All is well...for now

You might be wondering where Chancellor Block was doing yesterday after the Regents met behind closed doors to discuss campus unrest. (There is still no agenda listed for that meeting.)

Nonetheless, the Regents did issue a statement after the meeting which may well lead to further protests:

University of California statement on divestment

UC Office of the President, April 26, 2024

The University of California shared the following statement today, Friday, April 26, 2024:

The University of California has consistently opposed calls for boycott against and divestment from Israel. While the University affirms the right of our community members to express diverse viewpoints, a boycott of this sort impinges on the academic freedom of our students and faculty and the unfettered exchange of ideas on our campuses.  

UC tuition and fees are the primary funding sources for the University’s core operations. None of these funds are used for investment purposes. 

Through careful management of the University’s retirement and endowment funds, UC Investments provides a stable and growing revenue stream that benefits current and retired employees and supports the University’s education, research, and public service mission.

Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/university-california-statement-divestment.

You would, however, never guess that anything out of the ordinary was happening on campus. The UCLA website featured photos, such as the one below, showing tranquil campus scenes.

Source: https://twitter.com/UCLA/status/1783958014564667411/photo/1.

The UCLA Newsroom webpage featured a story about a graduate student engaged in Indigenous-led reforestation of L.A.:

https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/ary-amaya-indigenous-led-reforestation-los-angeles.

And what was the chancellor doing? A video of the chancellor was posted last night welcoming next year's transfer students, complete with a burst of confetti:

Or direct to https://twitter.com/UCLAchancellor/status/1784010533521502489.

So, I guess all is well (for now).

No Lapse

For those planning to retire, the “No lapse in pay” retirement option provides protection against delays in switching from the payroll to the pension. From UCNet:

The “no lapse in pay” option guarantees the continuation of income and medical and dental benefits (if you’re currently enrolled, and eligible for benefits as a retiree) as you transition to retirement. If you’re approved as a July 1 retiree, you will receive your first retirement benefit payment on August 1. Employees interested in this option must submit all required documentation by the appropriate deadline and meet eligibility requirements (see Before you apply). The deadline to apply for no lapse in pay for a July 1 retirement is May 13, 2024.

For more information, go to https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/benefits/retirement/retirement-planning-resources/the-no-lapse-in-pay-retirement-option/.

Gov. Newsom on California Campus Unrest

Although he is an ex officio Regent, it is doubtful - but not impossible - that Gov. Newsom is on the Zoom call with other Regents discussing campus unrest today. Unlike his predecessor, he does not attend Regents meetings except for one closed meeting in which he complained that UCLA was changing football conferences, possibly at the expense of UC-Berkeley.

Nonetheless, it appears that he has been in touch with UC President Drake yesterday. When asked about campus unrest at an unrelated news conference, he made the disclosure.

You can see his remarks at the video below:

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

No Agenda? No Statements?

At the time of this posting, the special meeting of the Regents to discuss campus unrest is to begin in about 20 minutes. It is closed door, but usually closed-door meetings have agendas posted. For example, when pending litigation is discussed, there is a listing of the legal cases involved. Today's meeting, however, seems to have no agenda as the image above shows. When you click on the agenda link, the image above is what you get.

There is also radio silence on the UC systemwide websites and the UCLA website. No statement has been issued by the systemwide Academic Senate. Maybe everyone is waiting for the Regents to act. ????

Everything Normal - Nothing to See Here

 

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-z0uiP_AMg.

Today's Regents Meeting

As blog readers will know, the Regents are having a special Zoom meeting today to discuss campus unrest. But it's a closed-door meeting with the rationale for closing being "litigation." (Are there ever any policy issues the Regents discuss which couldn't conceivably lead to litigation?) 

All we know is that there will be at least 18 people in attendance - some may not be Regents - based on the Zoom addresses - most of which appear to be office buildings:

1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.
400 Q Street, Sacramento, CA [May be a CalPERS office]
1680 East 120th Street, Los Angeles, CA [MLK hospital]
3333 North Torrey Pines Ct, La Jolla, CA
5200 Lake Road, BSP. 187, Merced, CA [UC-Merced]
1004 Holton Road, Holtville, CA [farm in the middle of Imperial County]
655 West 18th Street Merced, CA [Seems to be a UC-Merced office building]
4751 Wilshire Blvd., 3rd floor, Los Angeles, CA
455 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA
500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA [Probably Disney building]
6374 Coral del Rico Nayarit, Mexico [possible typo in this address]
8105 Hickory High Court, Ellicott City, MD
465 California Street, Suite 611, San Francisco, CA
550 S Hope St., Los Angeles, CA
6085 State Farm Drive, Rohnert Park, CA
12011 San Vicente Blvd., Suite 606, Los Angeles, CA [David Geffen Foundation]
3200 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA [May be UCLA student housing]
433 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA

Source: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/meetings/agendas/april262024.html.

It keeps happening...

Will the Regents eventually take note? From Inside Higher Ed:

Cornell University announced yesterday that it would once again require standardized test scores from applicants, the latest in a wave of selective institutions to do so. The policy change, which will take effect next application cycle, is the culmination of a two-year “period of deliberate experimental review” Cornell entered in 2022, when it extended its test-optional policy through 2024, and is based in part on internal research conducted since then.

Cornell offered a similar justification as other Ivy League colleges returning to testing requirements, including Yale and Dartmouth College: that not only are scores better indicators of academic success than factors such as GPA, but they can also help admissions officers take notice of students from under-resourced high schools who might otherwise struggle to stand out. Test-optional policies, on the other hand, “may undermine equity in admissions” by discouraging score submission among less privileged applicants, the research report concluded.

Source: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/04/23/cornell-reinstates-testing-requirements.

What Cornell is saying now is what a UC Academic Senate report said back before the Regents abolished the test requirement.