As a result of the settlement, each of the 21 victims will receive $30,000 and a handwritten apology letter from UCD Chancellor Linda Katehi, forcing many students to ask themselves, “Would you get pepper-sprayed for 30K?” And many wish they did. But the fact of the matter is, this money is only going to go straight back into the UC system, with the students likely using it to cover the rising fees they were protesting. It is then crucial that we move the dialogue toward the preventative measures listed in UC President Mark G. Yudof’s recently commissioned report, rather than the money given to the victims.

Sad irony aside, the settlement itself shows that the UC system acknowledges that what happened last November was wrong. (Reports indicate poorly timed efforts to evict the campers and a questionable legal basis for the operation.) It is precisely because of these gaffes that we should make sure there is not a structure that causes the pepper-spray incident to happen again — something the UC system has already done.

One such preventative measure is the report commissioned by Yudof seeking advice from UC General Counsel Charles F. Robinson and UC Berkeley Law School Dean Christopher F. Edley Jr. The report, released onSept. 13, includes 49 suggestions to prevent similar incidents. Possibilities include establishing a student advocate within the Administration responsible for listening to concerns, having the Chancellor attend student government meetings and instituting monthly “office hours” for top administrators.

The report also suggests campuses train mediators, who could facilitate discussion between protesters and the administration during civil disobedience events, although it did state that pepper spray might remain a necessary last resort.

Thankfully, there’s a designated person we can watch to make sure these changes actually happen. Yudof announced that Associate Vice President of the UC Office of the President Communications Lynn Tierney will oversee the implementation of the recommendations, though how serious she’ll be about overseeing any real change will remain to be seen. Regardless, it’s the report, not the money, that’s really addressing what the students were fighting for, so it’s the report we should be scrutinizing. And more importantly, we need to make sure Tierney follows through with some kind of action.