Editor:

You know them well … or at least you should know them well. We write our checks to them for fees, parking tickets and on-campus housing. Of course, I am talking about the UC Regents. The regents are the ultimate decision-makers in the University of California, and their next meeting is Nov. 15 to Nov. 16 at the UCLA campus. This meeting is important for many people and especially important for students.

At the November meeting, the regents will review and pass the annual budget for the university. The budget will detail the base expenditures and a list of initiatives the universities has planned if the California legislature provides the required financial resources.

After this meeting, the real fun begins. Chancellors, administrators and UC lobbyists use the budget approved in November to pressure elected officials to allocate enough funding to make everyone in the university happy. Not surprisingly, students are often left out of the UC budget process. Although our needs are great, student concerns and budget priorities are often overlooked.

This year, the University of California Student Association, a coalition of student government associations, has developed a unique budget proposal for the UC Regents to consider. The budget proposal asks the university to increase the financial support to student retention services by $30 million. This proposal would not increase student fees, as opposed to funding these services through a student fee referendum.

Student retention services are vital programs that greatly improve the quality of our education and increase the retention rates of underrepresented students. Student health centers, multicultural centers, disability resources centers and counseling services are all excellent examples of student retention services. The services have not seen any substantial new funding increases in over 10 years. Insufficient funding threatens the existence of these programs and limits the amount of resources these services can provide.

In addition to assisting students with course work and helping new students make the transition into college life, student services play a key role in recruiting students of color, women and low-income students for the University of California. In the absence of affirmative action, the university must take concrete steps to make our campuses a welcome place for all students. It must increase support to campus retention services by $30 million.

Contact the Associated Students to get involved with the UCSA’s retention services campaign at (858) 534-0474, and urge the regents to include $30 million for student retention services in their 2001-2002 budget.

— Dylan de Kervor

Associate lobbyist director

A.S. external affairs office