The Bond - Part 2

Gov. Newsom has come out in favor of Proposition 38 on the November ballot: a measure to authorize $8.4 billion in state general obligation bonds for immunology and immunotherapy research, split between a University of California-affiliated nonprofit institute and a grant program for public or nonprofit research institutions. The Institute will be housed at the former Westside Pavilion site now owned by UCLA.

Source: https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/gavin-newsom-ballot-propositions-22470170.php.

Straws in the Wind - Part 495

From Inside Higher Ed: A group of current and former Lincoln University students filed a federal lawsuit... against the state of Missouri, seeking $548.7 million owed to the Black land-grant institution for funds the state neglected to allocate to the university between 1987 and 2020, plus interest.

The filing marks the beginning of a campaign by a group called the 1890 Project to seek repayment of the $12.6 billion of documented underfunding of historically Black land-grant colleges in 16 states. Donald Calloway Jr., the group’s lead attorney, said they will pursue repayment through litigation, negotiation and legislation...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/courts/2026/10/07/lincoln-u-students-alumni-sue-missouri-549m. 

Translation

A recent look at the UC webpage https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/about-uc had the upper left title as Universidad de California (image on right). Using the Internet Archive's Wayback machine, I found that the conversion from University of California (image on left) occurred some time between August and September. Oddly, given the change, there is no Spanish option for anything else on the page in the later version.

Will Harvard Continue to Lead the Charge? - Part 205

From the Harvard Crimson: Harvard is privately weighing a rapid-fire fundraising push to secure $500 million for University-wide scientific research priorities, according to two people familiar with the matter. The $500 million target has been floated internally in recent conversations, the two people said, but is not a finalized goal. The two said the University was hoping to raise the money by the end of the academic year. The short-term fundraising campaign would arrive in tandem with a sweeping University effort to rethink how Harvard will support its science and medical research in the wake of massive federal grant cuts.

Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 initiated a faculty Science Advisory Committee this summer to map out a long-term vision for scientific research, and the University set aside $150 million last week to fund cutting-edge projects. The tentative fundraising initiative mimics a successful Faculty of Arts and Sciences campaign this spring to raise $100 million for endowed Ph.D. fellowships. That campaign, launched in February, met its goal within four months, and the FAS promptly announced another $100 million challenge. The newest push appears to apply that template — short-term fundraising for targeted needs — more widely. As it stands, the University will seek fundraising support for defined scientific research occurring across Harvard, the two people said...

Full story at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/10/9/science-fundraising/.

Drill Today

BruinADVISORY: 

Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill — Thursday, Oct. 15 at 10:15 a.m.

Bruin Community,

UCLA will participate in the annual Great ShakeOut earthquake drill at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. The Great ShakeOut is the world’s largest earthquake preparedness drill and provides the UCLA community an opportunity to practice how to respond safely during an earthquake. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate by practicing Drop, Cover and Hold On for approximately one minute.

As part of the exercise, UCLA will test multiple emergency communication systems. A BruinALERT test message will be sent, and those near Bruin Walk may also hear the drill notification broadcast over UCLA’s outdoor warning speakers. The speaker message may repeat for several minutes as part of the test.

This is a planned emergency preparedness exercise. There is no current emergency on the UCLA campus.

During the drill:

• DROP to your hands and knees.
  
• COVER your head and neck and, if possible, take shelter under a sturdy desk or table.
  
• HOLD ON until the simulated shaking has stopped.
  

In an actual emergency, UCLA may provide instructions through BruinALERT, the outdoor warning speakers and other emergency communication systems. Updates and additional information may also be posted on Bruins Safe Online, UCLA’s emergency information website.

Prepare now
UCLA community members are automatically enrolled to receive BruinALERT emergency notifications. Please make sure your contact information is current by visiting the BruinALERT website.

Bruins are also encouraged to:

• Download the Bruins Safe App from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
  
• Bookmark Bruins Safe Online for emergency information and campus status updates.
  
• Download MyShake, California’s earthquake early-warning app.
  
• Review UCLA’s earthquake preparedness resources and Great ShakeOut drill videos in English and Spanish.
  

Taking a few moments to practice now can help you respond quickly and safely during an actual earthquake.

Sincerely,

Lisa A. Martin

Director, Office of Emergency Management
Office of Campus & Community Safety

More is not merrier

From the Sacramento Bee: The University of California serves 67,000 more students today than it did 15 years ago. That’s equal to the size of about two UC Berkeleys and amounts to an increase of 28%. This is, at least in part, a result of a concerted effort by the university to increase its population of Californian students per an agreement with the state. While the university is ahead of schedule in meeting those goals, it has not hired permanent faculty to teach those students at the same pace — a trend that is leaving professors increasingly concerned...

Since 2011, the UC’s permanent faculty has grown from more than 9,000 to a little less than 11,000, marking a spike of less than 19%. The university had one permanent faculty member for every 26 students in 2011; in 2025, that number has increased to 28 students. Tenured and tenure-track faculty, according to the UC, are core to the university’s mission of teaching, research and public service. If they are not hired in adequate numbers, the university’s reputation for academic excellence could be at stake...

Full story at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article317418449.html.

Straws in the Wind - Part 494

I asked Gemini to summarize a much-too lengthy article in the NY Times: 

Prompt: Please summarize this article in 2 paragraphs: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7640599/2026/09/29/yale-golf-course-restoration-hanse/

The article examines how the Yale Golf Course, a century-old architectural masterpiece originally designed by Charles Blair Macdonald and Seth Raynor, rapidly deteriorated just five months after a multi-year, $30 million restoration led by renowned architect Gil Hanse. Following its high-profile spring reopening, the historic course was expected to regain its place among America's top-tier layouts. Instead, golfers, alumni, and community members encountered severe conditioning issues, including widespread patchy grass, parched and dying turf, dried-out greens, and unmaintained bunker complexes.   

The piece explores the operational, logistical, and management missteps that caused the project to spiral into a public relations and agronomic crisis. Beyond the physical turf failure, the reporting highlights frustration within the Yale community over higher playing fees, questionable maintenance practices, and poor oversight following the massive capital investment. Ultimately, the article underscores the disconnect between Yale's ambitious financial commitment to revive a historic classic and the university's failure to maintain basic agronomic standards and operational care post-reopening.