Cogeneration Upgrade at the Regents

The Regents are being asked today for additional funding to upgrade the UCLA cogeneration plant:

...The Los Angeles campus is requesting a $20.5 million (33 percent) increase to the approved budget for the Cogeneration Plant Equipment Replacement project. Commissioned in early 1994, the plant generates electricity, steam, and chilled water for the main campus and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center using two gas turbine generators, a steam turbine generator, and two supplementary fired Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs). The plant provides critical reliability and resilience. The gas turbine generators are at the end of their useful life and need to be replaced to comply with new South Coast Air Quality Management District emission limits that became effective on January 1, 2024. Operating the plant’s engines beyond these emission limits would expose the campus to daily citations and associated fines as high as $50,000 per day. The project will replace the existing gas turbine generators with two new units, modify the HRSGs to work with the new turbines, and include other associated improvements.

...The project was originally approved by the Chancellor in October 2022 with a total budget of $62 million, funded from campus funds. Since the project’s approval, the contractor’s Guaranteed Maximum Price has exceeded the target estimate. Several regulatory compliance challenges also emerged during consultations with the permitting agencies, including the need for significant modifications to previously procured equipment, resulting in higher costs.

Construction began in January 2024. The proposed revised budget is now $82.5 million. Since the budget exceeds $70 million, the Regents’ approval is required for this budget augmentation. The Regents are being asked to approve: (1) a $20.5 million augmentation, to be funded by external financing from Century Bonds proceeds, for a total budget of $82.5 million; and (2) $82.5 million in external financing from Century Bonds... 

Full Regents item at https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/nov24/f5.pdf.

Rankings

From Santa Monica Patch: UCLA Health Santa Monica Medical Center is among the top 10 hospitals in California, according to a new ranking released this week from Newsweek. It's one of two Santa Monica hospitals to appear on the statewide list. The publication worked with data firm Statista to analyze hundreds of medical facilities across the country to create the America’s Best In-State Hospitals 2025 report, based on metrics from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the AHA Annual Survey of Hospitals Database, patient experience surveys, and a nationwide online survey of medical professionals...

Full story at https://patch.com/california/santamonica/santa-monica-hospital-among-10-best-california-new-ranking.

===

From: https://r.statista.com/en/healthcare/americas-best-in-state-hospitals-2025/ranking/ 

Election Analysis

I am sure many blog readers are puzzled (and worried) about the outcome of the recent election. Even the forecast, pre-election, that the election would be very close proved to be incorrect. Although some commentators seem now to portray the result as a landslide for Trump, that would be a mischaracterization. (An example of a landslide would be, say, Reagan vs. Mondale in 1984). Nonetheless, the 2024 election was decisive. Below is a chart from the Financial Times indicating that a general shift toward Trump occurred among almost all groups, 2020 to 2024:

Here (below) is a 5-minute video of two experts the day before the election. One says - based on polls - that the election will be very close. The other says if it isn't close, the odds are it will tilt toward Harris:

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB9yeDqqgjU. 

So, we learn (once again) that relying on polling in perilous.

The chart at the very top of this post shows that if you look at real wages and ask the question - Are you better off than you were four years ago? - the answer for much of the electorate is "no." We can debate the causes of that answer, but not the fact. Below is another video (one hour) which makes the point that generally the electorate punishes the incumbent party when the answer is "no":

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6LNjtTiSUo.

In short, the electorate behaved normally even though you could well argue that Trump was not a normal candidate. So, the question now becomes how the Republicans were able to get a normal result with an abnormal candidate - apart from just pushing the issue of high prices. If you look at the ads the circulated and the internet campaigning, the message was that it was the Democrats who were abnormal (boys in the girls bathroom, allowing open borders, crime in cities, etc.). And, yes, universities didn't help themselves over the past year - and are now particularly vulnerable - especially the research universities which receive a lot of federal funding. (Here's looking at you, UC.) In addition to direct receipt of federal funding, universities have endowments and pensions that are subject to federal tax and other regulations.* 

It will be interesting to see if the Regents say anything this week about these developments. One suspects, however, that whatever they say will likely occur behind closed doors.

The governor has called a special session of the legisture somehow to insulate California from the feds. But UC is not easy to insulate.

The most immediate concern for UC would be protection of DACA and other undocumented students, given the Trump promise of a mass deportation campaign. (However, the idea of UC hiriing undocumented students and testing the federal government thereby is now unlikely to go anywhere, given the election outcome.) Beyond providing protection, I suggest everyone take a deep breath, see what develops, and avoid goading the lion. The one thing we know from the first Trump term is that he is mercurial and that people who seem to speak for him are often fired thereafter. We don't really know what is coming.

===

*On Columbia University, see https://www.thefp.com/p/trump-presidency-may-cost-columbia.

Union News

From the Bruin: Five thousand University of California workers filed to form a new union Friday. The union – representing student services and advising workers – will join the United Auto Workers, according to a press release from the Student Services & Advising Professionals at the University of California. UAW already represents academic student employees, graduate student researchers and academic and postdoctoral researchers across the UC through its 4811 chapter.

The workers filed to form the union with the state Public Employee Relations Board at noon [last] Friday. Sean Campbell, an admissions and recruitment worker at UCLA, said in a video announcing the union’s formation that he believes the arbitrary enforcement of University policies means workers are not able to dictate their working conditions...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2024/11/08/5000-university-of-california-workers-to-file-to-form-new-union.

UCLA's Medicare Advantage Plan Soon to Launch

UCLA is offering its own Medicare Advantage Plan to the general Medicare-eligible population in LA County. This plan should not be confused with the UC Medicare Advantage Plan offered to UC retirees. From Regents item H3 to be discussed at the Regents today:

...UCLA Health will launch its Medicare Advantage health plan under the name “UCLA Health Medicare Advantage Plan” on January 1, 2025, through New Century Health Plan, Inc. (NCHP). NCHP was established on July 6, 2023, as a California general business corporation wholly owned by the Regents of the University of California. Licensed by the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) under the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, NCHP is a fully authorized healthcare service plan provider offering comprehensive services to Medicare beneficiaries across all zip codes within Los Angeles County. NCHP’s Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug (MAPD) plan bid was approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 21, 2024. A calendar year contract for 2025 with CMS was executed on August 27, 2024, allowing NCHP to provide services to enrolled members on January 1, 2025.

===

...The UCLA Health Medicare Advantage Plan offers two health maintenance organization (HMO) plans that meet the diverse needs of the Los Angeles County Medicare beneficiary market. The approach was to design affordable plans with predictable costs by offering low monthly premiums and an over-the-counter smart benefits card to keep out-of-pocket costs low. In addition to prescription drug coverage, both plans include dental, vision, and hearing benefits, along with fitness and nutrition services to support holistic health. The inclusion of transportation services in the benefits ensures accessible and reliable transportation to and from medical appointments, addressing a critical barrier to care that disproportionately affects underserved communities. Both plans are financially sustainable and market competitive.

Prescription Drug Benefits

The health plan includes full Part D prescription drug benefits, ensuring that members can access a comprehensive range of medications. The plan’s pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Inc. (MedImpact), a California-based organization with a vast network of pharmacies, will administer these benefits. Medimpact’s services include retail, specialty, and a mail-order pharmacy through BirdieRx, making prescription fulfillment convenient and accessible for members across Los Angeles County.

Full Regents item at https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/nov24/h3.pdf.

==

PS: I am told UC-San Francisco looked into creating a similar Medicare Advantage plan and found that the difficulties involved could not be overcome.

Baca

Professor-Emerita Judith Baca (left), the famed muralist, gave a presentation last Thursday to a combined meeting of the Emeriti and Retiree Associations at the UCLA Faculty Club. She was interviewed about her life and work by Rosina Becerra (right). You can find various posts on this blog about her work by typing "Baca" in the search option. Unfortunately, at the end of the presentation, the chair on which she was seated collapsed causing injury. I am informed she is now recovering. We wish her well.

The Empire Expands

From the Commercial Observer: UCLA is advancing its wide-ranging expansion with another real estate acquisition and a plan for a significant redevelopment in its hometown. UCLA put down $55 million for a nearly 170,000-square-foot office facility in Los Angeles’ South Bay, sources told Commercial Observer. The university has a roughly $90 million plan to redevelop the two-story facility for the UCLA Health Sports Medicine Institute.

Karney Properties sold the two-story asset at 5210 Pacific Concourse for about $324 per square foot. Previously nicknamed 52Ten, the facility is on 9.5 acres off Interstate 405 between El Segundo and Hawthorne, near the southeast corner of LAX. Property records show Karney purchased the now 22-year-old building from Siemens Corporation for $53 million in 2017, and renovated it in 2020, adding a cafe, a library and a common room.

According to a request for an architect from July, UCLA’s plans to redevelop the property for its sports medicine program could include adding an ambulatory surgery center, a medical clinic, advanced imaging, a microbiology/serology clinical lab and a specialty pharmacy. “The location and infrastructure of the building align with UCLA Health’s mission to provide leading-edge health care to the Los Angeles community,” UCLA Health said in a statement shared with CO. “The facility will enable us to leverage the existing lab infrastructure and add technologies to expand our patient care services.”

...UCLA has been rapidly expanding throughout L.A...

Full story at https://commercialobserver.com/2024/11/la-ucla-health-sports-medicine-reuse-lab-sale/.

Another Searching Meeting

Source: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/nov24/presidentialsearch.pdf.

The Regents will begin their regular November meetings tomorrow. But they have been meeting from time to time regarding the presidential search, as shown above. 

Impending Strike

From Becker's Hospital Review: Members of the University Professional and Technical Employees at the University of California San Francisco are set to strike Nov. 20 and 21. The union represents approximately 4,000 UCSF healthcare, research and technical workers, according to a UPTE news release shared with Becker's. Of these, approximately 2,040 are healthcare workers.

Union members voted to authorize a strike in October. The union and management began negotiating a new labor contract in June, according to the University of California. Heather Hansen, a spokesperson for the UC Office of the President, which is negotiating with the union on behalf of the UC system, told Becker's that in October, the university made a "significant" offer to boost salaries by "5% in year one of the contract and by 19% to 23% over the life of the proposed three-year agreement. 

"UC has also proposed $75 or $100 monthly premium subsidies for UPTE employees and is eager to continue to negotiate these issues with the union. UC has also agreed to raise wages for all UPTE and AFSCME employees to $25 an hour by July 1, 2025."

In October, UPTE filed a complaint with the California Public Employment Relations Board, contending that UC failed to provide necessary information about staffing vacancies and unilaterally — and illegally — increased health insurance costs outside of bargaining. The union also alleged that staffing levels within the UC system have not kept pace with increased demand for services, resulting in a decline in patient care quality...

Full story at https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hr/2k-ucsf-healthcare-workers-schedule-strike.html.

When will we get artificial common sense?

https://x.com/CalPolicy/status/1854531413535498533 

AEA Ombuds

The American Economic Association - the premier professional academic association for economists - provides a service that other professional groups might want to emulate. If you are in another field, you might consider asking your association to provide a similar service.

“How to Have a Productive Difficult Conversation at Work”

"The one-hour workshop, scheduled for Wednesday, November 13 at 2:00 p.m. EST via Zoom, will be led by the Ombuds team at MWI. Learn practical approaches to address conflicts constructively, mitigate negative impacts, and create pathways for resolution, allowing you to refocus on your meaningful work."

Members of the AEA will likely have gotten this notice with instructions on how to register.*

===

*If you are a member but didn't get the notice, go to https://www.aeaweb.org/news/member-announcements/2024-nov-07. 

Faculty Club Transition

As faithful blog readers will know, years ago this blog was instrumental in opposing a plan to replace the Faculty Club with what is now the Luskin Hotel, which was instead built where a parking structure stood in central campus. Ultimately, the hotel was built elsewhere. We will be watching the developments described below closely.

====

November 7, 2024

Faculty Club Members

Dear Colleagues,

In October, I sent an email to members of the Faculty Club detailing the serious financial issues facing the Club and affecting our operations. I also described the intensive efforts of the Board to secure a new and viable organizational structure that would sustain us into the future. Now, I am pleased to announce a new partnership with UCLA’s Housing & Hospitality (H&H) in managing the Club’s food and beverage services, as well as its meetings and events program. This has involved close collaboration with Human Resources. Under this new model, the Faculty Club will continue to serve its core purpose and will retain its General Manager and elected Board of Governors. Food and Beverage, and event and meetings services will be managed by H & H. Yesterday, November 6, I shared the news about the pending changes in the operations of the Club with our staff and how it will affect them. 

Under the direction of Peter Angelis, Assistant Vice Chancellor - H&H, manages a wide range of business operations, including the Luskin Conference Center and the extensive student residential facilities on the Hill, known for their award-winning food service and dining operations. These operations are so well regarded that the facilities have been selected as the site for the 2028 Olympic Village. Peter and his team have been working with our General Manager, Andrea Curthoys, and members of the Board to make a detailed assessment of every aspect of our Club’s revenue and operations.

I want to stress that this new operational model is not a “takeover” by the Administration. In fact, Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck and Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Steven Agostini have been fully supportive in helping us confront our situation and in envisioning a sustainable future for the Club. We are fortunate that H&H is willing to help find operational efficiencies that could ensure the Club’s future viability. We are working on these details now. To ensure a smooth transition, the Board established a Transition Team led by President-Elect, Victoria Steele, that has been working through the operational details, with an implementation date of January 1, 2025.

We are excited about this partnership and remain committed to transparency as we navigate this new model. I understand that many of you may have questions regarding this partnership and the potential changes to the Club. I am available to answer any questions you may have, either via email or in person. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we will be having our planned All Members’ meeting via Zoom on November 14th at 4:30 to introduce the partnership and answer questions. Peter Angelis also will attend.* In December, we will host a reception to honor the Club’s past and the many members who have supported it over the decades.

Even with these operational adjustments, the continued success of the Club depends on the support of UCLA faculty and staff to secure the Club's future.

On behalf of the Board of Governors, thank you for your membership, for your continued support, and understanding.

Sincerely,

Linda Sarna

President, UCLA Faculty Club

===

*Members will have received the Zoom link.

 

Some Retirement Programs for November - Part 2

Retiree Health Webinar:

This webinar is intended for those considering retirement from UC within the next 4-12 months. We’ll provide an in-depth review of the eligibility rules for retiree health coverage, your health plan options (including Medicare coordination), how to determine your premiums and answers to commonly asked questions.

Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 2 PM.

Register:

https://ucop.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KpETRz4EQVS-DoKDp9OA_w#/registration.

More Giant Dorms

Berkeley isn't the only campus to build giant dorms. San Diego is building two of them. From Times of San Diego: 

UC San Diego has opened new apartment-style residence spaces, Pepper Canyon West Living and Learning Neighborhood, located on the eastern edge of the campus, in an effort to provide more on-campus housing. Perkins&Will, a international architecture and design firm with a studio in San Diego, shaped Pepper Canyon’s two towers, one with 23 floors and the other 22. The project has direct access to the campus, with views of the city, ocean and mountains.

The $352 million project provides units at below-market-rate rents to approximately 1,300 transfer and upper-division students, in an effort to create more affordable options in San Diego and on campus. The apartment-style spaces feature single occupancy rooms within suites, including a bathroom, kitchen and living area, according to UCSD housing...

Full story at https://timesofsandiego.com/education/2024/11/02/ucsd-opens-2-pepper-tree-inspired-dorms-to-create-sense-of-community/.

Post-Election Statement

California’s Public Higher Education Leaders Reassure Communities After Presidential Election

UC Office of the President, November 6, 2024

University of California President Michael V. Drake, M.D., California State University Chancellor Dr. Mildred García, and California Community Colleges Chancellor Dr. Sonya Christian released the following statement today, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024: 

Following the presidential election results, we understand that there is a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety within California’s higher education community. The University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges remain steadfast and committed to our values of diversity and inclusivity. We are proud to welcome students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and we will continue to support and protect all members of our communities. California represents a beacon of hope for so many, and we stand ready to support our state and its people as we all move forward together.

Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/californias-public-higher-education-leaders-reassure-communities-after-presidential.

More State Income Tax Revenue (but obligated) aka Good News/Bad News

 

An email alert from the Legislative Analyst's Office (Jason Sisney) reports more income tax revenue than forecast for the current fiscal year through October. The income tax is the largest single source of revenue for the state:

Preliminary data from California’s tax agencies shows that personal and corporate income taxes, combined, outpaced 2024 state budget projections for the month of October by $1.2 billion (16%). For the 2024-25 fiscal year to date, the income taxes are running $5.2 billion (15%) above budget projections. (In addition, 2023-24 General Fund revenue receipts were $3.2 billion above 2024 state budget projections.)

The vast majority of the revenue overage to date is already spoken for in the state budget—for example, to address:

• school funding obligations (including maintenance factor accumulated due to the suspension of the Proposition 98 guarantee in 2023-24)

• costs from new ballot measures approved by voters

• costs due to savings efforts in the 2024 budget that fail to materialize

• future unfunded costs shown as operating deficits in the 2024 budget multiyear budget projection from the Department of Finance.

Moreover, the upcoming changes in the federal executive and legislative branches obviously may result in changes to programs that affect the state budget. In addition, the Governor recently proposed a significant expansion of the film and television tax credit.

Later this month, the Department of Finance’s Finance Bulletin will include authoritative information on October revenues, including income, sales, and other taxes...

The Way We Live Now (?)

From the Chronicle of Higher Education: Before she returned to teaching last spring after a leave of absence, Amy Clukey braced for the possibility that her students might cheat with ChatGPT. She’d heard complaints from her fellow professors and thought, sure, that’s not good. But plagiarism had never been much of a problem in her English classes.

“I was always, like, I’ll create unique assignments and they will be somewhat plagiarism-proof, and some students will get by me,” said Clukey, an associate professor at the University of Louisville. “But that’s fine because most of them will be doing their own work, and it’ll be great.”

It wasn’t great.

“I was just hit,” she said, “by a student army of cheating.” Students cheated on informal discussion-board prompts. They cheated on essays. A few weeks ago, she emailed a student to say that she knew the student had cheated on a minor assignment with AI and if she did it again, she would fail the course. Clukey also noted there were several missed assignments. The student replied to “sincerely apologize,” said she was “committed to getting back on track,” and that she regretted “any disruption [her] absence or incomplete work may have caused in the course.” But her next paper was essentially written by artificial intelligence. Curious, Clukey asked ChatGPT to write an email apologizing to a professor for plagiarism and missed work.

“And what did it do?” she said. “It spit out an email almost exactly like the one I had gotten.”

Talk to professors in writing-intensive courses, particularly those teaching introductory or general-education classes, and it sounds as if AI abuse has become pervasive. Clukey said she feels less like a teacher and more like a human plagiarism detector, spending hours each week analyzing her students’ writing to determine its authenticity.

But it’s not AI that has a lot of professors worried. It’s what lies behind that willingness to cheat. While the reasons vary by student and situation, certain explanations surface frequently. Students are working long hours while taking full course loads. They doubt their ability to perform well. They arrive at college with weak reading and study skills. They don’t value the assignments they’re given. They feel like the only way they can succeed is to be perfect. They believe they will not be punished — or not punished harshly — if caught. And many, it seems, don’t feel particularly guilty about it.

“When it’s that widespread, it’s a culture. It’s not just an individual student. It is so many. And when I talk to some undergrads, they’re like, ‘Everybody does it.’”

Some institutions, including Middlebury College, in Vermont, and Stanford University, are reconsidering elements of their honor codes because they’re simply not working. At Middlebury, the percentage of students who admitted on an annual survey to violating the honor code rose from 35 percent in 2019 to 65 percent in 2024. The most common self-reported violations were using unauthorized aids, such as SparkNotes or a friend, cheating on a test, and misusing AI.

In an online course, Clukey estimates that more than half of her students have plagiarized with AI. “When it’s that widespread, it’s a culture,” she said. “It’s not just an individual student, one out of an entire class or two out of the entire class. It is so many. And when I talk to some undergrads, they’re like, ‘Everybody does it.’”

When so many students admit to cheating, what does academic integrity mean anymore? Middlebury has been wrestling with this question as it undergoes an examination of its honor code, which states that students have a “moral obligation” to turn in classmates who cheat and largely does not allow professors to proctor exams. Those parts of the code could eventually be removed.

An interim report released in May by an honor-code-review committee found that, while campus culture generally affirms the value of academic integrity and that cheating is wrong, “the reality of daily practice suggests that the honor code has ceased to be a meaningful element of learning and living at Middlebury for most students.”

Along with pointing to the sharp rise in students who admit to violating the honor code, the authors note that few students report others for cheating; there is widespread confusion about how violations are adjudicated; and many professors want to proctor exams. Widespread use of generative AI adds another layer of complexity, but the report makes clear that problems with the honor system go far beyond what’s made possible with ChatGPT.

Many students, the report says, feel tremendous pressure to get A’s; anything less is seen as a failure. As a result, grades matter more than integrity. In the student survey, only 34 percent of students said they felt guilty violating the honor code. Other reasons students say they cheat include confusion over what their professors define as cheating; the ease of cheating through phones, AI, and unproctored exams; and the pressure to cheat when you see your classmates doing so...

Full story at https://www.chronicle.com/article/cheating-has-become-normal.

 

Some Post-Election Day Thoughts

 

A lot of folks need to reconsider what they thought they knew.

Those who need to rethink the most are likely to do it least.

Some Retirement Programs for November

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.

Schedule:

Thursday, Nov. 7, 9 AM

Monday, Nov. 11, noon

Monday, Nov. 18, 1 PM

Sign up: https://fmr.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ijclrx04Q7mPZlMcKN-2Yw#/registration.

Warning

From Forbes: “Cybercriminals are gaining access to email accounts,” the FBI warned..., even when accounts are protected by multifactor authentication (MFA). Attacks begin when users are lured into “visiting suspicious websites or click on phishing links that download malicious software onto their computer.”

Email access itself comes by way of cookie theft. Not the devilish tracking cookies that we read so much about, and which caused havoc when Google reversed its promise to eradicate them from Chrome. These are session cookies or security cookies or “remember me” cookies. They store credentials to stop you having to log in every time you visit a website or access one of your accounts.

The threat affects all email platforms providing web logins, albeit Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and AOL are by far the largest. The same threat clearly impacts other accounts as well, including shopping sites and financial platforms, albeit there are now often additional protections in place, especially with financial accounts. MFA is not usually stored in the same way, and criminals use other means to steal live codes.

“Many users across the web are victimized by cookie theft malware,” Google has warned, “giving attackers access to their web accounts.” While “fundamental to the modern web... due to their powerful utility,” Google describes security cookies as “a lucrative target for attackers,” and that problem is getting worse.

“Typically, this type of cookie is generated when a user clicks the ‘Remember this device’ checkbox when logging in to a website,” the FBI explains. “If a cybercriminal obtains the Remember-Me cookie from a user’s recent login to their web email, they can use that cookie to sign-in as the user without needing their username, password, or multifactor authentication (MFA).”

Cookie theft has been much in the news recently, with ongoing efforts from Google and others to prevent such thefts from Chrome and other browsers. These latest such initiatives focus on linking cookies to devices and apps, rendering thefts useless. But we’re at an early stage and cookie theft remains a major threat.

“Cybercriminals are increasingly focused on stealing Remember-Me cookies and using them as their preferred way of accessing a victim’s email,” the FBI warns, but provides four suggested actions “to protect yourself from putting yourself at risk:

• Regularly clear your cookies from your Internet browser.
• Recognize the risks of clicking the ‘Remember Me’ checkbox when logging into a website.
• Do not click on suspicious links or websites. Only visit sites with a secure connection (HTTPS) to protect your data from being intercepted during transmission.
• Periodically monitor the recent device login history from your account settings.”

As ever, if you think you may have fallen victim to this or any other cybercrime, you can report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov...

Full story at https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2024/11/02/fbi-warns-gmail-outlook-aol-yahoo-users-hackers-gain-access-to-accounts/.

Today's Election May Be Close

It happened back in the day, too:

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il8T0y96LXU.

Avoid It

 Lane Closures on Wilshire Blvd Near Veteran Ave

Frontier Kemper Tutor Perini Joint Venture (FKTP) and our subcontractors will be conducting Cone Penetration Tests (CPT) and road restoration on Wilshire Blvd. This work is being conducted at the request of the Metro Transportation Authority for the Purple Line Extension 3 project.   

Construction Period: November 13th  to November 19th 18th

Work Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM  

Traffic Control:  

• Multiple-Lane closures along Wilshire Blvd.  

• Road access is maintained on either side of the construction work area.  

• Sidewalk access will be maintained. 

 Noteworthy:  

• All work has received the necessary permits and approval.  

• Access to driveways, residences, and business will be maintained at all times unless notified in advance.  

• Access for pedestrians will be maintained outside of construction zones.   

• Access for the Fire Department and emergency responders will be maintained.   

• For construction-related issues needing immediate attention, please call Metro’s 24-hour Hotline at 213.922.6934.

Regents Meeting Agenda: Nov. 12-14, 2024

The Regents schedule for Nov. 12-14, 2024 is now available:

November 12-14, 2024, UC-San Francisco

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

1:00 pm Health Services Committee (open session - includes public comment session) 

Agenda – Open Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meetings of July 16 and August 14 and the Joint Meeting of the Governance Committee and the Health Services Committee of July 17, 2024

Public Comment Period (30 minutes)

H1 Discussion: Update from the Executive Vice President of UC Health

H2 Discussion: Addressing Community Health Needs: Community Benefit Report and the Role of the Anchor Institution

H3 Discussion: UCLA Health Medicare Advantage Plan Update

H4 Discussion: Positioning the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine to Respond to Emerging Challenges across California

-

Upon end of open session: Health Services Committee (closed session) 

Agenda – Closed Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meetings of July 16 and August 14, 2024

H5(X) Discussion: UC Health Litigation Update

---

4:00 pm Investments Committee (open session) 

Agenda – Open Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meetings of May 14, July 17, and September 19, 2024

I1 Discussion: Review of First Quarter 2024–25 Fiscal Year Performance for UC Retirement, Endowment, and Working Capital Assets

=====

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

8:30 am Board (open session - includes public comment session) 

Agenda – Open Session

Public Comment Period (30 minutes)

Remarks of the Chair of the Board

Remarks of the President of the University

Remarks of the Chair of the Academic Senate

---

Concurrent Meetings:

9:30 am Finance and Capital Strategies Committee (closed session) 

Agenda – Closed Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of September 18, 2024

F1(X) Action: Medical Office Buildings and Associated Improvements, Los Angeles Campus: Acquisition

F2(X) Action: Downtown Mixed-Use Development, Santa Barbara Campus: Acquisition and External Financing

F3(X) Discussion: Legal Compliance Regarding Cal Softball Field Renovation Project, Berkeley Campus 

-

Upon the end of closed session: Finance and Capital Strategies Committee (open session) 

Agenda – Open Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of September 18, 2024

Consent Agenda:

F4A Action: Consent Item: Bank Line Program: External Financing

F4B Action: Consent Item: Rancho Bernardo Healthcare Center Medical Office Building, San Diego Campus: Design Following Adoption of a Mitigated Negative Declaration Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act

F4C Action: Consent Item: La Jolla Medical Center Tower 2, San Diego Campus: Preliminary Plans Funding

F4D Action: Consent Item: East Campus Student Housing, Santa Barbara Campus: Preliminary Plans Funding

F4E Action: Consent Item: Central Utility Plant Modernization and Expansion Project, UC Davis Health, Sacramento Campus: Budget, Scope, External Financing, and Design Following Adoption of Findings Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act

F5 Action: Cogeneration Plant Equipment Replacement, Los Angeles

Campus: Budget Amendment and External Financing

F6 Action: Cal Softball Field Renovation, Berkeley Campus: Amendment of Budget, External Financing, Scope, and Design Following Certification of an Environmental Impact Report Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act

F7 Action: San Benito Student Housing, Santa Barbara Campus: Budget, Scope, External Financing, Long Range Development Plan Amendment #7 and Design Following Consideration of an Addendum to the 2010 Long Range Development Plan Environmental Impact Report Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act

F8 Action: University of California Consolidated Capital Report and 2024-30 Capital Financial Plan

F9 Action: University of California Financial Reports, 2024

F10 Action: University of California 2025-26 Budget for Current Operations and State Request for Capital Projects

F11 Discussion: Annual Actuarial Valuations for the University of California Retirement Plan and Its Segments and for the 1991 University of California – Public Employees’ Retirement System Voluntary Early Retirement Incentive Program

F12 Discussion: Annual Actuarial Valuation of the University of California Retiree Health Benefit Program

F13 Information: Report of Budget to Actual Expenditures for Fiscal Year 2023-24 for the Office of the President; and First Quarter Fiscal Year 2024-25 Results

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9:30 am Academic and Student Affairs Committee (open session) 

Agenda – Open Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of September 18, 2024

A1 Action: Designation of the Strathearn Ranch Reserve (San Benito County) into the University of California Natural Reserve System

A2 Discussion: Research Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence

A3 Discussion: Annual Accountability Sub-Report on Diversity: UC 2023 – Equity Is Excellence

A4 Discussion: Updates on Federal Financial Aid and Path to Debt-Free UC

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Noon: Joint Meeting: Board and Special Committee on the Selection of the President (closed Session)

Agenda – Closed Session

J1(X) Discussion: Consideration of Matters Pertaining to Presidential Search Criteria and Potential Applicants

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1:00 pm Governance Committee (closed session) 

Agenda – Closed Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of September 18-19, 2024

G1(X) Discussion: Collective Bargaining Matters

G2(X) Discussion: Appointment of and Compensation for Senior Vice President – External Relations and Communications, Office of the President

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Upon end of closed session: Governance Committee (open session) 

Agenda – Open Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of September 19, 2024 and the Joint Meeting of the Governance Committee and the Health Services Committee of July 17, 2024

G2 Action: Approval of Appointment of and Compensation for Senior Vice President – External Relations and Communications, Office of the President as Discussed in Closed Session

G3 Discussion: Biennial Report on Diversity in Campus and Systemwide Executive Searches

G4 Action: Amendment of Regents Policy 4400: Policy on University of California Diversity Statement 

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Concurrent Meetings:

1:25 pm Compliance and Audit Committee (open session) 

Agenda – Open Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of September 19, 2024

C1 Discussion: Ethics, Compliance and Audit Services Annual Report 2023-24

C2 Discussion: Annual Report of External Auditors for the Year Ended June 30, 2024

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Upon the end of open session: Compliance and Audit Committee (closed session) 

Agenda – Closed Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of September 19, 2024

C3(X) Discussion: Compliance and Audit Personnel Matters

C4(X) Discussion: Annual Consultation with Regents’ Auditors Concerning Performance of University Personnel

C5(X) Discussion: Digital Risk Update

C6(X) Discussion: Review of Litigation Settlement Corrective Actions

C7(X) Action: Recommended Settlements for Board Action

C8(X) Discussion: Appellate, Trial Court Developments and Updates

Includes YOUNG AMERICA’S FOUNDATION, et al. v. BLOCK, et al. – Complaint Filed – First Amendment – Los Angeles (relates to a speaker on campus)

C9(X) Information: Settlements and Separation Agreements under Delegated Authority Reported from August 1, 2024 to September 30, 2024

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1:25 pm Public Engagement and Development Committee (open session) 

Agenda – Open Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of July 17, 2024

P1 Discussion: Update from Interim Senior Vice President of External Relations and Communications

P2 Discussion: Annual Report on Private Support

P3 Discussion: Partnership in Advocacy: A Collaboration Between UC Student Association, UC Graduate and Professional Council, and UC State and Federal Government Relations

P4 Discussion: Harvesting Excellence through Innovation: UC’s Contributions to the Wine Industry, Past, Present, and Future

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4:10 pm Special Committee on Athletics (open session) 

Agenda – Open Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meetings of May 14 and

September 19, 2024

S1 Discussion: Campus Athletics Overview: UC Berkeley and UC Riverside

-

Upon the end of open session: Special Committee on Athletics (closed session) 

Agenda – Closed Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of May 14, 2024

S2(X) Discussion: Student-Athlete Anti-Trust Litigation

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Thursday, November 14, 2024

8:30 am Board (open session - includes public comment session) 

Agenda – Open Session

Public Comment Period (30 minutes)

Approval of the Minutes of the Meetings of September 18 and 19, 2024

Remarks from Student Associations

B1 Discussion: Connected: Lessons from the University of California Systemwide COVID-19 Response

B2 Discussion: University of California Annual Accountability Report 

Committee Reports Including Approvals of Recommendations from Committees:

-Academic and Student Affairs Committee

-Compliance and Audit Committee

-Finance and Capital Strategies Committee

-Governance Committee

-Health Services Committee

-Investments Committee

-Special Committee on Athletics

Officers’ and President’s Reports:

-Report of Interim, Concurrence, and Committee Action:s

-Report of Materials Mailed Between Meetings

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10:45 am Board (closed session) 

Agenda – Closed Session

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meetings of August 16 and September 19, 2024

Committee Reports Including Approval of Recommendations from Committees

Officers’ and President’s Reports:

Personnel Matters

Report of Interim, Concurrence, and Committee Actions

Report of Materials Mailed Between Meetings

B3(X) Discussion: Report on UCLA Protest Response

B4(X) Discussion: Legal Issues Related to Campus Climate

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1:00 pm Board (open session) 

Agenda – Open Session

B5 Discussion: Campus Climate

Disappointment

Blog readers will know that we check in from time-to-time with the Blackstone Real Estate Trust which UC bailed out of a run on the bank in exchange for promised especially high returns. Whether such returns have been received is unclear. And no one on the Regents' Investment Committee seems to want to ask. (If you are unfamiliar with this story, type in "BREIT" in the search engine of this blog.)

From Benzinger: ...On the radar of investors, Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) reported modest gains in September but remains well below the performance threshold needed to generate third-quarter fees (for parent Blackstone), raising concerns from JPMorgan analysts in a recent note ahead of the company’s upcoming earnings report.

What To Know: BREIT posted modest gains in September, reporting a performance of +13 basis points (bps), following a +11bps increase in August. This marked BREIT’s second consecutive month of positive returns after a challenging July, which saw a decline of -19bps. Despite these recent improvements, BREIT's year-to-date (YTD) performance for 2024 stands at +241bps, still well below the threshold required to trigger performance fees for the third quarter.

For Blackstone to collect performance fees from BREIT, the fund typically needs to meet an annual performance threshold of +5.0%, which is split evenly across the four quarters. However, this year, BREIT faced an even steeper hurdle, due to a negative carryover of 50bps from 2023 and overbookings from late 2022.

Full story at https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/10/41363696/blackstones-breit-struggles-ahead-of-earnings-as-performance-fees-fall-short.

On the Steps

Janss Steps (never officially so-named) in 1933

UCLA Chancellor Raymond Allen says goodbye to students 

embarking to India in 1953 

Fall Back

You didn't forget to set your clock back, did you? Of course not! So as we tend to do at the two clock changes, we provide more than you want to know about clock changing from a lecture in winter 2022 (when masks indoors were required at UCLA):

https://archive.org/details/mitchell-time-edited or

https://ia902206.us.archive.org/19/items/mitchell-time-edited/Mitchell%20time%20edited.mp4.

Note that the recording is from a file we put up on the Internet Archive which is coming back to life after the cyber attacks. We still can't add files but we now have access to previous uploads. Here's an item that discusses the attacks:

Leave the Internet Archive alone!

by Steven Vaughan-Nichols

Oct 29, 2024, Computerworld

Except for book publishers, the Internet Archive has done no one any harm. But that hasn't stopped hackers from beating up on the site over and over again.

The web has been a mixed blessing for people who care about information. Yes, it’s made it easier than ever to access facts and opinions from around the globe — but it also throws out older data as quickly as it brings in new data. (And let’s not even talk about propaganda!)

One shining beacon for recording truthful and accurate records throughout the web’s history has been the Internet Archive.

The Archive was created by Brewster Kahle, who, beginning in 1980, wanted “to build a library of everything.”  His first step in that direction was creating the Internet’s first distributed search system, the Wide Area Information Server (WAIS). 

When he founded the Archives in 1996, his ambitious goal was to provide “universal access to all knowledge.” Kahle and his friends have been remarkably successful. Today, the Archives holds digital copies of 44 million books and texts, 15 million audio recordings, 10.6 million videos, 4.8 million images, a million software programs, and even a copy of Computerworld from 1969. 

To do this, he created the Internet Archive and its associated projects, including the Wayback Machine, which allows users to view archived versions of more than 866 billion saved web pages, and the Open Library project, which aims to create a web page for every published book.

It’s that last project that got the Archives into legal hot water. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kahle opened the library for free ebook borrowing via the Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) program. Publishing companies were not amused and the Internet Archive lost the resulting lawsuit, Hachette v. Internet Archive. The court rejected the Archive’s fair use defense, finding that its digital lending practices infringed on publishers’ copyrights. 

That’s a huge problem on its own. The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a gross revenue in its most recent 990 filing of only $30.5 million. For the size of the job it’s undertaken, it’s grossly underfinanced. 

Recently, though, adding insult to injury, the Archive has been subjected to one cyber-attack after another.The first major incident occurred Oct. 9-10 and involved two simultaneous attacks: First, hackers exploited a GitLab token, compromising the Archive’s source code and stealing user data from 31 million accounts. Concurrently, a pro-Palestinian group called SN BlackMeta launched a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, temporarily knocking the site — and the Wayback Machine — offline.

Blackmeta said it hit the site because it belongs to the United States, which supports Israel in the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict. Uhm, no, no it doesn’t. The only cause the Internet Archive espouses is freedom of information, and it has no connection with the US government. 

Maybe it should. I could argue that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) should track the public web, but it doesn’t. 

Then, on Oct. 20, the Internet Archive suffered yet another security breach: This time, hackers exploited unrotated Zendesk, the help desk support program’s application programming interface (API) tokens, to access the Archive’s support platform. 

The results have been one mess after another. Many of the Archive’s services, including the Wayback Machine, have gone dark. In addition, people are worried that some of the data stored by the Archive has been deleted or compromised. 

Operators managed to get the site back up, and a few days ago, Kahle told CBC Radio, “It’s just so sad. It’s great to be back up, and we have millions of people now accessing the site again.” 

That didn’t last. Since then, it’s been hammered yet again!

Enough already — crashing the Internet Archive won’t make a lick of difference to the world’s geopolitical problems. No one will get rich from ripping off the Internet Archive users. There is no point in messing with the Archive. None!

The Archive is a useful library. That’s it. That’s all. And that’s enough.  

In particular, the Archive keeps the only real records of what’s been on the Web. As we put more of our records and news on the Web and nowhere else, that’s vitally important for historians and other people who appreciate knowing who said what to whom and when. 

The Archive needs to be preserved, not vandalized. I’m reminded of the dim-minded protestors whose big idea was to throw pumpkin soup on the Mona Lisa. Quick! What were they protesting?  

You don’t know, do you? 

It was about the right to healthy, sustainable food.

That attack made no difference whatsoever. 

Vandalism, whether on a politically neutral, useful website or on world-famous art, is not helpful; it’s only harmful. And, in the Internet Archive’s case, it’s also pointless. 

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Source: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3593110/leave-the-internet-archive-alone.html/.

(Possible) Strike News

From KQED: More than 4,000 health care, research and technical workers at UCSF authorized their union to call a strike over what they say is the university’s failure to bargain in good faith about short staffing and other top concerns. The members’ vote, which concluded Wednesday, passed with 98% support, according to the University Professional and Technical Employees Local 9119, which represents more than 19,000 physician assistants, optometrists, clinical lab scientists and other UC employees statewide.

The threat of a walkout at UCSF comes as 37,000 UC service and patient care workers with a separate union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, are also preparing for a potential statewide walkout. That strike authorization vote passed with 99% support, AFSCME said Thursday. Both unions filed unfair labor practice charges with the California Public Employment Relations Board this month, alleging that the university has refused to provide essential job vacancy and financial data needed to assess the extent of staffing crisis and develop solutions in ongoing contract negotiations...

Full story at https://www.kqed.org/news/12011878/thousands-of-uc-san-francisco-workers-are-preparing-to-strike.

View from the top - Part 2

 

Westwood 1929 (top) versus late 1930s (bottom)

Annual Reminder from the Senate

UNIVERSITY COMMITTEEON EDUCATIONAL POLICY: ANNUAL REMINDER ABOUT THREATS TO ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

This is a reminder from the University Committee on Educational Policy (UCEP) to all UC faculty to be vigilant about the threats to academic integrity and intellectual property posed by online services where students share copyrighted course materials and pay third parties for completing students’ assignments, papers, and exams.

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.

UCOP has issued similar guidance regarding the unauthorized uploading of course materials; such guidance may be found here: https://copyright.universityofcalifornia.edu/ownership/protect-coursematerials.html. In addition, each campus has its own policies and procedures related to violations of academic integrity, and faculty should make sure they are fully aware of the most up-to-date information on this topic. The UCOP webpage referenced in this paragraph includes a drop-down menu titled “UC Resources,” which includes links to further information about policies and resources on each campus.

UCEP recognizes there are no easy solutions to the unauthorized posting of course materials onto third party websites and that dealing with these issues adds yet another item to a faculty member’s long list of responsibilities. The measures referenced in this memo are, however, relatively straightforward and not unduly onerous, especially given the seriousness and importance of the concerns they address.

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Source: https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/reports/ac-senate-divisions-recommendations-academic-integrity-10-1-24.pdf.

Another protest report

From the LA Times: A draft report to the Los Angeles Police Commission released Friday cited a lack of coordination between UCLA, the LAPD and the California Highway Patrol and smaller municipal police agencies that were hastily called to campus in the spring. 

UCLA, which has its own police force, had distanced itself from relying on the LAPD in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests four years ago, a practice that contributed to the poorly coordinated response, the report suggested. Some arriving teams of officers did not even know their way around the sprawling campus and were subjected to conflicting orders about what to do as the melee unfolded for hours in front of them the night of April 30.

The LAPD should take the lead on campus law enforcement ahead of future “large scale events” if university staffing isn’t adequate, the report said.

The report to the commission, the civilian agency tasked with LAPD oversight, came on the heels of a congressional probe that pilloried the university for allowing antisemitism to foment on campus during pro-Palestinian protests...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-11-01/ucla-usc-encampments-police-commission-reports.

===

Note: The Police Commission report is at:

https://www.lapdpolicecom.lacity.org/110524/BPC_24-285.pdf.