Jul

29

“UC Merced defended”

Filed Under Letter to the Editor, UC Merced | Leave a Comment

Below is my letter to the San Francisco Chronicle editor in reply to the article title “Some students at brand-new UC say they want out.”

UC Merced defended

Editor — The July 17 article, “Some students at brand-new UC campus say they want out,” mentioned that UC Merced is “the wrong campus in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

To contend that UC Merced is the “wrong campus in the wrong place at the wrong time” is to ignore reality.

UC Merced was built to serve the people of the San Joaquin Valley. The reality is that region has some of the lowest political participation rates, highest unemployment rates, lowest college attendance rates, poorest air quality and highest infant mortality rates in the state.

Luckily, some people do not ignore reality and some people are more hopeful than others.

The majority of UC Merced students are hopeful in the future of the campus and the San Joaquin Valley. No comment can ever destroy our hope.

Therefore, I unequivocally and adamantly believe that UC Merced is the right campus in the right place at the right time.

JOSH FRANCO
Student Body President
UC Merced