An Aug. 21 letter from the Executive Board of the UC Davis Police Officer Association to the UC Board of Regents asserted that former campus police officer Lt. John Pike should not have been fired. Pike, who was involved in the Nov. 18 pepper spraying of UC Davis protesters, was dismissed July 31 by newly appointed police chief, Matthew Carmichael, according to documents obtained by The Sacramento Bee. The documents show that Carmichael disregarded an internal affairs investigation, which found that Pike acted within reason during the protest. The open letter explains that while the the regents support Carmichael, they believe he should have complied with the investigation findings, which recommended no more than a demotion or suspension for Pike. It also states that the Board is in agreement with the Reynoso, KROLL and Robinson-Edley reports, which alleged mistakes were made “at the administrative level.” “To this day, not one University Administrator has been demoted or terminated due to their decisions, which placed our police officers and the students of... ...

Assemblymember Marty Block has introduced a measure that would mandate California State University (CSU) Trustees to designate a senior administrator as a liaison between students exercising rights guaranteed by the First Amendment and campus officials to improve safety and communication. This would, in turn, reduce the likelihood of violent confrontation, according to a statement by Block. The bill stems from recommendations like the Reynoso and Robinson-Edley Reports, which investigated the Nov. 18 pepper spraying of student demonstrators and UC campus administrative and police policies, respectively. The measure was approved on a 72-1 vote on Aug. 22 and will be added to the Education Code. According to the act, subsequent to its amendment on June 21, existing law prohibits UC Regents, CSU Trustees and the governing board of a community college district from creating or enforcing rules that subject students to disciplinary action based solely on speech or communication that is protected by United States and California Constitutional rights. The bill was drafted for purposes of promoting peaceful campus demonstrations, according... ...

The United States Supreme Court will be revisiting affirmative action this October in the case Fisher v. The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). On Aug. 13, University of California President Mark Yudof, alongside 10 University of California chancellors, submitted an amicus curiae brief, literally meaning “friend of the court brief,”  to the Supreme Court in support of the University of Texas in Fisher v. The University of Texas at Austin. The plaintiff in the case, Abigail Fisher, graduated in the top 12 percent of her high school class and filed a lawsuit against the University after being denied acceptance, due to its selection of students not admitted under the Top Ten Percent Plan. Under the Texas Top Ten Percent plan, an alleged race-neutral rule, students graduating in the top 10 percent of their respective high school classes are automatically admitted to the Texas State University system, Austin included. The plan aims to increase the diversity of the student body enrolling in Texas colleges and universities, according to the... ...

The  California State Assembly passed the Middle Class Scholarship bill with a bipartisan vote of 54-25 on Aug. 13. The approval of Assembly Bill 1500 by the Assembly symbolizes a big step closer toward higher education affordability for California’s middle class students. The Middle Class Scholarship is geared toward helping students from middle class families with an income of up to $150,000 reduce tuition fees by two-thirds. “Anytime you can get a bipartisan two-person vote, that clearly shows that there’s a lot of amends for the bill. We’re very encouraged by the efforts of student groups all over the state, including at UC Davis, who have been very strong in terms of helping us get the word out and get support built up for the Middle Class Scholarship,” said John Vigna, spokesperson to California Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez. “We just essentially need to keep the pressure and make sure that a handful of senators who need to pass the bill do the right thing and vote ‘yes.’” According to... ...