Drake is Stepping Down at End of Academic Year

From the LA Times (Teresa Watanabe): University of California President Michael V. Drake announced Wednesday he would step down at the end of 2024-25 academic year from the nation’s top public research university system after managing the pandemic, campus policing, tumultuous protests and budget woes during what will have been a challenging five-year tenure.

Drake, 74, brought leadership experience, academic credentials, political savvy and personal qualities that helped steady UC at a time of turmoil when he took the helm in 2020 after serving for four decades in the UC system and then as president of The Ohio State University. During his UC presidency, the pandemic blew up campus budgets and sowed uncertainty over reopening classrooms. The 2020 killing of George Floyd by a white police officer triggered demands to defund campus law enforcement. Relationships with Sacramento had frayed, jeopardizing state funding. Then last year campuses were roiled by protests over the Israel-Hamas war...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-07-31/uc-president-drake-to-step-down-after-managing-pandemic-policing-protests-budget-woes.

Bargaining News

From EdSource: Thousands of University of California service and patient care workers, represented by the AFSCME Local 3299 union, will protest Wednesday, the union said in an emailed media release on Monday. Contracts for patient care workers are set to expire as negotiations with the university have stalled, the release said. After over six months of negotiations, California’s Public Employment Relations Board declared an impasse between the university and union. The union, which represents more than 30,000 workers, has asked the university to raise wages and find solutions to address the cost of living and lack of affordable housing affecting the university’s “frontline workers.” ...

Full story at https://edsource.org/updates/thousands-of-uc-workers-expected-to-protest-wednesday.

AI and your copyrighted work

Inside Higher Ed has a cautionary tale for academic researchers:

Academic researchers around the world are reeling from news announced in May that Informa, the parent company of academic publisher Taylor & Francis, has signed a $10 million data-access agreement with Microsoft.

The AI partnership agreement gives Microsoft “nonexclusive access to Advanced Learning Content” across Taylor & Francis’s nearly 3,000 academic journals. After the initial access fee of $10 million, Informa said it would receive recurring payments for the next three years.

Scholars across the U.S. and Europe said the news took them by surprise and they’re worried about how their research will be republished and cited by the publisher’s AI tools.

“I was shocked, not that it had happened, but that no one had said anything to us at all,” said Lauren Barbeau, assistant director of learning and technology initiatives at Georgia Institute of Technology, who has also published a book with Routledge, an academic publisher owned by Taylor & Francis.

“I’ve come to terms with the fact, as an author who has published, that at some point my work is going to go into AI, whether that’s through an illegal copy published somewhere on the internet or some other means. I just didn’t expect it to be my publisher.” ...

The deal could also mean the potential loss of citations, which are valuable currency in a scholar’s career. “What we’ve seen of AI by and large is that it’s not very good at citing or articulating what came from where and why,” Lance Eaton, a higher education consultant who specializes in generative AI, said. “Here, the publisher is selling the content to an AI tool, which we don’t know how it’s going to be used, but we know they want the scholarly information. What happens to those ideas in that scholarship? How does it get used and how do people get credit for it?”

A news release from Informa said it’s considering such concerns, and the agreement “protects intellectual property rights, including limits on verbatim text extracts and alignment on the importance of detailed citation references.” ...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/research/2024/07/29/taylor-francis-ai-deal-sets-worrying-precedent.

Retirement Webinar Programs for August

The Your UC Retirement System class offers an overview of retirement benefits offered by UC.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN? This class covers UC’s primary retirement benefits that provide a foundation for retirement income, and voluntary retirement benefits that offer additional saving opportunities in UC’s 403(b), 457(b) and DC plans. WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Employees who want to learn about the benefits offered through the primary and voluntary retirement programs and how they work together to help prepare for a financially secure retirement.

Available August dates/times: Aug. 5, 9 am; Aug. 13, noon; Aug. 29, 1 pm.

Go to https://fmr.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ijclrx04Q7mPZlMcKN-2Yw#/registration to register.

It came - but from a different source

In an earlier post this month, we noted that the US Department of Education was starting to churn out decisions from its Title VI investigations - largely stemming from the Israel-Gaza conflict. UCLA was among the universities under investigation, so we noted some kind of decision was likely to come soon. 

Well, while waiting for the Dept. of Education, we did get a decision, but from another litigation track. From US News & World Report:

A federal judge ordered Monday that the University of California, Los Angeles, craft a plan to protect Jewish students, months after pro-Palestinian protests broke out on campus. Three Jewish students sued the university in June, alleging that they experienced discrimination on campus amid demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war...

UCLA spokesperson Mary Osako said the school is “committed to maintaining a safe and inclusive campus, holding those who engaged in violence accountable, and combatting antisemitism in all forms.”

“We have applied lessons learned from this spring’s protests and continue to work to foster a campus culture where everyone feels welcome and free from intimidation, discrimination and harassment,” Osako said in a statement.

The University was ordered to craft a proposed plan by next month...

Full story at https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2024-07-29/ucla-ordered-by-judge-to-craft-plan-in-support-of-jewish-students.

Berkeley Rent/Parking Strike? - Part 2

We previously reported on a grad student rent and parking fee "strike" at Berkeley that appears to have union support. From KRON:

One of University of California, Berkeley’s student housing complexes has been enduring a game of ping-pong between its landlords and tenants regarding recent rent hikes and the alleged violation of some residents’ union contracts. After allegedly “abruptly leaving” the Zoom conference call for negotiations, University Village’s Associate Vice Chancellor canceled the meeting. Now, residents are urging UC to negotiate with them — again — in good faith.

University Village, in Albany, houses over 900 undergraduate, graduate and post-doc students. Many are low-income residents facing debt from college loans or medical bills. Since they are older students, many also have children to care for. On July 1, UCB imposed a $64 monthly parking fee, accumulating over $750 yearly. Rent prices have also increased 4% since July 4 — the third consecutive year UC has increased its yearly prices by 4%. 

A memo to residents read in part: “All Resident, Employee, and Guest vehicles parking on the grounds of University Village are required to have a valid Parking Permit or payment of the Visitor Parking Fee.”

“Before implementing virtual permits, we had many incidents of parking by non-residents from the surrounding area. This fee will help cover the cost to better enforce these violations, and we have seen positive results over the past academic year,” Elisa Smith with Cal’s Department of Student Affairs told KRON4.

Since imposing the fees, UC Berkeley has allegedly issued “hundreds of parking citations” to University Village residents “in an effort to quash the residents’ organized effort to stop new parking fees and rent hikes at the Village,” Kris Libunao, a UC Berkeley grad student and UC Village resident told KRON4.

Libunao said that since the new fees and citations were imposed, more than 300 residents have allegedly refused to pay them. After rescheduling the meeting twice, on Tuesday evening, over 130 residents gathered to address the recent price hikes with UC Berkeley’s Associate Vice Chancellor Jo Mackness to reach a “fair agreement on parking fees and rent price hikes,” Libunao said, alleging the rent hikes are also a violation of union contracts. Upon entering the Zoom meeting, Mackness “abruptly left,” Libunao said.

“We prepared for weeks to reach an agreement with UC Berkeley, and they just walked out without even saying a word to us,” said Ninel Melkonyan, a UAW 4811 member, parent, and resident at the Village. “It was incredibly disrespectful and disappointing.” ...

According to Libunao and UAW 4811 members, residents are proposing that UC offer “a base rent reduction to offset the new monthly fee, waive all citations issued in the last 12 months, and engage in negotiations in good faith.”  Smith claims “these meetings were not negotiations,” as the new parking fee had already been implemented. As for the rent hikes, Smith claims UC “communicated well in advance to resident families and financial aid resources are available to student residents.”

Full story at https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/uc-berkeley-official-allegedly-leaves-cancels-negotiations-concerning-student-housing-rent-hikes/.

Westwood Movie Theaters Closing - Part 2

Yours truly came across this item on a Facebook page: Vintage LA:

There has been some inaccurate reporting online that the Fox Regency Village Theatre and the Bruin Theatre in Westwood are closing and the Bruin is “doomed”. This has caused a lot of confusion and unnecessary panic among cinephiles, historians, preservationists, and people living in the neighborhood. As of now, yes, The Regency Theatres will be closing both theaters on Thursday -- their lease has ended….

Although, earlier this year, The Regency Village Theatre, an icon of Hollywood's Golden Age, was actually bought by a consortium of directors spearheaded by Jason Reitman which includes Christopher Nolan, J.J. Abrams, Guillermo del Toro, Judd Apatow, Damien Chazelle, Steven Spielberg, Bradley Cooper, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Todd Phillips, Jay Roach, Seth Rogen, the list goes on. Their plan [is] to restore it. They won’t be turning into something else. From what I understand they plan on reopening the Regency Village in 2025. That might be an optimistic date, but I think we should give them all the time they need. We should be grateful to Reitman rather than starting any kind of panic. I’ve spoken to him personally. It’s truly in the right hands.

As for The Bruin, it’s been reported to VLA by Charlie Maselli that it will require a smaller remodel and then will reopen similar to The Village. “The Bruin remains under the ownership of the previous owners of The Village. I do not know if The Bruin will operate while The Village is closed for the major remodel in 2025 but it will likely be operated by the same operators who will be running The Village”.

So it is in no way “ doomed". Let’s breathe. These two theaters are the heartbeat of Westwood Village. Having that level of prestige behind the Regency Theatres will only help and strengthen the Bruin’s fate.

The notice above appeared on or about 7-22-2024. A later notice on Vintage LA - which is less assertive - appeared on or about 7-24-2024:

Social media has been abuzz with recent news about the upcoming closures of L.A.'s historic theatres, the Village and Bruin in Westwood. The Village and Bruin are designated Historic-Cultural Monuments (HCM) and are not at risk of demolition.

The Village will undergo seismic retrofit work and other improvements.

The Village Theatre changed ownership and is now preserved by a coalition of film directors spearheaded by director Jason Reitman, who plans to reopen the venue next year. The Bruin also has protection as an HCM and may be used for private events in the future.

Westwood Village Improvement Association closely monitors the developments and will provide updates as we learn more. We are exploring options for using the Bruin for private events and ensuring its marquee continues shining brightly.

Despite the closures, we remain hopeful and excited for the future and are confident that their legacy will continue!

Vintage Los Angeles was given this exclusive by Michael Russel - Executive Director, WVIA

Source: https://www.facebook.com/VintageLosAngeles.

Traffic Problems on Wilshire When Coming from West

If you are approaching UCLA from the west side of campus, be aware of possible traffic issues due to subway construction around the VA area:

LADWP Waterline Installation for New Westwood/VA Hospital Station   Summary  Metro contractors will install a new waterline at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station for use during construction and future use as a water service line for the VA Station. There is some anticipated noise associated with the work from saw-cutting, jack hammering, and other equipment that will be used.  The work to install the new waterline will continue for approximately two years. The current temporary traffic control being implemented are Stages 4, 1 ,3, 13, 14 and Stage 15. The upcoming work activities for Stage 1 has started, and will affect the off and on ramps into the South VA Medical Center Campus and intersection with Bonsall Ave. Please refer to the detour signs for impacted routes entering and leaving VA Hospital.  The work requires lane reductions throughout the construction zone along Wilshire Bl and Federal Av/San Vicente Bl. Multiple traffic control plans will be implemented to minimize traffic congestion and impacts on the local communities. All driveways will be maintained open unless previously notified. Street parking may be impacted. Please follow the traffic signage and street parking restrictions posted. Notices will be posted and updated online as dates and traffic control stages are confirmed.   Dates: Ongoing through November 2025  Work Hours: Work hours vary depending on the traffic control stage.  Monday to Sunday, 7 pm to 6 am, and 9 pm to 6 am, Nighttime  Monday to Sunday, 9 am to 3:30 pm, Daytime    Temporary Traffic Control- Stage 4 implementation continues through August 2, 2024, for the concrete restoration work, from 9am to 3:30pm.  The off-ramp into the South VA Campus will be closed to eastbound Wilshire Bl traffic.  The west leg crosswalk will be closed on Bonsall Av. Please follow the traffic signs.  Eastbound traffic along Wilshire Bl must access the South VA Campus from Sepulveda, Ohio Av, Sawtelle Av, and Dowlen Dr.   Temporary Traffic Control: Stage 1, 7 pm to 6 am, is scheduled to begin on July 15 to August 3, 2024 The below is Stage 2 traffic control but work being completed is for Stage 1.  The eastbound Wilshire Bl off-ramp out of the South VA Campus will be closed at the intersection of Bonsall Av and Wilshire.  Southbound Bonsall Av will be closed to proceed on the off-ramp but remains accessible to commute to the north side of campus with flaggers.  The southbound Bonsall Av left turn pocket at the intersection of Wilshire Bl off-ramp will be closed due to construction.  A detour will be needed for eastbound traffic's egress: Eastbound traffic along Wilshire Bl must access the site from Dowlen Dr, Sawtelle Av, Ohio Av, and Sepulveda Bl.  Temporary Traffic Controls: Stages 13, will be implemented from 9 pm to 6 am, is continues through August 1, 2024.   Eastbound Wilshire Bl lanes will be restricted from Granville Av to San Vicente Bl/ Federal Bl.  A left turn pocket will be restricted for southbound traffic at the intersection of San Vicente Bl and Wilshire Bl.  Northbound Federal Av traffic will be restricted to left hand only at Wilshire Bl.  Bus stops along Wilshire Bl will need to be relocated from the SE corner of Federal Av and Wilshire Bl and on Barrington Av and Wilshire Bl.  Parking restrictions will be implemented on the east side of Federal Av.  Temporary Traffic Controls: Stages 14, will be implemented from 9 pm to 6 am, will be implemented continues through August 1, 2024.   Eastbound Wilshire Bl lanes will be restricted from Granville Av to San Vicente Bl/ Federal Bl.  Northbound Federal Av traffic will be restricted to right turns only at Wilshire Bl.  Bus stops along Wilshire Bl will need to be relocated from the SE corner of Federal Av and Wilshire Bl and on Barrington Av and Wilshire Bl.  Parking restrictions will be implemented on the east side of Federal Av.  A left turn pocket will be restricted at the intersection of San Vicente Bl and Wilshire Bl.  Traffic Controls: The below details are a summary of impacts during the total scope of work.  Wilshire Bl Wilshire Bl lanes will be reduced for eastbound traffic from Granville Av to the on-ramp into the South VA Campus. Some restrictions on westbound traffic along Wilshire Bl from Federal Av/San Vicente Bl will be necessary.  Restrictions will be implemented in the west corner of Stoner Av/Wilshire Bl. Left-turn pockets will be restricted for westbound Wilshire Bl traffic at Stoner Av.    Bus stops will be relocated along Wilshire Bl between Federal Av and Stoner Av.  Parking will be restricted on the south side of Wilshire Bl between Granville Av and Federal Av.  Bonsall Av  The eastbound Wilshire Bl on- and off-ramp will be closed into and out of the south VA Hospital Campus. The detour will be implemented to maintain accessibility to the VA Hospital. The restrictions will occur during the day or night, depending on the traffic control implemented.  The Bonsall Av intersection at the Wilshire Bl on- and off-ramps will allow for one-lane access for north and southbound traffic with flaggers. This work will be completed at night to minimize traffic impacts. The detour will be available during the work activities.  Access to and from the VA Hospital will be detoured during work hours. Detour along S Sepulveda Bl and Ohio Av to Sawtelle Bl, then Dowlen Dr.  VA Hospital egress will be detoured to Sawtelle Bl, Santa Monica Bl, Sepulveda Bl, and Wilshire Bl  Bus stops will be relocated during this work.  Please follow bus agency updates for relocation.  The crosswalks may be impacted during the work.  Please follow the traffic signs.  Federal Av/San Vicente Bl  Left turn pocket restrictions will be implemented for eastbound traffic at Wilshire Bl and San Vicente Bl.  Northbound Federal Av restrictions will be implemented from Texas Av to Wilshire Bl. There will also be restrictions to right- and left-hand turns during the work.  Please use the detour signs.  Parking will be restricted on the eastern side of Federal Av along the VA property from Wilshire Bl to Texas Av.   Northbound Federal Av traffic will be detoured to Ohio Av onto Barrington Av to proceed onto Wilshire Bl.  Source: https://cloud.sfmc.metro.net/LADWP_Waterline_Installation_WestwoodVa.

 

Medicare Advantage Scrutiny Continues - Part 3 (straw in the wind)

We have been posting about Medicare Advantage plans - such as the plan UC offers retirees through UnitedHealthcare. As blog readers will know, these plans now cover over half of all Medicare participants - due in part to what appears to be overpayment by the feds. The MA plans have been heavily advertised to seniors as low-cost options that offer bells and whistles such as gym memberships. The question is what happens when you are really sick - and gym membership might not be relevant. And what happens if Congress tightens up on what is paid to MA plan insurers?

Here's a straw in the wind from Minneapolis: Beginning next year, HealthPartners will no longer be an in-network provider for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans due in large part to UnitedHealthcare's high denial rate. 

In a letter to patients Tuesday, HealthPartners said the decision came after a year of negotiations.

"UnitedHealthcare delays and denies approval of payment for our patients’ Medicare Advantage claims at a rate unlike any other insurer in our market. At times, this denial rate has been up to 10 times higher than other insurers we work with. UnitedHealthcare’s practices create unnecessary waits and delays for you, and they interfere with our ability to provide you with timely and appropriate care," the press release stated.

HealthPartners will remain in-network for those with UnitedHealthcare through the end of 2024. The co-executive medical directors say they are making sure patients have as much notice as possible, and that people can consider options that would allow them to receive in-network care in 2025...

Full story at https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/healthpartners-will-stop-accepting-unitedhealthcare-medicare-advantage-plans-in-2025/89-8d08e632-0ba7-4ca2-9b9f-29ffe90a4cdc.

Do I sense a computer SNAFU?

Yours truly isn't sure why he received the email text below, but he senses a campus computer SNAFU:

Ascend 2.0 Program Pause

As you know, UCLA’s new procure-to-pay system, BruinBuy Plus, launched in January 2024. Since then, the Ascend 2.0 program team and University leaders have recognized the need to further assess the effectiveness of both our procurement processes and our broader finance organization operating model. As such, effective August 2, 2024, the Ascend 2.0 program will be paused, allowing UCLA to conduct an assessment to review our processes and technology. This exercise is estimated to take place summer through fall of 2024, with the aim of charting a clear path ahead for future business transformation. For more information, please review the BruinPost distributed to campus on June 26, 2024.

Resources 

Once the assessment is complete, we will reach back out to communicate relevant decisions and next steps with the research community. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us at ascend2@ucla.edu with questions. This mailbox will continue to be monitored throughout the program pause. We also encourage you to use the resources below:

• Access the BruinBuy Plus hub for helpful resources, including subaward/subcontract quick reference guides, trainings for PIs and fund managers, and research-specific FAQ.

• Join BruinBuy Plus office hours to connect with subject matter experts and get answers to your procurement questions. Subaward/subcontract-specific office hours continue to be held on Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. PT.

• To request BruinBuy Plus support, please email help@it.ucla.edu, call 310-267-HELP (4357), or open a ticket directly in the ServiceNow portal.

• The Ascend 2.0 website will be largely decommissioned on August 2, 2024. However, the site’s homepage will continue to host several FAQs and will be updated once a decision about the future of Ascend 2.0 has been made.

• Continue to join monthly Research Administration Forum (RAF) meetings; access the Zoom link on the Office of Research Administration’s RAF webpage. Should the program restart in the coming months, an update will be shared with RAF.

We thank you for your partnership to date and for your patience as we strive to do what is best for UCLA and its research community.

Sincerely, 

Ascend 2.0 Team

--

Source: https://view.its.e.ucla.edu/?qs=9fe804b922f8a2a8f6073b765facd970aa7016bbd23797bd87442ecdd3c644dc5fbfebfa72b56a58e70e668e7417b1c96cbdcde5d10e6406a790185ef1f2601b657cf6a4d3cb53e78a0b978298b57999.

Key Regents for 2024-25

Below are the key Regents for the current year:

Janet Reilly https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/members-and-advisors/bios/janet-reilly.html will serve as Chair of the Board of Regents:

Appointed by Governor Newsom effective August 9, 2019 to a term expiring March 1, 2028; Co-founder and President of the Board of Directors for Clinic by the Bay; B.A., UCLA; Master of Science (Journalism), Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. Ms. Reilly is the current Chair of the Board.

Maria Anguiano https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/members-and-advisors/bios/maria-anguiano.html will serve as Vice Chair commencing July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.

Appointed by Governor Brown effective June 16, 2017 to a term expiring March 1, 2028; Executive Vice President, Arizona State University's Learning Enterprise; B.A. (Economics-Accounting and Spanish), Claremont McKenna College; M.B.A., Stanford Graduate School of Business. Ms. Anguiano is the current Vice Chair of the Board. 

As Chair of the Board, Regent Reilly is Chair of the Governance Committee, and an ex officio member of all standing committees. The other appointed chairs for the Board's Standing Committees for 2024-25 include:

Regent Michael Cohen, chair of the Finance and Capital Strategies Committee https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/members-and-advisors/bios/michael-cohen.html

Appointed by Governor Brown effective August 6, 2018 to a term expiring March 1, 2030; Chief Financial Officer of CalPERS, the California Public Employees' Retirement System; B.S., Stanford University (Urban Studies); Master's Degree in Public Affairs, Lyndon B. Johnson School at the University of Texas.

Regent Jonathan "Jay" Sures, chair of the Compliance and Audit Committee https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/members-and-advisors/bios/jay-sures.html

Appointed by Governor Brown effective January 4, 2019 to a term expiring March 1, 2020; re-appointed in 2020 (by Newsom) to a term expiring March 1, 2032; Vice Chairman of United Talent Agency; B.A. (Economics), UCLA.

Regent Richard Leib, chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/members-and-advisors/bios/richard-leib.html

Appointed by Governor Brown effective August 6, 2018 to a term expiring March 1, 2026; President and CEO, Dunleer Strategies; B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara; M.A., Claremont Graduate University; J.D., Loyola University School of Law. 

Regent John Pérez, chair of the Health Services Committee https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/members-and-advisors/bios/john-perez.html

Appointed by Governor Brown effective November 17, 2014  to term expiring March 1, 2024; re-appointed in 2024 by Governor Newsom to a term expiring March 1, 2036; California State Assembly Speaker Emeritus and former Assemblymember.

Regent Greg Sarris, chair of the Public Engagement and Development Committee https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/members-and-advisors/bios/greg-sarris.html

Appointed by Governor Newsom effective June 29, 2023 to a term expiring March 1, 2026. Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria; Ph.D. in Modern Thought and Literature, Stanford University. 

Regent Mark Robinson, chair of the Investments Committee https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/members-and-advisors/bios/mark-robinson.html

Appointed by Governor Newsom effective July 22, 2022 to a term expiring March 1, 2034; Partner, Centerview Partners; Master of Business Administration, Harvard University; B.A. (History and Political Science), University of California, Berkeley.  

Regent Jose Hernandez, chair of the National Laboratories Committee https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/members-and-advisors/bios/jose-hernandez.html

Appointed by Governor Newsom effective August 20, 2021 to a term expiring March 1, 2033; President and Chief Executive Officer, Tierra Luna Engineering LLC; Master of Science, University of California, Santa Barbara (Electronics Engineering, Signals and Systems); B.S. (Electrical Engineering), University of the Pacific.

Source: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/employee-news/uc-announces-board-of-regents-chair-and-vice-chair-committee-leadership-appointments-for-2024-25/. 

What $199 buys...

 How can people complain about inflation when you can still get such a deal for $199?

Watch the Afternoon Meeting of the Regents: July 17, 2024

We have been summarizing the July Regents meetings as time permits. The afternoon of July 17th is the missing piece. It contained a series of committee meetings. Some highlights below:

Public Engagement and Development included a presentation on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. One of the findings was that AI could reduce the time doctors currently spend on the computer and thereby increase time interacting with patients.

Compliance and Audit held a four minute open session approving UC's plan for the current year, including cybersecurity.

Academic and Student Affairs had a presentation on UC Press which is mainly self-funded. The Press was said to have a special focus on publishing the works of "FirstGen" authors. More controversial was the BOARS report on high school math requirements which reitererated the importance of algebra and calculus for students who want the option of STEM majors and careers. There was also discussion of campus-level "Collegiate Recovery Programs" that help students with substance abuse issues. Moving testimony by a recovering student was presented. Not all UC campuses have such programs. Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, and UC-San Francisco are said to be "developing" programs. The other campuses including UCLA do have them.

Finance and Capital Strategies heard a report on the budget outlook for UC, a topic we have previously covered in various posts. Regent Pérez expressed concern that UC had been omitted from an education bond measure the legislature has put on the November ballot and suggested the omission reflected some dissatisfaction with UC. The committee approved an expansion of UC-SF's Children's Hospital in Oakland. As we have previously noted, the takeover of two hospitals in San Francisco entailed incorporation of employees there into the UC pension system. It was said that the pension system would be reimbursed for the added pension liability. 

Finally, there was some controversy over the design and costs of a proposed dorm at Davis. Questions were raised primarily by Regent Makarechian who has expertise in real estate matters. Those presenting the dorm proposal really had no good answers to his questions. Ultimately, the committee endorsed the recommendation with Makarechian abstaining. This episode is illustrative of a problem the Regents have when such issues come up. They have no independent research capacity. Some Regents may happen to have expertise when major proposals come up, but the Regents are heavily dependent on what they are told. In some respects, the Regents are a mini-legislature for UC but unlike the state legislature, they have no Legislative Analyst's Office to provide detailed reviews of proposals.*

Since the Regents have no official policy on retention of recordings of their meetings, we retain them indefinitely. You can see the various committee meetings described above at the link below:

https://archive.org/details/01-compliance-and-audit-7-17-2024.

====

*Long-time blog readers will recall the controversy over the location, design, and cost of the Grand Hotel at UCLA. The Regents at one point halted the proposal. But in the end, they went along, although the need for the structure - particularly during the ongoing budget crisis of the so-called Great Recession - was never established. In a similar vein, we continue to wonder what UCLA will do with its more recent $80 million purchase of a defunct Catholic college in Palos Verdes which is inaccessible from Westwood. The purchase was said to be responsive to pressures for enrollment growth, but the inaccessibility casts doubt on how it will help with that concern.

You CAN get there...

In his final quarterly newsletter, Chancellor Block deals with various issues including the $80 million purchase of the campus of the defunct Marymount California University in Palos Verdes:

...The new UCLA South Bay campus will advance sustainability, climate action and environmental justice. Formerly associated with Marymount California University, the 24.5-acre main campus in Rancho Palos Verdes and an 11-acre residential campus in nearby San Pedro, make up the largest land acquisition in UCLA’s history. 

UCLA South Bay promises to be a nexus of instruction, research, scholarship, civic engagement and community engagement, with a vibrant student presence. While our deans and faculty are developing curricula for this new location, it is off to a great start, with teaching, learning and connecting already underway. UCLA Extension began teaching classes there this month. UCLA South Bay has hosted our Student Leadership Academies, the Career Readiness Bootcamp for the Career Center, conferences, meetings and retreats for departments from UCLA and outside groups. The space is helping us cultivate key partnerships with civic leaders at the local, regional and state level as well...

Source: https://chancellor.ucla.edu/quarterly-updates/summer-2024-update/.

Yours truly wondered whether if he were standing in the middle of UCLA and wanted to get to "UCLA South Bay," how he would do it. So he consulted Google maps for directions:

Apart from that, no problem!

Who Has STEM? - Part 2 (and what do they need to have STEM?)

EdSource elaborates on the issue of math vs. data science courses that qualify for admission to UC: ...Since 1999, the number of students majoring in STEM more than tripled, from 14,081 to 48,851 in 2022. The proportion of STEM majors at UC increased from 32% to 44% of all majors, according to UC data.

Where does data science fit in?

The immediate impact of the decision is expected to be limited, since more than 99% of applicants to UC have taken Algebra 2 anyway, according to UC data. But interest in data science, in a world of burgeoning AI and uses for big datasets, has been mushrooming, and promoters pointed to introductory data as a way to skip Algebra 2.

The faculty committee, the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools or BOARS, reaffirmed that position in February when it accepted a faculty workgroup’s report. The report examined the content of AP Statistics and the three most popular introductory data science courses and found “that none of these courses labeled as ‘data science’ even come close to meeting the required standard to be a ‘more advanced’ course (Algebra 2). They should be called “data literacy” courses, it said.

But where, [State Board of Education President Linda] Darling-Hammond asked in her letter, does that leave the status of potentially hundreds of other courses in data science, financial math and non-AP statistics that UC previously validated as satisfying Algebra 2? 

"Most districts will be starting the new school year in less than a month without sufficient clarity regarding the mathematics courses they will offer moving forward,” she wrote. “But the committee’s criteria and process are not yet fully transparent, and it has only evaluated four courses out of the hundreds that have previously been approved.”

One complication facing BOARS and staff within the UC Office of the President, which annually evaluates courses that school districts submit for approval, is that there are no state standards for data literacy. Each course must be examined independently.

Darling-Hammond’s letter raised a critical, intertwined issue: How will UC categorize introductory science and other courses as fourth-year high school math courses?

Neither UC nor CSU requires that high school graduates take four years of math, but they highly recommend it. According to UC data, about 80% of UC applicants take at least one course in advanced math beyond Algebra 2, usually precalculus or both precalculus and AP Statistics. The report did not include comparable CSU data.

BOARS created a second, 12-member faculty workgroup of STEM professors to examine what math courses will best prepare students to succeed at UC in whatever field they choose. A report in June agreed that the current three required foundational math courses make sense: Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra 2, or Math 3 in districts that offer an integrated math sequence. It also emphasized that “to be recommended for a fourth year of mathematics study, (a course) must build substantially on the content of the lower-level sequence.”

With that in mind, the report, which BOARS adopted, divided high school math courses into four categories:

• Category 1 consists of the foundational math courses
• Category 2 courses, which include Precalculus and Calculus, best prepare students interested in STEM fields.
• Category 3, which also builds on foundational courses, are courses suited for students interested in quantitative social sciences, such as psychology and history. It singles out AP Stats, but not data science.
• Category 4, a catch-all for other courses in quantitative reasoning, would include data literacy. These courses “will continue broadening students’ interest and confidence in math” and may be appropriate for arts and humanities majors...

Full article at https://edsource.org/2024/high-schools-demand-clarity-about-ucs-new-math-policies/716103.

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What is hard to determine from this controversy is whether what UC requires is really hard for high school administrators to understand or whether they would prefer not to understand it because of a commitment to courses that don't qualify. It seems pretty clear from the BOARS report that calculus is really important for STEM careers and majors. Is that message really so complicated?

The FAFSA Drama Continues - Part 14 (October, December, whenever)

For those following the FAFSA fiasco, see below from Inside Higher Ed. (Those who are not following it can type in "FAFSA" in the search option on this blog.)

A group of five higher education organizations sent a letter Tuesday to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona recommending the Department of Education push back the release date for next year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid to Dec. 1. “The launch date is only a piece of the puzzle. It’s also essential that the form be fully functional, reliable, and predictable for all students,” the letter reads. “As we quickly approach the traditional start of the 2025–26 FAFSA application year, October 1, we are wrestling with the trade-off between timeliness and functionality and have concluded that the consequences of releasing a product that does not come with full end-to-end functionality for students, families, state agencies and aid administrators would be too great.”

Two of the letter’s signatories—the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and the National College Access Network—had previously urged the department to work toward an Oct. 1 release date in order to prevent a repeat of the issues caused by the last academic year’s extensive delays. But in the more recent letter, the groups say that concerns in the financial aid community about the department’s ability to launch on that date with a complete, reliable form prompted them to change course.

“We did not come to this decision lightly,” a NASFAA spokesperson wrote in a statement accompanying the letter. “It is our understanding there is no path to an October 1 FAFSA release that is user-tested, fully functional, and allows for processing within one to three days. Furthermore, releasing the form in advance of a working processing system would delay the ability to process FAFSAs correctly and in a timely manner, and introduce errors to the system that could be prevented with more time to identify and address issues.” ...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/07/24/reversal-higher-ed-groups-push-delayed-fafsa-launch.

And it's always good - in following issues such as this - to keep the wisdom of Ruth Galanter in mind:

Westwood Movie Theaters Closing

From the LA Times: Westwood’s historic movie palaces, the Regency Village Theatre and the Bruin, are closing later this week. “The last day of operation for the Bruin & Village Theaters under Regency is Thursday, July 25,” Lyndon Golin, Regency Theatres president, confirmed in an email Sunday. Regency has managed the two theaters for 14 years, but its leases for the properties end later this month, Golin added.

A beloved landmark, the Village Theatre is expected to close only temporarily, thanks to a high-profile effort by director Jason Reitman and others to save the once stately 170-foot white Spanish Revival-Art Deco “wedding cake” tower that has beckoned Westside moviegoers since 1931. The group announced in late February that its acquisition of the theater had closed but it did not disclose a timetable for renovations or say when the Village might be ready for a grand re-opening.

The fate of the nearby Bruin, which opened in 1937, remains unclear; it was not purchased along with its more showy sibling. “The [Bruin’s] owners thank the Golin Family and Regency Theaters for our relationship with them for the last 14 years,” the family said in a statement, provided by a representative. The owners said they are “currently evaluating future opportunities for the Bruin.” ...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2024-07-21/historic-movie-theaters-westwood-village-and-bruin-to-close-this-week.

Another non-bricks-and-mortar donation

We like to take note of donations that don't involve bricks and mortar. Here is a recent one:

The Extension divisions of UCLA and UC Berkeley have received a $12 million gift from professor, author and entrepreneur Scott Galloway to fund the creation of a new program that gives non-traditional students access to the skills and resources they need to launch their careers. The gift, which will be split equally between the two universities, is one of the largest focused on University of California continuing and professional education, UCLA and UC Berkeley Extension leaders said.

“The accessibility and affordability of UCLA and UC Berkeley changed my life,” said Galloway, an alumnus of both universities. “I’m hoping this gift puts the educational resources of both universities within reach for more people and provides skills that lead to the growth of good jobs in the Main Street economy.”

The new UC Excelerator program, scheduled to begin this fall, is aimed primarily at community college graduates and those with limited college experience. The program will provide students with career-focused coursework, networking opportunities and access to industry leaders, all free of cost.

“Scott Galloway’s generous gift will help us continue to widen the doors of opportunity and provide our students with the tools and connections needed to thrive in today’s economy,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “Scott has been outspoken about the immense impact that UCLA and UC Berkeley had on his life and career, and we are extraordinarily appreciative that he is helping to extend the promise of public higher education to so many others.” ...

Full news release at https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-berkeley-extension-12-million-gift-scott-galloway.

It could have been worse...

So, what exactly happened to the UC budget? We now have more detail from the Dept. of Finance. When you take the total UC budget and subtract out what came from the federal government and what UC generated (hospital revenues, management fees for the national labs, research grants, tuition, etc.), what remains is the total state contribution.

Last fiscal year, the total from the state (the basic appropriation and what comes from a host of other state funds) came to around $5 billion, roughly flat from the year before at a time when inflation was a four-ish number. This current year, we are up around $5.1 billion, an increase of a bit over 2% when inflation is maybe a three-ish number. So essentially, UC is experiencing real cuts.*

It is true that if the initial proposal of the governor had been enacted, there would have been a worse situation. But...

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*The budget numbers are at https://ebudget.ca.gov/2024-25/pdf/Enacted/GovernorsBudget/6000/6440RWA.pdf.

Watch the July 18th Meeting of the Regents

We are jumping ahead in our coverage of last week's Regents meeting here to the final meeting of Thursday, July 18th. (We have previously covered July 16th and the morning of July 17th.)

Public comments began with support for UC-San Diego's removal of an encampment and concerns about antisemitism, but much of the other comments favored divestment, complaints about use of police on campus, and opposition to J2 (limits on department political statements on UC websites). Although J2 was technically up before the whole board, the decision to support J2 was basically undertaken the day before in committee. Other comments dealt with UC jobs for undocumented students and People's Park.

Much of the formal business undertaken in open session dealt with approval of committee reports (including the above-mentioned J2 decision). Note was taken of the retirement of UCLA chancellor Block who was in attendance. The undergrad student rep spoke about need for more mental health services and consultation with students which she tied to problems at encampments. The grad student rep complained about militarization of campuses. The BOARS report on math requirements for UC admissions had been a discussion item, not an action item, the day before, so it was reported on, but no action was required.

As always, we preserve recordings of Regents meetings since the Regents have no policy on duration of retention. The link to this sessions is:

https://archive.org/details/001-board-8-30-am-7-18-2024.

Who has STEM?

We will elsewhere cover the Regents meeting that dealt with high school math requirements for admission to UC. However, that meeting included the chart above that showed the percent of undergraduate majors in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines. Berkeley and Merced are the most STEM-intensive campuses. UCLA is among the campuses with the lowest percentage of STEM majors. The same pattern holds if you just look at undergrads who are Pell grant recipients, i.e., lower-income.

Not saying this is a Good Thing or Bad Thing. And note that there are non-STEM fields such as economics that are math-oriented. But the chart may show results that differ from expectations.

Moreover, the chart shows the importance of math preparation in high school. Many UC students are opting for STEM careers or non-STEM fields that require math. In order for them to have that option, high school math is important.

You can see the chart at https://archive.org/details/01-compliance-and-audit-7-17-2024/03-Academic+and+Student+Affairs+7-17-2024.mp4 around minute 54.

Watch the July 17th Morning Meetings of the Regents

We continue to catch up with the Regents meetings last week. This post covers the morning sessions of July 17th. The meeting began with public comments dealing with police pay at UC-Merced, consultation with students (which seemed  connected with the Israel-Gaza War), current AFSCME negotiations with UC, math requirements for admission to UC, collegiate recovery programs, mentoring by graduate students, contracting procedures, wage theft, concerns about item J2 on department political statements, support for the UC-San Francisco's Children's Hospital project, concerns of Black students, and complaints that UC was not supporting AB 2586, a bill in the legislature which is intended to override the decision by the Regents not to contest a federal ban on hiring undocumented students.

In remarks after public comments, incoming Regents chair Reilly and UC president Drake both alluded to work over the summer for UC to develop new policies with regard to handling students protests and encampments of the type seen last spring. The retirement of UCLA chancellor Block - who was in attendance - was acknowledged. Faculty representative Steintrager said that in his opinion, the biggest long run challenge at UC was the evolution of its labor system which had over time become more dependent on instruction by grad students and non-ladder faculty.

The rest of the meeting consisted of various committee and joint committee meetings approving executive pay matters and the budget for the national labs. Item J2 limiting department political statements which had previously been deferred from meeting to meeting was approved with some abstentions and a dissenting vote. Such statements cannot henceforth appear on department website "landing" pages and must include information on the voting procedures by which such statements were approved. They must also be accompanied with disclaimers indicating the statements were not the official position of the university. Chancellors will ultimately be responsible for enforcement.

As always, we preserve recordings of Regents meetings since the Regents have no policy with regard to retention duration. The morning meetings of July 17th can be found at:

https://archive.org/details/board-joint-meetings-health-services-governance-academic-and-student-affairs-compliance-7-17-2024.