Jordan Roiland,\u00a0a graduate student in the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, was appointed as the 2027-28 student regent by the UC Board of Regents on July 14.<\/p>\n
Roiland, who uses he\/they pronouns, will serve as the student regent-designate from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. They graduated from UC Berkeley with a Master of Science in health and medical sciences in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As student regent-designate, Roiland will serve as a nonvoting board member. His full one-year voting term as student regent will begin July 1, 2027. The student regent role has existed for 52 years.<\/p>\n
Despite not yet having voting privileges,Roiland intends to propose amendments, develop actionable proposals with other regents and elevate student voices in the student regent-designate role.<\/p>\n
Roiland said they believe some of the largest issues facing the UC system include federal pressures and scrutiny of DEI in admissions and education, cost of living and students\u2019 rights to speech and safety.\u00a0He plans to hold office hours and discuss these concerns with students in order to share their perspectives with the regents.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope to meaningfully engage with students and student groups regularly, with a focus on making sure I meet with underrepresented students and elevate their stories and requests to the regents,\u201d Roiland said in an email.<\/p>\n
Roiland\u2019s experience with advocacy began with a high school internship at the Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition and the Mount Sinai Health System, where they focused on how personal care products can contain xenoestrogens \u2014 foreign chemical compounds that potentially promote hormone-related cancers.<\/p>\n
As a master\u2019s student at UC Berkeley, they served on the Vice Chancellor\u2019s Student Advisory Committee, where they advocated for students\u2019 free speech rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have always been comfortable challenging norms and also voicing my and my peers\u2019 needs,\u201d Roiland said in the email.<\/p>\n
Roiland\u2019s appointment is unique, as he will be the first M.D. student to serve as student regent. Roiland said they believe their background will enable them to bring a different perspective to the position, as well as an understanding of the UC system\u2019s medical systems \u2014 which are both an area of economic interest and heightened federal scrutiny.<\/p>\n
Roiland noted that although students can voice concerns during public comment at Board of Regents meetings, many conversations occur behind closed doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis position is important because it serves as an additional avenue for student perspectives to be heard,\u201d Roiland said in the email. \u201cThough I am a medical student, I am absolutely committed to voicing undergrads\u2019 concerns as they constitute the majority of students.\u201d<\/p>\n