When it comes to the administrative levels of the UC system and transparency, the track record hasn't been very impressive. Their performance has yet to change as some high-ranking UC administrators are considering abolishing the individual UCDC campus internship programs in favor of a larger, unified UCDC program.

Under the current structure, every one of the nine UC campuses that take part in UCDC has its own director in charge of that campus's particular internship program. A restructuring would likely mean cutting down the number of administrators in charge of arranging student internships from nine to four. Surprisingly-or perhaps not at all-the campus program directors found out about the possible restructuring only after UC Washington Center Director Bruce Cain brought up the option to the UCDC Academic Advisory Committee.

If any one group of people should have been consulted beforehand, it's the nine program directors.

But it's not too late to ask for a better approach-officials in charge of the program have until July 2010 to come up with an answer to the inevitable cuts that UCDC faces. That's over a year that can be devoted to a more transparent process instead of the dubious sneakiness that comes with passing "secret" memos.

To that end, we would like to see an open process when discussing restructuring UCDC. A public dialogue would be preferable. It doesn't have to be 10,000 people in a single room, but such a discussion would go a long way towards adding to the much-needed transparency the UC administration lacks. Anyone with a vested interest in UCDC will be able to offer their input and perhaps even suggest changes that will make UCDC more efficient.

Given the amount of time before changes to UCDC must be made, there is no reason why an open process can't happen. The UC administration would do well to use this opportunity to change how it operates.