New Student Regent for 2019-20

UCSD Doctoral Student Nominated for UC Student Regent

Debbie L. Sklar, 6-25-18, Times of San Diego

A special committee of the University of California Board of Regents has nominated a UC San Diego doctoral student as the 2019-20 student regent, it was announced Monday.

The Board of Regents will vote on the recommendation in July. If approved, Hayley Weddle would be able to participate in deliberations as the student regent-designate for the coming year. She would gain voting privileges when the position’s one-year term begins July 2019.

Weddle graduated summa cum laude with dual bachelor’s degrees in sociology and economics from UC Santa Barbara before earning a master’s degree in postsecondary educational leadership from San Diego State University. She is expected to complete an education studies doctorate at UCSD in spring 2021.

If approved as the student regent, Weddle said she wants to address issues such as housing affordability, food insecurity and sexual harassment with a focus on vulnerable groups, including students of color, former foster children and LGBTQ students.

“As a Ph.D. student studying transformative practices in education, I am trained to approach issues from an equity lens, evaluating how students from historically underserved backgrounds will be supported by policies and initiatives,” she said in a statement released by the UC. “I look forward to leveraging my academic training and advocacy experiences to serve all UC students.”

Weddle is currently chief of staff for the UCSD Graduate Student Association. She’s also co-chair of the UCSD Basic Needs Committee, which develops strategies to address student food and housing insecurity, and is a member of the UC Student Advisory Board, which provides student and campus perspective on recommendations and discussions regarding Title IX policies, procedures and support.

Previously, Weddle served as an adviser and operations manager for the Associated Students of UCSD and as a member of UCSD’s Student Fee Advisory and Community Standards boards. She also sat on an advisory board for the opening of a new K-8 school in the greater San Diego area, where she recommended curriculum and best practices to address gender identity, sexual orientation and sexual harassment issues.

Forty students across the UC system applied to become the student regent this year, according to UC. As policy dictates, the special committee interviewed three finalists before selecting Weddle.

She would become the 45th UC student regent.

“Serving the university and its students is an incredible honor, and I am committed to ensuring that decisions of the university are informed by students’ experiences,” Weddle said. “I am dedicated to promoting policies and initiatives that ensure students across the state have the opportunity to attend and thrive at UC.”

Source: https://timesofsandiego.com/education/2018/06/25/ucsd-doctoral-student-nominated-for-uc-student-regent/