A UCLA alumnus rescinded his offer to pay students up to $100
for information regarding professors’ political views on
Sunday.
Andrew Jones, the president and only employee of the Bruin
Alumni Association, which operates a Web site with the goal of
“exposing UCLA’s radical professors” said he
decided to stop offering the cash after consulting with his
attorney.
The site features profiles of “The Dirty Thirty,” a
list of UCLA professors ranked on a scale of “power
fists,” with five indicating the most radical faculty
members, according to Jones.
Patricia Jasper, UCLA legal counsel, told the Daily Bruin for a
story last week that students providing Jones with information
about professors’ classroom activities could violate the
student code of conduct. Professors have copyright over their
course materials, Jasper said.
Though Jones believes his plan to pay students was legal, he
said he didn’t want to burden students with the possibility
of having to explain their actions to university
administrators.
“If that reduces the troubles already plaguing students,
I’ll gladly do it,” he said.
In a note on his site, Jones wrote that the offer for cash had
also “become a distraction from the real problem, which is
classroom indoctrination by UCLA professors.”
Jones has said he hadn’t yet paid any students for
information.
But even if students don’t receive money for their
involvement with Jones’ project, giving him information about
lectures would still violate UCLA’s code of conduct, said
University Spokesman Lawrence Lokman.
“We’ve made it clear that students should rely on
the university’s interpretation of the policies dealing with
ownership of professors’ course materials and provision of
course materials. … It’s not just a matter of (students)
getting paid,” he said.
Jones said that he knows of at least one student who is willing
to help even if the promise of cash no longer plays a role.
“The abusive behavior by professors is proving to be all
the motivation necessary, and my understanding of what would be
required was off the mark,” Jones said.
Jones’ Web site was put into the national spotlight last
week after numerous media outlets ““ including the Los Angeles
Times, CNN, and The Associated Press ““ began reporting on
it.
It has also drawn criticism from some professors who have called
Jones’ efforts misguided. But many have also acknowledged
Jones’ right to free speech.
Though students at the University of Texas operated a site with
goals similar to Jones’s in 2003, they did not offer money
for information.
With reports from Charles Proctor, Bruin senior
staff.