May

18

Hard Line, Always

Filed Under California, Human Development, Personal, UC Merced, United States | Leave a Comment

I just had a conversation with Juan Carmen, Associated Students of UC Merced Director of Student Advocacy about a recent article in the Merced Sun-Star where he is quoted as saying:

Student Juan Carmen, 20, from Los Angeles, said he wasn’t surprised about the fee increase, mainly because of the state’s budget crisis. “I’m just glad it wasn’t like 10 percent or more,” Carmen said. “It’s still an increase, but it’s not like a major one.”

7.4% is a major increase! $490 is 50+ hours of work. Such fee increases places an additional burden on a students who have to pay for their education, housing and other living expenses.

We cannot continue to believe that moderation is the best approach to the issue of student fee increases.

The time has come where we have to be hard line, always. This continued march to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from 200,000 or so students over the past decade must end.

May

11

Coming Full Circle

Filed Under Personal, UC Merced | Leave a Comment

Life is interesting.

Today, I went to the Great Valley Center’s 10th Annual Conference. The theme for this year conference was “Our Place in the World 10.”

Last year at the conference, I was nearing the end of my first year at UC Merced, recently elected the first student body president, approaching my last day in the Institute for the Development of Emerging Area Leaders (IDEAL) program, and realizing that life was a great long journey to be experienced and enjoyed to the fullest.

Today, I am coming full circle. Instead of a “Volunteer” I was a “Speaker” this year. Instead of walking into a giant room with rarely recognizing a face, I was greeted by familiar faces. Instead of just learning the ropes, I was guiding someone else through them. And instead of being dazed and confused, I was focused.

Rodney and I spoke on the topic “Engaging Students Today for a Better Tomorrow” and we had a great time.

About 10 people decided to listen to our presentation, which we deeply appreciate being that we had rescheduled from Wednesday at 10:45AM to Thursday at 3:45PM.

Our sponsor, Tejon Ranch, commented near the beginning of the presentation about the fact that there was only one other person in the room. But the room was filled with two more hand fulls of people within a matter of minutes.

Following our presentations, we had some great questions and comments from the audience. One piece of advice struck me: “Keep going.”

“Keep going.” A simple phrase, but incredibly powerful.

For some reason I feel older, as if a new chapter in my life is set to open and another is set to close. This may due in part that I am going to walk for graduation next Friday, but I believe it is something more. The idea of obtaining a university education, a University of California, Merced education has changed my life. I look at the world differently. I see both its complexity and its simplicity and value it much more than I did just a year ago.

Much has changed and much will change. The future is something I look forward to.

PS: Thanks to those who came to the Iliad on Tuesday night. I had an awesome time!

Feb

1

Making Valentine’s Day Cards

Filed Under UC Merced | 1 Comment

Tonight the UC Merced Rotaract Club spent a couple of hours making Valentine’s Day Cards for Veterans in Fresno. Below are a few pictures.

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Jan

17

New UCM Chancellor Later Today!

Filed Under UC Merced | Leave a Comment

It is 1 in the morning and I am still awake.

Among other reasons, one reason I am still awake is that I am extremely excited that later today the UC Board of Regents is going to consider hiring UC Merced’s New Chancellor! OMG!

Stay Tuned!

Jan

12

ASUCM - The Next 18 Weeks, The Future

Filed Under UC Merced | Leave a Comment

After reading the opening chapter of Shaping the Network Society and a few blog articles about how blogs facilitate giving and receiving and the importance of fresh contest, I have decided to begin publishing emails that I send out to members of the UCM student government. It is time to move some student government discussions into the public sphere.

ASUCM:

It’s Monday, January 8, 2007. Our terms as members of the inaugural ASUCM end Friday, May 18, 2007. 18 weeks remain for us to do what we set out to do.

Personally, this will be my last semester in student government, capping off an 11-year career. I won’t get sentimental in this email; rather, I will save such feelings for the end of the semester. If you are lucky, you may see me shed a tear. ;-)

Know, that to me, when the next 18 weeks is all said and done, when it is time for us to depart and move on to the next things in life, I hope, no, I know, that will all shake hands, exchange hugs, shed tears, and reminisce of our times together; and be proud of what we have collectively created and of what we have collectively achieved.

Over the next 18 weeks, we need to collectively focus on and work towards accomplishing the following tasks:

> Write and approve Elections By-Laws

  • a. I would recommend the establishment of a joint committee, chaired by the Chief Justice and Advisor and comprised of Court Justices and disinterested Senators. This joint committee will be responsible for writing the Elections By-Laws, submitting the by-laws to the Senate for approval and signature of the President.
  • b. Timeline: This committee should complete it work no later than mid-February so as to ensure ample time for creation of the by-laws and digestion of the by-laws in preparation for the election later in the Spring.

> Write and approve Research Grants By-Laws by early in the semester so the ASUCM can provide undergraduate research grants this semester.

  • a. The ASUCM Director of Academic Affairs and Senate Standing Committee on Academic Affairs have already been meeting regularly throughout the fall semester. I would urge the group to continue their diligent work. My hope is that we can provide undergraduate research grants this semester, possibly directing some resources towards this year’s CORE 100 group projects.

> Establish and convene the Inter-Club Council by early February to establish a formal line of communication between the student governments and clubs and organizations.

  • a. The ASUCM Director of Student Activities is charged with this responsibility and I want to strongly, and publicly, urge this matter. It is critical that ASUCM communicate face-to-face with club/organization leaders about the ASUCM and in particular the budget. I want maximum input from club/organizations leaders regarding the 2007-2008 ASUCM Budget.

> Write, negotiate and approve ASUCM Budget 2007-2008

  • a. According to the ASUCM Constitution, the Treasurer and I, are responsible for creating an operating and submitting it to the Senate in the spring. It is spring, and the Senate will get a budget. Furthermore, the Budget and Finance By-Laws were approved last semester and delineate a specific budget schedule. We will try to follow the strict schedule as best as we can. But, as I mentioned earlier, I want maximum input on the budget and I will go out and actively seek it from everyone.

> Pass an ASUCM Fee Referendum; adamantly campaign for its approval so as to ensure that the ASUCM has the resources it needs to improve student life.

  • a. The ASUCM Fee Referendum will be the cornerstone of the 2007-2008 ASUCM Budget and the future of the ASUCM. Without increasing the ASUCM Fee from its current $10 per semester per student, this student government will remain impotent and unable to greatly improve student life. We need to have more resources to support clubs and organizations, undergraduate research, public service efforts, and invest in our future Student Center.
  • b. I will consult with Dr. Nies and Dr. Lawrence regarding what administrative procedures we need to follow. Such as having the fee reviewed/approved by the Student Fee Advisory Committee.
  • c. In conjunction with approval of the 2007-2008 ASUCM Budget, I will ask the Senate to approve the ASUCM Fee Referendum.

> Develop and approve the ASUCM Strategic Plan, formerly the Student Master Plan for UC Merced. The Strategic Plan will outline the ASUCM’s short and long term goals and vision for the future.

  • a. The future of the ASUCM is of the utmost importance. By planning for our future, we will be in a better position, to play the necessary pivotal, crucial role in the development of the university and region. A culture of greatness will overtake this university and propel it to be a premier public research institution. Our university, UC Merced, will not be “as good as” institutions like Berkeley and Harvard, our university we will be better because being the best is expected, because being the best is the only option.

> Establish the San Joaquin Valley Student Association to unite the 17 higher education institutions in the region and establish a strong, unified, respected student voice in the region and state.

  • a. The San Joaquin Valley is our home. Our home is plagued by some of the highest unemployment rates, lowest political participation rates, lowest college going rates, poorest air quality and worst access to healthcare in the state. As stewards of this region, as people concerned about the future, and as the only UC in the region, we need to bring together our fellow student leaders from throughout the region to discuss the major social, economic and environmental issues of the Valley, develop a college-going culture in the San Joaquin Valley and take action to solve the problems this region faces by informing and mobilizing students.

> Develop and launch our Global Advocacy Agenda.

  • a. The ASUCM Director of Student Advocacy is responsible for advocating the needs of students, on a campus to global level. Our world faces a number of challenges: climate change, war, genocide, and mass poverty. It is unacceptable for us to idly stand by as the official voice of the students and not advocate for change in the world. If we do not confront these and other matters now, in 20 years, when we have aged and ascended to greater leadership positions, we will be confronted again with a problem that has been exacerbated with the passage of time. I do not want to tell the up-and-coming generation, “My generation had an opportunity to solve the problem back when we were young, but didn’t.”
  • b. I would urge, publicly, that the said Director and Senate Standing Committee on Student Advocacy develop and launch the ASUCM Global Advocacy Agenda with clubs and organizations.

Some of you will undoubtedly seek re-election, some of you will certainly seek another or a higher office, and some of you will happily move on.

For me, the next 18 weeks will represent the pinnacle of my student government career; this is it for me ladies and gentlemen. All my energies, all my efforts, all my life will go into ensuring that we plant the foundation of the ASUCM and establish our tradition of greatness.

I more than look forward to the next 18 weeks; it’s going to be a ride that none of us will forget.

Sincerely,
Josh Franco
UC Merced
Student Body President

Dec

21

Letter to the Editor: UC, city are one

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

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/opinion/story/13133053p-13779716c.html

Editor: At UC Merced, Fall 2006 has been both a challenging and rewarding semester.

It has been challenging because students are experiencing what it means to be a UC Merced student: more reading, more researching and more responsibility. One vital responsibility that students have is to serve the public.

Much has been said about the relationship between students and the community this semester.

People who continue to erect boundaries between students and the community further propagate an “us versus them” mentality; however, I write to say that we are truly one and the same.

Students eat, shop, and live in the same restaurants, stores and neighborhoods as members of the community. Community members work, pay taxes and enjoy their weekends just as students do.

We drive on the same roads, we breathe the same air, we love this Valley, we read the Merced Sun-Star, and we each desire to make a difference in this world in the short time we have in it.

We each contribute to the vitality of this planet, whether it’s planting crops, mowing lawns, cleaning toilets, serving food, trading stocks, attending city council meetings, writing our representatives, e-mailing our professors, researching alternative energies, discovering cures for aliments or contemplating the future.

And while some semblance of division will always exist because few people will always feel unappreciated or unwelcome, such should not deter us from making our community what it must be: an inspiring beacon of perpetual hope.

Students value Merced, and this region, for the opportunities it offers and responsibility of serving the public it bestows upon us and we share this responsibility with the community.

Therefore, I conclude with a heartfelt “Thank you” to the people of the city of Merced for giving students the opportunity to learn about, live in and love the Valley!

JOSH FRANCO
UC Merced Student Body President

Dec

15

ASUCM: End of the Fall 2006 Semester Message

Filed Under UC Merced | Leave a Comment

End of the Fall 2006 Semester Message

The end of the fall 2006 marks the completion of the ASUCM’s first semester in existence and it has been both rewarding and challenging.

This semester has been rewarding because for all the long hours, for all the hard work that students put in last year to establishing the ASUCM, we are finally seeing the fruits of our labor. We are finally experiencing how our model government functions in the real world; our hypotheses are being tested and our assumptions are being challenged. This is incredibly astonishing and something to be thankful for; we are seeing the idea of student government at UC Merced become a reality.

This semester has also been challenging for the very reason that the ASUCM is new. Because the ASUCM is new, everyone is asking questions like: What is the ASUCM? Who is involved in the ASUCM and who is not? What is the purpose of the ASUCM? What are the issues the ASUCM is addressing and how is it addressing such issues? What is the role of the ASUCM in the university, local community, region, state, nation and world? What will the ASUCM be? It is such questions that require answers and together these will define the ASUCM.

Finally, UC Merced and the ASUCM are unique. Born in a new time, built in a new century and crafted for a new world, the university and the student government will be like no other. We do not have the burden of the past on our shoulders; we only have the benefit of the future at our fingertips. Learning from our sister campuses and student governments, next semester, we are going to advance the university and the ASUCM to the next level. To accomplish such will require energy, leadership and will and I believe we are up to the task for both the rewards it will bestow and the challenges it will offer.

I want to wish everyone an refreshing Winter Break!

Best regards,
Josh Franco
Student Body President

Nov

29

ASUCM: State of the Associated Students Address - Fall 2006

Filed Under UC Merced | Leave a Comment

Below is my first State of the Associated Students of the University of California, Merced Address. I will deliver another such address some time during the spring 2007 semester.

Thank You Vice President Crawford, distinguished members of the Executive Officers, Chief Justice-nominee Bolin, honorable, and soon to be, members of the Court, esteemed members of the Senate, [Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Dr. Lawrence,] Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Dr. Nies, respected staff, welcomed guests, fellow students…

I am excited to deliver the first State of the Associated Students of the University of California, Merced Address! It is an honor and privilege to address this body here tonight.

According to the Associated Students of the University of California, Merced Constitution Article IV, Section 1D, the President shall “give information relative to the state of the ASUCM and such measures as judged necessary and expedient, at an appropriate time each semester before the Senate.”

The purpose of this address, like other similar addresses, is to highlight our past accomplishments, illuminate our current state of affairs, and outline the action that we must individually and collectively take to improve student life.

Last year, we, the students of this emerging great university, convened the Committee on Constitution and By-Laws. The committee met weekly throughout the year, for hours upon hours, to discuss, deliberate, debate and ultimately write a constitution that would outline the general framework and serve as the foundation for our student government. Modeled after the United States Federal Government, our student government adheres to the principles of a representative democracy, embodies a separation of powers and system of checks and balances, encourages both conflict and cooperation, demands dignified deliberation and debate, promotes greater inclusiveness rather than absolute exclusiveness, requires regular renewal of both the individuals and the institution, and sustains a deep-rooted appreciation for the past, present and future. It is such basic governmental principles that will guide our student government to greatness.

The establishment of student government at UC Merced is our greatest collective achievement and from this achievement, all other achievements will follow.

This semester, around 300 people were captivated by the performances of the many student entertainment groups at the ASUCM’s 1st Annual Dance-Off. This ASUCM event brought together the student body and provided the student entertainment groups a premiere opportunity to display their talent and electrified the campus with their energy and passion. It is my hope that we continue to selectively sponsor other large-scale activities and events to further improve student life.

Next, we established our presence on the World Wide Web with ASUCM.org. ASUCM.org 1.0 features the constitution, information about the student government officers, a calendar of events, agendas and minutes of Executive Officer and Senate meetings, full text of student government legislation and links to our sister student governments. Moreover, the website can be translated into ten different languages, including Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. This website improves student life because it offers a centralized location to obtain information about student government. It is important to note that ASUCM.org is still in its infancy and in the future, we can expect the website to include more information, better resources, and a flashier, more colorful design.

Finally, this semester has been a tremendous learning experience for all of us in student government. We are learning what it means to represent students, what it means to govern, what it means to engage in politics, and what it means to be a leader. The very recognition of this fact is an accomplishment because as Thomas Jefferson once said, “The qualifications for self-government are not innate. They are the result of habit and long training.” Thus, we have started to ease into our habits and we have begun our long training.

In our current state of affairs, there is much to be said. However, there are three aspects that I want to address.

In my many years of serving in student government, I have observed that communication or lack of communication can make or break an organization. And for communication to occur, there must exist a relationship or a means by which to communicate. Without a relationship, information cannot be exchange and without information being exchanged, it follows that failure is inevitable. This is a fact of any and all human endeavors.

Thus, the first aspect is that communication is essential to the immediate, short, and long-term success of this government. In other words, we have yet to achieve full communication. But each time we convene collectively or meet individually, each time we email everyone or call someone, we are getting closer to achieving full communication. If we continue to make the effort to establish relationships with one another, then our goal of full communication will be realized.

To establish a relationship is critical to communicating essential information. Whether that information is the date, time and location of a meeting or a piece of legislation, without a relationship, no information can be shared and known, and thus it becomes lost in a sea of would-have, could-have, should-have. As the captain of this ship, I will not sail us into such a sea.

The second aspect of our current state of affairs that I want to highlight is that we are interconnected. We are interconnected as students of this university and as members of this government.

It is widely accepted that we live in a world in which everything is connected to everything else. Nothing is truly independent; rather everything is interdependent. We, individually or collectively, do not function in a vacuum. We are not independent of influence, whether it is positive or negative, whether it comes from above or below, or whether it will strengthen or weaken us. What we say and do inside the confines of student government can just as easily influence what we say and do outside the confines of student government, and vice-versa.

Consider the following quotation: “One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.” With one explosive phrase, one ill-conceived action, or one ill-informed decision, the spoiling power of ignorance can destroy our collective resolve.

The third and final aspect of our current state of affairs can be deduced from the first two: by recognizing that communication is important and that our individual actions can reflect the whole, it will be our desire to make a difference that shall shine through. As I look across this room and into each of your eyes, I see that each of you want to make a difference, each of you want to matter in this world. However, while our hearts tell us we can make a difference, sometimes the logic of our mind forces us into a labyrinth that echoes we cannot.

This labyrinth that I speak of is created by both the abundance and scarcity of knowledge of the world we live and the roles we have as student representatives. This aspect regularly presents itself in the form of a question and that question is, What is the purpose of serving in student government?

To serve in student government requires a firm grasp of the purpose of student government and the fundamental purpose of student government is to improve student life.

To improve student life, we need to actively represent our peers, encourage their participation by providing services and coordinating activities, support, promote and celebrate the diversity of culture, lifestyle, and beliefs for the breadth of ideas and perspectives they bring, advance the development of leaders that will serve the public and make a difference, promote the general educational welfare and enhancement of the academic benefits and opportunities offered for the continued success, and create a culture where each student expects the absolute most and best from themselves.

Second, to serve in student government means that you represent someone. To represent someone means that you have their interest in heart and mind when you make a decision or take an action and to know their interest. To know the interests of others, it is essential to establish a relationship with that person. For that relationship will serve as the means to exchange essential information about the thoughts, needs, wants and expectations of our peers. Remember, that we are not here to serve ourselves, we are here to serve others.

Finally, to serve in student government requires an incredible amount of sacrifice. We have sacrificed our beauty sleep, we have sacrificed our study time, we have sacrificed our time to spend it with others, we have sacrificed our perfect driving records, we have sacrificed dinner in the Dining Commons and we have sacrificed so much more. And, like you, I don’t shrink from such sacrifice, I have embraced it and I will continue to embrace it until the downpour of death extinguishes the fire of my life: that is the seriousness and extreme to which I take my public service. Whether here at UC Merced, formerly at my community college or high school, I understand that sacrifice is a requirement that all of us in this room have met. Now, let us be sure that our sacrifice is for something.

It is important to recollect our past and analyze our present for it is our past and present that will guide our future.

We serve the student body because we foresee a bright future and the time for action is now.

Writing the ASUCM By-Laws is a massive undertaking and the progress made so far is great. I would continue to urge all members of this student government, and Senators more specifically, to focus their energy on writing Elections By-Laws. Without such by-laws, our elections will be chaotic and without elections, this government cannot continue to be legitimate.

Second, we have a healthy monetary reserve and I believe we should actively promote that funding is available for student club. Clubs are the primary forms of extracurricular involvement for students. Whether students are directly involved in the club or enjoy one of the many activities and events and clubs hosts, it is essential to provide resources to such organizations. I would further encourage the Director of Student Activities and Senate Committee on Student Activities to convene the Inter-Club Council to establish a formal line of communication between the student government and clubs and organization.

Next, it is the commitment of the ASUCM to promote undergraduate research. I would urge the Director of Academic Affairs and Senate Committee on Academic Affairs accelerate their efforts in writing the Research By-Laws and promoting the fact that student government has a strong commitment to provide resources to students who will become leaders in academia. One day, I would expect the students who receive research grants from the ASUCM to become published and esteemed scholars, Members of Prestigious Academies and possibly Nobel Laureates.

For us improve student life, we must continue to establish relationships and communicate with the people we represent. Each of us should be the most well connected, well respected, most admired, and most sought after individuals on this campus because our peers know that if they ask us to do something, that it will get done. Whether someone has a concern about Open Senate Meetings or Open Access Labs, the Lack of a Tram or the Lack of Adequate Parking, when the student body speaks, this government listens and takes action.

Fifth, we have to get others involved. Whether you find another student to mentor or encourage a friend to attend a meeting, let people know that if they want to learn more about student government, that there is ample opportunity to do so. However, student government is not the only way students can get involved. There are dozens of clubs and organizations, many activities and events, and community organization that are ready, willing and looking for students.

Next, we must continue to advocate the needs of students to staff, faculty, administration and the local community. The Director of Student Advocacy and Senate Committee on Student Advocacy should reach out to the student body and ask them what they would like improved at the university and the community of Merced. The idea would be to collect the ideas and act on ensuring that those ideas become reality.

Seventh, the role we have to play in the San Joaquin Valley is great. Over 250 miles and 50 miles across, the San Joaquin Valley is made up of 8 eight counties. From San Joaquin County in the north to Kern County in the south, the Valley is plagued by some of the highest unemployment rates, lowest political participation rates, lowest college going rates, poorest air quality and worst access to healthcare in the state. Therefore, I will seek to establish the San Joaquin Valley Student Association. The SJVSA will serve to bring together student leaders from 17 higher education institutions from throughout the region to discuss the major social, economic and environmental issues of the Valley, develop a college-going culture in the San Joaquin Valley and take action to solve the problems this region faces by informing and mobilizing students.

Finally, next semester this student government will undertake the creation of the Student Master Plan for UC Merced. The Student Master Plan for UC Merced will articulate the vision students have for the university in a physical, social, academic, political and cultural sense.

Robert F Kennedy once said, “Our lives on this planet are too short, the work to be done is too great, but we can perhaps remember that those who live with us are our brothers [and sisters], that they share with us the same short moment of life.”

But recognize that even though we have different philosophies, beliefs, opinions, and views of the world, that it is only together that will we be able to fulfill our responsibility to the current and future students to blaze the trail and initiate our tradition of greatness.

It is too easy to wallow in defeat and despair; it is too easy to accept, with no reservation and with no question, what we are told; and, it is too easy to say we have done all we can and do no more. Like you, I did not come to UC Merced because it was too easy. Rather, I came because I knew it would be hard.

Finally, John W. Gardner, former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under President Lyndon B. Johnson, once said, “What we have before us are some breathtaking opportunities disguised as insoluble problems.”

To some, the problems of our nascent government are insoluble, but to most, such problems are breathtaking opportunities. I am breathless when I look across this room, this university and this region and with each breath lost, another is gained and we able to continue on.

Sep

1

The Tradition of Greatness

Filed Under Central Valley, UC Merced | Leave a Comment

“The Tradition of Greatness”
Friday, September 1, 2006

UC Merced New Student Convocation

My fellow Bobcats…

I am humbled to address you, at this time and from this place, about the most important of matters and that matter is our future and the future of our university.

As I look throughout this auditorium, I see the face of California; I see the face of the world. You cannot find a more stunning mosaic of people anywhere in the world for it is only at our university where all the people and cultures of the world are represented in some way, shape or form.

I believe the diversity of our university is the foundation of our tradition of greatness.

Consider how in the long history of the world, issues of economics, race, politics, religion and the like have divided civilization, fragmented societies and segmented communities that are incredibly diverse.

Such division, fragmentation and segmentation occurred because the means of communication were inadequate to exchange the amount of information necessary to generate a mutual understanding between seemingly disparate factions.

It would take an immense amount of effort to communicate, so much so, that some were unwilling to exert such effort.

The unwillingness of some to cross vast oceans, climb prodigious mountains, navigate winding rivers, trek unending plains may have resulted in the demise of their beliefs, their way of life and even they themselves.

However, it was the willingness of others that would prevent the collapse of civilization, the degradation of societies and the destruction of communities.

Those others were the pioneers.

When people said to them it was impossible, they believed it was possible. When people said to them that it would never happen, they resolve that it would happen. When people asked them why, they replied why not?

It was the pioneers who were willing to confront both internal and external obstacles with a new tenacity. This new tenacity only arises in certain places and at certain times.

With the past behind us and the future ahead of us, the University of California, Merced is that certain place and this is that certain time were a new tenacity has been born.

To paraphrase the great pioneer of new John F Kennedy: “Ask not what the future can do for you; ask what you can do for the future.”

We, the students of the University of California, Merced, represent a generation unlike any other. Our generation grew up in a world of relative calm, general prosperity, the coming of age of the Internet and the proliferation of a new global understanding. No other generation grew up in similar circumstances and therefore no other generation has the same responsibility to the future that we do.

We are the new generation of the willing; we are the new generation of pioneers.

Nearly four decades have gone by since the last University of California campus was built. For four decades, the opportunity for students to till the soil, sow the seeds and reap the bounty of a new university did not exist until now and now the University of California shall exist here in California’s San Joaquin Valley for all time.

Some people said it would be impossible to build another public research university in California; some people said that the San Joaquin Valley would never be home to a University of California campus, and some people even asked why does the Valley need a public research university?

The need for a university within this Valley was overwhelming for this bucolic region is plagued by some of the highest unemployment rates, lowest political participation rates, lowest college going rates, poorest air quality and worst access to healthcare in the state. The preceding issues are just some of the issues that this university and we, the students of the University of California, Merced, will confront.

We confront such issues because we understand that we live in a different world than those of our forebears. We live in a world where with greater communication comes greater miscommunication; where with more educated people comes more people to be educated; where with more economic growth comes more economic disparity; where with more social understanding comes more social conflict; where with more political participation comes more political cynicism; and ultimately where with ever more knowledge comes ever more uncertainty.

To some, this is not the world we live in. For some are unwilling to see the positive and the negative, the good and the bad, the rich and the poor, the happy and the sad, and the right and the wrong.

Like you, I am not unwilling for I am a pioneer.

To paraphrase the great pioneer of old Abraham Lincoln: “Let us have faith that light makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.” We dare to do our duty for the opportunity to dare has been given to us.

In this auditorium and throughout this university, I see a collection of catalysts that understand their duty.

Our duty is to learn, research and serve the public; to let their be light in every crevasse and every corner; to, with unrelenting energy and unwavering commitment, make a difference at the university, in this valley, and throughout the world.

Our duty is to learn all there is to learn; to know all there is to know with the hope that we will have a better picture and understanding of the world.

Our duty is to research all there is to research; to discover things that have never been discovered. To discover the cures for cancers and diseases that will save countless of lives and hours of heartache, to design the technology that will allow us to maximize our world’s finite resources, and to delineate new norms and new laws to make our society more equal and fair.

Our duty is to serve the public, day in and day out. For while each of us may select a particular major or career, the one striking similarity is that each of us select it for the same reason: to make a positive impact on our local to global community.

Our final duty is to dissolve the walls that exist between two opposed, yet conjoined, ends. For while the ends may appear different, the means are the same and from this it follows that multiple ends are actually one end and that end is to ensure a better, brighter future.

It was people’s belief in our future and the future of the university that permits us to gather here today.

It was people’s belief in the future in affording the future an opportunity for obtaining a UC education in the San Joaquin Valley.

And though we come different parts of the state, from places all over the globe, and now we have the opportunity to afford the next generation the same opportunity.

I ask for you to look into your hand; what do you see? I see that we each have the key to unlock the vault of opportunity.

In your hands, more than mine, shall the tradition of greatness be ingrained into the culture of this university within a valley; it shall be you who unlock the vault of opportunity.

But to achieve greatness we must ask ourselves the three following questions: First, what can I do for the university? Second, what can and will this university be? And finally, how will I make this university what it can be so that it will be? It is these three basic questions that require us to think critically, to consider the future and to take action.

As you exit this auditorium and return to your work or dwelling, remember that you have something that no other person has.

You have the opportunity to serve as role models, to be the change agents in the community, and, ultimately, to become the so-called philosopher kings and queens who, enlightened by the light of knowledge, guided by the logic of reason and driven by the passion of life, will lead organizations, businesses, governments and societies into a new era of our civilization with a new global understanding.

And it is here and now, from this time and place that we recommit to our pioneer roots, draw the energy and life from the earth, and embark on our journey to ascend to great heights and fundamentally change the world.

By drawing from our well of diversity, we shall strengthen our resolve to continue our tradition of greatness.

And realize that you are not alone in this endeavor; you are in the company of your fellow man and woman who desire, at the most basic level, to make a difference.

For, in the final analysis, it is this university within a valley that will truly light this region; it is this university, as a symbol of a community from generation old to generation new, that will forever shine its light on the world and we, all of us, are the light and now we must shine upon this valley like the light has never done before.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address you, at this time and from this place.

Aug

28

UC Merced: My Final Year

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I have officially started my 2nd, and final, year at UC Merced.

Compared to last year, the campus has undergone a complete transformation; the change is incredible.

There are nearly double the people and double the buildings.

I have spent the last year, with the exception of winter break and spring break, watching, firsthand, the construction of the world’s first public research university of the twenty-first century and it has simply be astonishing.

To see the construction of a university is a particularly unique experience for all who experience it.

For me, the nascent university in the Great Central Valley is more than a university. It is a place where people come to learn, to work, to discover, to know, to grow and to realize that the world is a complex. The complexity of the world is not something to shy from; rather, it is something to embrace.

Wow. It has been three years since I graduated high school. I look forward to what is next.

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