Not Alone - Part 2

An earlier post noted that Norway had seemingly joined with UC in trying to negotiate a better deal with Elsevier.*

As it turns out, Norway has now made a deal which, according to sources available to yours truly, would not satisfy UC:

In a move that could signal the beginning of a significant shift for its business model, publisher Elsevier has agreed to its first “read-and-publish” deal with a national consortium of universities and research institutions in Norway.

Rather than paying separately to access content behind paywalls and make selected individual articles immediately available to the public, the Norwegian consortium has signed a deal that rolls the two costs into one.

This new kind of “big deal” is a big deal because there are a growing number of librarians and negotiators who believe this model will reduce subscription costs while boosting open-access publications. Eventually, some believe, the model could eliminate paywalls altogether.

So-called read-and-publish deals are gaining traction but are still highly unusual. Many publishers have been slow to embrace the model, fearing the long-term impact it may have on their income. That said, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor and Francis have all struck a handful of such deals in recent years.

By failing to reach read-and-publish agreements, Elsevier lost business. The University of California system recently canceled its Elsevier subscription for this reason. National consortia in Germany, Hungary and Sweden also canceled their Elsevier subscriptions...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/04/24/elsevier-agrees-first-read-and-publish-deal
===
*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2019/03/not-alone.html

New EVC

Recent Email: I am pleased to announce the appointment of Emily A. Carter as Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost, effective September 1, 2019. As EVC/Provost, Dr. Carter will serve as the university’s chief academic officer, bringing broad vision and executive leadership to campuswide policy, planning, initiatives and operations.

Dr. Carter currently is dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University, the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment, and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and of applied and computational mathematics. Previously a member of the UCLA faculty for 16 years, Dr. Carter served on the chemistry faculty (1988–2004) and materials science and engineering faculty (2002–04) and helped establish UCLA’s Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics and the California NanoSystems Institute. She joined Princeton University in 2004, and served as founding director of the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment (2010–16) before assuming the deanship of the engineering school in 2016. As ACEE’s founding director, Dr. Carter curated the development of its physical infrastructure, interdisciplinary ecosystem and intellectual community. As dean, Dr. Carter leads 10 academic units comprising six departments and four interdisciplinary centers and institutes and 12 undergraduate certificate programs, in addition to overseeing the school’s undergraduate and graduate student affairs; faculty recruitment, retention and advancement; space, facilities and building services; development and alumni affairs; diversity and inclusion; communications; information technology operations; and administration, finance and planning.

In her research, Dr. Carter develops and applies quantum mechanics–based computer simulation tools to enable discovery and design of molecules and materials for sustainable energy, including converting sunlight to electricity; producing chemicals and fuels from renewable energy, carbon dioxide, air and water; and optimizing liquid metal alloys for future fusion reactor walls. A sought-after public speaker on sustainable energy issues, Dr. Carter is the author of nearly 400 publications and has delivered more than 500 invited and plenary lectures worldwide. She serves on advisory boards spanning a wide range of disciplines. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including election to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Carter is also the recipient of several major prizes, including the 2017 Irving Langmuir Prize in Chemical Physics from the American Physical Society and the 2018 Award in Theoretical Chemistry from the American Chemical Society. She received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UC Berkeley and her Ph.D. in chemistry from Caltech.

I want to thank search/advisory committee members for assembling an extraordinary pool of candidates and for their roles in recruiting Dr. Carter. Carole E. Goldberg, the Jonathan D. Varat Distinguished Professor of Law Emerita and distinguished research professor, was the committee chair. Other members were: Eric Avila – chair and professor, César E. Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies and professor of history and urban planning; Roshan Bastani – professor of health policy and management, director, UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity and director of disparities and community engagement, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center; Joseph Bristow – distinguished professor of English and chair, Academic Senate, 2018–19; Andrea M. Ghez – Lauren B. Leichtman & Arthur E. Levine Chair in Astrophysics and professor of physics and astronomy; Tyrone C. Howard – professor of education, Pritzker Family Endowed Chair in Education to Strengthen Families and director, Black Male Institute; Tracy L. Johnson – Cecilia and Keith Terasaki Presidential Chair in the Life Sciences; Judith L. Smith – founding dean, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and emerita vice provost/dean for undergraduate education; and Roger M. Wakimoto – vice chancellor for research.

I also wish to thank Scott Waugh for his more than 12 years of exceptional leadership as executive vice chancellor and provost and for his longstanding and unwavering commitment to UCLA.

Given her UCLA roots, coupled with her academic accomplishments and administrative experience, I am confident that Dr. Carter will be an extraordinary addition to our campus leadership team, and I look forward to working with her and the campus community to advance our shared goals for UCLA. Please join me in congratulating Emily and welcoming her back to UCLA.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block

Chancellor

UCLA Measles - The End In Sight?

Hundreds of Students, Staff Cleared After Quarantine by UCLA, Cal State L.A. for Possible Measles Exposure

KTLA 5  4-29-19

Almost two-thirds of the nearly 800 students, faculty and staff members who were quarantined following exposure to the measles virus at two Los Angeles universities have been cleared to resume normal activities. The quarantine marked one of the most sweeping efforts by authorities to contain the nation’s measles outbreak, where cases have reached a 25-year high.

People at California State University, Los Angeles and the University of California, Los Angeles were cleared after providing proof of immunity.* At the Cal State campus, 435 students and employees were cleared by Monday afternoon, with 221 still under quarantine. Officials said they may have been exposed to an infected student who visited a school library.

At UCLA, 27 people remained quarantined. People at that campus were in classes attended by an infected student.

Source: https://ktla.com/2019/04/29/hundreds-of-students-staff-quarantined-by-ucla-cal-state-l-a-have-been-cleared/

*As this blog has noted: Wouldn't it be better to check for immunity (vaccination or having had measles in past) before the outbreak, i.e., through admissions and enrollment policy?

Closed Door

The Regents' Governance Committee is meeting tomorrow afternoon at UCLA for a closed-door session:

G1(X) Discussion: Personnel Matters Including Management Review of Certain Members of the Senior Management Group as Required by Policy 

Source: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/april19/gov.pdf

You can always try knocking:

The Berkeley Park

East Bay Times: Half a century ago, Berkeley activists seized a chunk of a three-acre dirt lot where the University of California planned to build dorms and declared it a park for all people.

“The university has no right to create ugliness as a way of life. We will show up on Sunday and we will clear one-third of the lot and do with it whatever our fantasy pleases,” read a 1969 ad in Berkeley’s radical underground newspaper, the Berkeley Barb. It was signed “Robin Hood’s Park Commissioner.”

On cue, a group of activists showed up at the lot on April 20 and began planting trees and flowers. They served food and hosted a concert headlined by the rock band Joy of Cooking, kicking off a litany of political and historical events over the following decades at what widely became known as “People’s Park.”

Although the old stage remains, the music and anti-war speeches that once fired up crowds of rebels, idealists and weekend hippies have long faded into local lore. People’s Park has morphed into a napping spot for the homeless, a crime hot spot that today’s students mostly avoid.

But now the university is back, with another dorm plan.

UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ last year unveiled a proposal to build dorms at the park for about 1,000 students, part of her plan to add 7,500 campus housing units by 2028, double today’s total.  A 2017 survey found that demand for campus housing far exceeds supply, and 10 percent of students went homeless at some point during their studies.

This time, however, the university is also planning to partner with a nonprofit developer to build apartments for 75 to 125 homeless people in the dorm complex...

The development proposal must be approved by UC’s Board of Regents. University spokesman Dan Mogulof said it likely won’t be presented to the board until next year, although public meetings will be held before then to solicit feedback.

If all goes well, construction of the dorms will start in 2021, Mogulof said...

Full story with history at https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2019/04/27/peoples-park-from-student-protests-to-student-housing/

UCLA Measles - Part 4

1 On-Campus Student Remains Under Measles Quarantine at UCLA

April 26, 2019, MyNewsLA

UCLA officials said Friday only one student remains quarantined on campus due to possible measles exposure, while less than 50 students and faculty “have elected to self-isolate” at home.

Quarantines were announced this week at UCLA and Cal State Los Angeles in response to possible exposure to measles.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said the county Department of Public Health had notified the university that a student had contracted the measles. He said the student attended classes at Franz Hall and Boelter Hall on April 2, 4 and 9 while contagious.

More than 500 UCLA students, faculty and staff were initially notified of possible exposure to the student. After a review of immunization records, that number was later narrowed to 76 students and six faculty members, and all were placed under quarantine orders.

“As of Friday morning, UCLA is able to report that one student remains in quarantine on campus,” according to the university. “There are now fewer than 50 students and faculty members who have yet to have their immunity status confirmed, and all have elected to self-isolate in their own off-campus residences.”

According to Cal State Los Angeles, the possible measles exposure happened at a campus library. About 200 workers at the library, including some students, were sent home “under quarantine orders and told to stay home and avoid contact with others as much as possible.”

However, up to 2,000 people are estimated to visit the library daily, and health officials said they were working to identify anyone who may have been exposed.

As of Friday afternoon, 550 CSULA students remained under quarantine orders, along with 106 staff members. Another 131 students and staff who had been considered at risk have shown proof of immunization and cleared.

The latest local measles case was confirmed in a person who arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on April 18, was in the arrival area of Tom Bradley International Terminal that afternoon, and departed from Gate 37A, Terminal 3 later that night.

Other local potential measles exposures identified by county health officials are:

— LAX, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Gate 218 on April 1 from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
— UCLA’s Franz Hall on April 2, 4 and 9 and Boelter Hall on April 2 and 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m;
— Cal State Los Angeles’ main library, on April 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.;
— El Pollo Loco restaurant, 1939 Verdugo Blvd., La Canada Flintridge, on April 11 from 2 to 4:30 p.m.; and
— El Sauz Tacos, 4432 San Fernando Road, Glendale, on April 13 from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

People who may have been on-site at the date and time for any of the affected locations, may be at risk of developing measles for up to 21 days after being exposed.

Source: https://mynewsla.com/education/2019/04/26/1-on-campus-student-remains-under-measles-quarantine-at-ucla-2/

Something to think about

Mind Your Business: UCLA hotels detract funding from more pressing issues, compromise local business

Mariah Furtek, April 25, 2019 12:33 am, Daily Bruin

UCLA is an institution with many moving parts. Something that goes under the radar, though: its side business ventures that don’t directly relate to its educational mission. In this series, staff columnist Mariah Furtek looks at how the blue-and-gold laden university’s often questionable cash grabs affect the campus and local community.

The nation’s top public university has a raging mental health crisis, an overcrowded and exhausted infrastructure, a student body reeling from loans and food insecurity and a distinct lack of resources for its nearly 100,000-person population.

Amid all this, UCLA somehow had the time to construct a hotel empire.

And it really is an empire.

UCLA’s lodgings include the UCLA Guest House, UCLA Tiverton House, UCLA Lake Arrowhead Conference Center and Luskin Conference Center, which net millions of dollars.

UCLA Guest House, located right on campus, has 61 rooms to cater to university visitors. UCLA Tiverton House offers 100 rooms to patients and families of patients at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The Lake Arrowhead Conference Center provides more than 100 “chalet-style” rooms for conference attendees and University of California families.

And there’s more: The Luskin center, constructed for a whopping $162 million, has 254 rooms to serve conference attendees and UC visitors. But to call it a conference center is a bit misleading: 91.5% of the square footage is devoted to hotel rooms.

This classification, though, saves the university’s legal hide. According to the Westwood Community Plan, UCLA’s campus is zoned for public facilities. This zoning prohibits hotels. The university, however, avoided this scrutiny with its build first, ask questions later approach.

UCLA operates businesses, generates income and milks its identity as a university to avoid paying business-related expenses, allowing it to undercut Westwood businesses.

Put bluntly, while students are racking up tens of thousands in college debt, UCLA is raking in millions each year from its hotels.

The untaxed

Every hotel room sold in LA is subject to a 14% transient occupancy tax. Accordingly, hotels advertise rates plus tax.

California’s constitution shields UCLA from paying this money.

Though UCLA operates four campus lodgings and conference centers, the university is a part of the UC system – a legal entity governed by the UC Board of Regents, which the city of Los Angeles cannot tax.

This allows UCLA to avoid paying taxes other hotels pay on a monthly basis. These taxes support LA infrastructure and services, like the fire and police departments, that spend so much time managing our student-related issues.

Typically most hotel guests do not qualify as tax exempt. Some guests are, though, due to the nature of their business. This includes diplomats; federal, state and local government employees; and university employees traveling on business. Nonuniversity hotels can grant tax exemptions to these individuals.

These exemptions are quite rare because nonuniversity hotels are held to a higher standard when granting these passes. LA city hotels must verify the identities and travel itineraries of their guests to sideline the tax, and must maintain these records for regular city audits.

UCLA, however, doesn’t always do this. The reason: Everything it operates is, somehow, university-related.

Consumers view this tax exemption as a discount because they are paying a smaller amount of money to stay at UCLA hotels than at nonuniversity ones.

All this puts nonuniversity hotels at a competitive disadvantage. In addition to avoiding the 14% transient occupancy tax, UCLA also doesn’t pay the 0.975% California tourism tax or the 1.5% tourism and marketing tax. This amounts to about 15.5% in taxes, all of which nonuniversity hotels cough up on a monthly basis.

This complete exemption is abnormal.

Universities in San Diego and San Francisco, for example, are required to pay the transient occupancy tax unless the university itself pays for guests’ rooms.

Hotels at other state universities, including the Indiana University’s Biddle Center and Conference Center and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Fluno Center, also pay hotel taxes for their guests.

In addition to avoiding the occupancy tax, the UC also manages to shirk income tax on its earnings from these businesses by claiming they are university-related.

Ricardo Vazquez, a UCLA spokesperson, said the revenue from the Guest House, Tiverton House and Luskin center does not classify as unrelated business income.

Essentially, UCLA is claiming here that this income cannot be taxed.

But UCLA’s mission as a public research university is to create, share and apply knowledge to improve society – not to build and operate hotels that cater to nonuniversity conference attendees.

In fact, the Luskin center has wandered so far from the UC’s educational purpose that it has trespassed on the territory of local hoteliers.

And UCLA had always planned to do so. Its 2009 market analysis, prepared by consulting firm PKF International, anticipated 35% of the demand for the Luskin center would come from noneducational, conference use. The report also projected that 40% of that demand – equivalent to 18,500 room nights – would be completely unrelated to the university.

Where were these guests staying before they had the Luskin center? Local hotels.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing

Benjamin Gunter studied at UCLA. Now, his alma mater is competing with his business.

Gunter, vice president and general manager of the Hilgard House Hotel and Suites in Westwood said the hotel competes for the same business as the Luskin center.

“People would rather everyone be subject to the same tax,” Gunter said. “It is seen as a competitive disadvantage to collect the 14% occupancy tax when some of our competitors are not forced to.”

The Luskin center’s own advertising makes it evident UCLA is trying to compete with local hotels for all business, not just university-related business.

Its March 8, 2018, email advertisement read, “If you are visiting L.A. or you are an Angeleno looking for a great place to stay-cay in L.A., book your room now at the fabulous new UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center and Hotel!”

The October 2017 Luskin center newsletter had similar language.

“Start the holidays off bright by making the UCLA Luskin Conference Center your home base for enjoying all that L.A. has to offer this season,” it read.

These advertisements make no attempt to distinguish between university-related business and Angelenos looking for a “great place to stay-cay.”

But UCLA doesn’t stick to email advertisements. The Luskin center also seeks out customers on traditional hotel sites, such as Trivago and TiCATi. It receives sales leads from the LA Tourism and Convention Board and is listed on the LA Tourism website.

Clearly, the Luskin center is competing with nonuniversity hotels by marketing itself not just as a university hotel, but a high-end home base to explore the LA region.

Moreover, the visitors to these sites, who would otherwise have to verify their university affiliation, are seemingly only required to confirm they will visit UCLA at some point during their stay.

But “visitor” is a pretty broad term.

Are you a visitor if you walk across the street from the hotel room to the Henry Samueli School of Engineering? Can you simply swing by the Bruin Bear for a morning selfie before going about your Los Angeles holiday?

Compare this to the Berkeley Lab Guest House, where you must clarify your exact affiliation with the UC and provide the contact information of your individual UC Berkeley host.

The bar is even lower for conference attendees.

The Luskin center hosted, among other noneducational events, the 2017 America’s Connect conference run by the International Association of Conference Centres – a conference about how to hold conferences. It’s hard to imagine how any of UCLA’s nearly 45,000 students could have learned anything from this.

UCLA may be profiting but the neighborhood is not. Without the UC’s tax dollars, there’s less money to go toward infrastructure and municipal services.

“We have a lot of strain when it comes to traffic and congestion,” said Andrew Thomas, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association. “Westwood Boulevard is essentially a highway to UCLA.”

And there’s a lot of money in the tax loophole UCLA is exploiting. In the 2017-2018 fiscal year, the Lake Arrowhead Conference Center made $11,318,517 in revenue, the UCLA Guest House made $3,595,980, and the Luskin center made $31,343,449.

Imagine the number of Los Angeles potholes that could have been paved and the city firefighters who could have been paid better if all of this revenue was fully taxed.

California trusts the UC to use its funds for educational purposes. Los Angeles trusts UCLA to be a conscientious, contributing member of the community. And students trust administrators to provide for them.

Instead of building classrooms, the nation’s top public university is building hotels and lodges. Instead of tending to food-insecure students, UCLA is using its catering services for conference attendees. And instead of expanding its overburdened counseling center, the university is expanding its brand as a luxury destination.

Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, UCLA is masquerading as a university as it preys on local hotels.

It’s almost like UCLA has forgotten what it means to be a public university.

Source: http://dailybruin.com/2019/04/25/mind-your-business-ucla-hotels-detract-funding-from-more-pressing-issues-compromise-local-business/

UCLA Measles - Part 3

From the NY Times: More than 200 university students and employees in Los Angeles were given quarantine orders on Wednesday and Thursday, just days after a measles outbreak was declared in Los Angeles County.

U.C.L.A. and California State University, Los Angeles, have been working with county health officials to identify and contact students and employees who may have been exposed to measles this month.

Those at risk of having contracted measles were given health officer orders — legal orders issued by county officials — to stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible...

Full story at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/us/ucla-measles-los-angeles.html

Food & Housing in California Higher Ed, Especially UC

The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) has issued a report on food and housing insecurity as it affects UC, CSU, and community college students. The report is part of LAO's review of various aspects of the state budget. From the report:

Summary of Recommendations

• Provide up to $500,000 in one-time funding for a study on the incidence and causes of student food and housing insecurity across the higher education segments. Require results of the study to be released by October 2020—in time to inform 2021-22 budget deliberations.
• Direct the three public segments to continue working with the Department of Social Services to assess the effectiveness of CalFresh in addressing student food insecurity. Require associated information be provided to the Legislature no later than November 1, 2019—in time to inform 2020-21 budget deliberations.
• Direct the segments to share what they learned from their 2018-19 workgroup meetings. Require information be provided to the Legislature no later than November 1, 2019.
• Consider directing the higher education segments to work with other state agencies to assess the extent to which housing assistance programs are benefiting college students.
• Consider providing one-time funding to help sustain existing food and housing initiatives at the segments in 2019-20. The Legislature provided $1.5 million to UC in 2018-19 for such initiatives.

Full report at https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2019/4014/student-food-housing-uc-042519.pdf

UCLA Measles - Part 2

To the Campus Community:

On Monday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) notified UCLA that one of our students had contracted the measles. We were also informed that the student had attended classes at Franz Hall and Boelter Hall on three days — April 2, 4 and 9 — while contagious. The student did not enter any other buildings while on campus.

I want to assure you that campus epidemiologists and top health experts have been working very closely with local public health officials to ensure that notifications are made and proper care is provided to all who might be affected. Upon learning of this incident, UCLA immediately identified and notified more than 500 students, faculty and staff with whom the student may have come into contact or who may have otherwise been exposed. They were also provided with detailed information about treatment and prevention.

Most of those individuals have since been cleared, but we are still awaiting medical records from 119 students and eight faculty members to determine whether they are immune to the measles. As a result, LACDPH has decided to quarantine those individuals until their immunity is determined. We expect that those notified will be quarantined for approximately 24–48 hours until their proof of immunity is established. A few may need to remain in quarantine for up to seven days. We have arranged for those who live on campus to be cared for at UCLA while they are quarantined.

Considering the time that has elapsed since the last possible exposure to the individual with measles on April 9, the highest risk period for developing measles has already passed — and the period during which symptoms may appear is nearing the end.

I know there is concern about measles, particularly among the very small percentage of our community who have not been vaccinated. Please be assured that we have the resources we need for prevention and treatment, and that we are working very closely with local public health officials on the matter.

For anyone who is concerned they may not have received the standard two-vaccine series, I strongly urge students to visit the Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center and faculty and staff to contact their medical providers.

More information about measles and the vaccines can be found at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health website. Information is also available at Bruin Safe Online.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block

Chancellor

====

We note, as we did in our prior post, that such events could be largely avoided using admissions and enrollment requirements.

UCLA Measles

From the LA Times: Los Angeles health officials warned this week that students and staff at UCLA and Cal State L.A. may be at risk of catching measles, an announcement that has raised questions about universities’ susceptibility to disease outbreaks.

Not only can cramped dorm rooms and crowded classrooms be breeding grounds for contagion, but young adults in California are less likely to be vaccinated than other age groups, experts say. One of the people infected in L.A.’s measles outbreak is a UCLA student, university officials confirmed Tuesday.

People who are now in their early 20s are part of what’s known as the “Wakefield generation,” because they were infants in 1998 when British scientist Andrew Wakefield published a now discredited paper claiming that vaccines cause autism. Scared of the side effects of vaccination, many parents chose to opt out.

California implemented one of country’s strictest immunization laws in 2016 to try to push up vaccination rates, but high school students and young adults who had already finished their schooling when the law took effect were not required to comply. That has left a large pool of young people especially vulnerable to infections, experts say...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-measles-outbreaks-los-angeles-colleges-20190423-story.html

Is it really necessary to point out that UCLA can adopt policies on admission and enrollment to end this problem? Like now?

Listen to Two Regents Committee Meetings of April 22, 2019

In case you forgot, on Monday two Regents committees met: Public Engagement and Development and Basic Needs. As usual, yours truly has preserved the sessions since the Regents only "archive" them for one year.

Neither session was particularly eventful. Public comments occurred in Public Engagement and involved labor issues at UC-Davis (where the sessions were held), student lobbying for UC, and a program of "rapid rehousing" for students. The remainder of the sessions basically consisted of reports on various efforts. The Basic Needs session included a tour of a Davis facility (which was not broadcast).

You can hear the audio of the two sessions at the links below:

Public Engagement and Development at:


or direct to:
Public Engagement and Development:
https://archive.org/details/0RegentsPublicEngagementAndDevelopment42219/0-regents+public+engagement+and+development+4-22-19.wma

Basic Needs:
https://archive.org/details/0RegentsPublicEngagementAndDevelopment42219/0-regents+special+committee+on+basic+needs+4-22-19.wma

UC Among Most Expensive for Out-of-State Students

25. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Tuition and fees: $31,014 out-of-state / $13,230 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 27,193
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 27%
SAT Math: 590-690
SAT Reading: 590-670

24. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tuition and fees: $31,194 out-of-state / $15,074 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 33,955
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 11%
SAT Math: 710-790
SAT Reading: 630-710

23. University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Tuition and fees: $31,390 out-of-state / $12,970 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 22,317
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 20%
SAT Math: 560-650
SAT Reading: 580-660

22. University of South Carolina-Columbia
Tuition and fees: $31,962 out-of-state / $11,862 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 26,362
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 50%
SAT Math: 580-670
SAT Reading: 590-660

21. University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Tuition and fees: $33,477 out-of-state / $15,411 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 23,388
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 18%
SAT Math: 590-690
SAT Reading: 590-670

20. University of Maryland-College Park
Tuition and fees: $33,606 out-of-state / $10,399 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 29,868
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 27%
SAT Math: 650-750
SAT Reading: 630-720

19. Virginia Commonwealth University
Tuition and fees: $33,656 out-of-state / $13,624 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 23,663
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 6%
SAT Math: 520-620
SAT Reading: 550-640

18. Penn State-Main Campus
Tuition and fees: $33,664 out-of-state / $18,436 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 40,835
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 37%
SAT Math: 580-680
SAT Reading: 580-660

17. George Mason University
Tuition and fees: $34,370 out-of-state / $11,924 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 25,010
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 18%
SAT Math: 540-640
SAT Reading: 560-650

16. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Tuition and fees: $34,783 out-of-state / $10,533 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 31,358
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 36%
SAT Math: 660-760
SAT Reading: 620-690

15. Indiana University-Bloomington
Tuition and fees: $34,845 out-of-state / $10,533 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 33,429
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 36%
SAT Math: 570-680
SAT Reading: 570-670

14. University of Arizona
Tuition and fees: $35,307 out-of-state / $11,877 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 34,101
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: not reported
SAT Math: not reported
SAT Reading: not reported

13. University of Washington-Seattle campus
Tuition and fees: $35,538 out-of-state / $10,974 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 31,331
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: not reported
SAT Math: 600-730
SAT Reading: 590-690

12. University of Colorado Boulder
Tuition and fees: $36,220 out-of-state / $12,086 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 29,056
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 43%
SAT Math: 570-680
SAT Reading: 580-660

11. Texas A&M University-College Station
Tuition and fees: $36,606 out-of-state / $11,234 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 53,065
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 4%
SAT Math: 570-690
SAT Reading: 570-670

10. University of Texas at Austin
Tuition and fees: $36,744 out-of-state / $10,398 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 40,492
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 8%
SAT Math: 600-740
SAT Reading: 620-720

9. Michigan State University
Tuition and fees: $39,406 out-of-state / $14,460 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 38,996
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 15%
SAT Math: 550-670
SAT Reading: 550-650

8. University of California-Los Angeles
Tuition and fees: $41,275 out-of-state / $13,261 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 31,002
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 15%
SAT Math: 600-740
SAT Reading: 620-710

7. University of California-Irvine
Tuition and fees: $41,752 out-of-state / $13,738 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 29,307
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 2%
SAT Math: 590-700
SAT Reading: 580-650

6. University of California-Riverside
Tuition and fees: $41,931 out-of-state / $13,917 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 20,073
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 1%
SAT Math: 540-660
SAT Reading: 550-640

5. University of California-San Diego
Tuition and fees: $42,032 out-of-state / $14,018 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 28,587
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 6%
SAT Math: 610-730
SAT Reading: 600-680

4. University of California-Berkeley
Tuition and fees: $42,184 out-of-state / $14,170 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 30,574
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 18%
SAT Math: 630-760
SAT Reading: 630-720

3. University of California-Davis
Tuition and fees: $42,433 out-of-state / $14,419 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 30,066
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 5%
SAT Math: 570-700
SAT Reading: 560-660

2. University of California-Santa Barbara
Tuition and fees: $42,465 out-of-state / $14,451 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 22,186
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 6%
SAT Math: 590-720
SAT Reading: 600-680

1. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Tuition and fees: $47,476 out-of-state / $14,826 in-state
Undergraduate enrollment: 29,821
Percentage of undergraduates from out-of-state: 44%
SAT Math: 670-770
SAT Reading: 660-730

Source: https://www.statesman.com/news/20190419/two-of-most-expensive-public-universities-for-out-of-state-residents-are-in-texas

License

Deans, Directors, Department Chairs, and Administrative Officers

Dear Colleagues:

Events & Transportation is pleased to announce the launch of paperless parking permits in May, allowing permit holders to do away with tags that hang from rearview mirrors and instead use their license plate as their permit.

The new Bruin ePermit system will use automated license plate recognition (ALPR) software to read and convert images of registration plates and the characters they contain into computer-readable data that is automatically referenced against the parking database to verify a valid permit for the lot location. Drivers who previously changed their hangtag from one car to another can instead register up to three cars on one parking permit via the new system, as well as buy and manage their parking permits entirely online.

In preparation for the roll out of the new system, Events & Transportation has removed gate arms to eliminate the need for gate access cards, further reducing waste. Approximately 1,500 pounds of paper and 30,000 plastic hangtags will be eliminated from the parking production process annually, in support of the campus’ sustainability goals and the University of California’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2025.

Events & Transportation has developed a new administrative policy, UCLA Policy 134: Automated License Plate Recognition Systems and Information, which specifies the allowable uses of and requirements for ALPR systems and ALPR information at UCLA.

As part of the formal process for issuing a new administrative policy, the proposed policy is now available on the APPs Under Review website for a 30-day review and comment period. Please submit any comments via the website by May 20, 2019.*

Sincerely,

Renée A. Fortier

Executive Director

====

*Umm. The comments on the proposed policy are due 20 days after it is already implemented. Just saying.

The Livermore Case on Retiree Health Entitlements - Part 2

Livermore employee/plaintiff Joe Requa in 2011

Back in December 2018, we posted about the Requa case, an ongoing lawsuit (going back to 2010) in which some Lawrence Livermore employees are arguing that retiree health care under UC's program is an entitlement, not just a nice thing the Regents choose to do.* Here is an update (below).

Note that the trial date is listed as May 6, if no settlement is reached.

Retirees Say UC Could Have Contributed to Health Care with Cash Received from LLNS

April 18, 2019, The Independent

The University of California has pocketed millions of dollars in profits from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s corporate manager that could have been used to help LLNL retirees with healthcare costs, the retirees claim in a recent newsletter associated with their ongoing lawsuit.

The retirees reached that conclusion by analyzing the annual financial reports of UC and Lawrence Livermore National Security, or LLNS, the Laboratory’s corporate manager, as well as the joint venture agreement by which LLNS operates.

According to their analysis, the University received approximately $134 million in cash distributions from LLNS between 2008 and 2018.   

“While LLNS has been fighting our lawsuit in court for nearly 10 years, the Regents have received substantial profits from LLNS,” the retirees’ newsletter said.  

“Clearly, the (UC) Regents have funds available to resolve this case and provide the University-sponsored benefits that were promised.”

Historically, the University operated the laboratory on a not-for-profit basis. It was reimbursed for management costs, including healthcare benefits, while transferring any excess revenues to LLNL research programs.

UC healthcare was available to LLNL retirees from 1961, when the University’s Board of Regents authorized it for both active employees and retirees, until the for-profit consortium took over as manager near the end of 2007.

Responsibility for retiree health benefits was then transferred to LLNS, which was contractually obligated to provide benefits that were “substantially equivalent” to those that had been offered by UC.

After a year, however, the Laboratory's federal sponsor, the U.S. Department of Energy, modified the contract so that LLNS only had to provide benefits comparable to those that were offered by private industry, a lower and less expensive standard.

At the same time, LLNS began making cash contributions to UC, with $5.5 million transferred in the 2008-2009 year, and an average of more than $13 million per year thereafter.

The total for the 10 years summarized in LLNS financial reports is $134.2 million.

Whether and how this information might influence the lawsuit now underway is unclear, but it will be a particularly bitter pill for many retirees to swallow.

The change from nonprofit to for-profit status was mandated by Congressional representatives and bureaucrats who promised that the new arrangement would be much more efficient.

The opposite turned out to be true, however, as demonstrated by staff layoffs in 2008 forced by the shrinkage of an operating budget that was depleted by a sharply higher management fee and new taxes.

The retirees were not affected by the layoffs, but they had considered the loss of UC healthcare to be a violation of promises made during their careers at the Laboratory--promises on which some of them based career decisions.  

They formed an organization called UC Laboratory Retirees Group, or UCLRG, and raised funding to file a lawsuit in 2010.  The suit became a class action four years later.

In recent weeks, the two sides have participated in settlement discussions under the supervision of a retired judge, Maria-Elena James, but no settlement has been reported.

A trial is scheduled for May 6 in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland.

Source: http://www.independentnews.com/news/retirees-say-uc-could-have-contributed-to-health-care-with/article_af643850-6144-11e9-b172-0b20156fab97.html
===
*http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-livermore-case-on-retiree-health.html

Slow Becomes No at UCSD

We previously noted the slowness of UCLA in responding to public records requests.* At San Diego, "slow" seems to have become "no." See below from The Triton (student newspaper):

The Triton’s Managing Editor Ethan Edward Coston filed a lawsuit on April 10 against the University of California (UC) Regents for allegedly failing to comply with the California Public Records Act (CPRA) by denying requests for documents related to a Title IX sexual misconduct investigation.

Coston sent three requests for documents in his investigation of whether former UC San Diego (UCSD) Bookstore Operations Manager Alan Labotski violated campus sexual misconduct rules under Title IX.

The CPRA is state law that requires all government records to be made available to the public unless there is a specific reason to withhold such information, such as records protected by FERPA or HIPAA.

The UCSD Policy & Records Administration Office refused to confirm or deny the existence of requested records despite multiple requests. The office stated that releasing the information would be an invasion of privacy for non-high level public officials, even if the misconduct claim is substantiated.

“[D]isclosure of a respondent employee’s identity would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” said UCSD Policy & Records Director Paula Johnson.

The UC system has previously completed requests for Title IX records, resulting in sexual misconduct reports published by UC student news sources regarding cases at UCSD, UCLA, and UC Santa Cruz.

“[I]n my experience system-wide the University does not allocate sufficient resources to responding to CPRA requests,” said Abenicio Cisneros, Coston’s lawyer. “As a result responses to CPRA requests are unlawfully delayed, inadequate searches are conducted, and campuses overclaim exemptions, which results in records being wrongfully withheld.”

Coston replied to the request denial on November 13, 2018, informing UCSD that he had separately confirmed the existence of the investigation and would pursue legal action if UCSD continued to withhold the documents. The following day, UCSD responded to Coston’s request for emails related to the investigation, saying that in its search, they found no related records.

UCSD has not confirmed or denied whether the investigation records exist or whether they are being withheld under an exemption to disclosure.

“[UCSD] stated that no responsive records exist, meaning that it might be withholding existing records as exempt.” said Cisneros. “Although the University refuses to either confirm or deny that it is withholding responsive records, we are confident responsive records are being withheld and hope the University produces those records promptly in response to this lawsuit.”

Coston alleges the records he requested do exist and are public records that are not covered by any exemptions from the CPRA. Cisneros did not want to speculate why the university may be withholding the records but believes, regardless of the motives, UCSD is breaking the law.

“When an agency withholds records, it can be for a variety of reasons: a desire to keep something secret, an incorrect but sincerely held interpretation of what the law requires, or simple neglect,” said Cisneros. “But the result is the same: unlawful governmental secrecy.”

Source: http://triton.news/2019/04/tritons-managing-editor-sues-uc-alleging-violation-state-public-records-law/

===

*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2019/04/slow.html

A Berkeley Problem That's Hard to Pass Over

[Click to enlarge]

Text of image:

To the Berkeley Campus Community

I have been made aware of what appear to have been disturbing expressions of bias at a public ASUC meeting held Wednesday, April 17th. Even as we seek to more fully understand what was said, I want to make clear that the University’s administration condemns bias, including racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice, on this campus and beyond.

I also understand that at the same meeting students of color provided passionate, moving comment about the extent to which they feel isolated and marginalized on this campus. This, too, is disturbing and demanding of our attention and concern.

The divisions of Student Affairs and Equity & Inclusion are determined to support all students in our community. We must have a truly inclusive culture where all can feel safe, respected, and welcome. We also must come together and determine how we can best deter and confront not only bias but all manifestations of intolerance and exclusion that violate our shared values and Principles of Community. [https://diversity.berkeley.edu/principles-community]

If you need support, the campus has several resources, including counseling services. For help navigating these resources, please contact: deanofstudents@berkeley.edu, or visit deanofstudents.berkeley.edu/well-being.

Sincerely,

Carol Christ

Chancellor

===

Message above responds to incident described below:

A dozen Jewish student groups at the University of California, Berkeley, said they were “appalled and deeply pained” by “antisemitic remarks” made during a Wednesday gathering of their student association, which conveyed “an attitude of hostility towards the Jewish people and a fundamental misunderstanding of who we are as a community.”...

Full story at http://www.algemeiner.com/2019/04/19/twelve-uc-berkeley-groups-condemn-antisemitic-conspiracies-shared-during-student-government-meeting/

According to the article above, the remarks cited were in part a response to the disqualification of a Jewish candidate (among a slate of other candidates who had won election):

Newly elected Student Action candidates disqualified from 2019 ASUC elections

http://www.dailycal.org/2019/04/16/newly-elected-student-action-candidates-disqualified-from-asuc-elections/

The issue seems to be continuing:

9 ASUC officials resign, students protest in response to Student Action candidates’ disqualification from 2019 elections:

http://www.dailycal.org/2019/04/18/9-asuc-officials-resign-students-protest-in-response-to-student-action-candidates-disqualification-from-2019-elections/

===

Editorial comment: As long as student organizations, including government organizations, have "official" status, these types of incidents will continue to embarrass the university. So the administration has two choices: 1) move towards a less official status, or 2) regulate what goes on in the name of the university.

Slow

UCLA needs 103 days to turn over emails between soccer coaches and those indicted in college scandal

Matthew Ormseth, 4-18-19, LA Times
 
Turning over all of the emails exchanged between three UCLA coaches and five people indicted by federal prosecutors for conspiring to defraud top-ranked universities will take 103 days, UCLA record-keepers say.

A week after the U.S. attorney’s office in Massachusetts charged 50 people in an alleged conspiracy to tamper with college entrance exams and bypass admissions offices with an athletic recruiting scam, The Times made a public records request for any emails and text messages exchanged between three UCLA coaches and five people implicated in the scheme, along with an employee of Cal State Fullerton.

UCLA record-keepers said that compiling those emails and texts is a “lengthy, time-consuming process,” and the records won’t be turned over until June 30.

The three UCLA coaches whose correspondence The Times requested are Jorge Salcedo, the former men’s soccer coach; Amanda Cromwell, the women’s soccer coach; and Joshua Walters, the former associate head coach for women’s soccer.

Salcedo was indicted on a racketeering charge and has since resigned. He has pleaded not guilty.

As public employees, correspondence from the coaches’ university email accounts and phones can be requested under the California Public Records Act.

Salcedo is accused of accepting $200,000 in bribes from William “Rick” Singer, a Newport Beach college admissions consultant who has admitted to masterminding the schemes to rig entrance exams and pass off the children of his clients as recruited athletes. A couple paid Singer $250,000 to ensure their daughter was admitted to UCLA as a recruited soccer player, despite never having played the sport competitively, prosecutors allege. The daughter, Lauren Isackson, was on the UCLA women’s soccer team roster for the 2017 season.

Cromwell and Walters have not been accused of wrongdoing. An indictment unsealed last month said Salcedo forwarded an athletic profile for Isackson, replete with bogus accolades, to an unnamed UCLA women’s soccer coach.

In a public records request dated March 19, The Times asked for any emails and texts exchanged in the last six years by Salcedo, Cromwell and Walters and five people charged in the alleged conspiracy: Singer, the scheme’s admitted mastermind; Steven Masera, who allegedly paid off coaches as Singer’s bookkeeper; Laura Janke, a former USC soccer coach who allegedly crafted bogus athletic profiles for the children of Singer’s clients; Ali Khoroshahin, another former USC soccer coach accused of arranging payoffs to university coaches; and Mikaela Sanford, an employee of Singer’s who allegedly helped craft the fake profiles.

Singer has pleaded guilty to four felonies and will be sentenced in June. Salcedo, Masera, Janke, Khoroshahin and Sanford have all pleaded not guilty.

The Times also requested emails and texts exchanged between Salcedo, Cromwell, Walters and Demian Brown, the women’s soccer coach at Cal State Fullerton.

Brown was not accused of any wrongdoing. Singer’s foundation had donated to a business purportedly affiliated with Cal State Fullerton’s soccer program, but a university spokesman later clarified that the business had no relationship with the university, the soccer program or Brown.

Cal State Fullerton has filled a similar public records request for emails and texts between Brown and six people implicated in the recruiting scheme.

The Times also requested declarations of outside financial interests for Salcedo and Cromwell. Salcedo accepted the $200,000 bribe through a sports marketing company he controlled, prosecutors allege.

In explaining why the university needs more than three months to turn over the records, Ayse Donmez, an assistant manager within UCLA’s Information Practices office, said the school is tasked with “a great many” requests with limited staff to handle them, and that every email and text message must be vetted to be sure the university isn’t violating legal privileges in disclosing them.

Personal information in the emails and texts must be redacted as well, she added.

UCLA officials expressed shock and anger when Salcedo was arrested March 12, saying that if the allegations proved true, “they represent a grave departure from the ethical standards we set for ourselves and the people who work here.”

But a 2014 internal report, obtained by The Times, showed UCLA was aware of under-qualified athletes being admitted in exchange for donations.

William Cormier, who headed UCLA’s compliance office at the time, said an investigation into a young woman who, despite subpar times, was admitted as a recruited runner once her parents pledged $100,000 to the athletic department “removes any reasonable doubt that the contribution from the parents was obtained quid pro quo for the daughter’s admission.”

In a statement, the university said it quickly investigated the matter and, after deciding four coaches had violated school policy, adopted new safeguards to vet walk-ons and restricted donations from families of athletic prospects. It pointed out that, unlike Salcedo’s alleged criminal activity, the coaches found to have broken policy were not personally enriched by the donations.

“UCLA took this matter seriously and strengthened its policies in the wake of it,” the statement said.

Source: https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-admissions-scandal-ucla-emails-20190418-story.html

No rush. Take your time: