UC program promotes education, technology
A large coalition between the University of California and several partners, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California State University, aims to cultivate a scientifically sound workforce in California by providing college students incentive to enter the education career path.
Specifically, the UC system plans to establish the “California Teach” program, which would increase the the yearly production of credentialed science and mathematics high school teachers, the UC Office of the President stated in a press release. Under the program, UC undergraduate students would receive, in four years, the training required for teaching secondary school science or math curriculum, as well as a bachelor’s degree in fields of science, mathematics or engineering. The idea to promote science and technology careers, which fuels a large part of California’s economy, was birthed in the governor’s “compact” with the CSU and UC systems in May 2004.
“If California is to be a leader in tomorrow’s economy, we need to put more emphasis on science and math instruction,” Schwarzenegger stated in a press release. “This science and math initiative will expand the efforts of our UC and CSU systems, with the goal of graduating at least four times as many new science and math teachers by the year 2010. The California Science and Math Initiative is the right investment for California’s future.”
“California Teach” will incorporate several elements, including loan-forgiveness programs for participants who teach extensively after college graduation and mentoring from professional teachers.
UC Davis invents light system for elderly
The California Lighting Technology Center, a research and development program at UC Davis, developed a lighting system that will make energy use more efficient and improve safety conditions for the elderly.
The new system uses a light-emitting diode night-light with an orange glow, which provides the necessary amount of light to promote sight, but not enough to disorient the retina. The light fixture uses less than one watt of power and is fluorescent, according to CLTC Director Michael Siminovitch. Because the elderly have weak eyesight, regular lights that are too strong or too dim can severely disorient them, Siminovitch said. The new light system, however, will provide just the right amount of light.
The system is expected to cost about $200. Davis is currently negotiating with companies to manufacture the product and filing a patent for the invention.
A.S.P. members dispute budget cuts
Several members of the Academic Success Program protested the A.S. Council’s plans to divert program funding to various other line items in the student organization budget at a June 1 meeting. Initially, the council had planned to move $6,500 from A.S.P., claiming that the program had more than $15,000 left in its budget. However, discussion of proposal was postponed after A.S. executives found that the financial reports they were provided with were outdated, according to A.S.P. Executive Director Terry Le. The current amount left over in A.S.P.’s budget is actually approximately $4,000, he said.
“The thing is that the business office paperwork is slow,” Le said. “The figures didn’t account for the spending during this quarter or the cost of book lending during spring.”
A.S.P. is an A.S. service that provides programs such as book lending, mentoring and exam archives. The service is funded by a referendum passed in 2001, which adds a student activity fee of $1 per student per quarter. Under the referendum’s language, the amount directed to A.S.P. is under A.S. discretion, according to Le. Currently, there is $40,000 in the A.S.P. budget.
During early budget talks, A.S.P. was cut by $2,000 in order to add more funding to a college festivals line item. Although the initial cut was understandably necessary, further cuts to A.S.P. would be detrimental to the program, Le said. A.S.P. served about 300 students per quarter in the past year, an A.S.P. annual report stated. In order to create more accountability in A.S.P. finances and ensure that the program’s budget will no longer be questioned, Le said he plans to add line items within the A.S.P. budget, provide frequent reports to the A.S. Council and provide statistical data of the program’s usage among students. The A.S. Council decided to postpone discussion of the debate until the next academic year. A.S. President Christopher Sweeten said that he would focus more attention on A.S.P. in the future.
“I will be working with the director on business plans for the service to insure that all money that is allocated to A.S.P. is used in a productive manner,” he stated in an e-mail. “We must continue to support services that provide retention to students on this campus.”
