News

  • | | | | | | | |

    I know it’s unpleasant to hear but…

    Byadmin

    When you listen to Regents’ comments at their meetings on the state budget, you have the impression at times that they think that the state and governor have reversed course and now acknowledge responsibility for the UC pension plan.  So, for the record, here is the Legislative Analyst’s summary of the latest state budget and the UC pension: Contains Intent Language Regarding UC Retirement Costs. The budget plan does not designate any funding for UC employer retirement costs, though the university expects these costs to increase by $67 million in 2013-14. Budget trailer bill language states, however, that the absence of…

  • | |

    Where the money is

    Byadmin

    Willie Sutton was supposed to have explained that he robbed banks “because that’s where the money is.”  As this blog has pointed out on numerous occasions, while the regents and the governor worry about finding efficiencies and about saving some money via online education, big bucks capital projects – such as UCLA’s Grand Hotel – get little scrutiny.  And even when questions are asked – as occurred with the Grand Hotel – the requests are ultimately approved.  The San Francisco Chronicle has an article about a nonprofit entity that works on tallying and “visualizing” publicly available data.  You can find the…

  • | | | | |

    Does everything have to be seen?

    Byadmin

    From time to time on this blog, we have pointed to the issue of privacy and potential ID theft posed by the practice of certain newspapers posting public employee and pensions by name.  While courts have seemed to see the handing over of raw payroll data as a required public disclosure, we have noted that whatever purposes such posting has – ostensibly “good government” – could be accomplished using job titles without names, statistical distributions, etc. It may seem at this point that nothing more could be said or done about the impact on UC.  Note that private universities face…

  • |

    So it continues at Harvard

    Byadmin

    Back in April, we noted that it was becoming evident that the way to show erudition was to begin answers to questions with the word “so.”  See our earlier post for references at http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-answer-any-question-with.html On Harry Shearer’s Le Show radio program, he began to provide a “So’s of the Week” feature.  For those blog readers who might have thought that the so-thing was a passing fad, we – through Shearer – provide evidence from no less than Harvard that it continues. So click on the link below:

  • | |

    Almost Secret Garden

    Byadmin

    In the past when we have written about UCLA and gardens, it has been about the Japanese Garden that the university has been blocked from selling.  The university would prefer that the less said about the Japanese Garden, the better.  (If you are unfamiliar with the saga of that garden, use the search engine for this blog for past postings.)  But there is another garden on campus which is not intended to be secret but at least was a discovery for yours truly.  On the south side of the Anderson School, you will find the Nix Garden – which according…

  • | | |

    Campus Happenings Yesterday

    Byadmin

    Demonstrators return to campus Yesterday, this blog noted that UC had imposed its terms on the union (AFSCME 3299) that had struck for two days recently at university med centers.  There was a demonstration yesterday the blocked traffic at Westwood and Wilshire Boulevards.  Yours truly happened to be in a coffee shop at Lindbrook and Westwood as the demonstration ended.  Photo above. You can find a news account at http://centurycity.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/protest-rally-near-ucla-leads-to-arrests. In a totally different vein, there was some kind of children’s program at the campus Fowler Museum which produced the two figures below. Fowler fare     Yours truly noted…

  • | | | |

    Looking Under the Egg

    Byadmin

    The latest “Our University” newsletter from UCOP has an article about the increase in pension contributions recently enacted by the Regents.  When you look at the newsletter, there is a illustrative “nest egg” illustration – shown above – which you click on to read the article.  Now it’s not clear what the chart below the egg shows.  But let’s hope the downward falling line on the chart under the egg isn’t the future funded status of the pension plan.  As readers of this blog will know, while back in the day, the plan was (more than) fully funded, the long…

  • | |

    UC Hospital Dispute Seems to Have Ended

    Byadmin

    Although UC and AFSCME 3299 – the union that called the recent 2-day hospital strike (including at UCLA) – seem to have gone their separate ways, it appears the dispute is over for now.  The Daily Bruin carries a report that UC has unilaterally implemented its last offer. Under state labor law, an employer can implement its offer unilaterally if negotiations have reached an “impasse.”  In such instances, the union might challenge the implementation before PERB on grounds that an impasse had not been reached.  Or it could threaten or undertake a strike.  However, the media release by the union…

  • |

    The UCLA Grand Hotel: No Apparent Rush

    Byadmin

    Yours truly ambled by the site of the UCLA Grand Hotel yesterday afternoon.  The only difference I saw from last week is that the construction cones blocking off the entrance to the Ackerman bus turnaround are now supplemented by a makeshift fence.(!)  There was a pile of dug up landscape but that was there last week. And there was the usual dearth of any sign of work activity.  However, it was 3 pm so maybe everyone was on an extended lunch.Anyway, no need to rush:

  • |

    We’re 34! We’re 34!

    Byadmin

    UCLA ranks 34th in the nation.So says Forbes in its college and university rankings:http://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/.  According to Forbes, “the FORBES list of 650 schools distinguishes itself from competitors by our belief in “output” over “input.” We’re not all that interested in what gets a student into college, like our peers who focus heavily on selectivity metrics such as high school class rank, SAT scores and the like. Our sights are set directly on ROI: What are students getting out of college?”  Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2013/07/24/ranking-americas-top-colleges-2013/ Now where is Forbes ranked?  Maybe I missed it. Maybe it’s here:   Or maybe here?   We’ll…