Author: admin

  • No Students to be Charged in Pepper Spray Incident

    Byadmin

    The Yolo County District Attorney’s office announced today that it will not file charges against any of the 10 protesters arrested during a Nov. 18 pepper-spraying incident on the University of California, Davis, campus.  The standoff between campus police and occupy protesters on the campus quad resulted in 10 arrests and a number of demonstrators being pepper-sprayed. Those arrested were cited by campus police with unlawful assembly, illegal camping or both, said Michael Cabral, assistant chief deputy district attorney…  (T)he Yolo DA office’s investigation into the use of pepper spray is ongoing… Full story at http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/20/4203208/no-charges-will-be-filed-against.html

  • | |

    USC covers UC Regents Protest at UCR

    Byadmin

    USC news service seems to have the most complete story on yesterday’s protest at the Regents meeting See: http://www.neontommy.com/news/2012/01/students-shut-down-uc-regents-finance-meeting The LA Times also has a story http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-uc-regents-rally-20120120,0,4723240.story Meanwhile, at UC-Berkeley: UC Berkeley faculty stand between protesters, police crackdown:http://www.mercurynews.com/occupy/ci_19779401 Update: The Riverside Press-Enterprise carried a detailed report on the Regents meeting: http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/riverside/riverside-headlines-index/20120119-riverside-protesters-and-arrests-at-uc-regents-meeting.ece

  • |

    Let me go, says UC-San Francisco

    Byadmin

    From today’s San Francisco Chronicle: Unlike the other nine campuses of the University of California, UCSF enrolls no undergraduates, offers no history classes and gets so much money from government grants that it barely depends on the tuition its students pay to attend the medical school on a windy San Francisco hill. …At Thursday’s meeting at UC Riverside, UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann told the regents, delicately, that she wants out. Under her proposal, UCSF’s medical school, hospital, clinics and research facilities would remain a public university connected to UC, the chancellor assured the regents. But the tendrils connecting the two…

  • |

    Eye Witness Report Concerning Removals of Objects from the Japanese Garden

    Byadmin

    In a previous blog entry, we published photos by astronomer R. Michael Rich showing the removal of art objects from the UCLA Japanese garden which is proposed for sale.  I invited Dr. Rich to write up his version of what occurred when he visited the Garden area where the removals are taking place.  It might be noted that the UCLA Faculty Association has taken no position on this action by UCLA.  But blog readers will have an interest in recent events.  Below is Dr. Rich’s report: ================= R. Michael Rich I am writing concerning my encounter with Brad Erickson and reporters…

  • | | | |

    Not Worth a Mention?

    Byadmin

    Gov. Brown delivered his “State of the State” speech yesterday.  Click below for the speech.  Lots of topics are discussed.  Higher ed, however, is not one of them.  An earlier post noted that UC is like a flea on the back of an elephant when it comes to state budgeting and such.  That message was reinforced yesterday.  But perhaps our absence will make the governor’s heart grow fonder.  Valentine’s Day is coming up after all.  The governor did mention his public pension plan in the speech – which would sweep UC into a larger state change.  With regard to that…

  • |

    Hotel Rumors

    Byadmin

    Rumors are floating around about a change in the possible bond funding arrangements for the proposed campus hotel/conference center. Possibly, alternative bonds – presumably not tax-favored muni bonds – would be used, thus allowing commercial use of the hotel.  That step would put the hotel in direct competition with Westside commercial hotels, of course, raising the level of opposition from them.  Since the hotel would still be subsidized – free land, no property tax, donor gift – such competition would be controversial.  Would local hotel taxes be paid?  Parking for a full service operation?  Traffic flowing into campus for a…

  • Cough, Cough

    Byadmin

    LA Times editors think that if Santa Claus can smoke, folks at UC should be able to smoke, too. There’s nothing to say in defense of cigarettes. Smoking is a detestable, dangerous habit — but it’s also a legal one, and there is plenty to say in defense of allowing adults to make bad decisions if they’re not breaking the law or harming others. The University of California should have taken that into account before UC President Mark G. Yudof announced that all 10 campuses would become smoke- and tobacco-free within two years. As long as smokers aren’t filling others’…

  • | | |

    UC History: Connerly

    Byadmin

    Former UC Regent Ward Connerly who led the move to abolish affirmative action at UC in 1995 is back in the news, albeit not in a positive way.  http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2012/01/18/allegations-against-prominent-foe-affirmative-action  (There is a link within that link to a NY Times article with more detail.)  A related news item appeared in the Sacramento Bee this morning: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/18/4195636/connerly-financial-misdeeds-alleged.html The news clip below describes the Regents’ action but focuses on then-Governor Pete Wilson.  (Connerly is briefly shown.)  The Regents’ resolution was made redundant by the later Prop 209 and the resolution was subsequently repealed.  However, since UC is covered by Prop 209, the…

  • |

    Removals of Objects from Japanese Garden Began Today

    Byadmin

    UCLA Research Astronomer R. Michael Rich took these two photos of an object being removed from the Japanese Garden today.  He reports that non-expert personnel are involved in the removals.  He identifies the object as follows: Japanese Square Stone Water Basin, a Buddhist carving dating from the 15th or 16th Century, Object #19 in the catalog you can find an earlier post on the Garden issue.  See the catalog at http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/01/info-on-plans-for-japanese-garden.html UPDATE: The Daily Bruin picked up the story http://www.dailybruin.com/index.php/article/2012/01/ucla_moving_toward_sale_of_hannah_carter_japanese_garden_in_bel_air

  • |

    UC-Riverside Students Propose Tuition Alternative Based on Future Pay

    Byadmin

    From the Riverside Press-Enterprise, 1/16/12.  As the excerpt below notes, the idea described has been around for awhile in various forms.  There would need to be a legally-binding mechanism for verification of income and payback including for grads who left California.  And there could be variations in the formula used.   It will be interesting to see what UCOP and the Regents have to say: It took nine months of late-night meetings, data crunching, calculations and consultations by a small group of UC Riverside students to hammer out what they say is an antidote to state cutbacks for higher education and…