UC Regents: Is the Board Geared for Changes? The This week the University Regent's Letter Twenty-nine of California's highest ranking body ofpower, the Makes Waves, Who Run Your Board of Regents, w ill be Board Reacts to Life deciding, amongst other Scrutiny issues, whether student fees By Martin Boer w ill be raisedyet again. By Suzanne Garner Staff Writer__________________________________ Staff Writer__________________________________ Who is this elite group of From determining student fees to appointing chancel­ When newly appointed member Ward Conneriy felt lors, the UC Board of Regents has the final say on all mat­ leaders whose decisions tiie atmosphere at the last UC Board of Regents’ meeting ters regarding the University of California. Comprised of inhibited the sharing of diveigent viewpoints, he took seven ex officio, eighteen appointed, one student and heavily impact our lives action to discourage the powerful governing body from four nonvoting members, this body meets nine times a acting like a passive stamp of approval to the administra­ year to vote on agenda items devised by the andfuturef tion’s agenda. administration. After long consideration, Conneriy drafted a letter to According to the California Constitution, “The Uni­ his colleagues in late December expressing his observa­ versity of California shall constitute a public trust, to be tion that me board needs to take a more assertive role in administered by the governing the UC sys­ existing corporation tem — a letter that known as 'The Re­ drew considerable gents ofthe University media attention. of California.”’ It also While intended as mandates that this constructive criticism group have “full pow­ to elicit better com­ ers of organization munication and ex­ and government” over pression of opinions the nine-campus between regents, the system. effects of Connerly’s This group, en­ letter went beyond its trusted with the wel­ original goal. It gave fare of the University heed to allegations of California, has be­ that have accumu­ come the focus of cri­ lated against the tics who have made a board in tiie past from variety of charges re­ faculty, students and garding the makeup of others who feel the re­ the board. Lack of gents are out of touch ethnic and cultural di­ with the University’s versity and a gender needs. imbalance are two fre­ “My letter was sent quent complaints ab- because I came away o u t th e b o a rd ’s from the meeting feel­ composition. ing that the board These allegations needs to take a new were voiced in regard look at its proce­ to Wilson’s recent ap­ dures,” Conneriy said. pointments of John “My intention was to Davies and Stephen say, ‘Hey, let’s take a Nakashima, whose look at ourselves.’” nominations their cri­ According to Con­ tics have tried to de­ neriy, the regents are rail. Voiced concerns not in tune with stu­ have come from such dent and faculty disparate comers as needs because they do the University of Cali­ m a t t RAOLAND/Daiiy N u a . not extend their atten­ fornia Student Assn., the National Organization of and what their qualifications are for overseeing the na­ tion beyond concerns brought before them in the allot­ Women, Common Cause, the Latino Issues Forum and tion’s most prestigious public system of higher ted time during meetings. “We have an excellent admi­ Ralph Nader’s Public Interest Research Group. education. nistration. This is not about administration, it’s about During Davies’ nominating process, a University of What follows is a listing of who the regents are and our responsibility to govern,” he said. California Students Assn, officer from UCSC, Tobin what they do. “We are the ones sworn in to guide the University... Fried, told the regents that they were already adequ­ we need to be going to campuses and be more involved ately represented by “white, upper-class, male Ex Officio Members in the formulation of policy, not just reacting to what’s Republicans.” brought to us. We also need to allow more time for stu­ Current UCSA President Don Daves, a graduate stu­ This group includes the governor, currently Pete dent input [at meetings],” Conneriy said. dent at UCSB, claims “the lack of diversity and gender Wilson, the lieutenant governor, currently Leo McCar­ Conneriy said he hoped his letter would prompt dis­ balance they have shows they are in a clear violation of thy, speaker of the assembly, currently Willie Brown, cussion amongst regents and “make a more healthy the constitution.” and the superintendent of public instruction, currently environment” Besides being unrepresentative of the diverse eco­ a vacant position. While some regents were disturbed that the letter nomic and social makeup of the state, the student re­ These three politicians all hold law degrees and have caught public attention, many others agree with his in­ gent, Darby Morrisroe, also finds her colleagues to be been involved primarily in the political arena since gra­ sights — or at least commended his courage to speak too elitist. duating from law school. In Sacramento, Wilson’s in­ out Conneriy said. “Unfortunately, most of the members on the board terests have been focused on fiscal policy and law en­ UC Regent Clair Burgener, who was appointed in are completely detached from the UC college campus forcement; McCarthy’s in medicine and economics; 1988, attested to the feet that Conneriy is not tiie only in the ’90s, which is markedly different from the cam­ and Brown is credited for having enacted the most one who thinks the board could stand to make some pus of the ’60s and ’70s,” she said. comprehensive educational reform and financing legis­ changes. “I strongly support what he’s talking about” Ofthe eighteen appointed regents, thirteen have had lation in the past 20 years. These people will serve on Buigener said. “We are hidebound and a bit out of date no experience in education outside of their college edu­ the UC Board of Regents as long as they continue to with our procedures.” cations, barring local UC fund-raising efforts. Also, hold their political offices. According to Student Regent Darby Morrisroe, how­ only four of the regents hold a graduate degree that re­ Three other board members serve only a single year ever, Connerly’s open concern with the UC Board of quires research, such as a Ph.D, as opposed to a law apiece: the president and vice president of the Alumni Regents is only one of many calls for change in recent degree. Assn., Robert Murphy and Roy L. Shults, and the stu­ years. "The board needs to be more in touch with cam­ According to Morrisroe, this situation creates a pre­ dent regent, Darby Morrisroe. Murphy is a Sacramento puses. I don’t think they have any idea how bad morale dicament where the regents might be incapable of mak­ attorney often representing school districts in person­ is on the nine campuses.” ing sound decisions. nel matters, construction planning and public financ­ One attempt for change was initiated by the Univer­ “I don’t think [the lack of expertise in education] en­ ing. He is currently the president of the UCD Alumni sity of California Student Assn., which sponsored a bill tirely precludes them from doing a good job, but a back­ Assn. Shults is a Los Angeles attorney who specializes last year to reform the current structure and process of ground in education is necessary to understand all the in litigation, principally in the areas of securities fraud, the board. policy implications,” Morrisroe said. antitrust and trade regulation. He is currently president According to UCSA Vice President Aaron Jones, “But I certainly don’t think that having a degree in of the UCLA Alumni Assn. The student regent is an suggestions in the amendment authored by Assembly­ higher education is a detriment,” she added. undergraduate at UCD in political science. She previ­ woman Marguerite Archie-Hudson include shortening Because these regents oversee world-class profes­ ously worked in the UC’s office of federal governmen­ the length of the appointed term, dispersing appoint­ sors and researchers, Nobel laureates, the nation’s two tal relations in Washington, D.C., and was Associated ments of regents to different politicians and limiting the nuclear weapons laboratories and a multibillion-dollar budget, it is important to.find out who these people are See BIO, p.4A See IMAGE, p.4A 2A Wednesday, January 19,1994 Daily Nexus The university shall be entirely independent of allpoli c free therefrom in the appointment of its regents and in tk Regents shall be able persons broadly refective o f the ec< including ethnic minorities and voomen. Hovoever; it is ? applied in the selection o f regents. Pete Wilson Ex Officio, Governor of C a lifo rn ia Robert E. Murphy ,Ex Officio,.President o f , the Alumni Association of the University of California Leo T. McCarthy Roy T. Brophy Frank W. Clark, Jr. Tirso del Juncc Appointed by Governor Appointed in M Ex Officio, Lieutenant Appointed in 1986 by Edmund Brown Ir. in 1980; reappointed by Governor Governor Deuki Governor of California. Governor Deukmejian Deukmejian in 1988. Roy L. Shults Vice President of the Alumni Associations of the University of California Wiiiie L. Brown, Jr. C lair W. Burgener Ward Connerly Alice J. Gonz Ex Officio, Speaker Appointed in 1988 by Appointed by Governor Pete A p p o in te d in M of the Assembly Governor Deukmejian. W ilson in 1993. Governor Deuki William T. Bagley Appointed in 1989 by George Deukmejian. Jack W. Peltason Glenn Campbell John G. Davies S. Sue John Appointed by Governor Ronald Ex Officio, President of Reagan in 1968; reappointed by Appointed by Governor Pete A p p o in te d in I 1 the University of Governor Deukmejian in 1984.