I Made a List: UCGPC President’s Address to the Regents

Piyalli and Good morning, Regents.

I’d like to start by acknowledging that we’re on stolen land and I am one of the people who is actively benefiting from the violence against the Tongva people as the President of UCGPC, as a Cota-Robles Fellow and a Phd student here at UCLA.

Writing my remarks for today proved difficult… I’ve prepared at least six addresses, but none of them encompassed everything students want you to know while staying contained by your limitations.  There is so much I want to tell you. But at the end of the day, it’s not about what I want to say. It’s about what you want to hear… and I don’t think you really want to hear what’s going on with students. 

You want an introduction; you want something short and sweet. Something to show that you listen to students.  So, here is my part, and I made a list.  You can do with it what you will, and all I can do is hope that you follow-up.

1.    you lost the trust of your students through data sharing and letting go of staff that support diversity and have put archiving under attack.

2.    You are creating a place where only the privileged can attend, through tuition hikes, severe rent burden, and the inaccessibility to basic needs.

3.    You don’t value students, not even student leaders.  It feels like this is corporate business, not higher education.  You have students begging to be heard, but student leaders across multiple campuses struggle to get meetings with their chancellor, meetings between the president and the council of presidents have been cancelled, and Aditi’s and my meetings have been slashed.

4.    Students who file Title IX cases often feel unprotected, the Clery notifications are not going out for all violent crime encompassed by the law, the SB98 notification recommendations will not help protect students as the law was intended, and lastly whistleblower reports of misconduct, tax fraud, misuse of student dollars go unanswered.

Lastly, I hear people say a lot, “We’re in unprecedented times.” The truth is we’re not. History repeats itself. And that’s exactly what’s happening right now. More people would see that, if we listened to scholars- researchers, faculty, and students. 1930s wasn’t that long ago. It might have been another time, another country. But that’s why the Humanities are so important, so we don’t end up in these same situations, saying “We’re in unprecedented times.” The students are pleading with you to protect the community, to stand with your community. And you’re not. Even with something as simple as ICE notification. SB98. 

I hope things can change. I wish things would change. But my hope in all of you is running out. My proverbial door is always open.  At some point I hope you start listening to students. When you’re ready we are here waiting eagerly to address the issues facing us…. And listening to the two student regents does not fulfill this quota because they do not represent the official student organizations that represent the undergraduate and graduate student bodies. I urge you to plug in and listen to students that have their boots on the ground and are doing the work.

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