An eight-year era is ending. Richard Atkinson, the 17th president of the University of California and one of the most powerful figures in public education, is retiring today into a bright but overshadowed legacy. Atkinson has left a indelible impact on higher education in both the state and the nation. He has been a champion […]
Author Archives: Charles Proctor
Berdahl to retire from Berkeley chancellorship
The chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, Robert Berdahl, announced he would be retiring from his position this June to take a year off from academia and then return to Berkeley as a professor of history. Berdahl, who will have served for seven years when he steps down, laid strong groundwork for the Berkeley […]
California recall: Hopefuls talk politics, values, one-liners
In the first and perhaps only time before the Oct. 7 recall election, all five major candidates vying to replace Gov. Gray Davis, including actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, squared off in a heated debate that attempted to deal with serious issues facing California but at times dissolved into a series of personal spats. The event, which […]
Initiative generates heated debate on benefits of state collection of ethnicity data
Trying to establish a society where race or ethnicity has no meaning might seem like a good thing to some Californians. But Proposition 54, a controversial initiative that proponents say would do just that, has teachers and police officers around the state up in arms because of its methods for race neutrality. One of two […]
Language troubles medical community
Californian medical practitioners are at a loss for words when it comes to describing their feelings about Proposition 54 ““ five words to be exact. The issue is with the words “medical research subjects and patients” which was written into an exemption clause of Proposition 54, a controversial initiative that if passed by voters in […]
Prop. 209 writers split on Prop. 54
In 1996, Glynn Custred and Thomas Wood stood united in calling for an end to affirmative action in California, a cause they championed ““ and passed ““ through their co-written initiative Proposition 209. Now, in 2003, Custred and Wood once again find themselves in the forefront of another race-based initiative, Proposition 54, which if passed […]
Rising cost of education puts some UC law students in tight situations
Shannon McMasters is running out of time. A second-year UCLA law student, she has used up the last of her student loans to pay her rent and bills until the end of the month. Her only other sources of income come from a job she has at a Brentwood hair salon and from her mother […]