The Headline

You probably saw the headline shown here in today's LA Times.* (The article actually came online yesterday.) Essentially, the story involves interviews with government lawyers who quit after they were pressed to come up with an expedited indictment of UC/UCLA on grounds of antisemitism following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Some of the lawyers are anonymous, but others are named and quoted. Some felt there were antisemitic occurrences, but that the usual investigatory processes were being short-circuited. That article notes that UCLA has not been formally charged, although - as blog readers will know - a long draft memo outlining various incidents was presented to UC along with a demand for $1+ billion and other actions.

So, where do things now stand? It appears that responsibility for dealing with the feds was taken from the campus level to UCOP, the Regents, and the governor. The governor, it might be noted, is an ex officio Regent and technically the president of the Board, although - unlike his predecessor, he almost never attends Regents meetings. However, the governor is running an all-but-official campaign for the presidency in 2028, complete with a soon-to-be-published campaign biography.** He has taken to denouncing universities, law firms, and corporate executives who make deals with, or curry favors with, the Trump administration. That circumstance, plus the $1+ billion demand, have made any UC deal with the feds very unlikely. The result is that the position of UC seems to be that it will "discuss" these matters with the feds, but let others do whatever litigating might be possible.

As we have noted in other posts, litigating cutoffs of existing research funding tends to succeed, since the government is essentially violating its own contractual obligations. The problem is contract renewals and new contracts since those are subject to competitive evaluation and can thus be denied more easily. Modern research universities, such as UCLA, depend on ongoing federal support. 

2028 Campaign Book

However, we are now less than a year away from midterm elections which could shift control of the House to the Democrats. Recent polling suggests such a shift is a strong possibility, despite the current gerrymandering battles. Trump put himself over the top in 2024, by promising to fix the grocery and other prices that rose sharply in the post-pandemic period. While the rate of inflation (the increase in prices) has come down, the general price level has not fallen. Indeed, history tells us that you get sustained declines in prices only during depressions (and great ones at that). 

In any event, the Trump strategy of "flooding the zone" with edicts, actions, and proposals on all kinds of unrelated issues meant that the focus was not on pricing; there was no focus.*** And one prominent element in the "flood" was tariffs, which tend to raise prices. In short, there could be an electoral cost to the flood strategy. Seen by the powers-that-be at UC, the policy at this time may simply be to wait and see how national politics evolve, while always being willing to discuss.

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*The article by Jaweed Kaleem is at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-12-13/former-doj-attorneys-university-of-california-ucla-antisemitism.

**https://ia600103.us.archive.org/6/items/united-we-can-yes-on-50-united-we-can-10-3-2025/newsom%2012-9-2025%20campaign%20bio%20book.mp4.

***An interesting historical comparison is with FDR who, in the 1932 election, promised to focus on fixing the Great Depression. Once in office, he also produced a flood of actions and legislation, but it was all focused on what he had promised. And, to make sure his focus was understood, he went on the radio - the electronic innovation of the day - with "fireside chats" to explain what he was doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFvrL_nqx2c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpbGmTSVZeM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW32QE-SIgI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzvh9985SaY In 1936, when FDR ran for re-election, it was clear that even though he had not solved the problem (the economy had not returned to the prosperity of the late 1920s), there was no question that he had remained focused on fixing what he had promised to fix. The electorate rewarded the attempt and the focus, even if complete delivery had not be achieved. In contrast, Trump's equivalent of fireside chats, tweets on Truth Social, are not focused and reflect the flood-the-zone-with-everything approach.

Take Note of This

From the Daily Bruin: Artificial intelligence-based transcription software has emerged as a popular notetaking tool among college students, but it has left some UCLA instructors with privacy concerns. Programs like Krisp AI, Notion and Otter AI use AI algorithms and language models to transcribe spoken words into text, summarize large bodies of writing and draw key points from data. California, being a two-party consent state, prohibits people from recording private conversations without the consent of all parties, according to the Digital Media Law Project.

Alex Alben, a lecturer at the UCLA School of Law, said many of the law school’s classes are recorded on Zoom, which uses its own transcription software. He added that he believes both students and instructors should be aware that a recording is happening and receive confirmation that it will be used for educational purposes.

“If you had a perfect recording of a lecture that was recorded without the professor’s consent, and then somehow the person who made the recording benefitted from reselling it or sharing it, that would definitely be an instance of an unauthorized use of the professor’s intellectual property,” he said. “That is copyright infringement.” ...

Alben added that AI usage is complicated by the absence of federal direction and the fast-paced development of these technologies. To avoid further legal complications, Alben said teachers should give their students clarity about what they are allowed to do with their course materials...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2025/12/04/ucla-instructors-express-privacy-concerns-amid-rise-of-ai-notetaking-platforms-2.

Note: California Education Code - EDC

TITLE 3. POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION [66000 - 101460]  ( Title 3 enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010. )  

DIVISION 7. COMMUNITY COLLEGES [70900 - 88933]  (Division 7 enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010.)  

PART 48. COMMUNITY COLLEGES, EDUCATION PROGRAMS [78015 - 79520]  (Part 48 enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010.)  

CHAPTER 7. Instructional Materials [78900 - 78907]  (Chapter 7 enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010.)  

ARTICLE 1. Prohibited Acts [78900 - 78907]  (Article 1 enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010.)

78907.  

The use by any person, including a student, of any electronic listening or recording device in any classroom without the prior consent of the instructor is prohibited, except as necessary to provide reasonable auxiliary aids and academic adjustments to disabled students. Any person, other than a student, who willfully violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Any student violating this section shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

This section shall not be construed as affecting the powers, rights, and liabilities arising from the use of electronic listening or recording devices as provided for by any other provision of law.

(Amended by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1372, Sec. 509.)

Source: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=EDC&sectionNum=78907.

Straws in the Wind - Part 191

From the Yale Daily News: Departments across the University may soon need to downsize or lay off employees to meet reduced budget targets as Yale cuts costs in preparation for the endowment tax hike set to take effect in July, administrators announced in a... message addressed to faculty and staff. Since President Donald Trump in July signed a bill that will increase the tax on Yale’s endowment investment returns from 1.4 to 8 percent, the University has reduced non-salary expenses by 5 percent, delayed construction projects, lowered faculty and staff salary increases and offered a one-time retirement incentive for managerial and professional staff, and Yale implemented a 90-day hiring pause over the summer. Administrators have estimated that the tax hike will cost the University about $300 million per year.

“Nearly two-thirds of the university’s expenses relate to compensation and benefits. Unfortunately, this means several units may need to meet their budget targets by reducing their workforce,” the memo — which was signed by Provost Scott Strobel, Senior Vice President for Operations Geoffrey Chatas and Chief Financial Officer Stephen Murphy — said. “In some units, even after these reductions, layoffs may be necessary, but university leaders are working hard to minimize them wherever possible.” ...

Full story at https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/12/04/layoffs-may-come-as-yale-seeks-to-shrink-staff-amid-budget-cuts/.

Starts Tonight

In honor of Tom Lehrer, who died earlier this year at age 97,* we present:

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LslsgH3-UFU. 

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*https://www.newyorker.com/culture/postscript/how-tom-lehrer-escaped-the-transience-of-satire.

Hey, it's only money - Part 2

From the LA Times: ...Bob Myers, the former Golden State Warriors general manager who served on the search committee, said [at a news conference last Tuesday that] UCLA had committed to providing its new [football] coach with resources that would rank in “the top third, maybe top quartile” of the Big Ten in a bid to give [new coach Bob] Chesney what he needed to compete with conference heavyweights. The Bruins have also agreed to a significant increase in their salary pool for assistant coaches to go with a revitalized name, image and likeness operation.

In a sign of his belief in the importance of the hiring, UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk joined athletic director Martin Jarmond in giving welcoming remarks, becoming the first chancellor at the school to do so at a coach’s hiring in recent memory. “Today, we launch a bold new era for the UCLA football program,” Frenk said. “To lead us forward, we have made what I believe is a transformational hire who will ensure our program lives up to the storied UCLA athletics legacy.” ...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2025-12-09/bob-chesney-offers-bold-vision-for-success-as-ucla-football-coach.

Straws in the Wind - Part 190

From the NY Times: Two students, one white and one Asian, ...sued a nonprofit fund that provides scholarships for Hispanic students, saying the group illegally discriminates against people of other races and ethnicities. American Alliance for Equal Rights, an organization dedicated to dismantling racial and ethnic consideration throughout American life, filed the lawsuit in Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the students. The organization argues that the nonprofit, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, violates the Civil Rights Act by restricting eligibility for its marquee scholars program to those who “identify as being Hispanic.”

The lawsuit comes amid a broader push by conservative activists to eliminate diversity programs and benefits based on race, following a 2023 Supreme Court decision that banned race-based college admissions. The case that reached the Supreme Court was brought by Students for Fair Admissions, founded by Edward Blum, who also founded the American Alliance for Equal Rights and serves as its president...

In the case against the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the plaintiffs argue that the scholars program establishes a contractual relationship with students and is in violation of a section of the Civil Rights Law of 1866 that guarantees people the right to make and enforce a contract without regard for race. The plaintiffs claim that in return for financial and professional support — between $500 and $5,000, along with mentorship opportunities — scholars agree to a set of obligations, like permitting the fund to use their name, image and likeness. “There are lots of scholarship funds and grants that target certain races and religions and ethnicities that are legal,” Mr. Blum said in an interview. “This one, because it is of a contractual nature, falls outside of the law.” ...

Full story at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/us/hispanic-scholarship-fund-lawsuit-discrimination.html.

Will Harvard Continue to Lead the Charge? - Part 101

From the Harvard Crimson: Roughly a fifth of undergraduate students at Harvard received disability accommodations last year — an increase of more than 15 percentage points over the past decade, according to data published annually by the National Center for Education Statistics. The rise — from roughly three percent in 2014 to 21 percent in 2024 — brings the share of undergraduate students receiving accommodations at Harvard in line with the national average, which has consistently hovered around 20 percent. The prevalence has sparked suspicion from some faculty and in the national media that some students are using accommodations to eke out advantages, like extra time on tests, that their peers don’t receive.

Harvard has drawn particular scrutiny as one of several elite four-year colleges that have seen their share of students receiving accommodations increase significantly — particularly after an article published in The Atlantic last week called attention to the rates at Harvard. But staff at Harvard’s University Disability Resources say the increase is, in part, the result of a concerted push to lower barriers to access student resources, as well as decreased stigma around disabilities...

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Percentage of Undergraduate Students Reporting Disabilities

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Full story at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/12/8/harvard-undergrad-disabilities-climb/.