This post was updated Nov. 6 at 7:38 p.m.
The UC is neglecting to fund a vital resource for survivors of sexual violence, despite wielding a budget of more than $50 billion.
The Campus Assault Resources and Education program at UCLA works toward “providing a safe space for survivors of sexual violence to get confidential support.” It provides resources such as one-on-one meetings with CARE Advocates, healing programs and educational workshops.
Trauma-informed and healing-based programs such as CARE are indispensable resources for students who have experienced sexual violence. This kind of support is not emulated in nonconfidential and more punitive-based resources such as the Title IX office.
Other UC campuses also use CARE programs to support survivors and provide educational programming.
CARE has a clear and impactful role across campus communities, yet the UC fails to support it in the way that really matters – financially.
Because of a lack of funding, CARE employees have been forced to apply for temporary grants. Offices do not have the funding to hire enough staff to serve all survivors of sexual violence, and the current staff has a high turnover rate.
Tommy Contreras, the Undergraduate Students Association Council internal vice president, helped spearhead the Resources First Referendum to begin addressing this need.
Undergraduate students passed the Resources First Referendum last spring and now pay an additional $4 to the #UCLAWellness fee with their tuition. Part of this funding goes to the CARE office to establish a more permanent source of funding.
However, the money is coming out of students’ pockets, and it is still not enough to support CARE.
“This is not by any means a solution to the inadequate funding that various resources on campus are currently dealing with,” Contreras said. “This is just meant to be some form of support that is coming directly from the students to support ourselves when the university is not taking the steps needed to support – monetarily – when students need it.”
While the referendum was a strong first step in securing funding for the CARE Office, the UCLA community should not call it a solution. It is instead a reminder of the UC system’s disregard for this essential service.
So, why is the UC not taking any action?
“CARE offices were initially established with systemwide funding when the program launched in 2015,” a UC Office of the President spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Like many student support services, they are now funded by individual campuses to allow flexibility in meeting local needs and to ensure services reflect each campus’s unique community.”
Relying on individual campuses to fund their CARE offices is not working. Failing to correct this broken strategy demonstrates UC’s unwillingness to provide support for some of the most vulnerable students.
“They (CARE offices) play a vital role in helping survivors navigate their options, access resources, and feel supported within the UC community,” the UC Office of the President spokesperson said in the statement.
Forcing CARE offices and students to fend for themselves is not reflective of this belief.
Especially given the recent financial pressures on UC, funding is a complicated issue – but supporting basic student needs should not be. Survivors deserve better.
It is especially frustrating to watch essential campus resources go unfunded when, in 2024, UC raised the salaries of its chancellors by around 30%. The highest-earning chancellor – at UC San Francisco – now earns almost $1.2 million a year.
If Chancellor Julio Frenk gave up just 13.5% of his annual salary, he could have funded an equivalent amount of money for CARE as the entire undergraduate student body just did through the fee increase for fall quarter.
To students: the Resources First referendum is not a solution but a placeholder. We must fight for funding for CARE from the UC system. Try joining a club working on this issue, emailing the UC Board of Regents or encouraging your USAC representatives to advocate for additional funding.
To USAC: Resources First was a win, but there is more to be done. Student government can further collaboration with student organizations that are dedicated to supporting the operations occurring at CARE.
This can be done through the council continuing to work with the Bruin Consent Coalition and finding additional ways to collaborate with CARE leadership, said Chiara Frank, the former USAC Student Wellness commissioner.
To the UC: The UC Office of the President has a list of values published on its website. Among them is accountability and responsiveness to the needs of the people who interact with the system.
The UC needs to follow through with that commitment.
I challenge the University of California to listen to its students, take charge of the situation and stop deferring blame.
They have the power to provide crucial aid to survivors.
It’s time to use it.
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