Noon Today

Benefits Services invites you to join our upcoming Benefits Spotlight session, where we'll highlight valuable benefits information and answer your questions.

This Month's Topic: Retirement Benefits

Whether you are beginning to plan for retirement, approaching retirement, or simply want to better understand your retirement benefits, this session is a great opportunity to learn more and connect with our Benefits team.

During this session, we will cover:

• An overview of your retirement benefits
• Helpful resources and planning information
• Answers to your benefits-related questions
• 
  

The session is scheduled for today, July 22, 2026, Noon to 1:00 PM.

Join the session at https://ucla.zoom.us/j/94708831383

Straws in the Wind - Part 410

From The Aggie: The ASUCD Judicial Council has unanimously decided against impeaching Senator Aaron Heth, a third-year political science major, and removing him from office over alleged misconduct relating to his attendance of a Campus Victory Project (CVP) conference in December 2025. The CVP conference, which was fully funded by the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA (TPUSA), aimed to advise students on winning student government elections across the country.

...The justices wrote that the ASUCD Senate — which voted to start impeachment proceedings against Heth in late April — had failed to demonstrate that the impeachment was not pursued on partisan grounds or provide substantial evidence of Heth’s violations to the degree required by the ASUCD Constitution. “To publicly denounce a fellow senator because of his differently held political viewpoints runs contrary to what the Associated Students of the University of California, Davis proclaims as its core, institutional mission,” the decision [stated]...

Full story at https://theaggie.org/2026/5/28/judicial-council-acquits-aaron-heth.

Scrutiny

From CBS News: Major U.S. universities have received millions of dollars in funding from foreign entities that are on U.S. government watch lists, according to a CBS News review of university funding records submitted to the Department of Education.

...Universities have been required to disclose foreign gifts of $250,000 or more to the Department of Education under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act since 1986. But disclosures sometimes lapsed and there was no government system in place for accountability, according to current and former State and Education Department officials, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and independent analysts who track Section 117 compliance. 

They say no one was cross-referencing the donors against U.S. government watch lists, allowing for institutions directly linked to foreign militaries to fund programs and professorships at R-1 universities. National security and intelligence analysts say the stakes are high, and increased scrutiny on funding from China flowing to programs at top American universities is better late than never...

Among the watch-listed entities putting money into U.S. universities, the majority of which is from China, is Aviation Engine Corporation of China, known as AECC, which develops engines for various Chinese military aircraft, including the J-11 fighter jet and the Z-10 attack helicopter. Given the AECC's direct ties to the People's Liberation Army, the Treasury Department lists it on the Foreign Assets Control List as well as another list of companies tied to the Chinese military-industrial complex. It is considered a "Military End-User Entity" by the Department of Commerce, making it subject to strict export licensing requirements.

AECC's research institutes paid Northwestern University, the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Connecticut a combined $7.8 million, according to the universities' records submitted to the Department of Education. The money was sent in multiple increments over several years. ...UC Irvine received almost $4 million in contracts between 2018 and 2020, according to the records. UC Irvine did not respond to CBS News' requests for comment. 

...UC Berkeley, which manages the Department of Energy's primary high-performance computing facility, has received more than $25 million in contracts dating back to 2016 from China-based entities that are on U.S. government watch lists, according to disclosures to the Department of Education. That includes a grant of $7.6 million from Sun Yat-sen University, host of China's National Supercomputing Center. Sun Yat-sen University also appears on the Department of Defense's "1286 List," a roster of foreign academic and research institutions identified as engaging in "problematic activities," and a Commerce Department list of entities whose legitimacy the U.S. government has been unable to verify. UC Berkeley did not respond to CBS News' request for comment...

Full story at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/universities-foreign-funding-government-watch-lists/.

Will Harvard Continue to Lead the Charge? - Part 180

From the LA Times: The Justice Department is investigating whether Harvard University is allowing Chinese donors to create scholarships that exclude American students, adding to the barrage of federal inquiries the Trump administration has opened in its battle against the Ivy League school. Justice Department officials announced the new review Monday, saying Harvard’s foreign funding disclosures “raised concerns” about possible discrimination against U.S. students. The agency did not specify which scholarship programs are being targeted and emphasized it “has not reached any conclusions.” ...

“Schools cannot take federal dollars and then turn around and accept money from foreign sources to give financial aid that deliberately excludes American citizens — doing so is illegal, and we will stop it wherever we find it,” said Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the department’s Civil Rights Division. Harvard said it was reviewing the Justice Department notice...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-07-21/trump-administration-opens-investigation-into-harvards-financial-aid-for-international-students.

DOJ on UCSD Med School

Press release 

Justice Department Finds University of California San Diego Medical School Discriminates Based on Race in Admissions

Monday, July 20, 2026  https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-university-california-san-diego-medical-school-discriminates-based

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today a finding that the University of California San Diego School of Medicine (San Diego Med) used race in its admissions process in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA), which banned race discrimination in higher education.

"Rather than rely on MCAT scores or GPA, San Diego Med’s shadow application process unlawfully judged applicants for admission based on their race,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “San Diego Med’s blatant efforts to prioritize race are illegal, and we will end these practices.”

The Department’s investigation found that San Diego Med manipulated applicant data to achieve greater racial diversity in student admissions. San Diego Med’s documents show that admissions staff used purportedly “race-neutral” subjective criteria to deliberately increase admission of so-called “underrepresented minorities in medicine” (URM), which includes black and Hispanic applicants. In fact, San Diego Med used racial proxies, which, under SFFA, are banned by Title VI.

One example includes San Diego Med’s admissions staff using answers to “hardship” application questions — which allow applicants to address how they “overcame” certain disadvantages — to help determine which students were URM applicants. Thereafter, the admissions staff sorted applicants into six categories: Groups A-C — from highest to lowest MCAT scores and GPA, with “hardship” subgroups for each group. Each group and its subgroup were combined (e.g., “Group A” plus “Group A with hardship”), further sorted into “batches” of 30, and then rated for the interview stage. By giving reviewers access to the applicant’s race during this stage for certain admissions cycles post-SFFA, San Diego Med ensured that more URM applicants would be invited to interview. Thus, San Diego Med deliberately used the “hardship” categorization to skirt SFFA, by putting more URMs into the subgroups, which ensured that more URMs received interviews.

The result of San Diego Med’s manipulation: white and Asian applicants were denied admission in favor of lower-credentialed black and Hispanic applicants.

Medical schools receive substantial federal financial assistance and are subject to federal non-discrimination laws. The Department will continue to monitor and ensure their compliance with Title VI and SFFA’s prohibition on race-conscious admissions. Where a violation has been found, the Department is engaging in settlement negotiations to ensure the school’s admissions practices are brought into compliance. If those efforts fail, the Department will file suit.

===

DOJ detailed findings at https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1453201/dl.

Reporting

Reporting Options

If you have witnessed, experienced, or been informed of sexual harassment, sexual violence, or other discrimination or harassment based on any protected category at UCLA or within the UCLA Health system, please report it to CRO [Civil Rights Office] as soon as possible.

===

In Person: Murphy Hall, Suite 2255

Office Hours: Monday-Friday (except campus closure days) 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

On The Web: Report an Incident form: https://ucla-ocr.caseiq.app/portal/reportonline

By Email: civilrights@ucla.edu

By Phone: (310) 825-7102

Monday-Friday (except campus closure days) 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

After Hours Reporting: CALL 800-403-4744 (toll-free) This number is staffed by live operators at the UC Whistleblower Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your report will be forwarded to CRO on the next business day. Reports may be made anonymously (unless made by a Responsible Employee who must use the Report an Incident Form: https://ucla-ocr.caseiq.app/portal/reportonline).

Making a report is not the same as making a formal complaint and does not necessarily lead to an investigation. Anyone who makes a report may choose to only access supportive measures and not participate in a Resolution Process (such as a formal investigation). CRO strives to honor a person’s preferred course of action whenever possible.

===

Timely Reporting

Reports should be made as soon as possible. Making a timely report ensures that all impacted individuals have equal access to supportive measures and information about reporting options. It also allows the University to take prompt action to stop discriminatory or harassing conduct, prevent it from recurring, and address its effects. Timely reporting also helps ensure that the University fulfills its obligations under federal and state civil rights and campus safety laws and reinforces our institutional mission and values.

===

Whistleblower Reporting Form: https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/23531/index.html

===

Source: https://civilrights.ucla.edu/report-concern. 

===

See also Reporting Requirements at:

https://civilrights.ucla.edu/report-concern/faculty-staff-reporting-responsibilities.

===

In the event of an emergency or crisis call 911 or contact UCLAPD at (310) 825-1491.

Straws in the Wind - Part 409

From the State News: Michigan State University faculty overwhelmingly voted that they lack confidence in the Board of Trustees, while a separate vote showed a majority support President Kevin Guskiewicz. Of the 1,394 who voted, 86%, or 1,199, indicated that they didn't have confidence in the board. Just 8.6%, or 120 faculty members, voted that they have trust or confidence in the board, with 5.4%, or 132, abstaining.

Faculty Senate Chair John Aerni-Flessner said that the purely advisory action organized by the Faculty Senate Steering Committee was "not a campaign against anyone" but "to have the president and the board see where faculty stand, so that they can take that into consideration." More than 53% of voters said they have confidence and trust in the president. Of those, 37% said they don’t have that trust in him, and 9.5% abstained...

All 4,103 faculty members were eligible to cast a ballot. The participation rate for the vote was 34%... In a statement sent to The State News, Board Chair Brianna Scott wrote that she didn't believe the "hard work, dedication and reliable support of the majority of the Board is reflected in the results of the vote by the Academic Congress...

In Guskiewicz’s initial departure announcement for Clemson University,* he said working with the MSU board was an "unsustainable situation." Nearly six weeks later when Guskiewicz decided to stay at MSU, he wrote in another community letter that he was "sincerely sorry" for any uncertainty that he caused. He also acknowledged a need to rebuild trust...

Full story at https://statenews.com/article/2026/07/the-board-needs-to-see-where-faculty-stand-msu-faculty-overwhelmingly-back-no-confidence-vote.

===

 *President Guskiewicz had said he was going to Clemson, but changed his mind.