The public institutions in California include Santa Monica College, Sacramento State University and four University of California campuses: Berkeley, Davis, San Diego and Santa Barbara. Four private colleges and universities in California were also included: Chapman University, Pomona College, Stanford University and the University of Southern California. UC said in a statement Monday that it is aware of the letter and added that the university is “unwavering in its commitment to combating antisemitism and protecting the civil rights of all our students, faculty, staff, and visitors.”

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by EdSource Staff, EdSource.

Posted: March 10th, 2025, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Trump gloated about the arrest on Monday. “Following my previously signed Executive Orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student on the campus of Columbia University,” the president wrote. “This is the first arrest of many to come.” Donald Trump signed an executive order in January targeting what he described as “Hamas sympathizers on college campuses.” The president has also threatened to revoke federal funding from universities that allow what he called “illegal” protests. Trump has attacked Columbia, pulling $400 million in funding, alongside nine other universities that had pro-Gaza encampments and protests. The Trump administration claims these protests are antisemitic rather than First Amendment-protected rallies against a brutal assault on Gaza.

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by Peter Wade, Rolling Stone.

Posted: March 9th, 2025, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the iconic Geisel Library at UC San Diego on Friday to participate in a rally aimed at defending science from what supporters described as federal disruptions, particularly under the Trump administration. The rally, dubbed by organizers as “Stand Up for Science,” saw attendees from various scientific fields come together in a unified stand against what they say are dangerous cuts to scientific funding, censorship in regards to language in science and purges of federal programs.

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by Amber Coakley, Fox 5 San Diego.

Posted: March 8th, 2025, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Giving a new meaning to the phrase mad scientists, angry researchers, doctors, their patients and supporters ventured out of labs, hospitals and offices Friday to fight against what they call a blitz on life-saving science by the Trump administration. In the nation’s capital, a couple thousand gathered at the Stand Up for Science rally. Organizers said similar rallies were planned in more than 30 U.S. cities. Politicians, scientists, musicians, doctors and their patients made the case that firings, budget and grant cuts in health, climate, science and other research government agencies in the Trump administration’s first 47 days in office are endangering not just the future but the present.

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by Seth Borenstein, AP.

Posted: March 7th, 2025, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Under current rules, nonprofits are eligible if they focus on certain areas including public interest law, public health or education. Trump’s order appears to target those who work in certain fields at odds with his political agenda, including immigration. Advocates have gone to court to defend the program in the past, and Trump’s action is almost certain to face legal challenges. It drew quick backlash from advocates. “Threatening to punish hardworking Americans for their employers’ perceived political views is about as flagrant a violation of the First Amendment as you can imagine,” said Aaron Ament, president of the National Student Legal Defense Network. Updating eligibility rules typically requires the Education Department to go through a lengthy federal rulemaking process. Any new regulation that started this year would usually not take effect until 2027.

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by Collin Binkley, AP.

Posted: March 7th, 2025, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

The White House on Thursday pulled the expected signing of the executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, multiple sources tell ABC News… White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted a news report saying it was “fake news” that Trump was expected to sign the order on Thursday. She said he is not signing it. Behind the scenes, there was concern among top administration officials about the blowback the order would receive and the lack of messaging in place ahead of the rollout. Specifically, how the administration would answer questions about how the executive order would impact the school lunch program along with other programs that could no longer exist.

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by Arthur Jones II and Katherine Faulders, ABC News.

Posted: March 6th, 2025, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

According to the results of a resolution released to faculty on Thursday, the Davis Division of the Academic Senate voted no confidence in retiring President Michael V. Drake. Of 3,339 eligible voters, 401 voted in favor of the resolution, while 281 opposed it. A majority vote was necessary for the resolution to pass. The vote, held Feb. 13 to 26, was the second time faculty voted on the resolution. The first was from Dec. 3 to 16, 2024, but rather than release the results, the UC Davis Committee on Elections, Rules, and Jurisdiction sent an email to faculty on Monday, Jan. 27, stating a repeat ballot was on the way so Drake as “an ex-officio member of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate” could vote on an Academic Senate resolution of no-confidence in his leadership.

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by Monica Stark, The Davis Enterprise.

Posted: February 27th, 2025, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Calling for a defeat of the UC Davis Academic Senate no-confidence resolution of his leadership, retiring University of California President Michael V. Drake communicated to faculty that the resolution “creates a false or misleading narrative” and “is uncharacteristic of our distinguished Academic Senate.” Had the questions been raised earlier, Drake wrote, they could have been resolved… This is the second round of ballots for the unusual resolution that has raised questions over its procedural timeline. The first UCD vote was held from Dec. 3-16, 2024, and rather than releasing the results, the UC Davis Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction sent an email to faculty on Monday, Jan. 27 stating a repeat ballot was on the way so Drake could vote on the UC Davis Resolution of No Confidence.

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by Monica Stark, The Davis Enterprise.

Posted: February 14th, 2025, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

According to employees, however, the DOGE teams appear to be competing with one another to get a very big headline on budget cuts… likely due in part to the rules that govern the DOGE staffers’ employment. Most DOGE workers are designated as “special government employees,” a category that insulates them from some federal disclosure requirements. But in exchange, the status limits the total number of days they can work per year to 130. The way the DOGE teams appear to be operating, they have about four months to make all the cuts they can. After that, the agencies will be left to deal with the fallout.

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by Annie Nova, CNBC.

Posted: February 12th, 2025, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

On Monday afternoon, Popular Information broke the news that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had frozen virtually all grant funding in violation of two federal court orders. The grants were frozen pending a review for compliance with President Trump’s executive orders, including those targeting spending related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)… On Wednesday morning, NIH leadership distributed a memo, obtained by Popular Information, acknowledging that its funding freeze was illegal and directing staff to resume issuing grants… The new policy to comply with the temporary restraining orders (TROs) was issued today, February 12. The first TRO, however, was issued on January 31. The NIH memo reveals that the agency has been in violation of these orders for almost two weeks.

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by Judd Legum, Popular Information.

Posted: February 12th, 2025, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.