Tightening

Blog readers will know that Harvard and other universities have become concerned about grade inflation and have begun to tighten standards. That trend seems to be coming to UCLA, at least in some departments. From the Daily Bruin:

The math department’s new grading policy is meant to make grading more equitable across different lectures of the same courses. But some students say it closely resembles a quota system – which the department bans.

The department will now determine grade cutoffs for each course – or percentage values corresponding to each letter grade – at the end of each quarter. These cutoffs will apply to every lecture for a given course – a change from previous quarters, in which professors decided grade cutoffs for their individual classes. This change aims to address grading inequities across lectures for the same course, said Marcus Roper, the undergraduate vice chair of the mathematics department...

The department will give professors an expected range of each letter grade to give out, Roper said. However, professors can choose to assign more or less of a grade within that range based on their evaluation of a class’s engagement and overall performance, he added...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/02/24/math-department-standardizes-grade-cutoffs-across-lectures-to-address-inequities.

Straws in the Wind - Part 270

From the Daily Princetonian: In a series of... memos, the University informed faculty and non-union staff of raise cuts and benefit reductions for the coming fiscal year, with a decrease in personnel also on the horizon. The adjustments to employee pay and benefits came shortly after the annual State of the University letter from University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 reported that the University would be tightening its budget primarily due to declining long-term endowment return expectations and continued uncertainty over federal funding. Eisgruber discussed some of the raise cuts at his annual Council of the Princeton University Community town hall... 

Provost Jennifer Rexford ’91 and Executive Vice President Katie Callow-Wright sent an email obtained by the ‘Prince’ to employees informing them that benefits would also be cut. “We want everyone to be aware that some reduction to the University’s generous benefits structure is coming,” Rexford and Callow-Wright wrote. “Overall headcount at the University will decline as we reallocate resources to protect our highest priority areas,” they also warned. The email did not specify whether this referred to layoffs or not renewing positions after retirements...

Full story at https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2026/02/princeton-news-broadfocus-u-cut-employee-benefits-raise-reductions-mixed-reactions.

The less said, the better?

UC President Milliken gave a lengthy interview about various topics related to UC to the LA Times. It appeared yesterday, but apparently occurred before the most recent DOJ lawsuit was filed against UC:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-02/uc-president-james-milliken-interview.

Apparently, the Times would have liked less to be said:

"Milliken was more verbose on the role of higher education and his big-picture visions for UC."

===

Regardless of the word count, this is what Milliken had to say about the current conflict with the feds and how UC is dealing with it:

https://ia601506.us.archive.org/0/items/newsom-03-04-2026/UC%20Pres%20Milliken%20on%20UC%20response%20to%20conflict%20with%20fedl%20govt%20posted%203-2-2026.mp4.

How Independent?

From time to time, something is done or said by student government that raises controversy or concern. The response at UC and its various campuses is that student government is independent of the university, i.e., the university is not responsible for what occurs.

The problem is that student government, like any government, needs revenue to operate and the university collects the fees that provide its revenue. A recent article in the Daily Bruin on a proposal to raise such fees, notes that increases in fees must be approved by the chancellor and the president of UC:

UCLA students may be able to vote on one of the Undergraduate Students Association Council’s costliest referendums this May. USAC approved three referendums to appear on undergraduate students’ ballots in the May election – including the Bruin Success Referendum, Bruin Bash Referendum and Bruin Life and Undergraduate Experience Fee Referendum – at its Feb. 24 meeting. The Bruin Success Referendum could add an additional $55 to students’ quarterly fees, while Bruin Bash would be an extra $3.13 and BLUE Fee Referendum would charge $27.

The UC Office of the President and Chancellor Julio Frenk must approve the referendums before they can officially appear on the ballot for the undergraduate student body to vote on. Any campus-based student fee collected is required to have a 25% return-to-aid, meaning a quarter of the fee is returned to students who qualify for financial aid...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/02/27/fee-increasing-referendums-pass-usac-await-chancellor-approval-for-may-ballots.

In short, student government proposes; UC's administration disposes. Tuck that fact away for future reference, if and when some controversy arises.

Cat has let go of tongue

As blog readers will know, it was only last Saturday when yours truly wondered why the Regents weren't scheduling one of their closed-door meetings to discuss the conflict with the feds, after DOJ filed its recent lawsuit against UC/UCLA.*

Well, two days after that posting, guess what appears on the Regents' website: announcement of a closed-door meeting tomorrow. The notice is dated Feb. 28, the very day we raised the issue, but it wasn't actually posted until today, or possibly late yesterday.

===

February 28, 2026

TO THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA:

Because the membership of the Advisory Group on Research and Programs Funding Legal Issues (“Advisory Group”) includes five members of the Regents’ Governance Committee, there exists the potential for having present a quorum of a Regents’ Committee when the advisory committee meets.

This notice of meeting is served in order to comply fully with pertinent open meeting laws. On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, there will be a Closed Session, Special Meeting of the Regents’ Governance Committee concurrent with the Advisory Group to discuss Research and Programs Funding Legal Issues (Closed Session Statute Citation: Litigation [Education Code section 92032(b)(5)].)

The meeting will convene at 4:00 p.m. at 1111 Franklin Street, Oakland and adjourn at approximately 5:00 p.m.

(Advisory Group members: Regents Anguiano, Cohen, Hernandez, Matosantos, Milliken, Reilly, Robinson, Sarris, and Sures)

Source: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/march26/meeting-notice_federal-march-3-2026.pdf.

===

Unlike, past closed-door meetings, a full hour is allotted in contrast to the thirty minutes allotted to some of the past meetings. So now the question is, will the closed door be green?

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg7l7UEYMOI.

===

*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2026/02/cat-got-your-tongue.html. 
 

Berkeley Among Universities Dropping PhD Project

Press Release

U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Secures 31 Agreements with Colleges and Universities to End Partnerships with The Ph.D. Project

...The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it has secured thirty-one resolution agreements (RAs) with institutions of higher education to cease their partnerships with The Ph.D. Project, an organization which provides doctoral students with insights into obtaining a Ph.D., but unlawfully limits eligibility based on the race of participants. After initiating investigations several months ago into forty-five institutions of higher education for collaborating with the Ph.D. Project, OCR later determined that these institutions violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) by partnering with an organization that discriminates on the basis of race.    

These thirty-one universities had either already terminated their relationships with The Ph.D. Project or have agreed in their RAs to end their memberships or partnerships. Each institution also agreed to conduct a review of their partnerships with external organizations to identify any that violate Title VI by restricting participation based on race. 

“This is the Trump effect in action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the nation,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “We are hopeful that other institutions with similarly discriminatory practices will follow suit, paving the way for a future where we reject judging individuals by the color of their skin and once again embrace the principles of merit, excellence, and opportunity.” 

The institutions which have signed RAs with OCR to cease their partnership with The Ph.D. Project are: 

• Arizona State University – Main Campus 
• Boise State University 
• Carnegie Mellon University 
• Clemson University 
• Duke University 
• Emory University 
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 
• Montana State University – Bozeman 
• New York University (NYU) 
• Rice University 
• The Ohio State University – Main Campus 
• Towson University 
• Tulane University 
• University of Arkansas – Fayetteville 
• University of California – Berkeley 
• University of Chicago 
• University of Cincinnati – Main Campus 
• University of Colorado – Colorado Springs 
• University of Delaware 
• University of Kentucky 
• University of Michigan – Ann Arbor 
• University of Minnesota – Twin Cities 
• University of Nebraska – Omaha 
• University of North Dakota – Main Campus 
• University of North Texas – Denton 
• University of Notre Dame 
• University of Utah 
• University of Wisconsin – Madison 
• University of Wyoming 
• Washington University in St. Louis 
• Yale University 

OCR is in ongoing negotiations with the remaining 14 schools. 

===

Background 

Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in education programs and activities receiving federal funding.

Source: https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-educations-office-civil-rights-secures-31-agreements-colleges-and-universities-end-partnerships-phd-project.

Half

From Inside Higher Ed: The National Science Foundation’s chief management officer says the agency, a major federal research funder, is seeking approval to hire more employees after the Trump administration’s cuts last year left it without enough staffing. Micah Cheatham also told the National Science Board, which approves NSF policies, at Wednesday’s board meeting that the agency is trying to “consolidate” solicitations for grant awards to half, or less, of the usual amount of these funding opportunities—raising concerns that fewer researchers will receive funding. Cheatham said this move would reduce workload, but also help applicants. “The fewer solicitations you have, the less time grant applicants have to figure out which of our pigeonholes they fit into,” he said.

Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, a board member and the University of Wisconsin at Madison’s vice chancellor for research, expressed concern that fewer solicitations will lessen junior faculty’s ability to receive awards that jump-start their careers. She also said the agency’s practice of frontloading the funding of previously multiyear grants further reduces how many researchers receive grants in a year...

The White House confirmed that Trump is nominating Jim O’Neill as the NSF’s next director. O’Neill was dismissed earlier this month from leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a position he had only held since late August.*

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/science-research-policy/2026/02/26/nsf-plans-boost-staffing-halve-grant.

===

From CNN: ...O’Neill, who [was] second-in-command behind Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at HHS and the interim leader of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been a controversial figure at the agency, where he helped to amplify anti-vaccine messaging and concerns about Medicaid fraud, and cheered the United States’ departure from the World Health Organization...

Full story at https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/health/rfk-aides-jim-oneill-hhs-cdc.

Straws in the Wind - Part 269

From the Daily Princetonian: Artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude have started influencing the way that universities and institutions of higher education operate. AI has not only changed the ways in which professors navigate their classrooms, but it has also upended long-established systems for exams. This change is well-illustrated by the economics department, which has begun administering only in-person final exams...

The ‘Prince’ analyzed the final assessment schedules for the last three semesters to better understand how the University is trying to tackle concerns relating to cheating and AI. The number of take-home exams has been continuously declining over the last three semesters. In Spring 2025, they were more popular than in-person finals, but just a year later, they have become scarce as generative AI has become more commonplace, with only 49 take-home exams being administered this semester...

The number of take-home exams have more than halved in number since this time last year, from 168 to 49. There were more take-home exams in the Spring 2025 semester than there were in-person finals. Now, there are less than 50 take-home exams scheduled. From Spring to Fall 2025, the number of in-person exams has increased by over 50 percent. The number of papers, projects, and presentations have increased by 61 exams in the span of only a year...

Full story at https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2026/02/princeton-data-end-of-take-home.

Getting closer

The D line subway will extend along Wilshire to La Cienaga starting May 8. The extension after that gets to Century City in Spring 2027. The further extension to UCLA and the VA is due in Fall 2027, in time for the Olympics.

Info at https://www.metro.net/d-line-extension/.

So, we're getting closer..

but no cigar yet.

Bad News, Good News

A company named Conduent has been sending out letters warning of a data breach that apparently affected some participants in UC health plans. Conduent appears to do clerical work for health plans. The letter does not say which health plan is involved. It does say information such as Social Security number was stolen.

The letter is dated Dec. 31, 2025 and refers to a data breach a year before that. But the letter arrived last week. The first page of a 3-page letter is shown here. The other pages contain boilerplate language about credit rating agencies, freezing your credit, etc.

The good news, such as it is, is that UC folks already had their data stolen some time back and UC provides free data monitoring. So if you got the letter, it is unlikely that anything new was stolen.

Californians can freeze their credit at the three credit agencies for free. It's a good idea to do it. But it does involve some hassle if you want to do something involving finances such as apply for a new credit card. You have to unfreeze access for a temporary period in such cases.

===

A letter dated Jan. 26, 2026 was circulated within UCOP indicating which plans were affected. As far as yours truly knows, no information was sent by UC directly to plan participants. Below is the list of plans as of a month ago:

• Anthem – Elevance Health: Over 83,000 UC PPO members were affected. Notifications were or will be sent in three separate waves based on the business functions performed by Conduent. Some members may receive multiple notifications.
• Accolade: No member impact, as this vendor is not used.
• Navitus: No member impact, as this vendor is not used.
• Kaiser Permanente: 18 members affected.
• Optum Behavioral Health: Confirmation pending.
• Health Net: 633 UC Blue & Gold HMO members and 50 Postdoctoral members affected.
• UnitedHealthcare: No member impact, as this vendor is not used.

Straws in the Wind - Part 268

From the Chronicle of Higher Education: ...New York University will begin a new initiative aimed at getting students to spend less time on their phones. It’s called NYU IRL (short for “in real life”), and it spans the university’s Manhattan, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai campuses, where students will be enticed to enter “device-free zones" ...NYU IRL, which Linda G. Mills, NYU’s president, announced earlier this year, includes new resources for faculty to try “device optimization” in their classrooms, such as making it a featured topic in the university’s faculty learning exchange week, which is happening now. NYU will also host in-person events like a “supper club” in its dining halls.

To mark the beginning of the effort, NYU professor and author Jonathan Haidt is hosting a “fireside chat” early next month to talk through his bestselling book, The Anxious Generation. The 2024 book argues that the rise in smartphone usage in childhood over the last decade has contributed directly to the rise in mental illness in younger generations. Mills cites Haidt’s findings as a major inspiration for the new program...

Full story at https://www.chronicle.com/article/nyu-wants-students-to-put-down-their-phones-will-they.

===

From the NY Times: The Defense Department has decided to cut academic ties with nearly two dozen top universities and think tanks as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s campaign against what he calls anti-American values and “wokeness.” ...In a video published to social media* ...Mr. Hegseth denounced the institutions in blistering language, calling them politically liberal institutions with “wicked ideologies” that were indoctrinating U.S. service members. He said that, beginning in the new school year in September, the Defense Department would ban service members from attending those universities.

===

*https://x.com/secwar/status/2027474502876070386.

===

In addition to Harvard, which was banned earlier this month, the Defense Department said the banned institutions would include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, George Washington, Tufts, St. Louis and Carnegie Mellon, as well as the College of William & Mary, Middlebury College and Queen’s University in Ontario.

When Mr. Hegseth cut ties with Harvard, it was seen as part of a wider pressure campaign by the Trump administration to force the university to cut a deal with the government. But some of the universities that were banned on Friday have already agreed to a laundry list of demands from the Trump administration as part of an effort to remake the culture of higher education. The Defense Department said it would also cut ties with seven high-profile think tanks in Washington known for their defense and national security analysis: the Center for Strategic and International Studies, New America, the Brookings Institution, the Atlantic Council, the Center for a New American Security, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Henry L. Stimson Center...

Mr. Hegseth, who served as an infantry officer with the National Guard, graduated from Harvard’s Kennedy School in 2013 with a master’s degree in public policy... The Defense Department said it was considering replacing the programs with those at institutions including state universities and conservative Christian schools like Liberty University and Hillsdale College...

Full story at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/28/us/politics/pentagon-universities-think-tanks.html.

Maybe we worry too much about AI ???

 

Yes, AI has become a problem for higher ed. It lacks ACS (artificial common sense):

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNaN0iAuan8.

I Never Promised You a Rose Bowl? - Part 15

Meanwhile, back at the Bowl... From the California Post:

Having committed to playing at the Rose Bowl next season, UCLA’s long-term football fate remains in the hands of a court. Attorneys representing the school are appealing an LA Superior Court judge’s decision to deny arbitration in the Rose Bowl’s breach-of-contract case against UCLA. Those same attorneys have also filed a motion to pause the case, pending the appeal decision. But discovery has started in the case after a judge denied UCLA’s previous attempt to cease depositions, and it’s possible the appeal may not significantly delay the start of jury selection in the trial...

UCLA’s plans are increasingly uncertain after the school committed to remaining at its longtime home stadium for next season. The move came not long after the dismissal of UCLA vice chancellor and chief financial officer Stephen Agostini, one of the primary proponents of a move to SoFi Stadium...

Full story at https://nypost.com/2026/02/28/sports/ucla-appeals-arbitration-decision-in-rose-bowl-suit/.

Everybody Breathe In

From the Bruin: UCLA Housing is discontinuing 10-person university apartments for the 2026-27 academic year. UCLA released its housing application Jan. 27, which included options with a maximum of eight people in one university apartment, instead of 10 as was offered in the 2025-26 year. Housing did not announce that it would not offer 10-person apartments prior to the application release. A UCLA Housing spokesperson confirmed the change in an emailed statement, adding that it evaluates housing demand each year and adjusts units to maximize available space...

Darryl Cortez, a third-year business economics student, said he opted to live in a four-bedroom, 10-person apartment in Gayley Heights because it was cost-effective for him. Ten-person apartments cost about $10,000 per person for the full academic year, according to UCLA Housing’s website. “It’s good (UCLA Housing’s decision) because it’s just a lot of bodies in one apartment,” Cortez said. “There’s no privacy.” ...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/02/20/ucla-housing-discontinues-10-person-apartments-for-2026-27-academic-year.

There is a precedent:

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCyR113uZ_o.

Straws in the Wind - Part 267

From Inside Higher Ed: Starting this summer, most college programs will have to show that their students earn more than someone with only a high school diploma to avoid being cut off from federal funding, as part of a new accountability measure... But one state is close to passing legislation that would directly import the federal test into state law—and take it further. While the federal law will cut off students attending failing programs from receiving federal student loans, Indiana’s Senate Bill 199 would end such programs entirely at public universities and Ivy Tech Community College.

In Indiana, the average salary for a high school graduate is just over $35,000, and about a dozen public institution programs would fail based on recent federal data—though the state Commission for Higher Education, a group of gubernatorial appointees, could grant exemptions. So far, the state’s flagship university and Ivy Tech haven’t publicly taken a position against it, but the state commission supports the bill.

In an email, a commission spokesperson said the bill “supports a stronger guarantee that the important higher education investment being made by Hoosier students and their families leads to meaningful career opportunities and financial stability,” adding that there will be “thorough evaluation” of all programs up for elimination, rather than automatic discontinuance...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/state-policy/2026/02/23/indiana-bill-would-use-federal-earnings-test-end-programs.

Cat Got Your Tongue?

Apart from their regular bimonthly meetings when the Regents undoubtedly discuss the current conflict with the feds behind closed doors, the Regents have had off-schedule meetings - also closed - specifically to discuss the conflict. There were special meetings called on January 6 and 13 and February 10 and 17.

Yet, when the US Department of Justice rolls out a full-scale lawsuit against UC/UCLA, no meetings have been set up, at least as of this posting. So, nothing new to discuss concerning that lawsuit? The UC General Counsel has no response to convey? No strategy with regard to a response? 

Don't know about you, but it sure seems strange to yours truly.

Will Harvard Continue to Lead the Charge? - Part 127

From the Harvard Crimson: The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is anticipated to vote on a proposal to cap A grades on April 7 — and the Harvard Undergraduate Association is urging students to use the six weeks leading up to the vote to directly engage with professors about the measure. The proposal is set to be formally introduced at the FAS’ next meeting on Tuesday, March 3, marking the start of the deliberations ahead of the April vote. “The best way to actually advocate for this is to email professors individually who have the right to vote and tell them, ‘Hey, I’m your student, and this policy will affect me,’” HUA Academic Officer Hyunsoo Lee ’28 said at a general meeting on Sunday. “I think that’s the most powerful method.”

Lee, who announced the anticipated timeline at the meeting, encouraged students to go beyond emails by raising the issue during office hours and attending upcoming town hall meetings. He argued that outreach is warranted regardless of how faculty members are currently thinking about the proposal...

“The survey has spoken, and the survey has said students do not want to pass this policy,” Lee said. “Since the student body is clearly against this policy, myself, as the HUA academic officer representing students, is ready to go after and advocate to not pass this policy.” ...

Full story at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/2/23/hua-lobby-grading-proposal/.

Disappeared

Blog readers may recall from last June a posting about the arrest and conviction of an individual for child sex abuse at UCLA's Krieger Center.* The individual involved appealed the sentence and was out on bail but was required to make court appearances during the appeal. He failed to appear at a recent hearing and an arrest warrant has been issued. Meanwhile, as noted in the earlier post, a lawsuit from affected families against the Regents is pending.

Story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/02/18/warrant-issued-for-former-ucla-employee-convicted-of-child-sexual-abuse. 

===

*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2024/06/seems-like-big-lawsuit-is-coming.html.

Straws in the Wind - Part 266

From Yahoo News/The Guardian: Several universities have scrapped partnerships with Chinese institutions in recent months as a direct result of pressure from US legislators. But no university appears to have gone as far as Purdue University in Indiana. Students and faculty at the public university say that an unofficial policy is in effect to automatically reject students from China and a number of other countries altogether. The alleged shift in admissions practices at Purdue followed a letter sent last year to six universities by the US House’s select committee on the Chinese Communist party (CCP), demanding they turn over data about Chinese students, a population they say jeopardizes national security...

Students, faculty and alumni are organizing against what they say is a blanket but unwritten policy to block the admission of students from China and other countries the US has designated as “adversary nations” – including Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea. The Lafayette Journal & Courier first reported on the alleged ban in December.

In a letter addressed to Purdue leadership, which was publicized Friday and shared exclusively with the Guardian, dozens of signatories argue that the university “soft banning students based on their nationality erodes higher education’s core values of meritocracy, equality and academic freedom”. They called on Purdue to clarify any instructions it has given graduate admissions committees and to restore offers to scores of international students they say the university rescinded last year. Purdue denies such a policy exists. Erin Murphy, a spokesperson for the university, wrote in a statement to the Guardian that “there is no ban” – but did not address questions about the letter’s allegations and rescinded offers...

Full story at https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/amid-trump-crackdown-chinese-students-140017446.html.

The Drumbeat Continues... - Part 2

In a previous post,* we noted that as part of the fallout from the Epstein affair as it affects academia, individuals with little to do with Epstein, but whose name appears somewhere in the file dump, are getting caught. We noted the example of a faculty member at Penn who sent an email inquiring if money for a research project might be available, and got written up in the student newspaper for this inquiry.

Here's another example from Penn: This time a faculty member was found to have attended a research seminar at a facility owned by Epstein. There was no other "relationship." Yet he was also written up:

https://www.thedp.com/article/2026/02/penn-professor-epstein-research-seligman-psychology-trump.

Witch hunts are seldom just about finding witches. They are often about settling old scores, powerplays, or - in this particular affair - Schadenfreude.

===

*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-drumbeat-continues.html. See also:

https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2026/02/told-you-so.html and

https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2026/02/epstein-in-academialand.html.

LAO Counsels Legislature to Save Added Revenue

As blog readers will know, Gov. Newsom's January budget proposal was based on more optimistic revenue forecasts than the Legislative Analyst Office was providing. But then current revenue seemed to be outpacing both the governor and the LAO forecast.

The LAO has not retreated from the idea that the outyears still contain a structural deficit, but it concedes that there is likely to be more revenue by the time of the May Revise than forecast. So it now is counseling the Legislature to put away the above-forecast revenue into reserves, i.e., save for a rainy day.* Note that some of the above-forecast revenue automatically ends up in K-14 due to Prop 98.

Whether saving for a rainy day will appeal to the legislature is another matter. As we have noted in prior postings on this blog, UC should be pushing to get its share.

One thing to note in that regard is that the LAO takes the view that paying down debt is an alternative to saving for a rainy day. And, in listing various debts the state has, it includes the deferral of a payment due under the "compact" with UC to 2027-28. Translated: The legislature could consider not deferring the payment and allocating the money now. That appears to be the position taken by UC President Milliken we noted yesterday.

==

*https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5133.

Straws in the Wind - Part 265

From Inside Higher Ed: Beginning this summer, professors at Florida’s 28 public colleges must use a state curriculum framework to teach their introduction to sociology courses. Aligned with the state-sanctioned sociology textbook, the framework requires that the courses do not “include a curriculum that teaches identity politics” or one that “is based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.”

Jose Arevalo, executive vice chancellor for the Florida State College System, shared information about the framework with representatives from 26 Florida colleges during a call on Jan. 20... “The framework serves as a baseline—institutions can add to it but should avoid subtracting key elements or adding content that risks violating state statutes,” Arevalo wrote in [an] email. “Much of the framework language can be copied directly into syllabi, with supporting exercises and textbook chapters provided.” ...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/curriculum/2026/02/20/florida-hands-down-sociology-curriculum-state-colleges.

Forgotten Website

UC has a website which is supposed to convey news of UC's conflict with the feds. The latest item on that website is a statement by UC President Milliken from last September. Things have happened since that time but there is no updating. It's not clear why. To see the absence of updates, go to:

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/federal-updates.

Compact Thanks

UC President Milliken is still thanking the governor but also asking the legislature for full "compact" funding. (See below.) That's wise. But the problem with the compact is that the legislature was not a party to it. Still, as we have been noting, revenue has been coming into the state treasury ahead of forecast estimates. So, making hay while the sun shines is appropriate.

UC President James B. Milliken urges state lawmakers to fuel economic growth through strategic investments in UC

UC Office of the President, News Release

In remarks... to the California State Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, UC President James B. Milliken expressed gratitude for Gov. Newsom’s January budget proposal, which includes $350 million in ongoing funding and a $130 million deferral restoration for the University. President Milliken acknowledged the vital role of state support for UC and advocated for a fully funded state compact to support the University’s record-breaking California resident enrollment.

President Milliken’s remarks acknowledged ongoing uncertainty with federal funding for UC. If UC were to lose federal research funds, the University would need $4 billion to $5 billion annually to sustain reduced core operations and research. President Milliken emphasized UC’s profound impact on California’s economy as the University continues to work with state and legislative partners ahead of the May budget revision.

Below are some key highlights from President Milliken’s remarks, as delivered: 

“(T)alent is universal — but opportunity is not. Higher education, particularly public higher education, is the best vehicle we know of to match talent with opportunity. When we’re successful, we achieve something truly meaningful. We become the best engine of social and economic mobility there is. We are able to change the trajectory of not only an individual, but of families and communities.”   

“The work that our community colleges, CSU, and UC do is changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Californians every day.”  

“UC’s health locations served patients from 99% of California ZIP codes last year; our research generates four inventions a day, fueling California’s leading industries; and the University employs more than 265,000 people, contributing $82 billion to the state’s economy. The breadth and depth of UC is unparalleled in higher education.”   

“The federal government continues to reduce its support of higher education and research. Federal policy changes and reductions to financial aid and student opportunity programs continue to threaten our ability to serve all Californians.”  

“Despite the declining federal support, UC’s impact continues to grow. We reached a remarkable milestone this past fall, enrolling more than 300,000 students for the first time in our history. This includes over 200,000 California resident undergraduates, also a record.” 

"The Governor is proposing an important step to fund both the final year of the Compact payment and a portion of the fourth-year payment. I’m hopeful we can build on this year’s progress to receive the full Compact funding.” 

“This proposal is a very positive first step. I’m grateful for the unwavering commitment the Governor and you, our legislative leaders, have shown to the students in the university that serves so many Californians.”  

“As stewards of UC in this critical moment in history, the Board of Regents, our talented faculty and staff, and I plan to meet the challenges together, guided by the values that have shaped UC across generations.”

===

Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-president-james-b-milliken-urges-state-lawmakers-fuel-economic-growth-through.

Straws in the Wind - Part 264

From Inside Higher Ed: The University of Texas system board approved a policy [last] Thursday that asks faculty members to “eschew topics and controversies that are not germane” to their classes. Faculty said the new standards are vague and will, by design, encourage self-censorship that will ultimately cheapen education at one of the largest university systems in the country. Following a public comment period during which all 10 speakers, including Democratic state representative Donna Howard, criticized the policy, the nine-member Board of Regents unanimously passed it without discussion during its regularly scheduled meeting.

...The policy enshrines four teaching responsibilities that ask faculty to foster “cultures of trust” in their classrooms, to fairly present discussion and evidence on “disputed matters and unsettled issues,” and to equip students with critical thinking skills that allow them to come to their own conclusions about the material. The last standard asks that faculty “eschew topics and controversies that are not germane to the course.” ...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/curriculum/2026/02/20/ut-policy-asks-faculty-avoid-controversial-topics.

The need is obvious

UC President Clark Kerr hands
Master Plan to Gov. Pat Brown

We keep pointing to the need to set up a process in California to develop a new Master Plan for Higher Education. The old one goes back to 1960 and at this point has little relevance to actual policy. Meanwhile, the evidence for that need keeps piling up:

From EdSource: Moorpark College in Ventura County will offer a program in cyberdefense. At San Diego Mesa College, students will be able to get a degree as a physical therapy assistant. And at Southwestern College in San Diego County, students can study urban planning in the CaliBaja region and earn a degree in transborder environmental design. Those are among the newly approved bachelor’s degree programs at California community colleges — despite objections from California State University to all three degrees. It’s the latest development in an ongoing clash between the state’s two largest higher education systems over what kinds of bachelor’s degrees should be offered across the 116 community colleges. 

...Until now, top California community college officials, who have final decision-making power, have typically not approved degrees that face active objections from CSU campuses...

Frustrated by CSU’s opposition, some lawmakers and advocacy groups in Sacramento are moving to make it easier for community colleges to create the degrees. The Legislature this year could consider Senate Bill 960, which would restrict four-year universities from bringing duplication objections unless they are located near the community college. And the Community College League of California, an advocacy group, is floating the idea of a future ballot measure to do the same...

Full story at https://edsource.org/2026/california-community-colleges-approve-3-new-bachelors-degrees-over-california-state-university-objections/751678.

Response of UCLA to DOJ Lawsuit

We posted yesterday the DOJ news release announcing its lawsuit against UC/UCLA. Below is the UCLA response:

UCLA statement on combating antisemitism

February 24, 2026

https://newsroom.ucla.edu/ucla-statement-on-combating-antisemitism

The following statement was issued today by Mary Osako, UCLA vice chancellor for strategic communications.

As Chancellor Frenk has made clear: Antisemitism is abhorrent and has no place at UCLA or anywhere.

Under his leadership, UCLA has taken concrete and significant steps to strengthen campus safety, enforce policies, and combat antisemitism in a systemic and sustained manner. We recruited an Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus and Community Safety and made substantial investments to enhance coordination, preparedness, and response. We established the Initiative to Combat Antisemitism* with a clear mandate to implement meaningful institutional change. 

We reorganized our Office of Civil Rights and hired a dedicated Title VI/Title VII officer to ensure professionalized oversight and accountability. We adopted strengthened Time, Place, and Manner policies to protect both free expression and campus operations. And, pursuant to the Frankel settlement, we are providing support to community organizations engaged in combating antisemitism.

These ongoing and long-standing institutional efforts, including clear expectations and a commitment to enforcement, are working. We stand firmly by the decisive actions we have taken to combat antisemitism in all its forms, and we will vigorously defend our efforts and our unwavering commitment to providing a safe, inclusive environment for all members of our community.

===

*https://chancellor.ucla.edu/messages/initiative-to-combat-antisemitism.

==

Note: The DOJ lawsuit can be found at:

https://ia600402.us.archive.org/9/items/2-final-hjaa-report.-the-soil-beneath-the-encampments/UCLA%20DOJ%20lawsuit%20against%20UC-UCLA%202-24-2026.pdf.

DOJ Lawsuit against UC

Justice Department Files Suit Against University of California for Antisemitic Hostile Work Environment

Feb. 24, 2026

Today, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division filed suit against the University of California for engaging in a hostile work environment against Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff at its University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

After the Hamas-led massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, antisemitic acts pervaded UCLA. The suit alleges the University engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination in violation of Title VII against Jewish and Israeli employees at UCLA by failing to prevent and correct discriminatory and harassing conduct. The suit further alleges the University negligently permitted a hostile work environment against two charging parties and other aggrieved Jewish and Israeli employees.

In 2024, the University allowed antisemitic harassment to continue unabated for days in front of its iconic Royce Hall: among other acts, Jews were not permitted on portions of the main quad, Jewish professors were assaulted, and swastikas were graffitied on University buildings. The University has ignored, and continues to ignore, gross and repeated violations of viewpoint-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions involving these and other actions directed against Jewish and Israeli employees. Jewish and Israeli faculty have been physically threatened, had their classrooms disrupted, and had their workplaces papered with disturbing images. Jewish professors have been, and continue to be, subjected to ostracism and harassment by their colleagues and students, while their colleagues and supervisors not only have failed to report those acts as required but have even participated in them. Numerous Jewish and Israeli employees have been forced to take leave, work from home, and even leave their jobs to avoid the hostile work environment.

“Based on our investigation, UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s lawsuit underscores that this Department of Justice stands strong against hate and anti-Semitism in all its vile forms.”

“The litany of vile acts of antisemitism that allegedly took place, and continue to take place, at UCLA are, if found to be true, a mark of shame against the University of California,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will ensure that UCLA maintains an environment for its employees free from antisemitic harassment.”

“UCLA failed to live up to its systemwide commitment to diversity and equal opportunity when it stood by as Jewish employees were subjected to harassment,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California. “The federal government has an obligation to step in and ensure a discrimination-free environment at our universities.”

The lawsuit stems from a Commissioner’s Charge filed by then-Commissioner Andrea Lucas of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in June 2024. The EEOC was instrumental in investigating the allegations of harassment at UCLA and in identifying the University’s poor complaint system. “The EEOC is committed to eradicating antisemitism at work,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. “If a University will not investigate and remedy repeated allegations of antisemitism against its employees, the EEOC will.”

Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-suit-against-university-california-antisemitic-hostile-work.

===

Note: UC/UCLA could have settled with the individual plaintiffs who registered complaints (as it did with students' complaints), rather than letting the complaints fester. As far as he knows, however, there were no such settlements so now we are dealing with a lawsuit from a federal agency.

Revised Student Conduct Rules

The Daily Bruin is reporting a change in the individual Student Conduct Code. The code covers a very wide range of behaviors ranging from cheating, flying unauthorized drones over campus, and use of controlled substances, to violations of time-place-manner rules. You can find the details at:

https://studentconduct.ucla.edu/2026-individual-student-code.

The new code, which has been in place since January 1, although announced on February 17, drops a committee hearing format in most cases and generally involves a single hearing officer. Students may receive an "admonition" rather than formal disciplinary measures. The Bruin article is at:

https://dailybruin.com/2026/02/18/ucla-student-conduct-code-undergoes-updates-in-hearing-timeline-appeal-processes.

There is a separate code of conduct for student groups:

https://studentconduct.ucla.edu/2026-group-student-code.

However, many of the forms of misconduct track the language applying to individual students, including the time-place-manner rules: 

https://tpm.ucla.edu/news/bruin-post-finalized-time-place-and-manner-tpm-policies-now-effect.

Straws in the Wind - Part 263

From Inside Higher Ed: The Trump administration is investigating an enrollment initiative in Louisiana designed to boost the number of Black and Hispanic students graduating from a college or university, alleging in a Friday news release that the effort is discriminatory and violates civil rights law. When the campaign began during the 2020–21 academic year, the Louisiana Board of Regents tallied a baseline of 14,579 graduates from “all races other than white [and] Asian.” The goal was to raise that number to 16,000 by 2025–26. But the board, which oversees all public universities in the state, surpassed that milestone ahead of schedule in 2023–24...

The Education Department argues that by focusing specific resources on recruiting and retaining Black and Hispanic students, the board has violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin at federally funded institutions...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/02/18/louisiana-board-faces-allegations-enrollment-discrimination.

Will Harvard Continue to Lead the Charge? - Part 126

From the Harvard Crimson: Board of Overseers candidate Trey Grayson ’94 said he would be open to a potential settlement with the Trump administration if elected in May, arguing that Harvard should remain pragmatic as it navigates mounting federal pressure. Grayson, a Republican and former Kentucky Secretary of State, is one of nine candidates endorsed by the Harvard Alumni Association for Harvard’s second highest governing body. The top six vote-getters will join the board in July.

Grayson, currently a partner at law firm Frost Brown Todd Gibbons, said Harvard should at least consider striking a deal to avoid further retaliation and resolve a situation that is “occupying a lot of bandwidth” for the University...

Full story at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/2/19/trey-grayson-board-of-overseers/.

Word Shift

As blog readers will likely know, UC-San Diego received much bad press when an internal report noted that many incoming freshmen were arriving without a working knowledge of high school math.*

Now the systemwide Academic Senate is being asked to deal with recommendations to deal with the issue.** Comments are due May 19.

Some of the proposed changes seem to be to find euphemisms for the word "remedial." Coursework in that category is now referred to using phrases such as "pre-college-level preparatory." However, the policy remains that college credit is not to be given for such courses. 

Much of the proposal is focused on clarifying responsibility and making technical updates with regard to writing courses. 

===

*Example: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/math-decline-ucsd/684973/.

**https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/underreview/council-chair-systemwide-senate-review-revisions-sbl-192-sr-636-761.pdf.

Straws in the Wind - Part 262

From the Yale Daily News: Yale College staffing will decrease by roughly 7.5 percent in response to the Trump administration’s endowment tax hike, according to Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis. Aside from financial aid programming, the “biggest expense” for the College is the payment of staff salaries, Lewis said in an interview last week. The Yale College operating budget, which totals approximately $80 million this academic year, is separate from the $275 million annual financial aid budget that Lewis’ office also oversees.

...According to the Office of the Provost’s website, the increased federal endowment tax will result in a 12.5 percent decrease in the University’s ability to spend from its roughly $44 billion endowment. Lewis said last week that this reduction will result in a 7.5 percent cut to the Yale College budget, adding that the “only way” to meet this reduction was to employ fewer staff...

Full story at https://yaledailynews.com/articles/yale-college-staff-to-shrink-by-7-5-percent-amid-budget-cuts-dean-says.

Amazon Recall Scam

If you get a text message purportedly from Amazon about some recalled product, delete it. It's a scam. The message will invite you to click for a refund. If you follow the instructions, you will be giving out your credit card and other information to thieves. Text messages from Amazon, other companies, banks, etc., should not be answered directly. Contact the purported sender directly. Look up the phone number or other contact information on the web.

More details at https://www.cheapism.com/amazon-scam-recall-texts/.

I Never Promised You a Rose Bowl? - Part 14

UCLA will be playing at the Rose Bowl next year despite the ongoing litigation regarding a potential move to SoFi Stadium, according to a report in the California Post:

... “UCLA will play the upcoming football season at the Rose Bowl,” Mary Osako, UCLA’s vice chancellor of strategic communications, said in a statement provided to the California Post. “We know how much game day means to Bruins — to our students, alumni and fans who plan their autumn around Saturdays together.

“Our priority is delivering a strong season experience for our student-athletes and our community, and we have great momentum in our football program. During this unprecedented time in college athletics, UCLA will always be guided by what’s best for our student-athletes and the Bruin community.” ...

Full story at https://nypost.com/2026/02/21/sports/ucla-bruins-to-play-at-rose-bowl-in-2026-instead-of-sofi/.

The Slide

From the San Francisco Chronicle: For the first time since the dot-com bust in the early 2000s, undergraduate computer science enrollment across the UC system declined in 2025, data show. Only one UC has defied the downward trend: UC San Diego, the sole campus to have launched an AI major. David Reynaldo,the founder of admissions consultancy College Zoom, said he’s seen this play out in his work with students applying to college. But the biggest shift, he said, is coming from parents.

In past years, parents saw a computer science degree as a clear path to a high-paying job: They might push their children to apply and enroll in those programs. But now those parents are turning toward hard, physical sciences, like mechanical or electrical engineering, as the better option. “Parental pressure plays a lot — a lot, a lot, a lot — on the kids,” he said.

UC admissions officers first flagged the shift in September at a college counselors conference in San Jose. “The biggest surprise is us trying to fill computer science,” UC Santa Barbara’s admissions director, Cuka Acosta, told a roomful of student advisers from high schools and community colleges. “Changing times! Students are looking at more AI programs.”

It’s not just the UCs. A recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that enrollment in computer science programs declined across different types of institutions in the fall...

Full story https://www.sfchronicle.com/college-admissions/article/uc-major-computer-science-ai-21284464.php.

Straws in the Wind - Part 261

From CNN: Military officers could soon find dozens of top colleges and universities across the United States abruptly off limits for tuition assistance as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s campaign against schools he describes as being biased against the US military and sponsoring “troublesome partnerships with foreign adversaries.” The uncertainty about tuition assistance and eligible programs for Defense Department funding has led to confusion and concern amongst service members who have already applied or been accepted to these schools. Officials also said they were concerned it amounted to an attempt to purge diversity of thought from the military.

The policy was rolled out in a memo signed by Hegseth last week saying that beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, the Pentagon would be severing its relationship with Harvard University and discontinuing all graduate-level professional military education, fellowships and certificate programs there for active-duty service members. Hegseth ordered the military services to “evaluate all existing graduate programs for active-duty members at Ivy League universities and any other universities that similarly diminish critical thinking and have significant adversary involvement, and determine whether they deliver cost-effective, strategic education for future senior leaders when compared to public universities and military masters programs,” according to a source familiar with the memo...

Full story at https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/politics/us-military-top-universities-tuition-assistance.

===

From Inside Higher Ed: The University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design removed an art exhibit that includes anti-ICE artwork, the artist told The Denton Record-Chronicle. The exhibit, Ni De Aquí Ni De Allá (“Not From Here, Not From There”), by Brooklyn-based artist Victor Quiñonez, was scheduled to open officially on Feb. 19. The works explore Quiñonez’s Mexican and Mexican American identity and his experiences as an undocumented person in East Dallas, The Dallas Observer reported. Several pieces in the exhibit, which was originally organized by Boston University, appear to criticize United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement... 

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/02/17/u-north-texas-cancels-exhibit-anti-ice-art.

Will Harvard Continue to Lead the Charge? - Part 125

From the Harvard Crimson: Harvard administrators pushed a faculty committee to cancel a long-running, biannual symposium featuring tenure-track women’s research, citing legal concerns about hosting a single-gender event, according to two people familiar with the matter. The Standing Committee on Women, which had hosted the symposium for roughly 15 years, ultimately decided to stop running the event after Faculty of Arts and Sciences leadership advised against selecting speakers based on gender. The FAS will now host a new gender-neutral version of the program, Dean of Faculty Affairs and Planning Nina Zipser wrote in a Wednesday email to faculty...

The symposium, held twice yearly, traditionally featured tenure-track women faculty, though it was always open to the full FAS community. Past invitations explicitly listed women speakers selected by the committee. At an Oct. 3 meeting of the Standing Committee, Zipser advised the committee against holding a single-gender event, suggesting that it host the symposium without gender-based selection or have the FAS take over the event.

...Faculty members expressed frustration with the guidance at a Nov. 7 meeting of the committee, according to a faculty member familiar with the matter...

Full story at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/2/20/fas-ends-womens-symposium/.

Brave New World

Watch what happens: (video) 

Source: https://x.com/yanagizawad/status/2022034189395407093 or https://dn710108.ca.archive.org/0/items/labor-classes/Generate%20macro%20labor%20paper%202-12-2026.mp4. Musical version at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMRyLzUzpuU. Result:

 

Straws in the Wind - Part 260

From Inside Higher Ed: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has banned university-funded “identity-based Graduation Achievement Ceremonies,” the institution announced on its website... “The decision aligns with guidance from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which states that federal civil rights law prohibits using race in decisions related to graduation ceremonies and cautions that such practices may be perceived as segregation,” the university said in its announcement. But it’s unclear what guidance it was referencing.

A year ago, the Office for Civil Rights told universities that identity-based graduations were illegal. “In a shameful echo of a darker period in this country’s history, many American schools and universities even encourage segregation by race at graduation ceremonies,” the office wrote in a Dear Colleague letter. Some universities canceled similar ceremonies. But, last April, a federal judge blocked the department from enforcing that guidance and, on Jan. 21—five days before Virginia Tech’s statement—the department gave up defending it...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/02/12/virginia-tech-bans-university-funded-affinity-graduations.