UC Students Announce Plans for Future Advocacy while Taking Issue with the Lack of UC Diversity

San Francisco, CA- Based on comments at the UC Regents meeting today it is clear that UC students have effectively moved the conversation away from tuition increases and towards improved state funding. However, there were other very pertinent issues up for discussion, such the future of online education and the lack of UC faculty diversity.

While no tuition increase was on the table at this Regents meeting UCSA still urged Governor Brown to put in place dedicated funding that will rollback tuition cost and deal with the increasing rate of graduate and professional degree fees. “In the short term, we have years of deep cuts to classes, departments, staff, faculty, and services that we must urgently begin to backfill,” says UCSA Presidents Raquel Morales.

UCSA also announced that they will work with the SSCCC and other partners to continue their March for Higher Education in order to advocate directly to legislators on the critical need for increased state funding. “The status quo is unacceptable for students, and it must continue to be our goal to work towards a fully funded university; that is why students plan to go on the offensive again this year and maintain our advocacy and organizing in Sacramento,” says President Morales.

Also at issues was the overall lack of UC faculty diversity. UC Student Regent Jonathan Stein commented that there is little information on the Universities LGBTQ faculty diversity. “It is not enough for us to say that we perform decently when compared to other elite private universities and select public universities. We are a public university with a special mission to serve all of the people of our state.  The diversity of our faculty should reflect that,” says President Morales.

Lastly, UC students are cautiously investigating the current and future status of the UC’s plan for online education. “Students want to be clear that we support online education, as long as it is used to supplement not substitute our in-person courses. We do not believe that online courses in the UC should be utilized as a money maker from non UC students,” says President Morales.

The University of California Student Association is the official voice of over 200,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students from the eleven UC campuses. It is our mission to advocate on behalf of current and future students for the accessibility, affordability, and quality of the University of California system.