The referendum benefits all graduate, professional school and undergraduate students individually and collectively. When the most marginalized communities on campus are made to feel safe, it improves awareness of the multitude of people, beliefs, and identities that exist in our world. This referendum is not taking away, or prioritizing the communities that EJCE serves, because the cluster works collaboratively to meet the needs of all students through lifting up intersectionality and and providing education.
Centers for Educational Justice & Community Engagement (EJCE): Multicultural Student Development (MSD), including African American Student Development (AASD), Asian Pacific American Student Development (APASD), Chicanx Latinx Student Development (CLSD), Multicultural Community Center (MCC), Native American Student Development (NASD); and the Gender Equity Resource Center (GenEq), including, Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) resources, Women’s resources, and resources addressing sexual and dating violence.
The amount is representative of the basic needs of the six spaces that comprise EJCE - staffing, programming and student employment/research.
With approximately 25% of the fee going to staffing, it would allow hiring of 5 essential staff positions that have either been eliminated or never existed including:
director of LGBT services (new)
program coordinator for women’s services (new) ...
Historically, the offices and centers that make up EJCE have been under-resourced and understaffed. The recent budget cuts that are projected to continue for several years will make it nearly impossible for EJCE to continue to function with current staffing and resources. In 2016, 2 positions were eliminated. EJCE staff lack the capacity at this time to effectively carry out fundraising. The student referendum allows the cluster time to strategically address how to target and acquire the necessary resources to keep our programs and spaces running for the...
The 2013 campus climate survey indicated that there are many areas on campus that could be improved for all students to feel included and supported. As part of the division of Equity & Inclusion, EJCE and the intersectional nature of the work each office does can work to help address many of those issues, but not at current staffing and funding.
Additionally, the opportunity to grow the reach of EJCE and the offerings, will allow greater...
The big C (big community) is a referendum that invests in graduate and undergraduate students having a more engaging inclusive and welcoming campus. It provides funding for direct support to underrepresented and/or underserved graduate and undergraduate students and their communities. Through student-initiated projects it will also foster greater understanding across all UC Berkeley communities by expanding EJCE’s ability to incorporate a broader spectrum of student perspectives and address needs of communities currently without resources. Lastly, it directly...