Arrest

Note: It is unclear from news reports whether the case described below is related to incidents reported earlier this month that led to hiring of private security by sororities.*

From the LA Times: A man accused of attacking multiple female UCLA students overnight and attempting to kidnap or sexually assault them was arrested Friday, authorities said. The suspect was identified as Olumuyiwa Akindahunsi, a 29-year-old homeless man not affiliated with the university, according to the UCLA Police Department. As part of their investigation, police said they recovered zip ties, duct tape and paracord nylon rope. Akindahunsi was arrested on suspicion of robbery, sexual battery, attempted kidnapping and assault with intent to commit a sex offense and is currently being held at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Inmate Reception Center in lieu of $2.3-million bail, police said...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-05-29/ucla-serial-assault-suspect-arrested-police-find-zip-ties-duct-tape-rope.

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*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2026/05/insecure.html; https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2026/05/insecure-part-2.html.

Celebrating Bond - Part 3

From the Daily Bruin: The California Senate voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would put a $12 billion bond for scientific research on the November 2026 ballot. Senate Bill 895 – which state senator Scott Wiener proposed in January and the UC sponsored in March – will now head to the State Assembly for a vote. The bill would establish the California Foundation for Science and Health Research, which would distribute the $12 billion – collected through the sale of state bonds – to research projects.

If the bill passes in the Assembly, it will be sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for approval. If he signs off on the bill, it will be put on the November ballot...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/05/27/california-senate-passes-uc-sponsored-bill-proposing-12b-research-bond.

Archive

From the Daily Bruin: UCLA historians launched a revamped digital labor history archive in April, preserving materials from movements led by Southern California unions. The Memory Work Research Initiative at UCLA – which the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment oversees – digitized documents, images and flyers on an online archive called Power from the Past.

UCLA historians started the initiative in the basement of the Service Employees International Union Hall more than 10 years ago, said Toby Higbie, a history professor. SEIU represents about 2 million public sector and property service workers across the United States, according to its website... The IRLE also created a social media series to highlight different labor history stories weekly...

As the IRLE prepares for its 80-year anniversary, Higbie said its archival work is evolving – and is nowhere close to finished...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/05/22/ucla-historians-preserve-documents-photos-in-power-from-the-past-online-archive.

Straws in the Wind - Part 357

From the Columbia Daily Spectator: ...As Barnard President Laura Rosenbury took the podium to open the [graduation] ceremony, her remarks were met with boos from the audience. During the presentation of degrees, a majority of graduates refrained from shaking Rosenbury’s hand, marking the third year in a row graduates have protested the president at the ceremony as the college has seen controversial policies surrounding free expression and faced a mounting debt crisis in recent years...

Speaking directly to the graduates, Rosenbury said, “You go out into the world today as ambassadors for the value of women’s education, for the power of meaningfully engaging across differences, and the belief that curiosity, knowledge, and empathy can change the world for the better, that you can change the world for the better.” Some students booed in response. Rosenbury continued on, speaking louder into the microphone, “But first, please embrace the joy in this room. This Barnard joy will be with you every step of the way. Our community only gets stronger with time.” This time, jeering ensued from the audience.

Since beginning her tenure in 2023, Rosenbury’s administration has faced opposition from the faculty and student body as the college has seen layoffs amid a debt crisis, as well as crackdowns on political speech and sanctions on expression...

Full story at https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2026/05/21/barnard-celebrates-2026-commencement-rosenbury-met-with-boos-for-third-consecutive-year/.

Surprise! (You have to know math to do science! Who knew?) - Part 2 (Non-Statement)

Yesterday we posted about the open letter from STEM faculty asking that the SAT be reinstated for admission of students intending to go into STEM fields. In response, the chair of the Academic Council (the Academic Senate's systemwide entity, released the statement below - which, to be blunt, is really an evasive non-statement. All it says is that BOARS is thinking about admissions issues, something that is always true and by itself means nothing.

Statement from UC Academic Senate Chair Ahmet Palazoglu in response to letter from UC STEM faculty

UC Office of the President, May 27, 2026

UC Academic Senate Chair Ahmet Palazoglu made the following statement May 27:

In light of concerns raised by UC faculty about student preparedness for undergraduate study, in March I called upon our systemwide faculty Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) to address timely topics tied to students’ college readiness and UC’s admissions process. BOARS is in the process of proposing a roadmap of policy work and partnership-building with other state and K-12 education leaders in the next academic year and beyond.

Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/statement-uc-academic-senate-chair-ahmet-palazoglu-response-letter-uc-stem-faculty.

Here is what a hypothetical real statement would say:

In light of concerns raised by UC faculty about restoring the SAT as one criterion of admissions, I am forming an emergency subcommittee of BOARS to review these concerns over the summer and issue an interim report as a discussion item for the Regents meetings in September.

Ratified

From the Daily Bruin: A union that represents more than 40,000 workers – and that has been in negotiations with the UC for more than two years – voted to ratify a contract with the University... The American Federation of State, City and Municipal Employees Local 3299 – which represents service, patient care and skilled craft workers across the UC – reached a contract with the University hours before it was set to begin an indefinite strike May 14. About 96% of participating members voted to ratify the contract...

The new contract does not include housing provisions, which union members previously demanded... However, a ballot measure that would support housing for UC employees gathered enough signatures to appear on the California ballot in November, according to AFSCME Local 3299’s website. The University of California Support Staff Down Payment Loans measure would require the UC to create a down payment loan system for first-time homebuyers who have worked for the University for at least five years. The program would be capped at 300 loans per year, and the loans would cover up to 20% of the purchase price of the house. Once the signatures receive state verification, the initiative will appear on the state ballot.

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/05/22/afscme-local-3299-employees-vote-to-ratify-contract.

Straws in the Wind - Part 356

From the Columbia Dail Spectator: Graduating students booed acting University President Claire Shipman, CC ’86, SIPA ’94, for the second year in a row as she delivered her address at Columbia’s undergraduate Commencement ceremony... For both [years,] Shipman, who took office 14 months ago, and the class of 2026, Commencement marked the end of their turbulent tenures at Columbia, which have encompassed sweeping federal scrutiny, campus protests, and mass student arrests.

Shipman, in particular, has faced intense criticism for striking a $221 million deal with President Donald Trump’s administration in July 2025 after it canceled $400 million in grants and contracts to the University in March 2025.Last year, graduates also booed Shipman during her address. The outcry, however, was far more intense, as the ceremony came two months before the University reached its deal and two months after Columbia partially complied with several of the Trump administration’s demands in an attempt to restore funding...

Full story at https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2026/05/21/shipman-caps-contentious-presidency-with-appeal-to-generosity-of-spirit-at-undergraduate-commencement/.