UCLA

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It Ain’t What it Was

Byuclafaculty

Westwood in 1929 wasn’t very exciting, either. The LA Times reviews attempts to revitalize Westwood and notes at one time it was a commercial center.  For decades, Westwood Village was the heartbeat of Los Angeles nightlife while downtown languished in solitude. Westwood had the movie theaters, fancy restaurants and bustling street traffic, and downtown was known as a quiet and intimidating place to be after dark. These days, a humbled Westwood finds itself in the unexpected position of turning to a resurgent downtown for ideas. Of the more than a dozen movie theaters that once stood in the village, all…

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Bad PR

Byuclafaculty

There is the old saying that all publicity is good, as long as they spell your name correctly.  Maybe not in all cases, however… From the LA Times: A controversial policy group singles out teacher training programs at UCLA and Loyola Marymount as hardly worth attending. But the schools say the report is flawed.   A new front is opening in the education wars as a report released Tuesday derides California’s teacher training schools as among the worst in a nation full of substandard programs.The study by a controversial Washington, D.C.-based policy group singles out UCLA and Loyola Marymount University,…

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The Unholy 405 Construction

Byuclafaculty

From the Jewish Journal comes a report that the 405 construction near UCLA is decidedly Non-Kosher.  But you probably knew that. The Los Angeles Community Eruv will not be in operation during the Shabbat that begins at sundown tonight, June 14, due to construction on the 405 Freeway. An eruv makes carrying items within its boundaries on Shabbat permissible for Jews, according to halacha (Jewish law). This includes synagogue-goers carrying books and prayer shawls to parents wheeling strollers.  According to Howard Witkin, the head organizer of the Los Angeles Community Eruv… , construction at the 405 on- and off-ramps at…

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Click Me Not

Byuclafaculty

The UCLA community has apparently been receiving an intensive batch of fraudulent emails of the type below.  A reminder to delete them.  Do not click on the link provided. —- Dear mail user,University of California, Los Angeles increased the web-mail server to a new and more secure version.This will allow your web-mail have a new look, with new functions and anti-spam security.You are advised to “Click” and “follow” the link below to update and enable advanced security features; [fraudulent and dangerous link provided] University of California, Los Angeles405 Hilgard Ave  Los Angeles, CA 90095(310) 835-4321—- Note that the general phone…

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Not Coming to a Campus Near You

Byuclafaculty

Not only are we unlikely to see snow on campus, according to a recent UCLA report, snow in the mountains around LA in winter will be diminishing: …The projected snow loss, a result of climate change, could get even worse by the end of the 21st century, depending on how the world reacts. Sustained action to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions could keep annual average snowfall levels steady after mid-century, but if emissions continue unabated, the study predicts that snowfall in Southern California mountains will be two-thirds less by the year 2100 than it was in the years leading up…

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Just another sign of the times; they’re coming to build the grand hotel

Byuclafaculty

Just another reminder that UCLA is marching ahead with its plans to build the grand hotel where parking structure #6 and the Ackerman-area bus turnaround now stand.  There are two lawsuits pending but the build-and-bond folks are anxious to put “facts on the ground.”   Bus riders will be displaced starting July 8 and during the construction period, as the sign indicates.Of course, we don’t know what direction they will be coming from to build the grand hotel on July 8.  But there are rumors it will be down the Janss Steps: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqQazd6jjRw?feature=player_detailpage]

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What Ever Happened to the Campus Climate Survey?

Byuclafaculty

The Chronicle of Higher Ed published the chart above back in January based on national freshmen reports about the neighborhoods from which they came. [http://chronicle.com/article/BackgroundsBeliefs-of/136771] The data were gathered by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute (HERI).  [Click on the chart to enlarge and clarify.]  It was around that time that UCOP sponsored a “campus climate” survey of all the campuses.  The survey had been announced with great fanfare after various racial incidents: http://www.ucop.edu/newsroom/newswire/img/16/16489629294e7b6333135a8.pdf.  As we have pointed out on this blog from time to time, there is no sign of any results from that survey as yet despite the considerable…

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ObamaJam Tomorrow

Byuclafaculty

Reports have it that the President will be on the Westside tomorrow, Friday, June 7 in the morning and afternoon.  Traffic may be affected.  Yours truly received an email from the City of Santa Monica concerning this potential disruption: In an effort to assist the public in avoiding traffic congestion during the visit of the President,on June 7, 2013, the following areas of the City should be avoided when possible to prevent travel delays for community members: Friday June 7, 2013.  The area around Centinela Avenue and West Olympic Boulevard from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and between the hours…

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Bus Lane on Wilshire Could Affect Commutes

Byuclafaculty

A new bus-only lane is opening on Wilshire during rush hours including the segment near UCLA.  There may be an effect on commute times to UCLA. Info at http://www.metro.net/news/simple_pr/new-bus-lanes-open-wilshire-boulevard/ UPDATE: Did it happen in Westwood?  The LA Times version seems to say, “no.”  Sadly, yours truly is out of town and can’t confirm one way or another.  But here is the Times version: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bus-only-lanes-20130605,0,2062657.story