Regents Meeting Coming Next Week

The Regents are meeting March 13-14 – Wednesday-Thursday of next week.  The agenda is only partly online.  At this point it just lists topics without the supporting materials.  One March 13 item is the UCLA Health Sciences Teaching and Learning Center which we are assured won’t cost the campus a penny.  Of course, we know the Regents will carefully undertake a review of the business plan using outside independent expertise and will be monitoring the project after it is built to ensure it is a total success, just as they did, and surely will do, with the Grand Hotel:

http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar13/gb.pdf

They will also be Working Smarter – or at least reviewing plans of the administration to do so:

http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar13/fin.pdf

There will be a review of something called systemwide “social fundraising.”  Yours truly is not exactly sure what that is but Googling suggests it has to do with raising money on the web:

http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar13/edpol.pdf

In the afternoon of March 13, there is a lot of closed activity - including the search for a new UC president and collective bargaining issues.*  Behind the closed doors, there will some discussion of legal actions:  (selection below of cases that have been mentioned in earlier postings on this blog)

• AIME, et al. v. REGENTS – Case Settled and Judgment in Favor of Regents Entered – Challenge to Streaming of Copyrighted Videos for Classes – Los Angeles

• AUTHORS GUILD, et al. v. HATHITRUST, et al. – Appeal and Motion for Fees Denied – Copyright Infringement – Systemwide 

• BAKER, et al. v. KATEHI, et al. – Settlement Approved by Court – Constitutional and State Law Claims Arising from Pepper Spraying Incident – Davis

• CALDWELL, et al. v. REGENTS – Motion to Stay Trial Court Proceedings Granted – Challenge to Sale of Japanese Garden – Los Angeles

• FELARCA, et al. v. BIRGENEAU, et al. – Motions to Dismiss Granted in Part – First and Fourth Amendment and Conspiracy Claims Arising from Police Response to Campus Protests – Berkeley

• PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA v. PATRICK HARRAN – Preliminary Hearing Concluded – Felony Criminal Charges for Willful Violation of Cal-OSHA Regulations – Los Angeles [This is the lab fire case.]

• REUTERS AMERICA LLC v. REGENTS – Petition Granted in Part – Petition under California Public Records Act to Compel Release of Performance Records for Private Equity Funds – Office of the President

The full list of cases can be found at:

http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar13/finx.pdf

In an open session, there will be a review of UCPath – the new payroll system that is being implemented.

http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar13/audit.pdf

Moving on to March 14...  There is an item entitled “Change to Appointment Terms for Employees Subject to Mandatory Retirement Age Requirements."  Mandatory retirement is not allowed under law except for certain top manager types.  This item: http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar13/comp.pdf  appears to be a holdover from the January meeting at which an end to mandatory retirement was proposed: http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/jan13/g2.pdf

 

There will be a recommendation on “Continuation of Tuition Surcharge” which I assume involves no change in tuition since it is listed as a consent item:**

http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar13/fin1.pdf

The full agenda is at:

http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar13.html

*UPDATE: The search process for the new UC president is described in a UC press release:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/29127

**UPDATE: The continuation of the surcharge refers to a surcharge imposed when the Regents lost some litigation relating to professional school fees.
http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar13/f6.pdf