Davis Faculty Association

A colleague with a penchant for irony has made the following observation

Begin forwarded message:

Fiat Lux, Latin for “Let there be light,” is the motto of the University of California.

From UC Davis Dateline, May 29 2008:

Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef’s brown bag chat on the Davis campus last week turned into a blackout.  Not because of a power failure. But because he had someone turn off the lights, all of them, in MU II at the Memorial Union.  “And this is just one little thing,” he said. “But if we’re all doing it, we could truly make a difference” — for a lower energy bill and improved sustainability.  Turning off the lights might not work in everyone’s office or lab. But the west wall of MU II is all glass, which during this noon hour let in a huge amount of sunlight. “We could get used to this, right?” the chancellor asked his audience of about 50 . . .

From UC Davis Dateline, May 29 2008:

UC Davis’ shiny new Aggie Stadium [has] brand-new lights, hoisted into place on May 29 atop 120-foot-tall steel poles . . . The $600,000 lighting system consists of . . . 180 metal halide lights, most of them 1,500 watts strong . . . The high-wattage lights are designed to put out . . . the brightness needed for television coverage of night events . . .The lights will be used for more than just football games. Aggie Stadium is also home to the women’s lacrosse team. In addition, the stadium will be available for evening concerts and community events . . .

by Ian Kennedy

We are inclined to lay all blame for the travails of UC at the door of the President or doors of the Chancellors. There is, however, another authority that shares some culpability for the ills that beset us – the Regents. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges offers an interesting assessment of the Regents in their review of UC management. The following is a summary of the general tone of the WASC report by DFA member Susan Harrison; please note it does not represent Susan’s personal assessment of the WASC opinions, in particular their accuracy.

This document contains (beginning p. 25) a report by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which sent a special committee to examine the accreditation issues that were raised by the UC compensation and governance “scandal”.  The report is pretty scathing – much more so of the Regents than the university itself.  If you don’t have time to read it, here’s the summary – the regents ignored material that was brought to them, told people to bring them less rather than more information, did not know their own rules, like to speak to reporters on issues where there hasn’t been any discussion or vote, get no training in university governance, and have a culture of hostility to university administrators, faculty and staff.