News

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Affirmative Action Case at Supreme Court

Byuclafaculty

Blog readers will undoubtedly know that the U.S. Supreme Court is looking at the constitutionality of  Michigan ballot proposition that bans affirmative action in, among other things, public university admissions.  The Michigan proposition was a copy of California’s Prop 209.  Were the Michigan proposition voided, the same would likely happen to Prop 209.  Most observers seem to expect the court to uphold the Michigan proposition.  Prop 209 followed the UC Regents’ action banning affirmative action in admissions.  (The Regents later repealed their ban after 209 was enacted on the grounds that it was redundant.) Inside Higher Ed has an article…

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Abrams on the Law of Terrorism

Byuclafaculty

Yours truly will be traveling today.  However, below is a link to a talk given by former acting chancellor Norman Abrams on issues related to terrorism, courtesy of the UCLA Emeriti Association. See the cellphone picture.  The talk was given at the UCLA Faculty Center on October 10.  The audio isn’t broadcast quality but is understandable.  Abrams was introduced by Judith Smith. Note: You can also find the link or download at http://archive.org/details/FormerActingUclaChancellorNormanAbramsOnTheLawOfTerrorism

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Curtain Lifted on Pension Initiative

Byuclafaculty

Prior posts have alerted readers of this blog to a forthcoming public pension initiative.  The group that has been working on the initiative seems to have money for a campaign.  It takes $1-$2 million for signature gathering firms to get an initiative on the ballot.  If an initiative is controversial, it may take loads more money for TV advertising to mount a campaign. The initiative explicitly covers UC.  It has some ambiguous elements which we hope to unscramble.  Government employers are given the power to modify pensions and retiree health plans going forward for incumbent employees.  Note that the 2010…

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Four!

Byuclafaculty

In contrast to the silence the greeted the Little Hoover report on higher ed (see the previous post on this blog), a possible effort pushing for California community colleges to become four-year institutions got some attention. From the LA Times: California’s community college system is considering a controversial effort to offer four-year degrees, a move designed to boost the number of students who graduate and are more prepared for the workforce. The change would require legislation authorizing junior colleges to grant baccalaureate degrees. Colleges would also need to seek additional accreditation as baccalaureate-granting institutions. Supporters argue that it would help…

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Little Hoover’s Report

Byuclafaculty

Little (Herbert) Hoover The state’s Little Hoover Commission issued a report yesterday on public higher ed in California.  Although the Sacramento Bee mentioned on Monday that such a report would come out on Tuesday, I could find no reference to it in today’s Bee.  I looked on the LA Times and San Francisco Chronicle websites.  (In all three, after seeing no articles, I searched their websites using such terms as “Little Hoover” without finding anything.)  It’s a philosophical question whether a tree falling in a forest makes a noise if no one hears it.  It’s less philosophical in this case.  Maybe,…

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Not to worry?

Byuclafaculty

You might have notice the article in the LA Times about concrete buildings in LA County that were prone to collapse in a major earthquake.  The article included an interactive graphic for selected areas including Westwood.  Among the buildings the LA Times listed was 924 Westwood Blvd., an office building owned by UCLA (the Regents).  The image above is a screenshot, not the actual interactive graphic which you can find at http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-earthquake-concrete-20131013-dto,0,1555748.htmlstory.  However, here is the text of what is on the graphic including a response by UCLA saying it believes the building is safe:========== 924 Westwood Blvd. Owner: Regents…

Wiseman at Berkeley

Byuclafaculty

Inside Higher Ed today alerted yours truly to a forthcoming Frederick Wiseman documentary on UC-Berkeley.  A lengthy article appears at:http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/14/documentary-frederick-wiseman-portrays-uc-berkeley-fall-2010 In poking around on the web, I found earlier stories about the documentary such as this one from the NY Times:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/28/movies/moviesspecial/film-chronicles-the-inner-workings-of-berkeley.html If you are familiar with past Wiseman documentaries, they tend to be short on narration and long on meetings, interactions, etc.  “At Berkeley” will be released in November.  It takes place in 2010, i.e., during the budget crisis.  The film will be seen on PBS in early 2014. Excerpts can be seen below:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T4nPs8iIo0?feature=player_detailpage]

Fraud Reminder: NEVER respond to distress emails asking for money

Byuclafaculty

From time to time, yours truly receives emails -seemingly from a friend or colleague – requesting money to get out of a distressful situation abroad.  Today was no exception: I really hope you get this fast. I could not inform anyone about our trip, because it was impromptu. we had to be in Philippines for Tour..The program was successful, but our journey has turned sour. we misplaced our wallet and cell phone on our way back to the hotel we lodge in after we went for sight seeing. The wallet contained all the valuables we had. Now, our passport is…

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Public Pension Drumbeat Continues. UC Needs to Begin Planning for Staying Out of Planned Initiative

Byuclafaculty

On Saturday, we alerted blog readers to the coordinated campaign to get some kind of public pension “reform” initiative on the California ballot.  At issue on Saturday was a Stanford-Hoover MOOC, ostensibly about retirement investing, but which culminates in a program on public pensions. The pension drumbeat continues, at this point by articles on the issue. For example, a recent op-ed in the San Diego Union-Tribune goes on about various municipal bankruptcies but contains a suggestion for a constitutional amendment in California.  The legislature is not about to put such an amendment on the ballot so it could only by…

With modern recording devices, a reminder that your classes are not really private, whatever the legalities

Byuclafaculty

That was then and this is now. We have reminded faculty from time to time that emails and other communications at public universities are generally not private and can be requested as public documents.  There are some questions about the legalities of students recording your classes.  A recent case in which a teacher in the LA school district was recorded cursing – and was suspended – is a reminder, however, that once a recording goes public, it can’t be retrieved.  Moreover, it is very unlikely that a student will be prosecuted for making such a recording.  And recording via cellphone…