Regents vote to defer vote on tuition hike

From Jan. 24 to 25, the UC Board of Regents met for its bi-monthly meeting at UC San Francisco. Among the most anticipated topics discussed was the proposed undergraduate tuition increase.

The meeting began with an open forum. Most of the speakers present urged the regents to vote against tuition hikes.

Varsha Sarveshwar, the Fund the UC campaign manager at the Associated Students of the University of California, was one of the speakers. Sarveshwar criticized regents for holding this meeting on a Wednesday morning as well as on the second week of Winter Quarter for UC Davis, UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley, where, in many classes, if students are absent in the first two weeks, they are dropped from courses.

“Holding this vote today puts students last,” Sarveshwar said at the meeting. “It shows you are not willing to work with students as equal partners and making sure that the state gives us the money that we need.”

On Jan. 24, the following committees were heard from: public engagement and development, compliance and audit, governance and compensation, academic and student affairs, national laboratories subcommittee, finance and capital strategies, finance and capital strategies and special meeting of the board.

President Janet Napolitano welcomed regents to the first meeting of 2018. Napolitano said that regents need to work with the state to attain necessary funds to keep tuition costs the same.

“I would like to begin by saying how important it is to maintain direct communication with the leaders of the State Assembly and the Senate as well as with the Governor’s office,” Napolitano said at the meeting. “As we strive to secure the funding needed to maintain access and quality and to ensure students’ success we must also strengthen our working relationship with state leaders.”

Interim Associate Vice President Chris Harrington updated regents on federal issues including the budget of fiscal year 2018, legislative efforts to protect DACA recipients and changes to tax laws.

The Governance and Compensation Committee met next. Chair George Kieffer spoke about proposed policy and bylaw changes. The proposed changes are in response to a recent University of California audit. Kieffer went through each policy and bylaw amendment. The first would require that university employees do not obstruct or interfere with the protected disclosures of any audit.

“During a state audit of the Office of the President, the Chief Compliance and Audit Officer is going to report directly to the board through the chair of the Compliance and Audit committee,” Kieffer said.

Finally, the Special Meeting of the Board convened to discuss the proposed tuition increase tuition.

“I think the board would be better advised to defer voting on this item until its May meeting, with the proviso that the portion of the item related to out-of-state tuition may be brought [up] at the March meeting,” Napolitano said.

Napolitano and other regents said they hope the State of California allots more funding for the UC.

“The Office of the Presidents will work with campuses to identify and possibly mitigate any specific needs they may have due to the delay,” Napolitano said. “But I think we need to show that we have done everything possible here. We should accept the invitations of the students with us here this morning to fight together for funding for the University of California.”

The regents voted to defer the vote until May.

The board reconvened on Jan. 25. The meeting began with the 25 speakers that had signed to address the regents and voice their concerns. Concerns included low average salaries for faculty at UC Santa Cruz, the need for labor unions within the UC system, graduate student housing, protection for DACA students and better working accommodations for nurses across the UCs.

First, Judith Gutierrez, a fourth-year political science major at UC Santa Cruz and the President of the UC Student Association, spoke out against tuition increases and lack of transparency.

The Board then moved on to committee reports.

Before giving the National Laboratories Subcommittee report, Regent William De La Peña made an announcement about Regent Norman Pattiz’s contribution to the Board of Regents.

Regent Norman Pattiz will retire effective Feb. 2018 following a year of pressure from student organizations over sexual assault allegations.

“I had the privilege of working with Norm as the vice-chair of this committee for 11 years so I got to know him quite well,” De La Peña said. “We were very, very fortunate to have [Pattiz] as a chair.”

De La Peña made no reference to the sexual assault allegations.

Napolitano recognized awards, achievements and research advancements made by the UC affiliates in the last year.

The meeting closed with the resolution to accept the resignations of Regent William De La Peña, Regent Norman Pattiz and Regent Bruce Varner. Pattiz was not present at his last meeting as a regent.

Written by: Ally Russell — campus@theaggie.org

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article misspelled Sarveshwar’s name. The article has been updated to reflect this change. 

Picketers protest UC treatment of workers

On Feb. 1, workers in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees trade union picketed at the ARC in protest of the treatment they receive in their positions from the UC. AFSCME represents over 24,000 employees across all 10 UC campuses. Others outside of the union came out to support, including both undergraduate and graduate students and community members. Eric Gudz, a former UC Davis graduate student who was pursuing a masters degree in Transportation, Technology, and Policy, elaborated on the reasons he came out to support AFSCME workers.

“A lot of the workers, both student workers and non-student workers, have presented a series of demands and certain needs that have been unfulfilled and unmet within our administration system,” Gudz said. “They have a list on their website and Facebook group for all the demands they have, but where it boils down to is pay, benefits and making sure that we do everything we can within the university to protect employees’ right to unionize and to prevent any sort of attack or reduction in unionizing power. It’s very important that we’re here supporting unions and everyone’s right to unionize and organize effectively.”

Blanca Centeno, a UC Davis worker with the custodial department, discussed a few of the reasons why she was picketing.

“We’re here right now because we’re fighting for justice, equality, respect and dignity,” Centeno said. “It doesn’t matter how many years pass by, we always have to keep fighting for our future.”

UC Davis employee Kristina Torres also discussed her reasons for picketing.

“We are here today because the service workers and the patient care workers under AFSCME do not have a contract,” Torres said. “The University of California has not been bargaining faithfully with us and so service workers have been out of a contract since June 30 of 2017 and patient care workers since Dec. 31 of 2017.”

Torres talked about what her hopes were for the outcome of the picket.

“We’re hoping that the university hears us, sees us in solidarity, and that we’re going to fight for everything that we deserve because they’re coming to the table with giving us zero across the board for any kind of salary wages,” Torres said. “They’re saying that all of us make too much, they want to cut our pensions, they want us to pay more for our health benefits and raise the age of retirement from 60 to 65. This is the second protest that we have had. Obviously, the university still came to the table with no negotiating.”

Caroline McKusick, a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in anthropology, also came out to support AFSCME workers.

“I am out here today because I am also a part of a union on campus and I am here to support AFSCME workers,” McKusick said. “We have to stand together right now when labor is under attack across the country and at the UCs. I believe that AFSCME workers have every right to be making the contract demands that they are making and UC’s reaction has been insulting.”

McKusick also explained the correlation between what the union she is a part of is fighting for and what AFSCME workers are currently fighting for.

“I’m a part of the UAW and we have a lot of shared ground and demands with AFSCME workers such as getting sanctuary campus status for the UC and these are things that we can win if we all work together as students and workers on campus,” McKusick said. “It’s my hope that during these bargaining processes we can win some concrete victories for students and workers on campus.”

As a worker at the UC Davis Medical Center, Carla Alston schedules specialty appointments. Alston gave insight into why the picket happened to be on this particular day.

“Today is the 50th anniversary since the passing of our brothers at Memphis, Tenn.,” Alston said. “They were out here 50 years ago trying to fight for dignity and equality and fairness in the workplace here, and here we are 50 years later and we’re still fighting for that here.”

According to the Facebook event page for the picket, Feb. 1 is “the 50th anniversary of the two men whose deaths moved Memphis’s 1,300 sanitation workers to join AFSCME in 1968, stand with Dr. Martin Luther King, and strike for over 10 weeks against the same issues we’re dealing with at UC today.”

According to Alston, the UC is offering a contract that will yield only negative effects for workers like her.

“We’re hoping that UC regents will take into consideration what we’re trying to propose here at the bargaining table because what they’re proposing is not fair or equal,” Alston said. “The UC is offering zero percent pay raise for the next five years, raising in our health care benefits so we’re going to be paying more in healthcare costs with no increase in pay. They want us to have to pay more in our pensions and they don’t want to give us more staffing.”

Alston also believes that the staffing levels for workers at the UC Davis Medical Center is worrisome for both the workers and for those receiving care.

“Staffing levels are unsafe in the workplace here, so we’re trying to get that at safe levels,” Alston said. “It doesn’t only affect us, it affects anybody that walks into any UC campus. Many departments are so understaffed and overworked. There are a lot of departments with double-time shifts and overtime pay all the time because there is no staffing there and they’re tired and being taken away from their families and that is not safe.”

Chants and signs at the protest included sayings such as “Zero percent won’t pay the rent” — in reference to the zero percent increase in wages for the next five years that the UC has offered to service and patient care workers.

During the picket, a few of the organizers called together those in attendance to make an announcement that an AFSCME picketer at a recent rally at UC Berkeley had been arrested. The footage of the arrest can be seen on the AFSCME Facebook page.

Written by: Sabrina Habchi — campus@theaggie.org

De la Torre will be first Latina president of SDSU

On Jan. 30, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity Adela de la Torre was appointed as the next president of San Diego State University by the California State University Board of Trustees. De la Torre will be stepping into her role as president this coming June.

De la Torre is the first Latina woman to be appointed as president of SDSU. De la Torre is a researcher in and chair of the Department of Chicana/Chicano Studies at UC Davis.

ASUCD President Josh Dalavai spoke about de la Torre’s relationship with students.

“We are sorry to see Vice Chancellor de la Torre leave the UC Davis community but are excited for her future endeavors at SDSU and wish her the best,” Dalavai said. “It was a pleasure working with her on behalf of students.”

At UC Davis, as Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, de La Torre has worked to secure $19 million in order to support programs like educational outreach, recruitment and health education.

May recently announced that in light of de la Torre’s departure, he will be looking to fill two open positions: vice chancellor of student affairs and vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion.

“One thing we must do is further increase the diversity of our students, faculty and staff in the years ahead,” May said in a press release published by the university. “This new position for diversity, equity and inclusion will allow us to engage more effectively with recruitment and retention of the best and brightest students, faculty, and staff in the state and nation.”

In an official statement, May congratulated de la Torre on her new position.

“Please join me in congratulating Adela,” May said. “She has been a dynamic leader and scholar during her time with UC Davis and has demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion in a wealth of programs and services for students.”

Written by: Ally Russell — campus@theaggie.org

Discussion over OASR unit director position leads to disagreement

On Jan. 18, at 6:12 p.m., Vice President Adilla Jamaludin called the ASUCD Senate meeting to order in the Mee Room of the Memorial Union.

The evening’s first presentation was given by the Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs. Don Dudley and Jennifer Chow presented on the office’s status after rebranding two years ago from the former Office of Judicial Affairs. The office laid out its mission to help maintain conduct standards and provide due process when called upon.

The Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs intends to “coordinate between students and the resources they need for counseling.”

Sarah Risher and Lois Kim, the chair and vice chair of the Environmental Policy and Planning Commission, presented on The Green Initiative Fund. The fund sponsors students’ projects for sustainability.

The Spring Grant Cycles have raised enough money to fund student-run projects based in UC Davis or the Davis community ranging from $2,000 to $200,000. Applications to submit a sustainable project are due on April 9.

The Elections Committee then updated the table on the Winter Elections cycle. Petitions for prospective candidates went out on Monday, Jan. 22. Committee Chair Naeema Kaleem and  Vice Chair Rodney Tompkins presented the committee’s ideas to promote the election cycle. Raffles and increased tabling will be implemented to incentivise greater voter turnout. Voting, endorsements and petition signatures will all be digital.

ASUCD President Josh Dalavai presented third-year design major Amber Kumara as a prospective unit director for OASR to the table. Kumara was questioned before her confirmation on her history with advocacy and her goals as a representative for undergraduate students. She spoke about her passions for representing students. She was a returning student from time off from the university and did not have much advocacy experience. While she admitted to not being knowledgeable about every community on campus, she said her desire was to learn more.

A 10-minute break was called at 7:28 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 7:40 p.m.

Upon return, Dalavai rescinded his nomination of Kumara.

Becca Nelson, the Gender and Sexuality Commission chair, delivered an LGBTQ allyship training course to the table to accommodate senators who had not yet proactively done so.

SB 22 passed as amended during introduction of new legislation.

SB 23 redefines the office hours of ASUCD senators. They are currently required to reserve four hours for the public. The bill proposes that one hour may be substituted with a visit to a club or a classroom to make a public announcement on ASUCD’s behalf. The table spoke about whether making a short visit to a class or club should be equated to making oneself available for one hour to the public.

The meeting moved out of public discussion on SB 23 and into consideration of ASUCD Constitutional Amendment 1 regarding the position of the OASR unit director. The unit director is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The amendment would change the position of OASR unit director to an executive one, thereby creating a new elected position.

Senator Michael Gofman spoke about the intentions of the amendment, to make the role of primary student advocacy a democratic decision. The new seat is said to increase voter turnout in the upcoming elections.

Representatives from OASR and senators voiced their dissatisfaction with the amendment, commenting on Gofman’s lack of communication with OASR about the proposed changes and the amendment’s hastily-written contents.  

OASR members shook their heads in disagreement over the amendment’s defense and expressed their disapproval over not being consulted in the process. Senators rolled their eyes at other senators’ words and Gofman’s frustration at opposition led to his usage of profanity.

A motion was passed to divide the house for a litmus test vote over whether the Senate wanted to put the amendment on a ballot for students to vote on its approval. There was one yes, seven nos and three abstentions. The official vote ended in one yes, nine nos and three abstentions, keeping it off the ballot.

Public discussion moved back to SB 23. The bill will continue to be edited and discussed in the future to address recent complaints about the ineffectiveness of Senate office hours.

Ex officio reports were given followed by elected official reports.

The meeting adjourned at 10:26 p.m.  

Written by: Elizabeth Mercado — campus@theaggie.org

Club hopes to raise enough money to rescue North Korean refugee

On Jan. 18, Liberty in North Korea hosted Charles Ryu, a 24-year-old North Korean defector, in the Student Community Center.

Soo Kyeom Lee, a UC Davis alumna and the original founder of LINK, hosted the event and discussed the club’s goals for the year.

“Our mission is to educate and raise awareness about the human rights crisis in North Korea,” Kyeom said. “This year our goal is simple, to rescue one refugee. To do so we need to raise $3,000.”

LINK began at Yale University in 2004 and has been at UC Davis for three years. Kyeom thanked those in attendance and their contribution to LINK’s cause, stating that attendees were “part of the rescue mission.”

Kyeom then introduced the event’s speaker, Charles Ryu. Ryu told attendees his story of growing up in North Korea and escaping twice before eventually ending up in America.

Ryu was born in 1994 to a North Korean mother and a Chinese father. When Ryu was 5, in the midst of the famine going on in North Korea, Ryu’s father abandoned him and his mother and sought refuge in China.

Six years later, Ryu’s mother died from starvation. Ryu spent the next few years of his life homeless and begging for food. At 14, Ryu escaped North Korea for the first time with the help of his Chinese half-brother. After bribing the guards, Ryu was able to swim across the river and meet his estranged father who cared for him for the next year.

Ryu was eventually discovered by the Chinese police and was deported back to North Korea, as China does not currently recognize North Korean refugees.

“I was convinced I would be shot the moment I crossed the border,” Ryu said. “But I realized killing me would have been too nice for the regime. They wanted me to confess to trying to defect.”

Because Ryu had not been trying to defect and instead was only seeking his father and better living conditions, he was transported to a labor camp. At the age of 15, Ryu spent eight months in a labor camp until he was too weak to support his own body weight. He was then released. For the next year, Ryu regained his strength and worked in a mine. After seeing countless friends lose limbs and die due to working conditions, Ryu decided to try to escape again.

After stealing flashlights and selling them in the black market, stowing away on a train and running to a border town, Ryu was able to cross the river again and escape into China. From there, Ryu’s life beyond the North Korean border began.

In America, Ryu graduated high school and currently works with LINK. Ryu has given talks about his experiences and hopes to eventually go to a university to study computer science.

When fielding questions from the audience, Ryu discussed the role foreign movies played in his disillusionment with the North Korean regime.

“That really changed my perspective, watching foreign media,” Ryu said. “It was really easy for me to get my hands on foreign media.”

Ryu’s Chinese half-brother was able to smuggle him CDs and movies. “007” and “Bad Boys” were among the notable movies Ryu grew up watching. From there, Ryu would burn copies and sell them on the black market. Ryu insisted that the majority of the North Korean economy revolves around the black market.

“They found their way to survive,” Ryu said. “[The black market] got really big. It was too big to fail. The government can’t control it.”

Ryu claimed that 99.9 percent of the North Korean economy depends on the black market. He also said that most of what is sold is manufactured in China.

Ryu spoke about the culture of bribery within North Korea.

“It is very easy to bribe guards in North Korea because everyone seeks opportunity to feed their family,” Ryu said. “It’s not that we want to bribe them, they want bribes from us.”

After Ryu’s presentation, Kyeom thanked those who attended the event and encouraged individuals to seek out more information about North Korea and to get involved.

Caitlin Perkey, a third-year international relations major and a public relations officer at LINK, spoke about Ryu’s positive attitude.

“He’s a very humorous and chill person to be around,” Perkey said. “Charles has overcome numerous instances of hardship where the world was very unforgiving.”

Ryu engaged with audience members throughout the event, making jokes and stayed well after the event to meet those in attendance.

Written by: Ally Russell — campus@theaggie.org