Fall Quarter Update

From an email circulated earlier today:

Dear Bruin Community:

In our June fall planning message, we announced that we hoped to offer 15% to 20% of our fall courses in person or in a hybrid format, knowing that those plans could change based on the progression of the pandemic. With Los Angeles County experiencing a dramatic rise in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, we have found it necessary to adjust our plans to reduce the health risks to our campus community.

Following close consultation with public health authorities and as recommended by the UCLA COVID-19 Future Planning Task Force, we have developed the revised approach to fall term instruction outlined below. These plans remain contingent on state and county authorization to resume in-person instruction, and while we hope that we will not need to alter our plans further, it is possible that they could change given the evolving nature of the pandemic and shifting public health directives.

I recognize how challenging the past few months have been for so many in our community and am immensely grateful for the flexibility and resilience that you have shown throughout this time. These are qualities that I hope we Bruins can continue to draw on as we enter a truly unique academic year.

Fall Courses

UCLA is now planning to offer about 8% of fall term courses in person or using a hybrid model, with the remaining vast majority delivered remotely. Additionally, nearly all classes will shift to remote delivery after Thanksgiving — with limited exceptions to be approved by my office — to minimize public health risks associated with travel and a potential virus resurgence. Schools and academic departments are currently working to update their offerings to provide a range of remote courses and to ensure that all students have access to the classes they need to make progress toward their academic degrees. Class locations on student study lists and the schedule of classes will be updated by the end of this week to reflect these changes.

The few courses that will still be conducted on campus include certain lab, studio, and clinical courses, as well as other hands-on classes that would be effectively impossible to offer remotely. Students should confirm the status and availability of these courses with their school or departmental advisers. Even in the case of these in-person courses, we are working to offer remote alternatives wherever possible for students who are unable to come to campus.

For those students who have limited access to the necessary technologies for remote learning, we remain committed to providing you with the assistance you need. UCLA has several programs that can help with purchasing or borrowing laptops, wifi hotspots, and other devices. Please visit Bruin Resources and Tools for more information. We also encourage any student who may be facing financial hardship to reach out to our Economic Crisis Response Team for assistance.

Over the coming weeks, faculty members will be working to augment and further refine their technological and pedagogical approaches to remote teaching and course development. We realize that remote instruction cannot replace the rich experience of living and learning on campus. Yet the dedication and ingenuity of our students, faculty, and staff over the past several months have demonstrated that together we can create robust and rewarding remote learning environments that continue to deliver many of the best aspects of UCLA’s world-renowned education. This fall, the campus will also coordinate a wide variety of virtual activities and co-curricular programming so that students can deepen their connections to one another and to UCLA.

Housing and Dining

We plan to accommodate about 5,000 students in on-campus residence halls and 1,500 students in university-owned and operated undergraduate apartments, with priority going to those with the greatest need. Residence hall occupancy is limited to one student per bedroom, and undergraduate apartments are limited to two students per bedroom. Certain buildings will be set aside for isolation of students who test positive for COVID-19 or who were in close contact with someone who tested positive and are required to quarantine.

Housing offers continue to be made weekly as space becomes available. Students can cancel their housing contracts before September 16 without penalty.

Dining facilities will be open for carry-out meals with limited seating and other safety precautions in place.

Please visit UCLA Housing’s COVID-19 information page for more information and answers to frequently asked questions.

Health and Safety

For those who do join us on campus, protocols and procedures will be in place to help us maintain a healthier and safer learning environment. Infection control measures will include physical distancing, de-densifying classrooms and other campus spaces, and frequent cleaning of residence halls and other facilities.

In addition:

• Cloth face coverings are required indoors and outdoors for anyone on campus, per guidelines from local and state health authorities.

• Daily symptom checks are required for anyone coming to campus or living in on-campus housing. More information on the campus’ symptom monitoring protocol is available online for staff and faculty performing non-healthcare work on campus (PDF) and for students (PDF).

• Asymptomatic COVID-19 testing will be required for all students living in university housing or participating in on-site or hybrid classes, as well as for faculty, staff, or teaching assistants involved in teaching on site. Tests will be provided at no cost, and contact tracing protocols will be in place when anyone tests positive.

International Students

We recognize that international students have been severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis and new government policy directives. The UCLA Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars is working with campus partners to review recent directives and assess their impact, and will provide additional information to our international students this week. New and continuing international students should visit the Dashew Center’s COVID-19 updates page for the latest information and answers to frequently asked questions.

The Way Forward

I know this is not the fall term any of us had hoped for and I understand that this news will be disappointing to many. However, these changes are necessary so that we can minimize the spread of COVID-19 while also delivering the quality education that is a hallmark of UCLA.

The volatility of the pandemic has challenged us in ways we could not have imagined. I am deeply grateful for all you have done and will continue to do to ensure that UCLA’s mission of outstanding education, research, and service endures.

We will continue to update the community as news about fall scheduling, housing, and other campus matters becomes available. Please visit UCLA’s COVID-19 resources page for the latest information on the pandemic and Bruins Safe Online for campus safety protocols and guidelines. Above all else, be well and take good care.

Sincerely,

Emily A. Carter

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

The Starting Date for Football Seems to be Up in the Air

From MyNewsLA: USC and UCLA are scheduled to meet Sept. 26 at the Rose Bowl to open their football seasons under the revised schedule announced by the Pac-12 Conference, although the date could be changed, the universities’ athletic directors said.

“Though we are progressing toward the start of our respective seasons, at this time, we do not have the necessary county and state clearances to begin competitions,” USC athletic director Mike Bohn and UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said in a joint statement after the schedule was released Friday.

“Our football schedules create the opportunity for us to shift our season-opening contest to open dates later in the season (Oct. 31 and Dec. 12), if necessary. UCLA and USC are in absolute alignment, and we remain in regular communication with state, local and university officials. We will continue to follow their guidance with the utmost regard for the health and safety of our student-athletes.”

In a letter to donors obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Bohn wrote it was “likely” the game would be moved to a later date...

Full story at https://mynewsla.com/education/2020/08/02/usc-ucla-set-to-meet-to-open-football-season-2/

Not Everything That Says UCLA Comes from UCLA

The ad above - from Facebook - may appear to be from some official UCLA program. It isn't. Anyone can grab a photo from the UCLA campus and run an ad. Yours truly doesn't know one way or the other whether you can get a good deal from whoever is advertising. But you should know that you are not dealing with an official university program if you respond.

Listen to the Regent Afternoon Session of July 30, 2020

Note: Our photo for Regents sessions often show someone listening to an old radio or other sound device. As it happened, Chancellor Block was one of the speakers at the budget discussion (see below) and he spoke with a background containing three old radios. (The middle one is a Zenith Transoceanic shortwave radio from the 1950s. The one on the left looks like something from the 1960s. The one on the left seems to be from the 1920s.) It appeared that the wall of books and radios was a "green screen" background, i.e., not what was really behind the chancellor. (You can put any background you like on a Zoom session if you have a green screen behind you or if you have a computer with sufficient power so that it can insert a background without use of a green screen. Some other presenters and participants also used green screen backgrounds.)

The full board discussed the UC budget outlook. Yours truly notes that the figures were presented in a way that tended to minimize or obscure the magnitude of the possible cuts if Congress does not provide sufficient additional funds. Chair Pérez was anxious to note that the budget as ultimately signed by the governor in late June was better for UC than in the May Revise. However, absent additional federal funding, there are significant cuts which should not be downplayed. To see them, go to our blog post on the subject which is based on actual figures from the enacted budget and compares the current fiscal  year with last year:

http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-uc-budget-what-is-projected.html

Nathan Brostrom indicated that there was contingent planning going on in case the coronavirus crisis caused continued revenue losses beyond this year. He mentioned "progressive" pay cuts (bigger percentage cuts at higher pay levels), etc., as possible responses. There might be more discussion at the September meeting of the Regents when more will be known about the possible congressional funding. Whether the Academic Senate is involved in such contingency planning was not stated.

When in came to use of reserves at the campus level, Regent Makarechian indicated that campus reserves should be shared systemwide so that cuts at one campus would not be more severe than at others. Chair Pérez endorsed that idea. Yours truly must note that if such a policy were followed, it would diminish the incentive at the campus level to put aside reserves for the next crisis, whenever that occurs. In effect, reserve accumulation would have to be done at the systemwide level. Yet recent history suggests that reserve accumulation at the systemwide level becomes a target of the state auditor. In short, some attention to the long-term consequences of a decision to redistribute campus reserves needs to be paid.

We posted on Saturday about the approval by the full board of the governance change that - over the objection of the Senate - tended to diminish the role of the faculty in chancellor selection.* As we noted on Saturday, this action does not bode well for shared governance. If you didn't see the Saturday post, scroll down for the link and the video response of the faculty representative. The full board session ended with a tribute to outgoing UC president Napolitano and a quote from recently-deceased congressman John Lewis by Chair Pérez. 

At Academic and Student Affairs, there was reference to the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis and possible repeal of Proposition 209. A planned pharmacy program at Irvine was discussed, including diversity of the planned program's students. There was later discussion of senior management, staff, and student diversity.

You can hear the full board and the Academic and Student Affairs sessions at:

or direct to:

Full board: https://archive.org/details/regents-academic-students-affairs-7-30-20/Regents+7-30-20pm.WMA

and

Academic and Student Affairs: https://archive.org/details/regents-academic-students-affairs-7-30-20/Regents+Academic+%26+Students+Affairs+7-30-20.mp3

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*http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2020/08/severe-and-deep-disappointment-in.html 

We repeat the video excerpt embedded on this blog on Saturday:

or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bbsF9WaPx8

Bad Sport

After ending UCLA contract, Under Armour wants to be 'smarter' with marketing deals 

By Holden Wilen, Baltimore Business Journal, Jul 31, 2020

Under Armour Inc. CEO Patrik Frisk said Friday the sportswear maker will continue to "make [its] presence felt" through marketing despite prematurely pulling out of a record-breaking sponsorship contract with UCLA.

Some observers saw Baltimore-based Under Armour's decision to terminate the 10-year, $280 million deal as a signal the company planned to get out of the college athletics space altogether. Under Armour also ended its 10-year, $86 million deal with the University of California, Berkeley.

At the time, Under Armour (NYSE: UAA) argued it has been paying for marketing benefits it has not received. College sports have been on hiatus since March because of the Covid-19 pandemic. On Friday, as he discussed Under Armour's second quarter financial results, Frisk seemed to hint the brand pulled out of the deals because they weren't working.

"We have talked about that as part of our restructuring we continue to look at things that make sense and might not make sense for us in that journey going forward, and we are making decisions accordingly," Frisk said. "The reality is that if you want to have an asset you've got to be able to activate it."

Under Armour signed the deals with UCLA and Cal in 2016 on the heels of three other major agreements by Nike with the University of Michigan, the University of Texas and Ohio State University. At the time, Under Armour was also in the midst of a streak of 26 consecutive quarters with at least 20% sales growth.

In the years since, Under Armour's sales have slowed and profitability has declined. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have presented an opportunity for the sportswear maker to get out of deals, some of which experts said it overpaid for. UCLA and Cal could take legal action to try and prevent the terminations.*

Frisk said Under Armour has been becoming "smarter" with its investments and how they can strengthen the brand. Chief Financial Officer David Bergman said the company has prioritized returns on investments...

Full story at https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2020/07/31/under-armour-ceo-sheds-light-on-sponsorship-deals.html

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*Our previous post on this matter back in June indicated that despite the coronavirus crisis as a possible rationale for cancellation of the contract, UCLA was "exploring" options - presumably including legal options. See:
http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2020/06/disappearing-money.html

"Severe and Deep Disappointment" in Regents' Action

Professor Kum-Kum Bhavnani, the faculty representative to the Regents, expressed "severe and deep disappointment" in the Regents' action last Thursday in modifying the procedures for chancellor selection on campuses to diminish the faculty's role in the process. An article appeared in the Los Angeles Times noting that past Academic Council chairs had written a strong statement protesting the change. As we have previous noted on this blog, the issue was reported to the Governance Committee which endorsed it after hearing of the faculty concerns. The full Board of Regents voted against postponing the changes for discussion at the September meeting, despite Prof. Bhavnani's request. Outgoing UC president Napolitano was among the minority voting to postpone. Having defeated the postponement, the full board then endorsed the changes with one abstention.

We will post a fuller summary of the Thursday afternoon session of the Regents at which these actions occurred tomorrow with the usual audio links. However, a video of Prof. Bhavnani's remarks can be seen below:

or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bbsF9WaPx8
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For previous posts on this matter, see:
http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2020/07/listen-to-afternoon-session-of-regents.html
and
http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2020/07/chancellor-selection-issue-to-come-up.html
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We have noted in prior posts that what appears to be in the background is the ghost of former Governor Jerry Brown who was always distrustful of faculty and - indeed - UC, for personal reasons. It was interesting that it was the pre-Brown appointees who expressed reservations about just rolling ahead and not postponing. The Brown appointees had no reservations and, indeed, one of them - Regent Park - chaired the group that came up with the recommendations.

The Regents are generally reluctant to have split votes. So, in the end after the postponement was defeated, all but one voted to adopt the changes. There was one abstention by Regent Zettel.

Buried Lede on ASUCLA?

The Bruin has an article about ASUCLA's taking a federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan to preserve employment. It is not surprising that the organization is losing money in the current situation with courses online and relatively few people (and thus customers) on campus. However, the article - buried in the text - indicates that before the coronavirus crisis, ASUCLA was also losing money. Excerpt below:

Associated Students UCLA received a $4.7 million loan from the federal government, but still faces millions of dollars in lost revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ASUCLA executives said. ASUCLA received the loan under the Paycheck Protection Program, which is run by the United States Small Business Administration to encourage small businesses to keep workers employed during the pandemic.

ASUCLA lost millions of dollars in revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Michelle Moyer, the director of Business Affairs and Compliance for ASUCLA, in an emailed statement. As students transitioned to online classes and employees started working remotely in March, ASUCLA lost several of their primary sources of income, including sales from campus stores, events scheduled at Ackerman Union and the licensing of commercial products with the UCLA name, Moyer said.

Moyer said in May, ASUCLA faced a year-to-date net loss of $5.7 million. By June, ASUCLA expects their year-to-date income to be $14 million less than that of the 2018-2019 fiscal year, Moyer added.

Siena Villegas, a student representative on the ASUCLA Board of Directors, said ASUCLA expects to run a year-to-date deficit of $17.6 million at the end of July, $14 million more than that of the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

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Comment: $17.6 million - $14 million = loss of $3.6 million during the pre-coronavirus 2018-19 fiscal year.

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ASUCLA will be able to continue paying employees with using the PPP loan, said Noe Garcia, the USAC financial supports commissioner. He added that ASUCLA is unsure how long it can continue paying its employees since most ASUCLA services will not resume operations in the fall...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2020/07/28/asucla-faces-lost-revenue-from-pandemic-receives-government-loan