Author: uclafaculty

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UC to Provide a Helping Hand to the State

Byuclafaculty

California looks to UC, CSU for lending hand 7/11/11, Kevin Yamamura, Capitol Alert The state just slashed $650 million each from the California State University and University of California, but it’s now looking to the two systems to loan the state some cash. A new bill moving through the Legislature with little public notice, Senate Bill 79, would establish a new investment fund for UC, CSU, California Community Colleges and the Judicial Council. Under the proposal, each system could contribute no less than $500 million and earn a return from the state, apparently more than they get elsewhere but less…

Open Secret Revealed in Cash Report

Byuclafaculty

The state controller has released his report on cash flows into and out of the California general fund for 2010-11, the fiscal year that ended June 30. And here is something that has been a kind of open secret all along, but disguised by the fluid (polite word) terminology used to describe state budgetary matters. Suppose we define a surplus as a situation in which more flows into the general fund than flows out. Suppose we define a deficit as the opposite. And suppose we say a balanced budget as one in which inflows and outflows match. Now we all…

Why Johnny Can’t Write

Byuclafaculty

More on why Johnny – in your class – (often) can’t write: From the San Francisco Chronicle technology advice column today: Q: I am a play write. I write comedies and I want to sell them, a scene at a time, on social networks. I have yet to create a website. What do you recommend? A: First, learn how to spell. The name of your profession is playwright, not play write… Full article at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/10/BUOC1K6OTN.DTL

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405 Freeway Closure Coming at the End of This Week

Byuclafaculty

Readers of this blog – or of newspapers – or of just about anything will know that the 405 freeway will be closed this coming weekend for construction, something billed as Carmageddon. However, for those who feel they must have some kind of presence on campus, even if vicarious, it might be noted that there are various webcams running 24/7 at UCLA, three of which were working as of today: Royce Hall: http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/bruincam/default.htm Construction in DeNeve area: http://www.housing.ucla.edu/videos/DeNeve-1-Live.htm Construction in Sproul area: http://www.housing.ucla.edu/videos/Sproul-West-1-Live.htm Despite the webcam options, not everyone is happy about the closure:

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Westwood hotel project will go condo if UCLA builds hotel/conference center

Byuclafaculty

The LA Business Journal reports that the developer of the hotel proposed for the old Hollywood video store site on Wilshire & Gayley will do the building as condos-only if UCLA goes ahead with the plan to replace the Faculty Center with a large hotel/conference center. See below. Scroll down to boldface type. No Vacancy? Jacquelyn Ryan Los Angeles Business Journal July 4th, 2011 It seems the biggest battles these days in Westwood aren’t on the basketball court but over luxury suites – and not the ones in arenas. Just months after a controversial plan to build an upscale hotel…

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Gone

Byuclafaculty

Some California university degrees disappear amid budget cuts (excerpts): Laurel Rosenhall, July 9, 2011, Sacramento Bee …UC Davis students can no longer get bachelor’s degrees in applied science, avian science or nature and culture. UC Santa Cruz has eliminated minors in computer technology, journalism and communication and rhetoric. As California’s public universities look for efficiencies in the face of ongoing budget cuts, some long-standing fields of study are falling by the wayside… “Clearly some of it is cyclical, but the budget cuts are accelerating the process and forcing the campuses to make some tough decisions,” said Todd Greenspan, director of…

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Money to Burn?

Byuclafaculty

UCLA hospitals to pay $865,500 for breaches of celebrities’ privacy By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times July 8, 2011 UCLA Health System has agreed to pay $865,500 as part of a settlement with federal regulators announced Thursday after two celebrity patients alleged that hospital employees broke the law and reviewed their medical records without authorization. Federal and hospital officials declined to identify the celebrities involved. The complaints cover 2005 to 2009, a time during which hospital employees were repeatedly caught and fired for peeping at the medical records of dozens of celebrities, including Britney Spears, Farrah Fawcett and then-California First…

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Bill Says Pay Tuition Later (and Don’t Call It Tuition)

Byuclafaculty

State bill seeks more warning on tuition hikes July 7, 2011, Heather Somerville, Fresno Bee Student advocacy groups have stepped up their lobbying this week for a bill to make California State University and University of California officials give students at least six months notice before raising tuition… The bill, proposed by the UC and CSU student associations, would compel university officials to find other ways to manage budget cuts than their “knee-jerk” reaction of increasing fees, said Olgalilia Ramirez, director of government relations for (California State Student Association). AB 970 would require officials to consult with students before raising…

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All A-Twitter at the U of Iowa

Byuclafaculty

Inside Higher Ed today points to a U of Iowa $37,000 scholarship for a student with the best Twitter tweet. Despite President Obama’s recent Twitter town hall, yours truly hopes UCLA can resist the impulse to follow the Iowa example. Excerpt: One question. One hundred and forty characters. $37,000. It’s no game show — the University of Iowa’s Tippie MBA full-time program is awarding one full financial award package to an applicant who most creatively answers the question, “What makes you an exceptional Tippie MBA candidate and full-time MBA hire? Creativity encouraged!”, in 140 characters or less on Twitter. The…