New bill proposes income share agreements for students as alternative to loans

University of California students may be able to have their tuition fees waived in return for promising a portion of their future income to their university if a proposed bill passes.

Assemblyman Randy Voepel proposed Assembly Bill 154, which would allow students at the UC and California State Universities to enter into income share agreements instead of taking out loans.

Income share agreements require students to give a percentage of their income to their university for a certain number of years. Several universities have participated in income share agreements, including Purdue University, Colorado Mountain College and Allan Hancock College.

Voepel said in an email statement that AB 154 aims to end future student loan debt and is modeled after Purdue University’s income share agreement model, which he said has been successful since it was implemented in 2016.

CSU and UC schools would be required to start pilot programs on campus if the bill passes. The program would be open to second-, third- and fourth-year students. The university systems would have to submit pilot program reports to the California Legislature in 2023 and 2026.

Students would be required to pay a percentage of their income to their university for 10 years starting six months after graduation. The exact amount paid would depend on students’ income and would only be required once students earn over $20,000 annually. Voepel added the program does not accrue interest.

The assemblyman introduced a similar bill in the previous legislation season, but it died in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The UC currently charges California residents $13,900 and nonresidents $42,900 for tuition per academic year. The UC Board of Regents voted to increase residents’ tuition by 2.5 percent in 2017 and nonresident tuition by 3.5 percent in 2018.

Kimberly Hale, a spokesperson for the UC Office of the President, said the University appreciates Voepel’s interest in this topic and it looks forward to reviewing the proposal.

Students and faculty said they think this program could potentially make college more accessible for students.

Shiyun Wang, a third-year psychology student, said she thinks the program could help students gain access to higher education.

“When they have higher skills or diplomas, it would be easier for them to pay and get a better life,” she said.

Gary Orfield, a distinguished research professor of education, law, political science and urban planning, said he thinks the program could help students afford educational opportunities beyond an undergraduate degree.

“It would mean you wouldn’t be facing a staggering debt, and if you really look at life and contemporary America, a college degree isn’t enough,” he said. “You want to get some kind of postcollegiate degree to get you into a really good job.”

Some students, however, are skeptical of the bill’s implementation.

Maddie Yakal, an anthropology graduate student, said she thinks the bill does not address the underlying problem of college tuition affordability.

“The problem is that college is overpriced already for the average student,” she said. “If you’re just adjusting how you pay for it, you’re still paying massive amounts of money over the course of your life.”

América Sánchez, a first-year global studies student, said she thinks the income share agreements could help students pay for their education, but added some students need their entire income and cannot afford to continue to pay the university.

“Sometimes people depend on all of their income to pay for things,” she said. “So it’s like, how can you do it?”

However, she added she would participate in this program because it would be more organized than student loan programs.

Orfield said he thinks an income share agreement is a very sensible option.

“It would be better if we could lower tuition, but you know if you don’t have adequate grant assistance then this is a very good option to have,” Orfield said.

Orfield added he likes the fact that the agreement would be limited to 10 years because more students are going into retirement with student debt that will never be forgiven.

“It has affected a significant number of older people as well,” he said, “Having a time limit on this is a really good idea.”

Ongoing lack of transparency at UCLA Lab School leaves parents concerned, frustrated

Parents of students at the UCLA Lab School said they were frustrated by the unexplained administrative leave of a teacher at the school, a year after administration also put a former principal on similar leave.

Kevin North, who has taught math at the UCLA Lab School for 18 years, was placed on administrative leave with pay twice in the past year. North was placed on leave in October, reinstated 12 days later, and placed on leave again Dec. 5. He has yet to be reinstated.

The UCLA Lab School enrolls students from pre-K through sixth grade and is operated by the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.

This is not the first time UCLA Lab School administration has placed a faculty member on administrative leave. Former principal Norma Silva was placed on unexplained administrative leave in December 2017. Silva was reinstated for the rest of the school year but did not return for the following year, according to an article published by the GSEIS.

Parents said they are frustrated and appalled by the administration’s sudden decision to place North on leave and their lack of transparency, as they have not disclosed to parents any allegations against North.

GSEIS dean Marcelo Suárez-Orozco said UCLA is prohibited from revealing the allegations against North due to privacy concerns, according to an email obtained by the Daily Bruin.

Suárez-Orozco and UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh declined to comment on the situation.

The leave was initially supposed to last from Dec. 5 to Dec. 19, but administrators extended it to Feb. 8, North said.

North met with the administration Feb. 4 to discuss his allegations and general classroom conduct. It was the first he learned of what the allegations against him were, he said.

North said the October and December leaves were due to allegations of classroom misconduct.

Parents of students at the Lab School spoke to The Bruin on the condition of anonymity because they were concerned their children would be removed from the school.

Parent A said they are appalled by the administration’s unfair treatment of North, who taught both their children and helped their son get into a high-ranking private middle school.

“He gets everyone on the same page,” Parent A said. “He prepares them not only in terms of math content but also in terms of responsibility, accountability and self-discipline, with a sense of humor and fun.”

When North left in October and again in December, many parents said they had to use outside resources to supplement their children’s math education, Parent A said.

“Again, we were left in the dark,” Parent A said. “I decided that I don’t want my girl to suffer and to fail in whatever school she goes to, so I’ve had to enroll her again in math enrichment classes.”

Parent B said their son has not learned any math since the beginning of North’s second leave.

“I hired a private math tutor for my son, but my concern is for families who cannot afford to hire tutors for their children,” Parent B said.

Multiple parents said they see the administrative leave of faculty as a pattern that started with Silva’s leave.

Parents said they were upset administrators did not consult with parents before placing Silva on leave. The administration never disclosed the reason for Silva’s leave, parents added.

“She was the heart and soul of the school,” Parent C said.

Parents speculated there was an ulterior motive for her leave, Parent C said.

“What we all assumed was that they wanted someone with a Ph.D., which she did not have, and the current principal does,” Parent C added.

Multiple parents said they suspect Silva and North’s administrative leaves may be a way for the administration to expel unwanted faculty.

“My interpretation is (the administration was) looking for a reason to expel or suspend these people,” Parent A said. “They wanted them out of the way and they just found whatever they could get a hands on.”

Parent C said they think the administration wants fifth- and sixth-grade math to be taught using Cognitively-Guided Instruction, a type of nontraditional math curriculum, rather than North’s more traditional methods.

Parent A said they think parents want administrators to treat them with fairness and transparency.

“What they want is to be treated fairly, and not at the whims of whatever (the administration) wants to impose for our children,” Parent A said.

They added they think parents need to be informed of whether criminal activity is involved in cases of administrative leave and that teachers should not be expelled midyear except in extreme cases.

“If he is expelled in midyear, it should be for a very serious reason and not because they want to change the math instruction, which is what I think is happening,” they said.

North said he has never had an opportunity to share his side of the situation.

“The whole philosophy of the Lab School is that you sit down and you mediate with people,” North said. “You need to hear all sides of the story and not wait two months to get my side.”

While North said he is frustrated by how long it has taken for administration to inform him of the allegations, he said his primary concern is for his students’ education.

He said he is worried for students’ learning because he has not been allowed to provide lesson plans or contact other faculty to inform them of where students are in the curriculum.

“If you’re putting the students first, you want to make sure their education is continuing,” North said.

Researchers identify certain factors that affect Parkinson’s disease progression

UCLA researchers found several lifestyle factors can protect Parkinson’s patients from worsening motor and cognitive functions.

The study, published in the Journal of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society, evaluated how diverse lifestyles may impact the progression and survival of Parkinson’s disease patients.

Parkinson’s disease affects nerve cells, causing deterioration of coordination and movement in a process called neurodegeneration. The disease is progressive, meaning the symptoms worsen as more neurons are destroyed. It causes involuntary tremors, slowed movement, rigidity and impaired balance in patients.

While there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, there are several treatment options available.

Regular consumption of coffee and caffeinated tea and moderate consumption of alcohol can protect against at least one outcome of worsening Parkinson’s disease, according to the study. Coffee consumption was correlated with a decreased risk of mortality and delayed progression of worsening motor and cognitive functions in patients who participated in the study. On the other hand, patients who never drank coffee were found to have had Parkinson’s for longer and to have been diagnosed at a younger age.

Moderate drinkers of alcohol were less likely to experience motor function deterioration than heavy drinkers and those who never drank liquor, according to the study.

The researchers also found that physical activity and participation in competitive sports protected against cognitive decline. In addition, smoking was associated with quickened cognitive decline and increased risk of mortality, which contrasts with prior studies.

UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music appoints inaugural dean

The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music appointed a music professor as its inaugural dean, a university press release announced Friday.

Eileen Strempel will begin her term July 8. She is an opera singer and voice professor at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Strempel was previously the senior vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Cincinnati, and assistant vice president for academic advancement and associate dean of the graduate school at Syracuse University. Strempel was also an American Council on Education fellow-in-residence at Colgate University.

Strempel also held faculty positions in the departments of art and music history and the department of voice at Syracuse University. Strempel has edited volumes and produced recordings, articles and commissions about the different contexts of female composers and their work.

A trained opera singer, Strempel received her bachelor’s degree in music from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, and her master’s degree and doctorate in music from Indiana University. She has performed with various opera companies including the Bolshoi Opera in Russia and Opera Theatre of St. Louis in roles including Violetta in “La Traviata” and the title role in “Lucia di Lammermoor.”

Judith L. Smith, the founding dean of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, said in a statement she thinks Strempel’s experience in music, administration and academics will help her as inaugural dean.

Lab studies estrogen receptors, bone density for potential osteoporosis treatment

UCLA researchers found silencing certain estrogen receptors in the brain dramatically increases bone density, offering a potential treatment for women with osteoporosis.

Stephanie Correa, an assistant professor of biology, started studying this treatment while she was a postdoctoral student at UC San Francisco. She said she noticed female mice gained weight when she genetically removed estrogen receptors in a region of the brain related to feeding and movement. She said she had expected the female mice to gain a substantial amount of weight in fat and lean muscle.

“It was significant, but it really wasn’t very much weight, so I looked at the change in fat – nothing. Then lean mass – nothing,” Correa said. “I just kept looking to explain this small effect, and we found this effect on the bone.”

Correa said the researchers’ immediate thought was that the increased bone density was caused by elevated estrogen levels in the blood that resulted from deleting some of the receptors. They used a technique called “conditional knockout” to delete estrogen receptors in two smaller regions of the hypothalamus to narrow down which receptor caused the bone density change.

Conditional knockout is a technique that introduces Cre recombinase from Cre, an enzyme that modifies genes, to silence neuron receptors in specific tissues.

“We saw the effect again in one of the regions, but this mouse didn’t have elevated estrogen level in the blood,” Correa said. “We realized that this was not due to estrogen in the blood, this is something in the brain”

Correa injected a virus into the adult mice that carried Cre recombinase to the brain, allowing researchers to target more specific areas of the brain.

Zhi Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher at Correa’s lab and an author of the paper, said the researchers tested other tissues that may have been potentially silenced by the knockout, which made sure that the effect came from the brain.

Holly Ingraham, a professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at UC San Francisco and senior writer of the article, said she was surprised to find that neurons in the brain can affect bone density. However, she added researchers still know little about the mechanism behind this regulation, and why it only affects females.

“My lab is researching who and how the estrogen receptor in the brain talk to, whether it is through hormone or neuron pathways and what is the activity in the bone,” Ingraham added.

The study also highlights the importance of studying both sexes in medical research, Correa added.

“It’s possible that the result is surprising, because for a long time, people haven’t studied females,” Correa said.

Correa said the research could provide a new way to think about the side effects of drugs that affect estrogen production. Many women take drugs to balance estrogen and progesterone hormone levels during menopause. Breast cancer patients also take medications that slow the production of estrogen.

“All of these estrogen-sensitive neurons are going to be affected,” Correa said. “There would be potential effects on bone and body weight that we need to understand more about”

Around the League: Feb. 5

Men’s basketball
Sam Connon, assistant Sports editor

The Pac-12 hasn’t had a team ranked inside the top 25 since New Year’s Eve.

That five-week streak was extended to six when the AP polls were released Monday, but not without a close call from the Huskies.

Washington men’s basketball (18-4, 9-0 Pac-12) was just seven points away from being named the No. 25 team in the country after it continued its undefeated conference season when it beat both USC (13-9, 6-3) and UCLA (12-10, 5-4) in the past week. The Huskies have won 11 games in a row and are three games above anyone else in the conference with just nine games left on their schedule.

USC is tied with Oregon State (14-7, 6-3) and Arizona State (15-6, 6-3) for second place in the conference, but all three teams would still be in position for first-round byes for the Pac-12 Tournament if the season ended today.

UCLA, Arizona (14-8, 5-4) and Utah (11-10, 5-4) are tied for fifth in the conference, one game away from a first-round bye. The Bruins and Utes will face off Saturday.

The only two Pac-12 teams with a losing overall record – Washington State (8-14,1-8) and California (5-16, 0-9) – are at the bottom of the conference, with the latter in the midst of a 10-game losing streak.

Men’s tennis
Gabriel McCarthy, assistant Sports editor

Conference play across the Pac-12 is set to begin this weekend for some.

No. 7 UCLA men’s tennis (2-0) has had four matches postponed this season due to inclement weather, most recently two this past weekend against St. Mary’s and BYU. Aside from team play, senior Maxime Cressy claimed the Cleveland Open title this weekend, his first ATP Challenger Tour title.

No. 5 USC (5-0) concluded play this weekend with two wins against UC Davis and the University of San Francisco, winning 6-1 and 7-0, respectively. Brandon Holt was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after the previous weekend of play in which he won two singles and three doubles matches.

No. 9 Stanford (4-1) recently defeated Oregon 4-0, but fell to No. 2 Ohio State 1-6. The Cardinal had only allowed a single point total in the four games preceding the dual-match against the Buckeyes.

California (1-2) won its first match of the season after claiming a 4-0 shutout over Western Michigan. The Golden Bears previously lost 4-3 to No. 22 Florida State and 4-2 to No. 12 Virginia.

Oregon (6-1) is currently undefeated at home and posted wins over Nevada and New Mexico this weekend with scores of 4-0 and 7-0, respectively.

Women’s water polo
Jack Perez, Daily Bruin staff

Three undefeated teams remain after the first “Big Four” matchup of the year.

No. 3 UCLA women’s water polo (10-0, 0-0 MPSF), No. 1 USC (8-0, 0-0) and No. 2 Stanford (6-0, 1-0) are the only unbeaten teams left in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation after No. 4 California (5-1, 0-0) fell for the first time last weekend.

The Golden Bears lost 17-10 to the Cardinal at the Stanford Invitational on Sunday. Stanford built a three-goal halftime lead and never trailed during the matchup.

The Bruins hosted the UCLA Mini-Tournament in the team’s second and third home games of the season. UCLA swept three top-15 opponents but only defeated No. 15 Loyola Marymount by one goal.

Stanford hosted its own invitational this weekend, which included MPSF rivals Cal and No. 19 Indiana (1-6, 0-1). The Cardinal went 3-0 in the tournament, beating both the Golden Bears and the Hoosiers. The Golden Bears’ last three losses have all been to the Cardinal, dating back to last season.

No. 7 Arizona State (5-2, 0-0)also hosted a tournament – the Cross Conference Challenge. Arizona State ended the weekend 4-1, with its only loss coming by one goal to No. 10 UC Santa Barbara.

USC and No. 11 San Jose State (2-1, 0-0) were off this week. The Trojans had an exhibition versus the Chinese National Team, while the Spartans will face the Chinese team next week.

Gymnastics
Angie Forburger, assistant Sports editor

All eight Pac-12 gymnastics programs are ranked in the top 25 as they approach the midway point of conference competition.

No. 3 UCLA (4-0, 3-0 Pac-12) most recently defeated No. 11 Oregon State (1-2, 1-2) on Saturday, recording its highest score of the season of 197.900. The Bruins will next head to Seattle on Sunday for a meet against No. 15 Washington (2-2, 2-2).

Prior to their loss to the Bruins – in which they had also scored their highest total of the season – the Beavers had won against the Huskies. Oregon State will next travel to No. 25 Arizona (1-3, 1-2) on Friday.

The Huskies won their meet at No. 24 Stanford Cardinal (0-3, 0-3) on Friday by just under four-tenths of a point. After hosting the Bruins, the Huskies will compete in the Perfect 10 Challenge in Oklahoma City.

The Cardinal has suffered two back-to-back losses to the Bruins and Huskies and will next travel to Tempe to face No. 19 Arizona State Sun Devils (0-2, 0-2).

So far in conference meets, Arizona State has lost to UCLA and No. 4 Utah (5-0, 3-0) and are coming off a second-place finish at a tri-meet Saturday against No. 14 California (1-2, 1-1) and No. 21 BYU. Arizona State will also compete in the Perfect 10 Challenge alongside Washington after hosting Stanford on Sunday.

After falling to the Wildcats on Jan. 26, the Golden Bears came in first against the Sun Devils and the Cougars on Saturday. California will next travel to Salt Lake City for a meet against Utah.

The Utes are undefeated to start the 2019 season, most recently defeating the Wildcats by almost two points.

California is the only Pac-12 team Arizona has defeated this season. Arizona is next slated to face Oregon State, UCLA and Stanford in the coming weeks.

 

Former Bruin, Patriots wide receiver helps carry team to Super Bowl victory

Matthew Slater’s specialty at UCLA was returning kicks.

“I was sitting, watching (Slater) when he returned his first kickoff for a touchdown, and I saw him just running away from people,” said his father, Jackie Slater. “And I thought, I know what the kind of speed you see on Sundays looks like, and I think I just saw it.”

After returning three kickoffs for touchdowns in his senior season at UCLA, the New England Patriots took Matthew Slater in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft, just two months after losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Slater returned 22 kicks for an average of 19.3 yards in his first two years in the pros, but his team was unable to make it back to the Super Bowl in either season.

In Slater’s first year as the American Football Conference’s lone special teams Pro Bowler, the Patriots made it back to the Super Bowl, losing to the Giants again.

Seven years later, Slater has picked up another six Pro Bowl nods, and he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy high Sunday for the third time in his career.

Slater’s Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII, and after just one punt in Super Bowl LII, the former Bruin was plenty busy this time around.

The two teams combined for 14 punts and three of the Patriots’ punts were downed inside the 10. The furthest back the Rams were pinned all night, however, was when Slater downed a punt at the 2-yard line. Slater also picked up a special teams tackle.

The California native was playing against his childhood hometown team, but Slater has a few more connections to the Rams than the average fan.

His father, Jackie Slater, played 20 seasons with the Rams, with his final season being the Rams’ first year in St. Louis. Jackie Slater is also a seven-time Pro Bowler and a Pro Football Hall of Famer, but his son said his dad still called him after the game to say how proud he was.

“(Jackie’s) a father first, and I know this was certainly an interesting situation for him,” Matthew Slater said. “As I said all week, my family and I have a lot of respect for the Rams organization. We’ll always be thankful for every opportunity they’ve afforded our family. … But tonight, I’m so glad to be a Patriot.”

Matthew Slater won Super Bowl XLIX, LI and now LII with the Patriots, and he became the first Bruin since Troy Aikman to rack up three rings as a pro.

Former Bruin Darren Andrews was a rookie on the Patriots’ nonfootball injury list this season and will also receive a championship ring.