More on the Assembly

Last week, we took note of an upcoming Assembly meeting on June 11. Yesterday, we referred to one aspect of that meeting pertaining to UC admissions and the SAT/testing issue. As we also noted yesterday, yours truly could attend the full meeting due to medical issues. However, there was a segment on external political developments affecting UC as well as AI which has both political and academic implications.

Provost Newman expressed concern with regarding proposed federal policy that would require political evaluation of grants. She also noted that despite UC's various court victories, the flow of federal funding for research has not resumed.

There was a separate segment on state matters. Both houses of the legislature were proposing state budgets for next year that would be more generous to UC that the May Revise. What the final deal will be remained open. There was some language in the proposed bills that made funding contingent on some immediate changes in admission that can't happen since the admissions cycle for fall has already occurred. Apart from the proposed state research bond ballot measure which UC is supporting, it is also trying to be included in a proposed state housing bond.