New Student Regent-Designate & Student Adviser from UCLA

Graves

Sands

The University of California’s governing board appointed two UCLA students to serve as representatives on the board.

A Board of Regents special committee nominated Devon Graves, an graduate student, as the student regent-designate and Rafi Sands, an undergraduate student, as the first-ever student adviser.

The student adviser is a nonvoting position the Regents created last year to provide an additional voice for students. The student adviser will serve for one year and have access to open-session regents meetings and be able to make recommendations on issues that concern students.

Graves will serve as the student regent-designate for one year, and will have voting powers when he succeeds Paul Monge, the current student regent, in July 2018.

Graves, a doctoral student in education at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, serves on the California Student Aid Commission, which manages the state’s financial aid programs. He previously served as chair of the California State Student Association’s board of directors.

Sands is a fourth-year business economics and political science student who was the undergraduate student government’s external vice president last year.

Graves said he plans to build relationships with state legislators and other university stakeholders and bring attention to college affordability issues many students face.

“I want to get students out there in Sacramento and help them highlight their stories,” he said. “We need to make sure the decisions we make as a university are informed by what students are facing.”

As a graduate student in education, Graves said he thinks his academic background allows him to provide an expert view on the board.

Source http://dailybruin.com/2017/07/03/two-ucla-students-nominated-as-board-of-regents-representatives/

Countdown: 7 Days to Go & the Stealth Regents Item Hasn't Been Pulled

Still there

The Stealth Regents item killing the 70% floor on Retiree Health is still on the agenda, although UCOP has received complaints from the Senate leadership on the lack of consultation.* Only 7 days to go before that item is considered:

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*See http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2017/07/stealth-regents-item.html

8 Days to Go & the Stealth Regents Item Hasn't Been Pulled

Still there

The Stealth Regents item killing the 70% floor on Retiree Health is still on the agenda, although UCOP has received complaints from the Senate leadership on the lack of consultation.* Only 8 days to go before that item is considered:

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*See http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2017/07/stealth-regents-item.html

The business of athletics

In various prior postings, we have noted litigation surrounding the status of college athletes. Specifically, are they just amateur scholars? Or are they employees entitled to compensation in various forms, unionization, etc.? Lest there be any doubt about the commercial side of college athletics, here (below) is a recent UCLA news release:

UCLA, Under Armour Kick Off Partnership:
The Bruins signed a groundbreaking 15-year performance footwear and apparel agreement with Under Armour.

July 1, 2017

LOS ANGELES - The record-breaking partnership between UCLA and Under Armour® (NYSE:UA, UAA) officially commences July 1, 2017. The 15-year performance footwear and apparel agreement brings together one of the world's most recognizable collegiate athletic programs and the global leader in innovative performance products.

As part of the partnership, Under Armour will exclusively design and supply the footwear, apparel and equipment for training and game-day uniforms for UCLA's men's and women's varsity athletic teams. The long-term agreement between the university and brand, which was originally announced in May 2016, is the largest apparel deal in the history of the NCAA, reaffirming UCLA's status as a world-class institution and Under Armour's position as a global leader committed to collegiate athletics.

"We are excited to officially embark upon this journey with Under Armour and to introduce a cohesive new branding initiative that will unite not only our teams, but also the entire UCLA family," said UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. "As we look toward the future, Under Armour's philosophy of innovation, its cutting-edge technology and its commitment to storytelling make it the perfect partner for UCLA. Together, we will go beyond great."

"We are honored and excited to officially welcome UCLA into the Under Armour family," said Ryan Kuehl, Senior Vice President, Global Sports Marketing, Under Armour. "UCLA's storied athletic success and commitment to innovation will be amplified through our collaborative partnership over the next 15 years as we unite the athletic department, campus community and Bruins fans in California and all over the world."

The main component of the branding initiative is a unified and consistent look for UCLA Athletics, from the logos to the proprietary font on the uniforms and the custom color scheme. The primary logo will remain a UCLA script, which has been updated by removing the black outline and the tail under the four letters.

Fans will get their first look at the new football uniforms at the UCLA Football Bruin Viewin' exclusive event for season ticket holders at the Rose Bowl on July 15.

Strengthening its global brand impression by aligning with UCLA's significant international student pool and impressive roster of athletes from all over the world, Under Armour will continue to expand its West Coast footprint with a commitment to open new retail locations in the greater Los Angeles area - including on LA's Westside. The brand will also offer annual internship opportunities for UCLA students. Additionally, through this new partnership, UCLA Athletics will extend its ability to provide apparel allocations for the UCLA Spirit Squad and Bruin Marching Band while enhancing its allocations to campus recreation and its club sports teams.

Licensed UCLA/Under Armour gear will be available beginning July 1 at the Bruin Team Shop and at the UCLA Store at Ackerman Student Union.

Source: http://www.uclabruins.com/news/2017/6/29/bruin-athletics-ucla-under-armour-kick-off-partnership.aspx

The news release above comes with a video:

Stealth Regents Item

Coming up out of the depths of UCOP - and without Senate consultation - at the Regents meeting of July 12 is an action item to remove the 70% floor on Regents contributions to the retiree health program:

F7 Action Item

Authorization to Increase the University Employer Contribution Rate, Make Additional Contributions to the University of California Retirement Plan, and Rescind the 70 Percent Floor for the University’s Aggregate Annual Contribution to the Retiree Health Benefit Program

Source: http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/july17/fin.pdf

And in summer when folks are away having fun: (Click twice if necessary for video)

L'affaire Fink - follow up

The sniff test: Does it pass?

We had earlier posted an item from the Daily Bruin and the LA Daily News about this matter, which has also appeared in a more recent edition.* It has now made its way from conservative blogs into the Chronicle of Higher Ed:

Keith Fink, an adjunct who teaches a UCLA course on campus free speech, says even though his students love him, top administrators couldn’t stand the fact that he criticized them in the classroom. His department leaders say he’s not as good a teacher as he thinks he is.

According to communication-studies department leaders at the University of California at Los Angeles, the story of why Keith A. Fink lost his job isn’t an especially interesting one: He was a part-time lecturer, and his teaching wasn’t up to par.

But according to Mr. Fink, the tale is far more troubling. Mr. Fink, a conservative, says he was pushed out in large part because of his political beliefs and because one of the courses he taught — a popular class on campus free speech — dared to criticize UCLA’s own actions...

On Tuesday, June 27, Mr. Fink received a letter from Laura E. Gómez, interim dean of the College Division of Social Sciences, informing him that he would no longer be employed at UCLA once his contract ended, on June 30. "After a thoughtful and comprehensive academic review, it has been determined that your teaching does not meet the standard of excellence," Ms. Gómez wrote. (She did not respond to a request for comment from The Chronicle.)...

Student evaluations of the free-speech course Mr. Fink taught this year — provided by Andrew Litt, a recent UCLA School of Law graduate who served as Mr. Fink’s teaching assistant for two years and worked in his law firm — mostly paint a picture of Mr. Fink as an engaging teacher and his course as stimulating and interesting.

“This class was the best class I have taken at UCLA.” "This class was the best class I have taken at UCLA," one student wrote. "While I did not agree with every views [sic] of Professor Fink, his lectures stimulated and provoked a wide range of thoughts and perspectives that I believe helped me to become a better student and citizen." A handful of comments were negative; one took issue with Mr. Fink’s "arrogance," and another said he "goes off-topic a lot" but added that "this is a very minor issue." 

The department’s final report, provided by Mr. Litt, stated that the review "skewed toward a favorable view of Mr. Fink’s teaching effectiveness," but said faculty members had raised concerns "about the climate fostered within the classroom" and the rigor of his assessments...

Mr. Fink said he may teach at another institution in the future, but in the meantime he is working with the university’s faculty union to file a grievance. He also plans to establish a nonprofit group that will provide free legal services to UCLA students and professors who feel their rights have been violated...

Full article at http://www.chronicle.com/article/Why-Did-a-UCLA-Instructor-With/240521
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*http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2017/05/laffaire-fink_27.html. The later Bruin article is at http://dailybruin.com/2017/06/28/social-sciences-dean-ends-finks-appointment/. According to the later article:

As part of the excellence review, a committee of nine tenured faculty members in the communication studies department voted on whether or not Fink met academic standards. The committee that reviewed Fink tied its vote, so [Interim Dean Laura] Gómez made the final decision on his appointment.

The Alternative

At the end of each quarter, we provide an alternative way to read this blog as a "book." The book version entirely omits all audio, video, and animated gifs and has an odd format at various points. But it also has a table of contents. So it's your choice. The book version for April-June 2017 is below: