March 2023 Board of Trustees Report
President Krishan Malhotra
Thank you, Chair Fong, and good afternoon Trustees, University Presidents, Chancellor Koester, and guests.
As the representative body of nearly half a million students in the CSU, CSSA serves as the official voice of CSU students to the California State Legislature and CSU Board of Trustees. It is an honor to provide this report on their behalf.
I would like to begin this report by saying happy women’s history month and acknowledging and thanking all of the amazing and powerful women and femmes that contribute to making the CSU a better place for us to live, learn, and work. A special thanks, especially, to my Vice President of Systemwide Affairs, Dixie Samaniego, and the amazing female staff at CSSA. Your hard work, dedication, and leadership in support of CSU students is deeply appreciated.
Since my last report to this body, CSSA has held three plenary meetings. I would like to extend my gratitude to San Jose State President Teniente-Matson, Vice President of Student Affairs Patrick Day, ASI President Nina Chuang and the entire ASI staff for hosting us for our January Plenary. I’d also like to thank Sacramento State’s President Nelson, ASI President Salma Pacheco, and the Sac State ASI staff for hosting us at our March plenary and CHESS conference. Trustee Sabalius, thank you for joining us at our San Jose plenary.
These three plenaries were filled with robust and passionate conversations on a wide range of topics to support our policy agenda.
A key topic at our January plenary was the affordability, access, and quality of campus dining services. We will be providing a series of recommendations to the Chancellor’s Office and other CSU stakeholders on how students can be actively engaged in the feedback, evaluation, and service delivery of this essential campus service. I’d like to especially thank Executive Vice Chancellor Steve Relyea and CSU Chief Procurement Officer David Beaver for their willingness and enthusiastic support in collaborating with CSSA on this issue.
We continue to explore ways that campuses and the system can intentionally and proactively engage students in shared governance. Our Systemwide Affairs Committee has engaged in multiple discussions directly related to the CSU’s Student Participation in Policy Development policy and we look forward to providing a set of best practices on ways to authentically engage students in crucial policy development work across our campuses.
CSSA appreciates the opportunity to provide our feedback and perspectives on qualities and attributes that students are looking for in the next CSU Chancellor. While it would be impossible to succinctly summarize what has been hours of conversations with students on this matter – what I will share is that students are looking for an empathetic, compassionate, and proven leader in student success and shared governance. Our students are passionate members of the CSU community. And what rang true for many of us is what one CSSA director stated during the listening session: the CSU has the hardest working students, the most dedicated students, and students who cross more hurdles to get their education. We want a leader who will be just as proud to be a part of the CSU as we are.
CSSA has completed our process for the search for the next Student Trustee. Thanks to the leadership of Krystal Alvarez, AS President at Chico State and CSSA’s Student Trustee Committee Chair, CSSA has completed a systemwide search and has nominated and sent four competitive and qualified candidates to the Governor’s Office to consider for a 2023/2025 appointment. We eagerly await the Governor’s decision on this appointment
In several reports presented to this body, I have emphasized the importance of mental health services for CSSA. Later this evening, CSSA will be holding a special meeting of our Board to formally take a position on Senate Bill 11, which proposes a ban on contracting telehealth vendors. Our recommendation to our board will be to oppose this bill as our students have made it crystal clear that they will not endorse any legislation that endangers their lives. We at CSSA are committed to and will be continuous advocates for the holistic health and wellbeing of our students and to truly support their success.
We recognize that the mental health profession, like many others, is grappling with recruitment and retention challenges. This is not imply that our system should stop striving to employ more counselors. However, legislation that eliminates the option to utilize telehealth services will put the lives of CSU students in jeopardy. CSSA has asked in multiple settings about which faculty members will staff these services during off-hours and weekends. We have yet to receive a response to this question.
This legislation does not support students. The students who come to our system and are the reason why we are all gathered here today. Students who are the first in their entire family to go to college, students who bear the weight of trailblazing a new path for their family and communities, and the students who advocate for increased mental health support services while struggling with their own.
We cannot and should not allow members of our CSU community to use student’s mental health as a bargaining chip while stripping away access to life saving services. Services that are a critical part to our success as students.
In specific, the push for this legislation by the very faculty who teach us every day is the antithesis to the sentiments that we hear that they want students to succeed. How much more understanding can our students give when there is a disconnect between what is said by our faculty and the actions that are being taken.
As the official representative of CSU students, funded solely by our students, this legislation does not support our students, and we recognize and feel this disconnect deeply.
Three years ago, I began my journey at CSSA as a participant in Stanislaus State’s legislative delegation at the California Higher Education Student Summit commonly known as CHESS in 2020. Two weeks ago, it was an honor to be able to participate in my final CHESS conference as a student and President of this organization. Reflecting on CHESS and the work done by CSSA, I want to emphasize the transformative power of the student voice to my fellow students and for all those listening.
Over 200 CSU students descended on the Capitol this month during our CHESS conference. This provided them an opportunity to learn more about issues impacting the CSU and public higher education, state legislative and budget process, and advocacy in our State Capitol. We recognized Assemblyman Marc Berman as our legislator of the year and San Jose State took home the coveted spirit competition trophy.
On March 6th, students participated in legislative advocacy visits sharing CSSA’s legislative and budget priorities with members of the State Assembly, State Senate, the Governor, and Lieutenant Governor’s Office. This year, CSSA’s legislative priorities include:
Two co-sponsored bills: AB 789 by Assemblymember Berman related to satisfactory academic progress, AB 1160 by Assemblymember Pacheco related to student loan debts, and an additional nine bills that we believe support students, including the CSU’s sponsored legislation, AB 656 on doctoral program.
Many of our students stayed through the week, including myself, to participate in the CSU’s annual budget advocacy day.
Students felt empowered and grateful to serve as the voice of their peers to key policy makers. As campuses and the Chancellor’s Office prepare for more Sacramento and federal advocacy visits, I want to remind my fellow students and all of our CSU stakeholders that our students, our stories, our experiences, and our voices are the most powerful tools that the CSU has in its toolkit. Ultimately, students are, in fact, the reason why we are all here.
Thank you, Chair Fong, that concludes my report.
