Every Day is Magic: Ada Limón
In her 2015 collection, Bright Dead Things, a National Book Award finalist for poetry, Ada Limón writes of moving to Kentucky: “Confession: I did not want to live here.” It’s perhaps not a surprising sentiment coming from a coastally oriented person who was raised in Northern California, attended college in Seattle, and then spent over a decade in New York City.
But Limón and her husband, Lucas, have been in Lexington for seven years now and the effects of settling into this place are noticeable in her new book, The Carrying (Milkweed, Aug.). It’s a phenomenally lively and attentive collection replete with the trappings of living a little closer to nature. While Bright Dead Things is marked by a preponderance of light, such as images of fireflies and neon signs, The Carrying features numerous appearances by various trees, birds, and beetles. Limón also demonstrates a greater willingness to be explicit in naming colors, particularly green. “It’s crazy green, the whole book,” she says. “Lexington is the greenest place I’ve ever lived.” Similarly, where in Bright Dead Things, Limón tells a lot of stories and anecdotes, in The Carrying she is very present in her thoughts and experiences.
As it turns out, these shifts in focus have another, altogether unexpected source. While putting Bright Dead Things together, Limón was diagnosed with chronic vestibular neuronitis, which can cause bouts of vertigo. “If I’m really having vertigo, it’s pretty intense and I really have to focus,”
Read More…
Promise Fulfilled
“…Rodolfo Hernandez is the eighth of nine siblings in his family. And on June 16, he’ll become the first among them to finish college.
That he has reached this point — graduating from UC Santa Barbara — is impressive on its own. But on top of a bachelor of arts degree in sociology, a minor in applied psychology and designs on graduate school with the GPA to get there, Hernandez will walk away with something few other students can claim: zero debt.
Hernandez is part of the first graduating cohort of UC Santa Barbara Promise Scholars — a group of high-achieving, low-income Californians selected for four-year scholarships to UC Santa Barbara in a program created by the campus that is the first of its kind in…”
Link to article
Lecturer repurposes Romance languages to reflect on its meaning in poetry book
“…Poems will mix multiple languages in “The Latin Poet’s Guide to the Cosmos.”
Susannah Rodríguez Drissi, a UCLA lecturer in Writing Programs, published her book in May. The book is a collection of 26 poems written in a combination of Romance languages including Spanish, Italian, French, English, Portuguese, and the Berber language, but most clearly resembling Spanish and Italian.
Each poem is written in a combination of many languages rather than one specific language. The book prompts readers, through exposure to a number of languages at once, to engage in interactions with the languages that allow them to better understand the poetry, Rodríguez Drissi said..”
A Life Rebooted
“…Ron Jimenez was not on the college track. His high school GPA was 1.5. He dropped out a week before graduation. Higher education wasn’t an option — or even a consideration.
Fast-forward nearly two decades. Jimenez, now 35 and married, is about to earn a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from UC Santa Barbara, the first in his family to graduate from college.
“I never thought in a million years that I would have any sort of degree,” he said. “I was very disenchanted with school..”
Link to article
Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States
“…While immigrants from Mexico dominated the flows post-1970, the makeup of newcomers has changed since the 2007-09 recession. Recently arrived immigrants are more likely to come from Asia, with India and China leading the way. Countries such as the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Cuba, El Salvador, and Venezuela have also seen sizeable emigration to the United States. By contrast, there were fewer Mexican immigrants in the United States in 2017 than in 2010, representing the biggest decline of all immigrant groups…”
Link to article
California’s new ‘free college’ law for community colleges covers more than tuition
“…A student speaks in support of free tuition during an event at Los Angeles Trade-Tech College that included L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Asm. Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), and the city’s community college leaders.
After California lawmakers passed a law in 2017 that some of its backers touted as making community college tuition-free, David Loverin heard from a lot of families eager to take advantage of it.
When legislators and the media began focusing on the law, “they started promoting it as free college,” said Loverin, director of financial aid at College of the Sequoias, a community college in Visalia, south of Fresno. “But when you went back to the actual bill, it wasn’t really written that way. So a lot of families are coming to us saying ‘free college, free college’ and we’re like, no, not really.”
That’s because the law, AB 19, known as the California College Promise program, allocated $46 million to the state’s 114 community colleges with the idea of helping students cover some of their costs, not necessarily tuition…”
Link to article
What is GOB.MX?
“gob.mx is the platform that promotes innovation in government, boosts efficiency, and transforms processes to provide the population with information, procedures and a platform for participation.
This website will enable you to consult and perform procedures quickly and efficiently, without the need for queuing and wasting your time, from your computer, mobile phone or tablet.
We have also simplified requirements so you can get all the information you need on the government at a single point.
Finally, we have enabled innovative digital media so that you can participate and collaborate in decision-making and together we can build better public policies.
As a government, we are required to evolve the way our institutions..”
Link to portal
Dan Navarro discusses growth in music career starting with his time at UCLA
“Dan Navarro, a UCLA alumnus, returned to campus in 2005 for a guest appearance after kicking off his music career.
At the end of the class, students formed a line that stretched to the back door of the lecture hall waiting to talk to him, said Peter Rutenberg, Navarro’s longtime friend.
Over the course of his career, Navarro and his late music partner, Eric Lowen, have written songs for Pat Benatar, The Bangles, TKA, Jackson Browne and The Temptations. In addition to singing and songwriting, Navarro has also been the voice of various characters in television shows and movies, including “American Dad!” and “Family Guy.” He started his music career as a student at UCLA, ultimately pursuing music full time. Navarro held a concert at Fiddlers Crossing and performed Saturday at the venue in Tehachapi, California…”
Link to article
Youth training program signs up more than half a million
“Just four months after its implementation, a federal youth training and scholarship program has already signed up over half a million beneficiaries, more than half-way to its goal of reaching one million by the end of the year.
Labor and Social Welfare Secretary Luisa María Alcalde said today that the “Young People Building the Future” program has signed up 501,559 youths, 378,650 of whom are now receiving a monthly scholarship of 3,600 pesos (US $190).
Alcalde said 75,507 businesses..”
Link to article
College Material
“— The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) at UC Santa Barbara will hold a series of UC Success Night events April 10 through May 3 to celebrate the academic success of high school seniors from the university’s EAOP partnership schools who have been admitted to the UC system.
UC-admitted seniors and their families from high schools in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Kern counties are invited to attend their respective school’s event.
The program includes a presentation of awards and of State Proclamations from local Senate and Assembly members in recognition of students’ academic achievement, and student keynote speeches will be delivered in both English and Spanish. Attendees also will have the opportunity to meet UC Santa Barbara faculty and staff members, administrators, alumni and undergraduate students, as well as network with other students and families from their hometown who may be attending the same universities in the fall.
“‘Where Preparation Meets Opportunity’ — that’s our slogan,” said Britt Ortiz, EAOP director. “UC Success Night represents every aspect of our students’ preparation for meeting opportunity when it knocks. We celebrate the success of so many first-generation students and their families for being admitted to the UC system, one of the most competitive public institutions in the country. Our EAOP students put in the time, they did the work, they made the sacrifices and we were able to help them make their educational dreams come true.”
The EAOP college site coordinators and academic services team have, according to Ortiz, “poured their hearts and souls” into helping the 2019 senior class. “They started in the summer before their senior year with the College Readiness Academy, then college applications, personal inquiry questions for the UC system, scholarship letters, FAFSA-CADA applications, extending hours for advisement or holding test preparation workshops on the weekend,” he said. “Most of our EAOP staff are first-generation college grads themselves, so helping students in our program is their passion.”
The first of seven UC Success Night events will honor Carpinteria High School students Wednesday, April 10, at 6 p.m. in the school cafeteria, 4810 Foothill Rd. The Santa Paula High School event will follow Thursday, April 11 at 6 p.m. in the school cafeteria, 404 N. 6th St.
The UC Success Night for Santa Maria Joint Union High School District will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, April 15, in Veterans Memorial Hall, 313 W. Tunnell St. Fillmore High School students will be recognized at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, in that school’s cafeteria, 555 Central Ave. Channel Islands and Hueneme high school students and their families are invited to attend an event at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at the Oxnard Performing Arts…”
Link to article
EDI office lacks inclusivity necessary to promote diversity throughout UCLA
“In the wake of rich, white kids being able to buy their way into college and faculty growing increasingly concerned about the lack of diversity in their leadership, it’s easy to turn to UCLA’s designated solution-maker: the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
But cut through the sleek website, carefully crafted copy- and buzzword- filled seminars, and it’s clear the office is mainly just that – and a couple of smart administrators.
It comes down to inclusion, something the EDI office ironically needs to work on.
The office is run by Jerry Kang, the vice chancellor for EDI, and a handful of other administrators. While these individuals have various advisory councils, an office tasked with matters of diversity and inclusion should certainly have a more reflectively diverse leadership team…”
Link to article
Student captures candid moments through creative videography for Shawn Mendes tour
“Connor Brashier made arrangements to take one of his final exams while in Germany.
The second-year psychology student will miss finals week because he is currently shooting videos for Shawn Mendes’ self-titled world tour, which kicked off March 7 in Amsterdam. His role involves editing and sharing clips with Mendes for the singer’s social media accounts. Brashier got his start in lifestyle videography working with brands like PacSun and Pura Vida Bracelets, but has taken to filming DJs and musicians like Madison Beer in recent years. Filming on tour brings creative challenges with each consecutive show, he said, but it ultimately allows him to better incorporate music into videos.
“Having a video team on the road has been so important to giving my fans constant content and helps me to connect with them,” Mendes said in an email statement. “(Brashier) has an amazing way of capturing really special and intimate moments at shows and backstage, and has just an incredible energy.”
Link to article
Students now work longer hours than before to afford college, study finds
“UCLA students said they need to work long hours to cover high costs of living and other school-related expenses.
A study conducted in September by HSBC, a banking and financial services company, found students in the United States are spending more time working paid jobs than studying or going to class.
The survey also found the U.S. has the largest funding gap between parents and students across the surveyed countries, with college students spending six times more money than their parents on their education over the course of their college years.
The study found parents have had to reduce spending and more students have had to work paid jobs to afford college.
Paul Mullins, the regional head of international banking at HSBC, said in an email statement that researchers found 85 percent of current U.S. college students work paid jobs, with 37 percent of students looking..”
Link to article
Standardized tests pose issues but inequalities go deeper, say students, faculty
“Eliminating standardized testing from the college admissions process may not make the process more fair for students from historically underrepresented socioeconomic classes, UCLA students and faculty said.
Beyond the Score, a student organization, held a town hall Feb. 20 to discuss the drawbacks of using standardized testing in college admissions. Members of the organization are campaigning to remove standardized testing as an admissions factor because they believe it selects against certain groups of applicants based on their socioeconomic status.
Patricia Gandara, a professor in the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies and co-director of The Civil Rights Project, said standardized test scores are strongly and positively correlated with the test-takers’ socioeconomic status.
“If you come from a high-income family, you have a much greater chance of scoring well on these than you do if you come from a low-income family,” Gandara said. “And that is socially unjust.”..”
Link to article
UCLA diversity report shows general trend toward increased representation in TV
“Women and people of color continue to be left out of Hollywood, but the 2019 Hollywood Diversity Report details the proportional representation that is slowly and steadily underway.
Released Feb. 21 by UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, the report is the sixth in an annual series and examines gender and racial diversity in the film and television industries. Zeroing in on 1,316 television shows from the 2016 to 2017 season and 2017’s top 200 theatrical films, the report shows an increase in gender and racial diversity in categories such as directors and digital scripted show leads.
“We think that information has begun to slowly sink in in Hollywood, and that’s one of the reasons we think we’re starting to see more diversity in Hollywood,” said Darnell Hunt, dean of social sciences and an author of the report. “Even though we have a long way to go, at least things seem to be moving in the right direction, particularly in television.”
[RELATED: Researchers study underrepresentation in film, TV]…”
Link to article
Designs on the Future
“It would be hard to find someone more prepared for a job than Silvia Perea. An architect by training — she earned a Ph.D. from the Polytechnic University of Madrid — she has spent the past 11 years as a curator of exhibitions around the world. Before that she was a university professor and edited architectural magazines. Today she is the new curator of UC Santa Barbara’s Art, Design & Architecture Museum, which holds the largest collection of architectural drawings in North America…”
Link to article
Latino homeless population found to be at disadvantage in outreach programs
“A UCLA researcher found Latino homeless individuals in Los Angeles are less likely to receive support due to cultural and language barriers.
Melissa Chinchilla, a Latino policy and politics initiative researcher, published a study on the Latino homeless population in LA on Feb. 12 using 2017 data provided by the LA Homeless Services Authority and interviews she conducted with researchers and providers of homeless services and resources. Latino people make up 35 percent of LA County’s homeless population, according to LAHSA data.
Chinchilla said she found Latinos are undercounted in the LAHSA homeless count because they are more likely to live in nontraditional homeless spaces, such as converted garages and households with multiple unrelated families, and less likely than other racial groups to use public services. She added that little research has been done on Latino homelessness…”
Link to article
‘The Future is Here’
“…In the late 1960s, so few other Latinos attended his college, Cástulo de la Rocha could find and personally call them all in a matter of days. And as a student activist in a growing Chicano Movement, he did just that.
“There was an ongoing debate at the time whether there were 20 or 40 or 50 Latinos here at that time,” recalled de la Rocha, then a student at UC Santa Barbara. “So I went to all the students one by one, by last name — Gómez, González, Martínez — all of them. Our number was small. Today the university is very different. Of more than 20,000 students on campus close to 30 percent are Latino, which is extraordinary.”
UC Santa Barbara now is one of two Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities, a designation stipulating that Hispanic students comprise at least 25 percent of total enrollment.
And de la Rocha, alongside other passionate, vocal students, staff and faculty…”
Link to article
Seizing Opportunity
“…Carlos Marquez, the new manager of the Charles T. Munger Physics Residence, reflects on a long and fruitful career on campus…”
Link to article
California’s high cut score leads to disproportionately low pass rate on bar exam
“…Hundreds of law students fail the bar exam in California, but would pass with the same score elsewhere due to varying standards between states.
California has the second-highest cut score, or minimum score required to pass the exam. California students must score a 1440 out of 2000 to pass, compared to the national average of 1350.
The state also has the second-lowest pass rate for the bar in the nation, after the District of Columbia. Less than half of students taking the California bar exam passed in 2018, the lowest pass rate since 1951.
Jennifer Mnookin, dean of the UCLA School of Law, said she thinks California would be better off if it lowered its cut score…”
Link to article
Students, faculty react to attempt to promote diversity to UCLA’s hiring process
“…UCLA administrators implemented changes to the hiring process in hopes of fostering greater diversity within the faculty.
All prospective UCLA faculty were required to complete Equity, Diversity and Inclusion statements beginning the 2018-2019 academic year. An EDI Statement is a statement in which a candidate describes their past, present and future contributions to equity, diversity and inclusion, according to the EDI office.
Scott Waugh, UCLA executive vice chancellor and provost, said he implemented the policy to gather information about equity, diversity and inclusion more consistently by using an institutional approach. Prior to this mandate, only certain departments required an EDI Statement, while others made it optional.
The EDI office described the new mandate in an email statement as a tool that better positions UCLA to live up to its ideals, but acknowledged the measure offers only a modest attempt at resolving the campus’ lack of faculty diversity…”
Link to article
