basic needs for students in order to reach their full potential. It also means taking guidance from the indigenous cultures to engage with the land in a profound and mutually beneficial way. Think of the student, think of the land. I invite you all to review the University’s values: accountability, collaboration, inclusion & equity, excellence, innovation, integrity, and public impact.[14] In addition, be conscious of the invisible burden placed on underrepresented peoples to defend their experiences. Many, including me, have been treated as though when something goes wrong we are the problem, not that we have a problem, a practice that unfortunately has become standard in interactions between administration and students.
I want to leave you with final words, from the great poet of my culture, Nezahualcoyotl,
“Nehuatl nictlazotla in centzontototl icuicauh,
nehuatl nictlazotla in chalchihuitl itlapaliz,
ihuan in ahuiacmeh xochimeh;
zan oc cenca noicniuhtzin in tlacatl,
Nehuatl nictlazotla.” [15] -Nezahualcoyotl
“I love the song of the mockingbird,
Bird of four hundred voices,
I love the color of jade,
And the intoxicating scent of flowers,
But more than all, I love my sibling, the human.”
I look forward to partnering with you all over the coming year through meaningful and cooperative work. Thank you for sharing space with me today. Tlazcamati.
[1] https://laist.com/news/politics/what-to-know-about-land-acknowledgment For more information see https://laist.com/news/la-history/a-brief-history-of-the-tongva-people.
[3] https://www.huduser.gov/portal/pdredge/pdr_edge_featd_article_092214.html.
[5] UC Regents caught in act of pillaging Santa Cruz’s rental market
[6] Full quote, “For FSH residents who have university employment as graduate student academic workers, rent burden is 65%—considered a ‘severe’ level of rent burden as defined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Santa Cruz has surpassed San Francisco as the most expensive city for renters in the entire US, and the UC itself bears a significant responsibility for driving up local housing costs through its large, local real estate acquisitions, like that of the Hilltop Apartments complex.”
[7] Thomas D. Church worked on the master plans for both UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz.
[8] Church, Thomas D., University of California at Santa Cruz: Random Notes on the Site. Thomas D. Church and Associates: Landscape Architects, October 29, 1962: 2. https://people.ucsc.edu/~jcliff/IMAGES/Ecotone2.pdf
[9] Ibid. 4. Full quote, “It must be magnificent in conception, daring and forthright in its architecture – but gentle be the hand it lays upon the land”
[10] California Constitution, Article IX Education [Section 1 – SEC. 16]. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/
codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS§ionNum=SEC.%209.&article=I Associated quote; “With full powers of organization and government, subject only to such legislative control as may be necessary to insure the security of its funds and compliance with the terms of the endowments of the university and such competitive bidding procedures as may be made applicable to the university by statute for the letting of construction contracts, sales of real property, and purchasing of materials, goods, and services…”
[11] Rent increasing from $1,893 to $2,500; increase of $603 / $1,893 = 32% increase.
[12] UC Office of the President Fiscal Year 2025-26 Budget, https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/may25/f7attach.pdf
[13] “If you take occupancy on or after January 1, 2018 and your eligibility is based on living with an adult child, sibling, parent, or grandparent, then your eligibility for Family Student Housing will end on June 30, 2026” with additional stipulation stating, “ if you take occupancy on or after January 1, 2019 and your eligibility is based on living with a spouse or adult partner without a minor child, then your eligibility for Family Student Housing will end on June 30, 2026.”
[14] https://www.ucop.edu/uc-operations/mission-goals/mission-vision-values.html
[15] For the poem in Spanish, which is popularized in Mexico see the 100 MXN bank note.
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