Author: uclafaculty

UC-Berkeley Still Somewhat Occupied

Apparently, various “Occupy” demonstrations are still going on at UC-Berkeley: Protesters from Occupy Oakland converged on UC Berkeley Saturday evening, the day after 18 Occupy Cal protesters were detained when their encampment was cleared from in front of Doe Library.  About 40 protesters from Oakland marched down Telegraph Avenue, eventually reaching the International House on Piedmont Avenue at around 11 p.m. An “Occupy the Truth” conference is being held this weekend at International House, and protesters set up five tents to show solidarity with the conference. House administration agreed to let the encampment remain on the lawn overnight as long…

Follow-up to Prior UC-Davis Pepper Story: No no-confidence

From the Sacramento Bee:   A motion asking for a vote of no confidence in UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi failed to gain a majority of votes needed to pass, school officials said tonight.  The motion received 312 yes votes and 697 no votes, out of 2,693 eligible voters – current and retired faculty.  Katehi’s leadership came under widespread scrutiny following last year’s pepper-spraying of Occupy UC Davis protesters… Full story at http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/17/4272750/katehi-survives-no-confidence.html Is not having no confidence the same as confidence?  Let’s hear what the Chancellor says: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1snhxCBaDc&w=320&h=195]

Yet More Pepper from Davis

Somehow, the pepper spray story at UC-Davis seems unending.  From the Sacramento Bee: By the time voting closes today, more than 2,600 faculty members at UC Davis will have had an opportunity to weigh in on whether they have confidence in Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi or whether that confidence is gone after November’s pepper-spraying of Occupy UC Davis protesters.  Though nonbinding, the vote on competing motions before the Academic Senate is a rare judgment by faculty on a chancellor’s ability to lead and could influence decisions on Katehi’s future by University of California leaders… There are four competing motions, each…

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China Care Bruins Program

There is an interesting story today in the Daily Bruin about the UCLA China Care Bruins Program.  Excerpt: Six-year-old Ruby Knowlton held her arms up to Kim Tran, asking to be picked up. Smiling fondly, Tran, a second-year biochemistry student, picked the young girl up, swinging her around in a circle. From the way they interacted with one another at a mentorship event at UCLA last Sunday, Ruby and Tran could almost be mistaken for sisters. As Ruby’s “Big Buddy,” Tran has watched her grow for the past year and a half.   The two were paired together through UCLA’s China…

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UCLA Report Calls for Overhaul of Community College Transfer Process & Master Plan

Inside Higher Ed today pointed me toward the UCLA Civil Rights Project and its series of three reports critical of the transfer process from community colleges to four-year colleges.  One of the reports was co-authored by former UC President Richard Atkinson. The summary from Inside Higher Ed is at:http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2012/02/15/racial-transfer-gap-california-community-colleges A press release from the Civil Rights Project is reproduced below: CRP Calls for Fundamental Changes in California’s Community Colleges Date Published: February 14, 2012 Almost 75% of all Latino and two-thirds of all Black students who go on to higher education in California go to a community college, yet in 2010…

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Reminder: Obama Jam Tomorrow…

…But not in the immediate UCLA area.  Your commute in the afternoon could be affected, depending on where you are going. Traffic Notice Partial Closure Description President Obama Los Angeles Visit When: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 3:00pm to 5:00pm Where: Los Angeles Westside Impacts: The President will be landing at LAX, then helicoptered to the VA Hospital, and finally driving to Holmby Hills. Rolling closures of streets along the route, meaning that as the motorcade passes, impacted streets and intersections will close, but open again quickly afterwards. Prolonged street closures are not anticipated. Specific details regarding the route are not…

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LA Times Editorial on UCLA Hospital/Blue Shield Dispute Has a Buried Lede*

In yesterday’s LA Times – if you missed it – there was an editorial about a dispute between Blue Shield and the UCLA Hospital.  Yet beyond saying that controlling costs and being efficient are Good Things, the editorial seemed to miss the point – even though the point is it the text of the editorial.  Excerpt below: —— Blue Shield of California has suspended its relationship with UCLA Medical Center, one of the state’s top hospitals, in a dispute over the cost of treating patients there. It’s a disturbing sign of things to come in the healthcare industry, as insurers become increasingly…

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Love at UCLA on Valentine’s Day

The UCLA campus is so lovable that couples come to it to have engagement photos taken, as per above. But sometimes, even at UCLA, all does not go well in affairs of the heart: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXUphyeOjko&w=320&h=195] On the other hand, boy (Houdini) did get girl (the hard way) in 1919 in Santa Monica: PS: Faithful readers of this blog will know that things can work out at UCLA, too, as we demonstrated last fall:http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2011/10/modest-proposal-at-ucla.html