2 Bonds Follow-Up: Arms Length for 38

Yesterday, we posted that the two bond measures of special interest to UC passed. Prop 1 will fund some dorm construction. Prop 38 will fund some medical research at a unit in UCLA's new facility being built in the old Westside Pavilion.

UC President Milliken expressed appreciation for Prop 1: [excerpt]

The University of California today welcomed California voters’ overwhelming approval of the Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026, which includes $175 million for UC student housing. The funding will help UC campuses pursue new housing projects, expand affordable options for students, and ease housing pressures in communities across the state. The passage of Proposition 1 clearly shows that voters understand student housing costs put a real strain on hardworking California college students and their families, and they want elected officials to address the affordable housing shortage today and in the years ahead.

The $11.25 billion bond includes $350 million for student housing at California’s public universities, divided equally between the University of California and California State University systems. UC’s $175 million share will be available through the state’s Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program...

Full release at https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/university-california-celebrates-passage-statewide-housing-bond-including-175-million-uc.

But as of this morning, neither he nor Chancellor Frenk have said anything about Prop 38, which potentially supplies a lot more money than Prop 1 does to UC/UCLA (or at least to the the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy which seems connected to UCLA). They seem to be keeping Prop 38 at arms length.

Straws in the Wind - Part 516

From the Daily Pennsylvanian: Penn’s Graduate School of Education launched an initiative earlier this month to develop guidance on the applications of artificial intelligence in education. The Living Laboratory for Human Agency and AI was announced on Oct. 6 as a network where researchers and educators can collaborate to shape the future of learning and answer emerging questions... GSE Dean Katharine Strunk wrote in a press release that educators play a “critical role” in determining the future of AI development and use in classrooms, emphasizing that the new initiative will help them address emerging questions about its implementation.

...The hub aims to orient itself around a “people-first approach,” ethical decision-making, research-based solutions, pedagogy and literacy, and infrastructure for rapid implementation. The program’s founding co-director and GSE professor Bodong Chen wrote in an announcement that schools will be able to “keep learning human” because educators and students will be able to decide how AI is developed and used in the classroom... The hub will place a focus on “human agency and dignity,” while still “continuing to cultivate” human judgment and critical thinking. The Living Laboratory also plans to work with schools and educators to assess potential privacy and safety concerns associated with AI. Researchers aim to help identify emerging risks and develop guidance that educators can use to protect students and make “responsible decisions” about AI use...

Full story at https://www.thedp.com/article/2026/10/penn-graduate-school-education-artificial-intelligence-living-lab.

Stanford's Band of Bothers (not a typo)

From the Stanford Daily: The Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB) is one of Stanford’s most photographed student organizations, having been featured on Stanford’s social media platforms and framed in campus buildings. But... members were shocked to find that Stanford had posted an AI-generated depiction of the group — all-white and all-male...

The image, included on the “About” page of Stanford’s new Campus Center construction project, featured a marching band in red blazers and fedoras performing in what is currently White Plaza...

The incident is the latest in a pattern of AI use by the University. In September, Stanford drew national attention after Residential and Dining Enterprises (R&DE) modified the race and appearance of several students using AI. Later that month, R&DE removed several pieces of AI-generated art from Lakeside Dining...  

Full story at https://stanforddaily.com/2026/10/21/university-removes-ai-image-of-band/.

Well, at least AI didn't make this guy the band leader:

 

Will Harvard Continue to Lead the Charge? - Part 209

From the Harvard Crimson: In 2017, every member of the Harvard Institute of Politics’ Executive Team went straight into public service after graduating. Three joined political campaigns, and the fourth went to work in the New York City Mayor’s office. Seven years later, none did. All four members of the Executive Team in 2024, the most recent whose members have all graduated, took private-sector jobs or internships, including at a venture capital fund and at consulting giant McKinsey & Company.

The contrast reflects a broader shift among the IOP’s top student leaders. From 2016 to 2020, 58 percent of Executive Team members began their careers in public service. Among those who served from 2021 to 2025, roughly 19 percent did, according to a Crimson analysis of the career paths of more than 200 current and former members of the IOP’s Student Advisory Committee... The findings raise questions about how effectively the IOP, founded in 1966 to inspire students to enter careers in politics and public service, is executing its mandate...

Full article at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/10/30/harvard-iop-public-private-careers/.

2 Bonds

From the Daily Bruin: California voters approved Proposition 1 on Tuesday, authorizing $11.25 billion in state bonds to fund affordable housing programs across the state, including at the UC. Proposition 1 passed with 59.3% of the vote as of 11:15 p.m., the Associated Press announced Tuesday. The measure sets aside $350 million to help construct affordable student housing, divided evenly between the UC and California State University, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. The measure is expected to fund up to 1,200 beds for students...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/11/03/california-voters-approve-proposition-1-passing-11-25-billion-housing-bond.

From the NY Times:

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/11/03/us/elections/results-california-proposition-1-housing-affordability.html.

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Note: Prop 38 provides significant funding for a research institute located in UCLA's property in the former Westside Pavilion.

From KQED: California voters are on track to approve Proposition 38, with 55% of returns counted so far in favor of the measure, which will allow California to borrow $8.4 billion in bond money to fund immunology and immunotherapy research in the state...

Full story at https://www.kqed.org/news/12108324/proposition-38-immunology-bond-leading-as-vote-counting-continues.

From the NY Times:

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/11/03/us/elections/results-california-proposition-38-immunology-research.html.

Medicare-Eligible - One or More Family Members Not Eligible - Percent

Note: Click on table to clarify.

We finish our reformatting of UC health insurance premiums for the group of Medicare-eligible retirees who have non-eligible family members. Not being in Medicare is bad news.

Straws in the Wind - Part 515

From the Yale Daily News: The Yale Divinity School has decreased enrollment in the two most recent admissions cycles to maintain its commitment to full-tuition scholarships after a federal endowment tax hike prompted University-wide cuts. The endowment tax increase, which is costing the University $247 million this fiscal year, has had varied impacts across Yale’s schools. The Divinity School, whose income relies heavily on endowment returns, enrolled fewer students to maintain its guarantee of providing need-based full-tuition scholarships in the face of budgetary pressure, the school announced in August.

...Divinity School students interviewed by the News said they appreciated the school’s commitment to financial aid but expressed disappointment about the decrease in enrollment...

Full story at https://yaledailynews.com/articles/divinity-school-has-lowered-enrollment-to-keep-aid-under-trump-tax-hike.