UCI Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Hal Stern sent an email on Jan. 21, announcing that in-person instruction would resume on Jan. 31.
“The decision to proceed was based on broad consultation with the community, including … student government leadership,” Stern stated.
According to the Associated Graduate Students (AGS) and the Associated Students of the University of California at Irvine (ASUCI), this is false.
As AGS’ Vice President of Financial Affairs, I can attest firsthand that we were blindsided by the University’s announcement. ASUCI shared our bewilderment at the claim that student government leadership had been consulted in the university’s reopening decision.
UCI claimed they consulted leaders. But did they really?
The lack of communication suggests that administrators’ words simply cannot be trusted.
Stern’s email is particularly frustrating because student government leadership had specifically asked UCI leadership at the advent of the omicron variant last quarter and again at the beginning of this quarter to consult with the student governments.
From our perspective, UCI flagrantly ignored that request.
ASUCI and AGS believe that the university must publicly apologize for falsely claiming that student government leaders were consulted and for failing to consult student government leaders about a decision that directly impacts students.
There are many questions that the university has failed to answer as a direct result of their failure to consult with student government leaders.
Among the most pressing is how education at UCI will continue to be accessible for disabled and immunocompromised students. Some of these students are currently able to seek accommodation from the Disability Services Center (DSC). However, the DSC cannot help students who are not themselves disabled or immunocompromised but who live with and/or care for someone who is.
One student, for example, told AGS that they live with their 89-year-old diabetic grandmother. This student commutes to UCI, but current university policy gives this student no option to continue learning online in order to protect their vulnerable loved ones. The AGS Board has heard dozens of cases like this in the past week.
Again, there are many concerns the university must address to allow for a safe and accessible reopening. It is urgent that UCI immediately enact a policy of universal access, allowing anyone to self-determine if they need to continue learning or working online. No documentation needed, no questions asked.
Many students may prefer a return to campus. However, obligating students to return — as is the case for many students under the current policy — is ableist. I am, frankly, shocked at the lack of planning and care that UCI’s current actions demonstrate toward disabled and immunocompromised people.
The university still has time to make this right. To do so, they must publicly apologize for their false statement and for failing to consult student government leaders. They must also immediately enact a policy of universal access.
Until then, the question remains: can students trust UC Irvine?
Canton Winer is a sociology Ph.D candidate at the University of California, Irvine. He is also the Vice President of Financial Affairs for the Associated Graduate Student government. He can be contacted at cwiner@uci.edu.