Call for Whiteliners- July 14-16 at Mission Bay
By Amanda Arsenault
Contributing Writer
What is a Whiteliner?
There are four UCSA-affiliated Whiteliners at each day of the University of California Board of Regents meeting. Whiteliners are provided direct access to the Regents - they get to go past the line that separates the approved guest from the audience that must sit in back. Whiteliners therefore have the opportunity to speak directly with the Regents and meet with them in informal situations such as breaks and meals.
The responsibility of a UCSA Whiteliner is to advocate UCSA's positions on issues the Regents will be considering and to build relationships for UCSA with as many of the Regents as possible. This is also one of the few times students have the opportunity to tell the Regents about our priorities and our action agenda. The UC Office of the President provides funding for travel and meals for the day you are whitelining. Students are generally only appointed to whiteline on one of the two days and you must be available for the full day in which you are selected to attend, normally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Public Commenter:
If you are not available to attend a regents meeting for the entire day but would like to address the Regents on an issue relating to a University or UCSA priority item you may request to be added to the list of speakers during the Public Comment period. The Public Comment section of the meeting usually begins at the start of each meeting at around 8:30 a.m. and each speaker is allotted 1-3 minutes to speak to the regents on a their specific item.
Specifics:
The Regents will be discussing the state budget and its impact on the UC and so it might be a good opportunity to pose some questions and food for thought for the Regents as they discuss the future of the UC with these proposed cuts. They will also be voting on the honorary degrees for interned japanese americans and the cuts to staff salaries.
If you are interested in advocating on behalf of UCSA, please provide the following information to uadirector@ucsa.org by July 3rd 4 p.m.
If selected as a whiteliner travel, room and board costs will be reimbursable through the UC Office of the President. Please specify if you are interested in whitelining, public comment or either.
We will need the following:
Name:
E-mail:
Mobile Phone Number:
Year/Major:
UC Campus:
Organization (if any):
Date/s available to attend:
Why you want to be a UCSA Whiteliner or Public Commenter for the May Regents meeting and how you can address the UCSA priorities around UC accessibility, diversity, or quality education: