Students With Voices: UC Students Rattle Board of Regents Meeting
The chants of University of California (UC) students disrupted the UC Board of Regents teleconference meeting today at UCLA and other UC campuses, forcing board members to relocate to different meeting rooms. About 60 students from several campuses gathered in UCLA's Bruin Plaza to listen to the broadcasted teleconference and, of course, to protest.
The teleconference, which was postponed earlier this month due to threats of significant violence and vandalism, was conducted by UCLA, UC Davis, UC Merced and UC San Francisco-Mission Bay. Board of Regents chairman Sherry Lansing and UC President Mark Yudof commenced the meeting by advocating free speech and criticizing the use of force at UC Davis.
Security was high at all campuses for the meeting, and the largest group of regents - 10 board members and 4 chancellors - gathered at UCLA. A public comment period was scheduled to allow students to speak their minds and was extended to one hour due to the overflow of voices. During this time, student protesters "vocally disrupted" the meeting at multiple locations, according to UCLA Newsroom. L.A. Now noted that "student speakers expressed deep frustration over rising tuition costs and the recent pepper spraying of nonviolent protesters at UC Davis by campus police."
After the regents relocated to another room at UCLA, approximately 20 students, who dubbed themselves "The People's Regents," stayed in the original meeting room "discussing issues such as tuition, chanting protest messages and negotiating with UCLA student affairs representatives," reports UCLA Newsroom.
One UCLA grad student, Whitney Richards-Calathes, stood outside the site of the meeting since approximately midnight. She told the UCLA Newsroom, "Seeing several police in riot gear here has created a visual that is incredibly symbolic of what has become of the system. Our aim is to be heard while being nonviolent and peaceful, but what are their intentions?"
Today's meeting wrapped before 2pm with an approved proposal to request additional state funding for the 10-campus system in order to avoid yet another tuition bump in 2012. Yudof also announced that a university task force will review an investigation of the November 18 pepper spray incident at UC Davis. Former L.A. Police Chief William Bratton will lead the investigation.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block has permitted The People's Regents to remain in their meeting room until 6pm today.
