Author: uclafaculty

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And on your left…

Byuclafaculty

The LA Times today carries a story by higher ed reporter Larry Gordon about a conservative critique of leftist politics at UC: The University of California is a hotbed of leftist faculty and politically correct thinking where many students are receiving a weak and unbalanced education, according to a report by a conservative organization of professors and administrators.  The study by the California Assn. of Scholars repeats objections conservatives have had for decades over what they see as an overwhelmingly liberal academia that stifles dissent. Especially in UC humanities departments, study of classics and rigorous analysis have been replaced by advocacy…

The Morning (Mourning?) After

Byuclafaculty

The UCLA Academic Senate Committee on Planning and Budget (CPB) endorsed the hotel project on 3-22-12.  A link to the Committee’s report is below.  Pity it went that route, particularly the light of what went on at the Regents earlier this week.  Essentially, what went wrong began with the UCLA administration’s misdiagnosis of the problem during the past summer. When the original grand plan to build the hotel/conference center had to be halted in spring 2011, the administration apparently concluded that the problem was not the scale of the project but the process by which it was unveiled.  That is,…

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Unfriendly Persuasion?

Byuclafaculty

Three UCLA students were arrested Thursday during a confrontation with university police after protesters disrupted a UC regents meeting with a “spring break” demonstration during which some stripped down to bathing suits and tossed inflatable beach balls. The clash took place as 40 protesters, angry about high tuition, were leaving the UC San Francisco meeting hall after repeated warnings by police to clear the area. Authorities said that one student then pushed a police officer in a corridor and two others interfered with his arrest. Students denied pushing and said UC police overreacted, particularly by piling on to the arrested students and…

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No Parking? (and no decision at the Regents)

Byuclafaculty

There are in fact UCLA policies about reimbursing the parking authority for the costs of parking replacement when capital projects displace existing parking.  Contrary assertions were made at the Regents meeting on the hotel/conference center. Below you will find a link to the official parking policy: Open publication – Free publishing – More parking Yours truly is in transit at the moment but I am told that the hotel matter was deferred today to the next meeting of the Regents after the embarrassing questions that occurred at the Regents yesterday. If UCLA is willing to rethink this project as working…

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UCLA History: Ralph Bunche

Byuclafaculty

On the left is the graduation photo of Ralph Bunche, the famed African American diplomat after whom Bunche Hall is named.  Bunche was an undergraduate at the old Vermont Avenue campus of UCLA. Someone with Bunche’s mediation and diplomatic skills might be needed today by UCLA to find a solution to the embarrassing hotel problem it created yesterday at the Regents.  See yesterday’s two posts on that matter.  Too bad he’s not around to help. ===Yours truly will be on an airplane today and unable to report on the Regents session, including what they do with the hotel.  The UCLA…

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Alternative Transit to UCLA

Byuclafaculty

UCLA traffic hits lowest level since 1990 By Alison Hewitt March 27, 2012 The rest of Los Angeles may seem as congested as ever, but traffic at UCLA is the lightest it’s ever been since the university began measuring more than 20 years ago. “Vehicle counts are lower now than they were in 1990, when the cordon count first began,” according to UCLA Transportation’s newly released State of the Commute annual report, which tracks all vehicles driving into and out of campus. The reduced traffic represents the success of UCLA Transportation’s focus on lowering the number of drive-alone commuters at UCLA to lighten…

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The Story So Far: Part 2 – Hotel Proves Highly Embarrassing for UCLA

Byuclafaculty

My previous blog entry noted the objections to the UCLA hotel/conference center raised by non-UCLA participants at the public comments session this morning. As in the case of the morning session, I was unable to record the afternoon session of the Regents’ Committee on Building and Grounds.  However, I did hear most of it. There were presentations by Gene Block and Steve Olsen which led to a very skeptical set of questions by the Regents on the Committee.  They questioned all of the items raised by the morning witnesses. Ultimately, the Committee was not willing to conclude its session with…

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The Story So Far: Tuition, Ballot Propositions, Hotel, Japanese Garden, Pepper Spray, and More

Byuclafaculty

Yours truly tried to get a decent recording of the Regents public comment session this morning. Unfortunately, an aging office computer produced such a low quality recording that I will summarize below in writing: Prior to the public comment period, President Yudof said he intended to endorse the governor’s tax initiative and would ask the Regents to do so.  After the comment period, Academic Council chair Bob Anderson noted that faculty members are voting on a memorial to the Regents asking them to endorse ballot propositions that provide funding to the university.  (The memorial does not designate a particular initiative.)…

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Tax Plan to Lower Tuition But…

Byuclafaculty

Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez is drumming up public support for legislation touted as a billion-dollar relief plan for college students that is sure to be a Democratic centerpiece this year…  While saving students money, Pérez’s plan would raise taxes on out-of-state companies like Detroit automakers and cigarette-maker Altria by requiring that multistate companies calculate tax liability based on the portion of sales in California…  The Assembly leader said his billion-dollar plan would cut fees by two-thirds for families earning under $150,000 per year – from $5,970 to $1,970 at California State Universities, and from $12,192 to $4,023 at the University of California… Full story at http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/03/john-a-perez-launches-fight-to-alter-tax-formula-for-scholarships.html Note: The plan…