Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLjbMBpGDA.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
They're searching - Part 2
Cycling Past the Graveyard
The message below was submitted to the National Cemetery Administration for a meeting on October 28-29:
Public Comment, NCA Advisory Committee, Oct 2024: Pedestrianism as a National Security Risk [Oct. 17, 2024]
The Los Angeles National Cemetery (LANC) is located next to the GLA VA Hospital and the West LA VA campus in Los Angeles. After a series of court verdicts, much of the VA campus is now to be used primarily for veteran housing. This is an opportune moment to revisit the 2002 decision to close the pedestrian gate at the Eastern side of the cemetery (Constitution Ave & Veterans Ave). This decision was based on the report of the National Institute of Building Sciences, produced in the wake of 9/11, which lists National Cemeteries among the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure. The decision to close the gate was apparently based on the notion that pedestrians pose a national security risk. We are convinced that national security and healthy and sustainable modes like walking are fully compatible around our cemetery. Access through the pedestrian gate should be restored again.
Urban cemeteries often face challenging transportation issues, unlike rural locations, where motorized access is the default. Given the accelerating impacts of climate change, urban locations should actively invite other modes of transport. They should embrace the benefits in outreach, public health and sustainability that non-motorized options offer. As the VA has issued a strong commitment to respond to the climate crisis, and is required to provide a healthy environment for our veterans, solutions that encourage healthy and sustainable forms of transportation should be implemented with urgency.
We ask the advisory committee to adopt the following Action Plan
Create a plan for how the re-opening of the pedestrian gate can be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the ceremonial nature of the cemetery, how it could offer employment opportunities (Compensated Work Therapy) for veterans guarding the character of the space, how it will benefit veterans living on the adjacent VA campus to reach destinations in Westwood independently, including those who are using a wheelchair, how it could improve local outreach, and deliver environmental and health benefits for the VA community, patients at the VA hospital, and for the wider community, reducing traffic congestion and minimizing fuel consumption and pollution. The committee is tasked “to make recommendations to the Secretary on issues related to the selection of cemetery sites.” The committee should keep in mind that the site is now closed to new interments.
We ask that the outreach committee request that the Secretary provide resources to study the positive impacts that revisiting the 2002 decision could have for the Los Angeles National Cemetery. We suggest
Dr. Michael Cahn
Secretary, UCLA Bicycle Academy
===
The outcome remains to be seen.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Gobbledygook
Giant
Full story at https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/uc-berkeley-student-housing-tower-19863197.php.
The official description of the project is at https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024-10-21_DRC_Item%20IV.1_UCB%20Bancroft%20Housing_Memo%20and%20Attachment.pdf.
There is the old joke: You can't have everything - Where would you put it? Now we have You can't have everyone - Where would you put them?
It's likely you will be hearing from neighbors groups in Berkeley about this project.
Lecturer pay - Part 2
As we noted originally, the story might have had more legal heft had the complaint been focused on lecturers more generally rather than about one individual, at least for PERB purposes. Indeed, there is no indication of union involvement.
Generally, the comments posted by readers of the Post were not favorable. None of the news stories get into the broader issue of the heavy reliance of universities on non-ladder faculty/temps of various types.
===
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Still Partly Down (but old files accessible) - Part 3
The latest information we have on the recovery of the Internet Archive - where we save recordings of Regents meetings and other items - is below:
Transfers
https://transfer.universityofcalifornia.edu/.
From EdSource: The University of California has launched a new website to offer one-stop academic planning and financial aid information for community college students who plan to transfer to a UC campus. The UC Transfer Hub is part of an effort to increase the number of community college students who enroll at UC campuses, according to the university. The website also includes resources that explain the various pathways and programs available to transfer students.
“Transfer students come to the University of California from all types of backgrounds, bringing invaluable perspectives and a passion for learning that are part of what makes our university great,” said UC President Michael Drake. “This new online transfer hub includes resources and support programs for transfer applicants, making it easier for California Community College students to pursue a life-changing education at the University of California.” ...
Full story at https://edsource.org/updates/new-uc-website-part-of-effort-to-attract-transfer-students.
Spiro or Spivo?
According to the Daily Bruin, campus police arrested a woman for spray-painting a mysterious statement on the Anderson School on October 23. To date, nobody seems to have an explanation of the statement or whether it somehow related to recent protests:
'...In an emailed statement, [UCPD Lieutenant Jeff] Chobanian said officers detained the person with the spray paint, who initially tried to flee. He added that he did not know whether the person who had the spray paint assaulted anyone. “Multiple reports came into UCPD about a suspect spray-painting property and possibly a member of the UCLA community,” Chobanian said in the statement. “Officers quickly responded and observed the suspect in Royce Quad carrying spray paint.”'
Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2024/10/22/ucpd-detains-person-with-spray-paint-cans-outside-royce-hall.
Whether or not the statement related to the protests, the perpetrator was subject to the quick intervention rules that seem to be in place.
Monday, October 28, 2024
The (Seemingly) Endless Story - Part 3
A little over a month ago, we posted an update about the case of Harvard's Francesca Gino - the prominent researcher in the field of honesty who is accused of dishonesty.* Here is an update from the Harvard Crimson:
Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino filed a motion on Monday to amend her $25 million lawsuit against the University to include Title VII and discrimination claims. This motion comes more than a month after U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun dismissed Gino’s defamation charges against Harvard. Still, Joun allowed a key portion of Gino’s lawsuit to proceed: the claim that Gino’s contract with Harvard was breached by allegedly subjecting her to unfair disciplinary actions.
Gino currently faces the possibility of her tenure being revoked over allegations that she committed data fraud in her academic work. In July 2023, the University’s top administration began a review of Gino’s tenure as professor at Harvard.
Gino, who has denied all allegations of academic misconduct, revised her initial complaint alleging Title IX discrimination to incorporate Title VII claims that specifically prohibit sex-based discrimination as it applies to discipline and firing in the workplace...
===
*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-seemingly-endless-story-part-2.html.
The pop-up scam
So, it shouldn't be a surprise that there are scams related to services that are supposed to protect from scams.
One such scam is illustrated here and involves pop-ups that appear indicating your subscription has expired. Just click here to renew. An example is shown with this posting. The name McAfee is incorrectly spelled with a lower-case "a" as a clue that something is not right.
In any case, if something like this pops up, contact the company directly rather than clicking on any options. Or just delete it. Depending on what browser you use, you can block such pop-ups going forward.
Sunday, October 27, 2024
♫Take Us Out of the Ball Game♫ - Part 5 (Maybe the ball isn't over)
From the LA Times: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs filed an appeal Friday seeking to overturn a federal judge’s ruling that ordered the agency to build more than 2,500 units of temporary and permanent housing on its West Los Angeles campus and invalidated leases of VA land to UCLA and a private school.
Attorney Brad Rosenberg, representing the U.S. Department of Justice, said the government would file an emergency motion Wednesday asking the judge to stay his order pending a decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
In the same hearing Friday, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter indicated he may soon temporarily allow UCLA’s baseball team to resume use of its Jackie Robinson Stadium, which he had closed, while a permanent settlement with UCLA is negotiated...
Saturday, October 26, 2024
It's hard to keep the lid on - Part 8
The Bruin recently picked up the story (again):
A prominent UCLA ecologist on involuntary leave filed a lawsuit against the University earlier this month, alleging wrongful suspension, harassment and racial discrimination. Ecology and evolutionary biology professor Priyanga Amarasekare joined UCLA in 2005, but she was suspended in July 2022 for a year with no pay by then-Chancellor Gene Block. He escalated recommendations made by an Academic Senate committee months earlier to censure Amarasekare, a widow from Sri Lanka with two children, and dock her pay.
Amarasekare told the Daily Bruin earlier this year that her punishment was retaliation for speaking out against a departmental culture of racism and that it damaged her and her students’ careers. “Amarasekare was subjected to discriminatory, harassing and retaliatory conduct on the basis of her gender, race, color, ethnicity, ancestry and national origin,” reads the complaint, which was filed at the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Oct. 10. “Amarasekare was also retaliated against and subjected to multiple adverse actions over the course of her employment for opposing discrimination, harassment and retaliation and/or making complaints.” ...
Amarasekare’s lawyers are seeking damages in excess of $35,000 and a trial by jury, but they declined to say whether they were open to a settlement...
Amarasekare has exhausted all other available avenues to push back on the charges, including filing complaints with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the California Civil Rights Department, according to the lawsuit. The agencies have declined to investigate her charges and have given her the opportunity to file her own suit, according to the complaint...
Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2024/10/22/ucla-accused-an-ecologist-of-harassment-shes-now-suing-for-discrimination.
One suspects there is some room for settlement here.
Goal vs. Actual
The current average graduation time transfer students (2-year students) is 2.36 years.
Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/about-us/information-center/ug-outcomes.
Friday, October 25, 2024
The FAFSA Drama Continues - Part 17 (echo)
From Inside Higher Ed: Higher ed institutions this fall experienced the steepest drop in first-year enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center... Four-year institutions saw the largest decline, with an 8.5 percent drop at public colleges and a 6.5 percent decline at nonprofit privates. At institutions that serve the highest numbers of Pell-eligible students, first-year enrollment fell by more than 10 percent.
The declines appear to be part of the fallout from last cycle’s bungled rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which many observers predicted would result in a devastating setback to low-income and underrepresented student enrollment. FAFSA completion rates for incoming first-year students—who were high school seniors during the previous financial aid cycle—still lag about 9 percent behind last year, according to data from the National College Attainment Network...
The compounding enrollment declines aren’t likely to reverse without significant shifts in the next few years, [National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Doug] Shapiro said—a daunting prospect considering the traditional college-going population is predicted to fall off a cliff next year. “The nearest precedent we have for this is fall 2020, when we saw a 7 percent plunge in freshmen,” he said. “We tracked them for the next two years and found an infinitesimal number of them coming back next year or the year after. Based on that, prospects of a rebound are low.” ...
Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/traditional-age/2024/10/23/after-fafsa-issues-steep-drop-first-year-enrollment.
Repeat Performance
Back in September, we reported on a "town hall" for Academic Senate members with Interim Chancellor Hunt et al on the time-place-manner rules in effect for protests this fall.* The Bruin reports on a second town hall with much the same information, presumably for nonsenate members:
Members of the UCLA administration discussed interim Time, Place and Manner policies and answered written questions during a virtual town hall Oct. 15. New TPM policies went into effect on an interim basis Sept. 3, updating policies that had been in place since 2018. The policies include restrictions on the use of amplified sound, as well as restrictions regarding areas designated for “public expression activities” – which have been restricted to the areas surrounding Bruin Walk and Murphy Hall.
The policies are currently in a 60-day public review period during which administration is collecting feedback from students, student groups, student leadership and faculty. As part of that process, UCLA administrators, including Director of Administrative Policies Anna Joyce, Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Life Mick Deluca and Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck, spoke at the town hall event. However, the meeting did not provide an opportunity for verbal public comments, statements or speeches...
Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2024/
===
*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-recent-town-hall-with-interim.html.
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Still Partly Down (but sometimes partly up) - Part 2
The plan for the Internet Archive - which has been down for some time due to a cyberattack - was to bring it back initially as a read-only site and gradually restore full functionality. That has now been done, although it seems to be a sometimes available/sometimes not affair. Some elements, notably the Wayback Machine that shows the internet at different dates in the past, are fully functioning. Links on this blog to the Internet Archive should now be available during the periods when the service is partially up, although you may find the built-in player doesn't operate. If that happens, directions are at the bottom of this post. Apparently, however, there are still other problems.
From reporter Wes Davis at The Verge:
...I received an email from “The Internet Archive Team,” replying to a message I’d sent on October 9th. Except its author doesn’t seem to have been the digital archivists’ support team — it was apparently written by the hackers who breached the site earlier this month and who evidently maintain some level of access to its systems. I’m not alone. Users on the Internet Archive subreddit are reporting getting the replies, as well. Here is the message I received:
It’s dispiriting to see that even after being made aware of the breach 2 weeks ago, IA has still not done the due diligence of rotating many of the API keys that were exposed in their gitlab secrets. As demonstrated by this message, this includes a Zendesk token with perms to access 800K+ support tickets sent to info@archive.org since 2018. Whether you were trying to ask a general question, or requesting the removal of your site from the Wayback Machine—your data is now in the hands of some random guy. If not me, it’d be someone else. Here’s hoping that they’ll get their shit together now.
The Verge left a voicemail at the Archive’s contact number asking for more information...
Full story at https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/20/24274826/internet-archive-hackers-replying-zendesk-tickets.
As blog readers will know, we store recordings and other information for this blog on the Internet Archive. As noted above, with the Internet Archive restored on a read-only basis, those links will again function. In the meantime, we are keeping files that would normally have been uploaded and will do so when service is again available for updating.
---
There is also this item posted on the Internet Archive X (Twitter) website:
Source: https://x.com/internetarchive/status/1847722948557255144.
====
Directions if the player or reader doesn't work during periods when the Internet Archive is available as a read-only service:
Go to the options for download section of the website. Select the mp3 file for audio recordings or the mp4 file for video recordings that corresponds to what you are looking for. Click on those files and you should be able to play them. If it is a text file, in the options for downloading select the pdf that corresponds to what you are looking for and click on it. If you have trouble finding mp3, mp4, or pdf files, the "show all" option should display them.
Medicare Advantage Scrutiny Continues - Part 5
The privatized Medicare plans, known as Medicare Advantage plans (such as the one offered by UC to retirees through UnitedHeathcare), continue to receive adverse publicity, including from a US Senate investigation. (We noted this issue in an earlier posting this week.)
From Fierce Healthcare:The country’s three largest Medicare Advantage (MA) insurers obstruct seniors’ ability to receive post-acute care, a scathing report from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations shows.*
====
*NOTE: You can find the Senate report at
====
Between 2019 and 2022, the three insurers denied claims for post-acute care at “far higher” rates than for other types of care, and, in 2022, Humana denials in post-acute care were 16 times higher than the companies’ overall denial rates, the report (PDF) says. UnitedHealthcare and CVS denials were three times higher in the same year.
“Insurance companies say that prior authorization is meant to prevent unnecessary medical services,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, in a statement. “But the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has obtained new data and internal documents from the largest Medicare Advantage insurers that discredit these contentions. In fact, despite alarm and criticism in recent years about abuses and excesses, insurers have continued to deny care to vulnerable seniors—simply to make more money. Our subcommittee even found evidence of insurers expanding this practice in recent years.”
The committee began the investigation in May 2023 and analyzed more than 280,000 pages of internal documents. The report was produced by Blumenthal’s staff. It reveals the insurers adopted new automated processes to speed up claims decisions, and, simultaneously, denials often increased.
The subcommittee is calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to collect prior authorization data by service category and conduct audits when denial rates spike in certain areas. They also want more regulation around insurers’ internal prior authorization committees, because even if AI is only used to approve requests, medical professionals may be facing pressure to go along with AI recommendations in the name of efficiency and cost-cutting.
It outlines attempts from UnitedHealthcare, CVS and Humana—which collectively cover nearly 60% of all MA enrollees—to use technology to reject prior authorization claims, all while reaping profit.
Between 2019 and 2022, the three insurers denied claims for post-acute care at “far higher” rates than for other types of care, and, in 2022, Humana denials in post-acute care were 16 times higher than the companies’ overall denial rates, the report (PDF) says. UnitedHealthcare and CVS denials were three times higher in the same year.
“Insurance companies say that prior authorization is meant to prevent unnecessary medical services,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, in a statement. “But the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has obtained new data and internal documents from the largest Medicare Advantage insurers that discredit these contentions. In fact, despite alarm and criticism in recent years about abuses and excesses, insurers have continued to deny care to vulnerable seniors—simply to make more money. Our subcommittee even found evidence of insurers expanding this practice in recent years.”
The committee began the investigation in May 2023 and analyzed more than 280,000 pages of internal documents. The report was produced by Blumenthal’s staff. It reveals the insurers adopted new automated processes to speed up claims decisions, and, simultaneously, denials often increased.
The subcommittee is calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to collect prior authorization data by service category and conduct audits when denial rates spike in certain areas. They also want more regulation around insurers’ internal prior authorization committees, because even if AI is only used to approve requests, medical professionals may be facing pressure to go along with AI recommendations in the name of efficiency and cost-cutting...
Full story at https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/unitedhealth-cvs-humana-increasingly-deploy-ai-and-deny-prior-auth-claims-senate-report.
===
The publication Stat includes this chart about denials from UnitedHealthcare and two others. Note that the more severe case denials (Post-Acute Care - PAC) have risen substantially for UnitedHealthcare:
Source of chart: https://www.statnews.com/2024/10/21/senate-investigates-prior-authorizations-cvs-ceo-unitedhealth-group-story-health-care-inc/.
===
We're getting into Open Enrollment season, so for eligible retirees, we have this advice:
Good Luck!
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Let the chips fall
From the UCLA Newsroom: A federally funded center to train the next generation of microchip designers through the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act has been established at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. The initiative is part of a nationwide effort to address workforce challenges faced by the U.S. semiconductor industry. UCLA Samueli is one of seven inaugural awardees, with funding totaling $11.5 million, of the newly established National Semiconductor Technology Center’s Workforce Center of Excellence announced Sept. 25 by the Biden-Harris administration.
“We are honored that UCLA has been selected to be the home for the new Center for Education of Microchip Designers,” said Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park, the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean at UCLA Samueli. “We look forward to educating and training a critically needed talent pool of highly skilled integrated circuit designers and engineers.”
Led by UCLA Samueli electrical and computer engineering professor Behzad Razavi, the new Center for Education of Microchip Designers, or CEMiD, will receive $2 million over the next two years to provide comprehensive training in analog- and digital-chip design to engineering students and practicing engineers...
Full story at https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/center-for-education-of-microchip-designers-launches-ucla-samueli.
Newsletter
The latest edition can be read or downloaded at:
https://files.constantcontact.com/0c822253501/0625aab9-6927-4e7e-ac37-fe250d52b3a9.pdf.
Earlier editions are at:
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Demonstration - Part 2
10:04 p.m. – One individual was arrested at Dickson Court North for failing to obey a dispersal order for an unauthorized demonstration earlier this evening, according to a post on social media platform X by UCPD. The area is now clear of activity.
9:23 p.m. – The vast majority of police officers have now left Dickson Court.
9:18 p.m. – In a statement emailed at 8:04 p.m., Betar – a self-described national Zionist organization – had called for police to take action against the pro-Palestine protesters. “We demand police remove these thugs now and if not we will be forced to organize groups of Jews to do so,” it said in the statement.
9:13 p.m. – Private security and UCPD used BruinBus minibuses as part of the sweep of the demonstration. Around 50 CSC security staff are currently guarding the perimeter of Dickson Court.
9:10 p.m. – Pro-Israel protesters attempted to cross the court, showing CSC officers an Israeli flag they were carrying. The CSC officer responded by saying, “We’re not into that.”
9:07 p.m. – CSC private security officers are blocking people from crossing Dickson Court. CSC officers were unable to cite under whose authority or what statute they were blocking off the court.
9:07 p.m. – At 9:05 p.m., CSC security guards began loading remnants of the sukkah into a truck bed.
9:04 p.m. – Security guards began loading banners torn down from the sukkah into the bed of a truck.
8:58 p.m. – Police in riot gear handcuffed the detained person and walked them out of Dickson Court. One police officer said to the detainee, “You’re going to be cited.”
8:55 p.m. – According to a post from UCPD on social media platform X, officers announced a dispersal order just after 8:30 p.m. Although most protesters left in response, some remain in the area, the post said.
8:52 p.m. – Around 50 police officers surrounded pro-Israel counter-protesters outside Dodd Hall. The counter-protesters then moved towards Murphy Hall.
8:50 p.m. – Around 30 police officers in riot gear surrounded the sukkah from inside Dickson North Court, closing in from the south and west sides. A demonstrator was detained by police in riot gear.
8:40 p.m. – Around 20 police officers in riot gear lined up between Bunche Hall and Lu Valle Commons.
8:35 p.m. – Around 8:32 p.m., police officers in Dickson Court announced a dispersal order. At the same time, around 18 CSC security officers on foot lined up between Dodd Hall and Dickson Court North.
8:33 p.m. – Around 10 UCPD officers are lined outside Dodd Hall, carrying zip-tie handcuffs and batons. Pro-Palestine protesters carried tent equipment and poles out of the court.
8:31 p.m. – A large number of protesters ran out of Dickson Court North in the southern direction. There are still lights on inside the sukkah.
8:28 p.m. – Police officers in riot gear surrounded protesters in Dickson Court North, with around 10 officers lining up on the north side of the court. Officers told people to leave the court via the south side.
8:27 p.m. – Around 15 police officers in riot gear stood between Dickson Court North and Dickson Court South. Demonstrators started shouting, “Free, free Palestine.”
8:22 p.m. – Around 12 police officers in riot gear lined up on the south side of Dickson Court North. Pro-Israel protesters shouted, “We love you LAPD,” in response. The Daily Bruin was not able to confirm which agency the officers belonged to.
8:21 p.m. – Pro-Palestine protesters in Dickson Court have begun disassembling tents, packing them into carry bags.
8:19 p.m. – A UCPD car followed by several minivans arrived in Dickson Court North. Around 15 police officers in riot gear exited the minivans on the court’s west side.
8:14 p.m. – Around 8:10 p.m., pro-Israel counter-protesters, including students, entered the sukkah set up by pro-Palestine demonstrators.
8:12 p.m. – Around 30 counter-protesters arrived in Dickson Court North and began to heckle pro-Palestine protesters. In response, pro-Palestine protesters attempted to form a line to prevent them from accessing the sukkah. Graduate SJP at UCLA posted a screenshot of a tweet from People’s City Council that referred to the demonstration as the “Gaza Solidarity Sukkot Encampment.” The tweet also calls for people to come join the demonstration, which currently has around 30 people. Demonstrators are currently having an open meeting to discuss the defensibility of their sukkah. An organizer said in a speech they currently lack barricades or people in numbers to defend their tents. At the open meeting, demonstrators also discussed relocating their protest to the courtyard inside Perloff Hall. One organizer said the goal was to keep the sukkah standing for seven days.
6:44 p.m. – Around 6:45 p.m., demonstrators in Dickson Court North started to set up a tent.
5:27 p.m. – At 5:15 p.m., demonstrators hung a new banner from Perloff Hall reading, “Divest from Genocide.”
5:14 p.m. – In response to the skirmish line, around eight UCPD officers in riot gear wearing red-tagged helmets rushed in to defend the CSC security staff. As the officers left the courtyard, pro-Palestine protesters chanted, “UCPD, KKK, IOF, you’re all the same,” and, “Cops off campus.”
5:12 p.m. – At 5:09 p.m., around a dozen CSC security employees with bikes came and attempted to take the new sign hung outside from Perloff Hall. In response, demonstrators attempted to protect the sign, pushing and shoving security staff. The sign, which read “UCPD is Fascist. Abolition Now,” is no longer visible from Dickson Court North. The CSC security staff have since left the area on bikes.
4:20 p.m. – At 4:18 p.m., a UCPD police car stopped outside Dickson Court North to take pictures of the demonstrators. UCLA Media Relations did not respond in time to requests for comment about plans for policing the demonstration.
3:05 p.m. – Chabad at UCLA and Alpha Epsilon Pi also set up a sukkah in Bruin Plaza on Monday morning. A fire marshal from UCFD did not respond to a request for comment as to whether that temporary structure is a fire hazard – which UCFD declared the sukkah in Dickson Court North to be.
Source: https://dailybruin.com/2024/10/21/live-graduate-students-for-justice-in-palestine-demonstration.
Now we know why...
From the Bruin: A fire broke out in Young Hall Oct. 10, causing a partial shutdown of the building’s third floor. The fire began on the second-floor foyer of Young Hall, according to an emailed statement from a spokesperson for UCLA. The fire – caused by an electrical fault – distributed potentially carcinogenic nanoparticles, causing the closure of the west third-floor corridor in the building, according to a sign in the building.
Janette Kropat, the facilities and operations manager of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said a custodian was vacuuming the rubber mat near the entrance to the right of Young Hall CS24 when it sparked and caught fire. Kropat added that the custodian could not put the fire out with a fire extinguisher because the vacuum contained lithium-ion batteries and instead let the mat burn until the fire dwindled...
Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2024/10/19/fire-breaks-out-on-second-floor-foyer-of-young-hall-area-temporarily-closes.
Another Donation
...Through a $5 million pledge by Haleh Emrani in honor of her late husband, Ahmad Gramian, UCLA will establish the Gramian-Emrani Center for Iranian Music in the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. The new center builds on the school of music’s Iranian Music Program, established after a 2018 gift from Farhang Foundation, a nonpolitical, nonreligious, not-for-profit community organization devoted to celebrating and promoting Iranian art and culture, which Gramian chaired...
Full story at https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/gramian-emrani-center-iranian-music-endowed-fund-gift.
Monday, October 21, 2024
Ongoing Demonstration/New Report
2:21 p.m. – At 2:20 p.m., three demonstrators hung a new sign on Perloff Hall to replace the one that CSC took down. The sign read, “UCPD is Fascist” and “Abolition now!”
2:12 p.m. – At 2:10 p.m., 12 CSC private security officers biked to directly outside Perloff Hall and ripped down a sign put up by demonstrators, carrying it away. The sign read, “By soul, by blood.”
1:47 p.m. – UCLA Fire Marshal Ricardo Barboza told the Daily Bruin the structure erected in Dickson Court North violated section 105 of the Los Angeles City Fire Code. A media liaison for the demonstrators declined to remove the structure, claiming it is a religious expression.
1:03 p.m. – In an Instagram story, Faculty for Justice in Palestine at UCLA said students have refused to take down the sukkah. Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine separately said in an Instagram post that UCLA has threatened a police sweep of the Sukkot shelters.
12:39 p.m. – At 12:30 p.m., around 30 protesters chanted, “UC, UC, you can’t hide, we charge you with apartheid.”
12:18 p.m. – In a tweet to its X account, UCPD called the demonstration “unauthorized” and said officers were monitoring the situation.
12:02 p.m. – A representative from UCLA Student Affairs told organizers of the sukkah that the temporary structure is in violation of the university’s Time, Place and Manner policies. He asked demonstrators to leave the area and remove the structure. The representative added that if demonstrators did not remove the sukkah, the matter would be handled by the Office of Campus Safety.
11:40 a.m. – At 11:40 a.m., around 40 demonstrators gathered for a “teach-in on divestment.”
11:17 a.m. – People wearing keffiyehs and face masks have affixed pink tape that reads, “DANGER” to two trees at the perimeter of Dickson Court North.
11:05 a.m. – Around 50 demonstrators, many of whom are wearing keffiyehs and face masks, chanted “Lebanon will be free” and “Gaza will be free” around 11 a.m.
11:01 a.m. – At 10:50 a.m., around 50 demonstrators in Dickson Court North began chanting “Disclose, divest, we will not stop we will not rest,” “Free, free Palestine” and “Israel is a terrorist state.”
10:52 a.m. – Demonstrators hung a green banner reading “By soul, by blood” from Perloff Hall and played music in Dickson Court North. UCLA did not respond in time to requests for comment about whether the demonstration conforms to university Time, Place and Manner policies.
10:44 a.m. – Benjamin Kersten, a doctoral student in art history and a member of Jewish Voice for Peace at UCLA, said participants are using their observation of Sukkot to call for the UC to divest from “companies that facilitate genocide, apartheid and occupation.”
10:29 a.m. – Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA began a sukkah for Palestine on Monday morning. The gathering, which Graduate SJP deemed an encampment in an Instagram story, is for the weeklong Jewish harvest holiday of Sukkot and follows similar actions at UC Berkeley and Columbia University.
Source: https://dailybruin.com/2024/10/21/live-graduate-students-for-justice-in-palestine-demonstration.
====
A new UCLA task force report on antisemitism on campus was also released today.* It's not known whether the timing of the demonstration was in some way related to the release.
In sum, this report provides new evidence, assessment, and recommendations pertinent to the recent rise of antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias at UCLA. It is vital that the University address these matters in a timely manner to prevent attrition of Jews and Israelis from UCLA and to mitigate discrimination and antisemitism on campus. The Task Force is prepared to begin our next phase of work with administrators and other groups on campus through the Dialogue Across Differences Initiative to model and promote the values of intellectual engagement, empathy, active listening, critical thinking, and collaboration. We look forward to engaging with administrators, leaders, groups on campus, and the entire campus community to ensure an inclusive, accessible and non-discriminatory campus environment that upholds Bruin Values and principles of democracy...
Report at https://www.antisemitismreport.org/.
===
*Task Force Members include Sarah Blenner, JD, MPH (Fielding School of Public Health), Stuart Fine, BS (David Geffen School of Medicine); Stuart A. Gabriel, PhD (Anderson School of Management, Task Force Chair); Kian Kohanteb (College of Letters and Sciences); Deborah Lehman, MD (David Geffen School of Medicine); Maytal Sarafian, BA (School of Law); Richard Steinberg, JD, PhD (School of Law); Jonathan Zasloff, JD, PhD (School of Law) and additional members who prefer to remain anonymous.
Double, Double, Baseball Trouble
The LA Times' headline pretty much sums up the story. Appeals are being filed. The judge is angry. Note that the parking lot for the stadium is not the same as the stadium itself. But...
The LA Times' story is at:
UCLA EDI office (termed DEI elsewhere) being revised, split
Announcing the Office of Inclusive Excellence
Interim Chancellor Hunt shared the following message with the Bruin community:
Dear Bruin Community:
Inclusive excellence — the recognition that our university’s success is closely linked to nurturing the talents and enhancing the well-being of a diverse community — is a core value of UCLA and a central theme of Creating the Future: UCLA Strategic Plan 2023–28. A strong campuswide culture of inclusive excellence is essential if UCLA is to thrive as an institution and if we are to prepare students to succeed in an increasingly globalized world. It is with this in mind that I write today to announce a structural change within our university and the evolution of our Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion into the new Office of Inclusive Excellence.
The reasons for this change require some context. Since its formation in 2015, UCLA’s EDI Office has laid the groundwork for a campus culture that is welcoming to and supportive of all people. Among the office’s many accomplishments, it has created structures to help cultivate inclusion and respect, adjusted the ways in which UCLA approaches the recruitment of students and employees from diverse backgrounds, and improved our mechanisms for addressing instances of discrimination and harassment on campus.
The office has historically maintained two primary focus areas. The first is on research and programming aimed at preventing harassment and discrimination; and the second is on accountability, with the Office of Civil Rights managing the assessment and investigation of civil rights complaints.
While this dual focus has in some ways been advantageous, a recent review of the EDI Office — which included extensive discussions with campus stakeholders — found that UCLA would benefit from a cabinet-level administrative unit focused exclusively on proactive efforts to strengthen our campus climate and foster a culture of engagement and learning across differences. This review also determined that more closely connecting the Office of Civil Rights to the university’s other investigatory functions would improve collaboration and coordination, data sharing, trend analysis and risk prevention efforts.
This leads me to the changes we are announcing today. The functions of the EDI Office that are currently focused on improving the campus climate — the Office of the Vice Provost and the Research & Bruin Engagement Office — will form the core of a new Office of Inclusive Excellence. Partnering with campus initiatives such as Rising to the Challenge, our HSI initiative, AANAPISI, Bruins Rising, Faculty Forward, and Dialogue across Difference; as well campus units like Student Affairs and the Institute on Democracy, Education and Access, this office will play a central role in developing programs to support a healthy campus climate and activities that build a culture of engagement, learning, dialogue and respect for all.
The current EDI Office’s investigative functions that comprise the Civil Rights Office — the Office of the Assistant Vice Chancellor; the Discrimination Prevention Office; the Staff, Diversity & Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance Office; and the Title IX Office — will become part of UCLA’s Compliance Office. While maintaining important connections to the Office of Inclusive Excellence, this closer coordination between the Office of Civil Rights and the other functions of the Compliance Office will help ensure that adherence to our standards around respect and protection of civil rights are on a par with all of UCLA’s other regulatory obligations.
This week, we will formally launch a search for a new vice provost to head the Office of Inclusive Excellence, aiming to select a scholar and leader who is an expert in the art and the science of creating inclusive campuses. Our search will include listening sessions with the Bruin community this fall, and our goal is to appoint a leader in 2025 to take over from Interim Vice Provost for EDI Mitchell Chang, who has stewarded the EDI Office since 2023. Over the next several months, an external consultant will work with the EDI Office and Compliance Office to facilitate the transition of our Office of Civil Rights.
I want to be clear that the changes we are announcing today are structural in nature. They will not entail any employee layoffs nor changes in EDI employees’ duties, and there will be no reduction in the overall budget for UCLA’s EDI efforts associated with these shifts.
By centering inclusive excellence, we can better achieve UCLA’s mission of research, education and public service; more meaningfully serve our communities and more fully meet our university’s public mandate. We are confident that a vigorous and empowered Office of Inclusive Excellence will help strengthen UCLA’s position as one of the most diverse and outstanding universities in the world.
Sincerely,
Darnell Hunt, Interim Chancellor
Any retiree having problems?
Medicare Advantage plans, it has been reported, have been over-compensated by the feds on a risk-adjusted basis, so they have been widely promoted by the private carriers that offer them. Over half of the Medicare-eligible population is now under Medicare advantage plans, such as the one offered by UC through United Healthcare. Recently, the feds seem to have become aware of the overpayment and have begun to squeeze. Some providers have begun to remove themselves from Medicare Advantage networks because of low and slow reimbursements. There is another report that some services are being restricted.
From Stat News: Getting physical, occupational, and speech therapy is about to get a lot more burdensome for people who have a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan. A friendly neighborhood tipster alerted me to new prior authorization rules put out by UnitedHealthcare, the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group. As of Sept. 1, Medicare Advantage members who need PT, OT, or ST in a physician’s office or an outpatient hospital clinic will need to get approval from UnitedHealthcare.
Getting PT, OT, and ST in your home is cheaper than getting them in an outpatient clinic, but that’s not necessarily feasible for everyone. This will create headaches not just for UnitedHealthcare MA enrollees, but also the therapists who will have to file more paperwork to justify the sessions.
There’s another financial angle here for UnitedHealth, beyond potentially paying out fewer claims for therapists. UnitedHealth is also directing more of these services to itself. (Sound familiar?) People who get these services in their house are excluded from the prior authorization requirements — UnitedHealth just so happens to own a bunch of firms that offer PT, OT, and ST at home...
Full story at https://www.statnews.com/2024/10/15/healthcare-news-united-health-insurance-medicare-advantage-physical-therapy-health-care-inc/.
If you are a UC retiree under Medicare Advantage and have noted recent changes, please let us know.
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Strike News
Another potential strike is pending. From the Bruin:
The University Professional and Technical Employees-Communications Workers of America 9119 will conduct a strike authorization vote Oct. 21 in response to alleged unfair labor practices by the UC. The union, which represents research and technical workers, claimed the University failed to meet its demands, withheld information regarding staffing and unilaterally raised employee healthcare costs throughout the bargaining process. Only selected campuses – which union leadership will announce the day of the referendum – will participate in the vote and, if authorized, the strike.
“We have been meeting with the University for four months now,” said UPTE-CWA 9119 President Dan Russell in a video posted to the union’s Instagram. “Unfortunately, their unfair labor practices have prevented us from moving towards an agreement that will address the crisis of recruitment and retention that we are seeing across UC.”
However, in an emailed statement to the Daily Bruin, UC Office of the President spokesperson Heather Hansen rejected the union’s claims that the UC negotiated in bad faith. She said in the statement that UPTE-CWA 9119 consistently rejected the University’s proposals, adding that it appeared the union had decided to strike before negotiations even began...
Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2024/10/16/upte-cwa-9119-to-vote-on-strike-oct-21-after-insufficient-uc-bargaining.
UC may want to lose this case - Part 2
As we noted at the time, it is not clear that UC wants to win this lawsuit. If it loses, it would be because of a court decision ruling that there is no prohibition and that UC is obligated by state law to allow such hiring. Being ordered to do something by a court would clearly lessen the legal risk. In any case, here is the essence of the challenge:
...It is unlawful for an employer to “discriminate against an employee because of the employee’s or applicant’s immigration status, unless the employer has shown by clear and convincing evidence that it is required to do so in order to comply with federal immigration law.”
The Regents’ Policy plainly violates this prohibition. The Regents’ only justification for its overtly discriminatory policy is that IRCA requires it. But as previously explained, IRCA’s ban on hiring undocumented persons does not bind the UC. The plain text of the relevant provision of IRCA simply does not regulate States, and certainly does not evince an “unmistakably clear” intent to do so. The Regents accordingly cannot establish “by clear and convincing evidence” that the Policy is required “to comply with federal immigration law.” ...
Full filing available at:
===
*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2024/10/uc-may-want-to-lose-this-case.html.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Fidelity Fraud
From an email being circulated:
October 15, 2024
Re: Fraud Alert and Security Steps for Fidelity Accounts
Dear UC Retirement Savings Program participants,
We want to inform you of recent reports of fraudulent activity involving UC Retirement Savings Program accounts maintained by Fidelity. Fidelity’s cybersecurity team has identified the issue, closed the vulnerability, and taken immediate steps to protect all potentially affected accounts. Outbound calls to the 120 affected participants have begun.
Please be assured that, under Fidelity’s Customer Protection Guarantee, Fidelity will reimburse any losses from unauthorized account activity, provided the activity was not due to your own actions. You can review the full guarantee on Fidelity's website.
How to safeguard your Fidelity accounts
It's always a good idea to stay vigilant about cyber risks and take steps to secure your accounts. Here are some recommended actions to help you monitor and protect your Fidelity accounts:
Check your accounts regularly
Review both your UC workplace account (at netbenefits.com) and any personal Fidelity retail accounts (at www.fidelity.com). Pay close attention to your profile information, especially mobile numbers and emails associated with multi-factor authentication (MFA) and account alerts. Fidelity will notify you of any profile changes.
Report any issues to Fidelity
If you notice any unusual activity or unauthorized changes, contact Fidelity immediately at 866-682-7787. As noted above, Fidelity will reimburse any losses from unauthorized account activity, provided the activity was not due to your own actions.
Enhance your account security with an authenticator app
For added protection, consider using a third-party authenticator app. This provides an extra layer of security beyond your username and password. Here’s how to set it up:
Download an authenticator app (such as Duo or Google Authenticator) from your mobile device's app store.
Log in to your account at NetBenefits.com or www.Fidelity.com, then go to Profile & Settings (person icon) and select Security Center.
In the Multi-Factor Authentication at Login section, select Authenticator App.
Open the authenticator app and either scan the QR code or manually enter the secret key displayed.
Enter the 6-digit code from the app on the Fidelity website and select Continue to complete your enrollment.
When the pop-up confirms your enrollment, select Done.
We will continue to share updates as we learn more.
Sincerely,
Hyun Swanson
Executive Director, Retirement Program Services
University of California Office of the President
Guidance
 |
| This advice may not be adequate. |
Some guidance for instructors from the University Committee on Educational Policy (UCEP):
...Posting of instructor-owned course materials to third-party websites without the instructor’s permission is especially problematic because it may at once violate intellectual property rights, provide opportunities for students to cheat, and financially enrich these third-party online services. In an effort to mitigate these risks, we recommend several measures:
(1) remind students of the specific actions that constitute violations of academic integrity and intellectual property policies and of the serious consequences of committing such violations. This can be done through statements in course syllabi and announcements in class meetings at the beginning of each quarter or semester.
(2) include a copyright notice on your course materials. For some guidance on copyright notices, please see the following link: https://copyright.universityofcalifornia.edu/faqs/#h.
(3) include the following sentence in your course materials in the header or footer of course materials: “This content is protected and may not be shared, uploaded, or distributed.” One online service, Course Hero, has indicated that its filtering tool will generally prohibit the upload of documents that contain this statement.
(4) define whether the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools is acceptable. And, if so, articulate what type of use is acceptable (e.g., are they allowed to share your course materials?). The syllabus should notify students if they are required to acknowledge use of GenAI in their coursework...
Full guidance at https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/reports/ac-senate-divisions-recommendations-academic-integrity-10-1-24.pdf.
Yours truly's experience with issues of "academic integrity" at UCLA seemed to vary with who was making interpretations at the dean of students office. In some cases, for example, plagiarism was interpreted broadly to mean unoriginal work that would include writing reports by cutting and pasting from sources, even if some kind of sourcenote was present. But sometimes a much more narrow interpretation was taken, i.e., if there was a sourcenote somewhere, a report largely composed of cut-and-paste excerpts was OK. Given the variability, it is best to define unoriginal work in the syllabus clearly. That step would include use of AI. The question is, did you write this report or is it largely the product of others' work including AI as an "other"?
Friday, October 18, 2024
Still down
The Internet Archive on which we rely for storage of many recordings and other items (such as the quarterly backup to this blog in print format) is still down after a cyber attack, although some services, notably the Wayback Machine, have been restored. Below is the latest information:
Internet Archive Services Update: 2024-10-17
Posted on October 18, 2024 by Brewster Kahle
Last week, along with a DDOS attack and exposure of patron email addresses and encrypted passwords, the Internet Archive’s website javascript was defaced, leading us to bring the site down to access and improve our security.
The stored data of the Internet Archive is safe and we are working on resuming services safely. This new reality requires heightened attention to cyber security and we are responding. We apologize for the impact of these library services being unavailable.
The Wayback Machine, Archive-It, scanning, and national library crawls have resumed, as well as email, blog, helpdesk, and social media communications. Our team is working around the clock across time zones to bring other services back online. In coming days more services will resume, some starting in read-only mode as full restoration will take more time.
We’re taking a cautious, deliberate approach to rebuild and strengthen our defenses. Our priority is ensuring the Internet Archive comes online stronger and more secure.
As a library community, we are seeing other cyber attacks—for instance the British Library, Seattle Public Library, Toronto Public Library, and now Calgary Public Library. We hope these attacks are not indicative of a trend...
Thank you for your patience and ongoing support.
Source: https://blog.archive.org/2024/10/18/internet-archive-services-update-2024-10-17/.