More Noted Things

by Cliopatria

Indian History Carnival #19 is up at varnam.

The Contributors,"Fired from the Canon," The Second Pass, 9 July, names 10 novels in the canon that really aren't must reads.

Stephanie Simon's"The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Texas," WSJ, 14 July, prompted considerable discussion at Paul Harvey's"The Eyes of David Barton Are Upon You," Religion in American History, 14 July, and Eric Rauchway's"A rat done bit my sister Nell," Edge of the American West, 14 July.

A colleague points out that the joint effort of two full professors, Christopher Newfield and Stanton Glantz,"Ending the California dream," San Francisco Chronicle, 14 July, says 25% cuts in state funding for the UC system means that"students will learn 25 percent less." That's 25% of the $3 billion that the state general fund sends to the UC system, out of the UC system's $19 billion budget. These two geniuses are both"former chairs of the UC Systemwide Committee on Planning and Budget."

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Chris Bray - 7/15/2009

This statement on the UC website says that the threatened state funding "provides most of the support for the core instructional program of the university. "Core instructional program" is not "instruction." Yudof and Co. are spraying defensive ink in the water.

Chris Bray - 7/15/2009

What counts as costs related to "instruction," though? Faculty salaries only? Staff salaries too, since staff supports faculty work? Are classrooms and grounds in there, since those are the sites of instruction? Police, fire, health, infrastructure? I'd like to see that term explained a lot more carefully.

Also, the $3 billion of $19 billion figure comes from an op-ed essay by Mark Yudof, the UC President, on the same op-ed page, the same day.

Andre Van Mayer - 7/15/2009

Well, actually ... what the state appropriation pays for is, more or less, instruction. The two professors may be exaggerating some, but I bet they're closer to the truth than what you're implying (~4%).

Chris Bray - 7/15/2009

There is no inefficiency in the University of California, and no administrative overhead -- every penny goes straight into the classroom. In fact, the universities pour the cash straight into the heads of the undergraduates. There's a big funnel.

Hmm.

The UC's budget crisis is causing me serious personal harm, and I still couldn't stop laughing at that op-ed thing.