Approximately 180 UC students gathered on campus this weekend as part of a system-wide student effort to develop the coming year's UC Students Association agenda.

The association held its 10th Annual UC Student Congress at UC Berkeley from July 10 to 13 to establish the association's 2008-09 agenda, tackling issues like student fees, diversity and financial aid, among other things.

"This conference is about bringing together all the constituents of UCSA to decide on campaigns and issues for the coming year," said UCSA President Louise Hendrickson. "Students come to exchange ideas and to be trained to be organized for the future campaigns."

After a weekend of discussion and decision-making, all the students at the congress voted to prioritize high school academic preparation, a student fee freeze and continued advocacy for the DREAM Act, a piece of legislation aimed at providing financial aid to undocumented immigrant students.

At last year's congress, where only some of the students could vote on the issues, the student association chose to deal with topics like the DREAM Act and student voting in national and statewide elections. The association also coordinated an effort between the California State University and California Community Colleges systems to protest the statewide budget cuts to education in Sacramento.

Unlike last year, when there were only closed caucuses for students of different backgrounds, the congress this year held open meetings to allow any student to discuss their ideas about the issues.

"Every idea has its place at the table to be discussed and carried out," said Dionne Jirachaikitti, the ASUC's external affairs vice president.

However, some students said they did not think the congress was properly coordinated.

"I thought the conference was pretty disorganized," said UC Irvine senior Robert Olson. "There were so many people, and the process hasn't been solidified, so it moved very slowly."

Though some thought the conference was too chaotic, others expressed pride for the congress despite its setbacks.

This year's congress was held at UC Berkeley for the first time in three years, and many campus representatives said they were honored to host the yearly event.

"It's good that different UC students are here at Berkeley," Jirachaikitti said. "I feel very honored that our campus is hosting to show other campuses what we have to offer and what UC Berkeley can contribute to the coalition."

Some students said they enjoyed the bonding exercises at the congress to help them build relationships with students from other UC campuses.

"One of the reasons we came was to make those connections with students from other campuses to enable us to do things at our respective campuses," said UCSF graduate student Seth Lucas.

Many attendees said the congress was an enriching experience that facilitated a greater understanding of the steps a student can take to create a better educational environment.

"Getting together with a big group of people who really care about student empowerment and affordability and access to the UCs really inspires me to spread the news and to have other students get involved," said UCLA junior Leslie Shim.

Tags: HIGHER EDUCATION, UC STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION