On July 15, 2026 at the Regents Meeting hosted at UCSF, UCGPC President Stephanie Valadez addressed the Regents. This marked the first address of the 2026-2027 academic year. Stephanie is serving her second term as UCGPC President.
About Stephanie:
Stephanie Valadez is a dual-national musician and scholar based in California and Mexico City. She is currently a PhD student in Ethnomusicology at UCLA, serves as the President of the Board of the University of California Graduate and Professional Student Council, and is the Executive Director of Xicameri Productions. She is a Marimba One Education Artist and maintains a private teaching studio. Valadez holds a Master of Arts in Music (Cross-Cultural Musicology) from the University of California, Santa Cruz and two Masters of Music degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in Music Composition and Music Performance: Marimba. In her spare time, she enjoys creating children’s books in Nahuatl for her two sons as part of her commitment to decolonial parenting practices.
UCGPC President’s Address: “Reflections Upon My Reelection”
Piyalli, good morning regents.
I am back… obviously. I am honored to report that I have been elected to serve another term as the UCGPC president, so that gives me six more meetings with you all.
Over the last year of my service to UCGPC, I have gotten to know this inspiring, beautiful, spitfire of a soul, with a giant backpack filled with ambition, ideas, and student perspectives. This woman, who in age, could be my daughter, has shown me time and time again how the world looks so different for her and her classmates. The first time I came before this board, a year ago, my predecessor just said, “Follow Aditi,” and I did that day. When it came time for our addresses to the board, I walked behind her, sat by her side, and I listened to her. Since that day, I have continued to observe and listen to the 230,000 undergraduate students through Aditi’s leadership. You have passionate undergraduate, professional, and grad students in front of you ready to work. Over this next year please give them a chance to work in partnership with you, I know I have appreciated that partnership with Aditi.
After my reelection, I reflected deeply on my time and work at UCGPC over the year and in particular my work partnering with upper admin both in the regental space and at UCOP. Each time I walk into this space, I still feel out of place. But over the last year, many of you became more human to me. Chatting with President Milliken about his grandbabies, listening to Lt Gov. Kounalakis explain her immigrant roots, brainstorming about NAGPRA compliance with Regent Sarris, and connecting with so many of you about the smallness of our roles in such a big machine. I began to see a little of myself in each of you, yet I am continually reminded of the disconnect between how students experience this university compared to those who govern it.
Yesterday, we heard the Morrill Act of 1862 described as “one of the country’s greatest achievements.” I want to expand a little bit on Ms. Bricker’s words. It is true that the Morrill Act expanded access to higher education by creating the land-grant university system. It is also true that it did so by transferring nearly 11 million acres of land taken from almost 250 Tribal Nations to states, which then sold that land to finance public colleges. Public higher education was built upon the monetization of Indigenous dispossession. This is one of the darkest parts of the UC’s history, and we cannot celebrate one truth while ignoring the other.
I acknowledge that I have certain political views, that my family has experienced hate, racism, and xenophobia by the U.S. government, so when I walk in and I see your table filled with white water bottles with the America 250 logo, I know that my visceral reaction and disgust is more a reflection of myself than all of you, however hearing the systemic dispossession of Indigenous peoples praised is a reflection of how the UC has lost its moral compass.
For today, I had planned to discuss the Indigenous remains found at UC Berkeley and the disregard with which they are being handled, I planned to talk about the absence of productive conversations on NAGPRA compliance, and I had planned to talk about the difficulty Indigenous UC students face when trying to access archival materials of which their ancestors are the subject, but then hearing the UC Inspires conversation yesterday affirmed to where you all stand… but let me remind you, here, at UCSF, you stand on unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone people, and what has been done to the Indigenous people of turtle island is never something to be celebrated.
Speaking of land-grab universities, one of the defining purposes of a public university is to prepare students to engage thoughtfully with difficult questions. Education fosters curiosity, dialogue, and dissent; but authoritarianism depends on conformity and silence. The University of California proudly champions shared governance, but shared governance is not measured by how often students are invited into the room. It is measured by whether student participation meaningfully shapes decisions.
Across the UC system, students increasingly fear that exercising their rights comes with significant consequences. After the May meeting, students who participated in public comment reported facing disciplinary investigations and threats to their academic standing on their home campuses. Whether one agrees with what they said is irrelevant. Students should never fear punishment for participating in a public process created by this Board. Medical students at UCSF have similarly raised concerns about proposed Policy 150-33 governing apparel and accessories in clinical settings. Professionalism is essential in medicine, but professionalism should protect patient care, not become a vehicle for unnecessarily restricting policies.
Often, students are invited into conversations after key decisions have already been shaped. Systemwide committees and student observer positions should not exist simply to satisfy consultation requirements but be a productive place to learn from and grow with each other. Furthermore, policies affecting students should be developed with students, not simply imposed upon them, or shared downstream after essential brainstorming and policy drafting has already taken place. If student voices are welcomed only when they are convenient, then consultation becomes performance rather than partnership. That means engaging students early, ensuring they have access to the information necessary to participate fully, and treating student perspectives as an essential part of policymaking. When student recommendations are not adopted, the university should explain why. That transparency strengthens trust, even when there is disagreement.
Universities ask students to think critically, challenge assumptions, and engage with complex issues. We ask this institution to embrace those same values in its governance. Protecting political expression, fostering genuine student participation, and resisting simplistic approaches to difficult policy questions are not distractions from the University’s mission, but rather they are essential to it.
Thank you for your time today.
Watch Stephanie’s Address: