News

On the Internet, No One Knows Who You Are

Byuclafaculty

In 1993, the cartoon below appeared with the caption, “On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog,”and was widely circulated. Now that we have college courses online 29 years later, life imitates art – online – at http://www.wetakeyourclass.com/: As the song says: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm7u25wRiV8?feature=player_detailpage] Update: Inside Higher Ed reported that the website above has been taken off line by its owner: http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2012/09/26/we-take-your-class-goes-offline  As a later post on this blog notes, however, there are other such services still in operation.

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Higher Ed Metrics Bill is Dead on Arrival

Byuclafaculty

On Friday, the governor vetoed SB 721 which would have instructed the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) to come up with “metrics” to determine if the UC, CSU, and the community colleges were meeting three goals.  These goals were described in a section of the bill: In order to promote the state’s competitive economic position and quality of civic life, it is necessary to increase the level of educational attainment of California’s adult population to meet the state’s civic and workforce needs. To achieve that objective, it is the intent of the Legislature that budget and policy decisions regarding postsecondary education…

UCOP Report on Handling UC Protests Now Available

Byuclafaculty

Executive Summary (Scroll down for link to full report) After physical conflict erupted between police and protesters during demonstrations at UC Berkeley and UC Davis in November 2011, University President Mark G. Yudof asked Vice President and General Counsel Charles F. Robinson and Berkeley Law School Dean Christopher F. Edley, Jr. to review existing policies and practices regarding the University’s response to demonstrations and civil disobedience.  This review was not intended as a fact-finding investigation into the November 2011 protests, or into any other particular incident.  Other reviews have been tasked with that objective.  Rather, this review was aimed at…

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405 Closure Tonight

Byuclafaculty

From the LA Daily News:In another minor preview of “Carmageddon II,” the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway will be closed Saturday night through the Sepulveda Pass. Beginning at 11 p.m. Saturday, the northbound freeway will be closed from Getty Center Drive to the Ventura (101) Freeway. The freeway is expected to reopen by 9 a.m. Sunday, according to Metro, which is overseeing the San Diego Freeway construction project. The Mulholland bridge over the freeway, which closed tonight, will remain blocked until 8 a.m. Sunday… Full article at http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_21549600/northbound-san-diego-405-freeway-closed-saturday-night [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b5LzCOc98E?feature=player_detailpage]

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Got the Message?

Byuclafaculty

Our friends at CSU have developed a rather blunt way of delivering the message about Prop 30. From the LA Times: Hundreds of thousands of applicants to California State University campuses this year will be receiving a warning instead of the typical warm note thanking them for their interest.The spots they are hoping to fill next year, the prospective students will be cautioned, could evaporate if the governor’s push to raise taxes in November fails. The letter also will say no admissions decisions will be made until a few weeks after the election, a departure from the usual policy of…

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Fires North of UCLA

Byuclafaculty

At least two fires are reported burning north of UCLA causing major traffic disruptions this afternoon.  The most recent alerts (as of around 5 PM today) say: Please be advised of a hillside brush fire in the Sepulveda Pass which has closed Sepulveda Blvd and slowed traffic more than normally on the I-405.  Additionally there are reports of car fires on Mulholland Drive and near Coldwater Canyon.I-405 is still open in both directions but moving slowly.  Heavy smoke from the fire is visible on campus. == Coldwater Canyon is closed between Ventura Blvd and Sunset Blvd. This is in addition…

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UCLA Crows But As Alfred Hitchcock Pointed Out, Too Much Crowing Can Lead to Trouble

Byuclafaculty

UCLA Newsroom  UC Board of Regents grants final approval for UCLA conference center By Steve RiteaSeptember 11, 2012 [Update, Sept. 13: The full Board of Regents has approved the project’s final design plans and a final environmental impact report.]    The University of California Board of Regents’ Committee on Grounds and Buildings today cleared the way for UCLA to begin construction next year on the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference and Guest Center, a project that will enhance civic engagement on campus and allow UCLA to compete with other universities for important academic conferences.   “We are grateful to the Regents…

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Regents Approve Pepper Settlement But What It Was, Nobody Will say

Byuclafaculty

From the LA Times: The UC regents, in a closed-door meeting, approved the proposed settlement payment to 21 UC Davis students and alumni who sued the university and contended their civil rights were violated in the widely criticized pepper spray incident.  However, both UC officials and the ACLU of Northern California, which is representing the students in the lawsuit, refused to divulge settlement details, saying the rules of the agreement talks require a federal judge to review the matter before it can be made public. That may happen within a few days, they said…UC Regent Leslie Tang Schilling said the…

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LAO Needs to Join Governor & Legislature on the UC Pension Train

Byuclafaculty

The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) yesterday issued a review of the 2012-13 state budget enacted last June.  At one time, LAO asserted that the state had no responsibility for the UC pension plan.  The language on page 19 describing the treatment of the pension this time around is more constrained and does not venture a legal opinion.  That’s progress but LAO is still not where it needs to be.  Here is what it said on the UC pension: Provides Augmentation for UC Pension Costs.  The $89 million augmentation for UC’s pension costs represents the first time in more than two…

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Listen to Regents Approve Everything in Afternoon of 9-13-12 (partial recording)

Byuclafaculty

The Regents were in closed session most of the morning.  A prior entry on this blog gives you the audio of that part of the morning session which was open.  The Regents came back into session early so I missed an item.  Thus, the link below is only a partial recording of the afternoon session during which they approved everything including the UCLA hotel and the UCLA med school teaching center.  (See earlier posts on those projects.)  Indeed, they approved all executive compensation recommendations of the compensation committee and all projects endorsed by Building and Grounds in toto, i.e., no…