Thursday, November 28, 2019
More on Elsevier and all that - Part 3
Instead of paying separately to access Elsevier’s catalog of paywalled content and publish open-access articles in Elsevier journals, Carnegie Mellon will pay one flat fee for both.
The deal means that starting on Jan. 1, 2020, all principal investigators publishing in Elsevier journals will have the option of making their research immediately available to the public, at no additional cost.
The “read-and-publish” deal is a first with a university in the U.S. for Elsevier and is the result of nearly yearlong negotiations. Elsevier struck a similar deal with a consortium of Norwegian research institutions earlier this year.
Like the Norwegian deal, the Carnegie Mellon deal is being treated as an experimental pilot by Elsevier, Keith Webster, dean of university libraries and director of emerging and integrative media initiatives at the university, said in an interview. The Carnegie Mellon deal is for four years, he said.
Read-and-publish deals are being pursued by some colleges and universities as a way to reduce journal subscription costs while boosting open-access publications. As more and more articles are published openly, fewer articles will be paywalled. Some open-access advocates say this approach could eventually eliminate paywalls altogether.
For Elsevier, the pivot to paying to publish rather than paying to read represents a fundamental shift in its business model -- one that the company has been seemingly hesitant to make.
Negotiations between Elsevier and the University of California System broke down earlier this year in part because the two parties could not reach an agreement on pricing. The university system was seeking a deal that would reduce costs and make open-access publications in Elsevier journals the default for UC authors unless they chose to opt out. The publisher said the UC system was seeking two services for the price of one...
Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/11/22/new-kind-big-deal-elsevier-and-carnegie-mellon-university
No word from UC as to whether the development above might lead to some kind of deal with Elsevier.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
DA 2020
The 2020 election is coming up and most of the attention at present is on the presidential race and not so much on local offices. But, as it happens, the current DA is up for re-election. We were reminded of that fact by a recent op ed in the Bruin.*
Apart from the complaints in the Bruin, the relation between the current DA and UCLA has not always been one of friendly accord. We have noted some issues on this blog regarding her (mis)handling of a case involving a UCLA faculty member. You can find a link to our earlier coverage at:
https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2016/08/maybe-candy-would-have-been-dandy.html
Yours truly suggests checking out the story before voting for DA.
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*http://dailybruin.com/2019/11/19/op-ed-students-should-scrutinize-actions-or-lack-thereof-of-district-attorney-candidate/
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Title IX Controversy Continues
The final regulation will maintain contentious elements of a version proposed a year ago, including a provision requiring universities to allow cross-examination of those alleging sexual harassment or assault, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the rules.
In publishing last year’s proposed regulation, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the new rules would restore balance in a system that, in her view, had been skewed in favor of the accusers. She said her approach would provide clarity and fairness for victims and those accused of wrongdoing. But the proposal came under intense fire from women’s rights groups and Democrats, who said it would allow assailants and schools to escape responsibility and make college campuses less safe for women. It received an astounding 124,196 public comments, including a crush of criticism from advocacy groups, survivors of sexual assault and campus leaders.
DeVos has been aiming to publish the final regulation before the year is out, although it’s possible that timeline will slip. Meetings are scheduled into January on the matter at the White House Office of Management and Budget, which reviews all regulations. It’s unclear when the new rules will take effect. Advocates for sexual assault survivors said they’re already planning to challenge the regulation in court...
Full story at https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/betsy-devos-poised-to-issue-sweeping-rules-governing-campus-sexual-assault/2019/11/25/f9c21656-0f90-11ea-b0fc-62cc38411ebb_story.html
Editorial note from yours truly: We will again* add an editorial comment that the way to have fair hearings is to have a neutral decision maker - one not employed by or beholden to either side - similar to what occurs in the arbitration of grievances for union-represented employees at UCLA and many other employers, public and private. The issue of cross examination can be dealt with by the neutral and is less central to due process and fairness than just having a neutral.
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*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2019/01/more-title-9-problems-in-court-and.html
Gold Shield
Members of the UCLA Academic Senate
Dear Colleagues:
We enthusiastically invite your nominations for the Gold Shield Faculty Prize, an unrestricted $30,000 cash prize that recognizes and rewards mid-career UCLA faculty members who have demonstrated extraordinary accomplishments in undergraduate teaching and in research or creative activity, as well as service within the University. The Prize is given in two annual installments. The 2020 winner will be from north campus and will be chosen from one of the following areas: Arts and Architecture, Humanities, Social Sciences, Music and Theater, Film and Television.
The recipient of the award must be an exceptional mid-career full professor who has a distinguished record of undergraduate teaching with preference given to faculty who have held a doctoral degree for at least 10 years. Gold Shield’s additional criteria include "extraordinary promise and accomplishment in research or creative activity; an outstanding record in teaching, especially of undergraduates; and an acceptable level of service to the University."
The nomination period for the Gold Shield Faculty Prize opened on Monday, November 11, 2019. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, February 14, 2020, at 5 p.m.
Gold Shield Faculty Prize information, including the purpose, history of the prize, eligibility, criteria, and instructions for nominations, are available on the Academic Senate website. The Gold Shield Faculty Prize brochure (PDF), which delineates the entry instructions, criteria and selection process, can be viewed online and is separately attached.
For further information, please contact Annie Speights, Assistant to the Gold Shield Faculty Prize Committee, in the Academic Senate office at:
aspeights@senate.ucla.edu.
You may also contact Marla Berns, Gold Shield Faculty Prize Chair, by email at:
berns@arts.ucla.edu.
aspeights@senate.ucla.edu.
You may also contact Marla Berns, Gold Shield Faculty Prize Chair, by email at:
berns@arts.ucla.edu.
Cordially,
Michael Meranze
Chair
UCLA Academic Senate
Marla Berns
Chair
Gold Shield Faculty Prize Committee
Monday, November 25, 2019
Dropping the SAT? - Update
UCOP Daily News Clips now offers a compendium of references on that topic:
Drop the SAT and ACT as a requirement for admission, top UC officials say
(Los Angeles Times) Teresa Watanabe
U. of California leaders support dropping use of SAT, ACT
(Associated Press)
(New York Times)
(Washington Post)
(San Francisco Chronicle)
(Sacramento Bee)
(SFGATE)
(San Diego Union-Tribune)
(San Jose Mercury News)
(Merced Sun-Star)
(ABC7 San Francisco)
(KPIX5 San Francisco)
(CBS13 Sacramento)
(KUSI San Diego)
(KSBY Central Coast)
Will UC Go Test Optional?
(Inside Higher Ed) Scott Jaschik
In short, it's a hot topic.
Davis Diversity
Guidelines for Writing a Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
UC Davis welcomes our applicants for faculty positions to provide their own unique perspectives on their past, present, and future aspirations and contributions to promoting equity, inclusion, and diversity in their professional careers. You may have worked, for example, with members of communities or local organizations, in politics, or with university constituents like students, staff, or faculty to further the goals of equity and inclusion. We respect and recognize such activities as consonant with our mission at UC Davis: to advance the human condition through improving the quality of life for all, using a framework that connects its land-grant history to a transformative vision for the 21st century.
There are many valuable ways our faculty have contributed to the “One World, One UC Davis” vision. These have included:
- Commitment to using a faculty position to be a force of enlightenment and change by opening up opportunities to students who may have never known of the intellectual and life options that abound at our university.
- Creation of programs that provide access and establish a pipeline in disciplines for students in traditionally underrepresented groups.
- Enriching the classroom environment through providing exposure to new perspectives on cultures, beliefs, or practices, or the teaching of cultural humility or other aptitudes and skills to enhance the ability of our students to engage with inclusivity in a pluralistic society.
- Exposure to research opportunities for individuals historically excluded from disciplines on the basis of their gender or ethnic identity.
- Leadership in any capacity that tangibly promotes an environment where diversity is welcomed, fostered, and celebrated.
- Mentoring students from traditionally underrepresented groups and at-risk students to provide the guidance needed to help ensure their academic experience is a welcoming and positive one, to promote university resources when needed for retention, and to serve as transformative role models for those who may not yet understand their real potential in an academic environment.
- Outreach to members of student clubs, private organizations, or community groups whose mission includes service, education, or extending opportunity to disadvantaged people.
- Recognition of the challenges members of society face when they are members of underrepresented groups, people of color, or women; or because of their religious, ethnic, or gender identities or orientation.
- Service that promotes inclusion by striving to dismantle barriers to people historically excluded from the opportunities that all have a right to enjoy.
- Production of research that seeks to improve the lives of under-served communities or the promotion of knowledge or understanding through research and scholarship that sheds light on the experiences of oppressed or under-represented communities.
Through your own Statements of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion you can tell us how your past, present, and future activities have or will contribute to UC Davis’ mission of promoting equity and inclusion or have shaped your perspective on this issue. But don’t feel limited to that: if you have creative ideas for future activities that will contribute to the UC Davis’ “One World” vision, please feel very welcome to share those as well, and specifically how and when you would like to implement them in our University environment.
Source: https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/guidelines-writing-diversity-statement
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