EXTERNAL ORGANIZING
Commission Mission
The UC Student Association (UCSA) is a coalition of UC campuses geared towards making the University of California more affordable, accessible, and improving its quality to the students they serve. Every single student at UC Irvine is a member of UCSA through student services, so it is important to make the most out of the resources offered through the Association to further your student activism efforts! For more information about all of these incredible opportunities, visit www.ucsa.org.
UCweVote Mission:
This coordinator will support UC we Vote, a University of California Student Association campaign which is defined as increasing the legislative power of the office and its constituents through organizing non-partisan student voter registration, education, and turnout efforts for every state and federal election on UC campuses. This coordinator will attend UCSA meetings (held once a month) to retrieve tasks that are given by the UC We Vote Chair and complete the task before the deadlines given.
ACQUIRE Mission:
This coordinator will support ACQUIRE, a University of California Student Association campaign which is defined as academic success depends on the availability of holistic resources and protections. Some of these resources and protections may include but are not limited to: safety from interpersonal violence, sexual violence, and hate crimes; retention services; mental and physical health services; academic accommodations; and support for basic needs. This coordinator will attend UCSA meetings (held once a month) to retrieve tasks that are given by the ACQUIRE Chair and complete the task before the deadlines given.
Fund the UC Mission:
This coordinator will support Fund the UC, a University of California Student Association campaign which is defined as ensuring affordability, quality, and access to the University of California by eliminating all tuition and fees, restoring per-student funding to adequate levels, and maintaining financial aid for the cost of living and other costs of attendance. Through identifying and securing dedicated progressive taxation revenue streams for the University of California we will achieve the original intent in the California Master Plan for Higher Education of an equitable higher education system for all. This coordinator will attend UCSA meetings (held once a month) to retrieve tasks that are given by the Fund The UC Chair and complete the task before the deadlines given.
Racial Justice Now Mission:
This coordinator will support RJN, a University of California Student Association campaign which is defined as fights for collective liberation and acknowledgment of our differences as we grow together as one society. This acknowledgment is crucial in order to prevent the erasure of our most marginalized communities, and therefore we must recognize that this ultimate goal is not something that can be achieved overnight. We must be intentional in our deliberate prudence towards our goals as we build community. The Racial Justice Now campaign strives to uplift the personhood and concerns of marginalized UC students to ensure their needs are met and their existence respected by the UCSA (and its individual board of directors), UCOP, the UC Regents, and the University of California via concrete policy changes. Our goal is to elevate students belonging to historically marginalized communities so that they are able to make the most of their education and graduate with their personhood(s) intact. Additionally central to this goal will be continued advocacy towards eradicating the school-to-prison-pipeline and supporting the formerly-incarcerated on their paths toward an education. The Racial Justice Now Campaign works to further end the disproportionate exposure of marginalized students, specifically black and brown students, to the criminal justice system, recognizing that these efforts are integral in the efforts of our collective liberation. This coordinator will attend UCSA meetings (held once a month) to retrieve tasks that are given by the RJN Chair and complete the task before the deadlines given.
UCSA offers a number of workshops that the UCSA staff provide for free for the benefit of your organization. From lobby trainings to selfcare workshops, this is an incredible resource to utilize for your student organization. All of these workshops are paid for through your student fees, so it is imperative to take advantage of the incredible resources that they can benefit your organization, team or project!
UCSA puts on three major conferences each year: Congress, Students of Color Conference, and Student Lobby Conference. All travel and lodging expenses are paid by the External Affairs office, and is a great opportunity for students to get involved with systemwide issues that affect them. Applications are sent out during the academic year, so keep an eye out for the applications in your R’Mail!
As the conference approaches, there are typically additional applications for performing, leading workshops and facilitating caucuses, which provide additional opportunities to get engaged. You can also sit on the steering committee that helps plan each conference by emailing the Director of Communications, Anais LaVoie at commdirector@ucsa.org.
UCSA offers a variety of internship opportunities to gain experience in organizing, managing communications, and tracking legislation. They can be done from their headquarters in Oakland or remotely from your campus. Applications are taken on a rolling basis, so be sure to reach out to a UCSA staff member about being involved.
MEDIA INTERNSHIP: As a media intern, you have the opportunity of working with the Director of Communications, Anais LaVoie, to learn the ins and outs of communications. As a media intern, you will work on a variety of projects including coordinating The State Of (UCSA’s UCwide newspaper), writing press releases, tracking higher education news coverage, looking for influential social media news about higher education, developing short videos, and more.
LEGISLATIVE INTERNSHIP: As a legislative intern, you will be assisting the Government Relations Director, Sean Connelly. Every legislative session, UCSA sponsors and supports bills that relate to bettering the accessibility, affordability, and quality of higher education. Applicants are highly encouraged to work in the Sacramento office so you can also attend Senate hearings of the bills the Association supports, but remote interns are also vital for researching information about the bill.
The Student Advocate to the Regents (STAR) program allows you to be the direct representative of a quarter of a million UC students at the monthly Regents meetings. Although you have to pay upfront for travel and lodging expenses, you will be reimbursed. During your time as a STAR, you will be able to make a public comment at the Regents meeting about campus and systemwide issues, have lunch with the UC Regents, attend meetings with the UC Office of the President, and meet other passionate student advocates.
The collective bargaining representative is a recognized thirdparty representative who sits at the negotiating table for all UC contract negotiations. As a collective bargaining representative, you will be able to represent the University of California by attending negotiations, paid by UCSA. This is a great immersion into labor studies and becoming more aware of faculty negotiations.
The systemwide committee members sit on official boards of the UC Regents and UCSA led committees regarding specific campus issues, such as student fees and high school engagement. This is your chance to highlight the student experience through committees, and create tangible action towards issues you are passionate about.
This is your opportunity to work directly with the regents on specific issues, such as long range planning of the UC. Each Regents meeting, you will make a speech and present your ideas with relation to the Agenda items.
This is the perfect opportunity to have the voting power of an actual Regent and advocate for student concerns. Student Regents go through an intense screening period and are expected to serve for two years. Previous Student Regents have worked on developing programs such as the Global Food Initiative and the Student Advisor program systemwide.
Appointed Officers advise the UCSA Board of Directors on issues related to the UC, such as sustainability, campus climate, and financial aid. At each Board of Directors meeting, the Appointed Officers state their monthly findings and work to the Board of Directors.
Join EVP!
Gain advocacy, communication, and leadership skills! The External Vice President’s Office promotes student advocacy on a local, statewide and national level. The EVP Office works alongside UCSA (UC Student Association) to mobilize student action for policy concerning tuition, mental health, voter education, and more. Apply for the 2024-2025 school year!
Staffer applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting August 5th, 2024.