Free Republic

More and more students are identifying as transgender and other similar categories in California’s public universities, new data shows. A significant transformation is underway within the University of California (UC) system, marked by a notable surge in the percentages of undergraduate students who present themselves as “transgender” or “non-binary,” as revealed by data covered by the San Francisco Chronicle.[RELATED: Federal government spent $1 million to butcher basic biology in three states]“Transgender,” “nonbinary,” and “gender nonconforming” students made up 0.6 percent of the UC student body in 2019, but in 2023, they constituted 1.9 percent of the student population, with most...

Documents obtained by conservative watchdog group The Media Research Center (MRC) reveal that the Biden administration weaponized taxpayer dollars against mainstream conservative groups and the GOP. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded over $350,000 in grant funding in FY 2022 to a University of Dayton program, known as PREVENTS-OH, as part of the DHS’ Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program (TVTP).DHS’ website describes the TVTP program’s mission as establishing or enhancing capabilities to prevent targeted violence and terrorism through creating modules on media literacy and online critical thinking and identifying the risks and protective factors to prevent ideologically-fueled...

I have a son in the seventh grade in the William S. Hart Union High School District in Santa Clarita, California. I hope that I don’t have to spend my golden years deprogramming my son from false information being conveyed by the schools. I am trying to avoid this by keeping informed about what the schools are teaching.My son told me that he is being taught about Islam in his history class. He said that he was taught that a verse in the Quran numbered 2:256 states: “Let there be no compulsion in religion, for the truth stands out clearly...

On Thursday’s edition of “CBS Prime Time,” Siva Gunda, a public member of the California Energy Commission said that the state must “double and triple down on building the renewables and clean energy resources” but will need more storage and also needs load reduction programs that will automatically lower air conditioning and stop appliances.

A handful of colleges around the country are clinging to COVID-19-related protocols, including mask mandates for indoor areas and vaccine mandates for students and staff. Pandemic-related restrictions on some college campuses persist as most public health guidelines have relaxed and mask and vaccine mandates have receded from most areas of daily life. But in some cases, the mandates are going beyond COVID-19. At the University of California, Berkeley, students are mandated to get vaccinated against coronavirus, as well as the flu. The university's guidance says students who are not vaccinated against the flu will be required to wear a mask...

Below is my column in The Hill newspaper on the announcement that the University of California will now join the “test-blind” movement and end the use of the SAT and ACT in its admissions decisions. Some have called for the change to increase diversity in the schools, particularly after California voters refused to change the long ban on affirmative action in education under state law. Here is the column:The Supreme Court will decide early next month whether to take a new case on the use of race in college admissions. For decades, the court has fractured on the issue and...

Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s husband, University of California Regent Richard Blum, has been named by the state auditor’s office as one of the regents involved in an admissions scandal where UC wrongly admitted dozens of students as favors to well-connected people. California auditor: UC schools wrongly admitted 64 wealthy students as ‘favors’ over past 6 years In one case, a regent unidentified in the report sent an inappropriate letter on behalf of a student with only a 26% chance of getting in. The applicant was admitted. Auditor’s spokeswoman Margarita Fernandez confirmed to The Associated Press that Blum was the regent. Blum...

The University of California system will no longer require SAT and ACT standardized test results for in-state freshmen applicants. (snip) Critics of the tests have long argued they put minority and low-income students at a disadvantage because the test questions often contain inherent bias that more privileged children are better equipped to answer. Wealthier students also tend to take expensive prep courses that help boost their scores, which many students can’t afford, opponents of the tests say. The University of California system has 10 campuses, from Davis near Sacramento and Berkeley in Northern California to UCLA in Los Angeles and...

The University of California system has issued a set of guidelines directing students and employees how to speak about the coronavirus from Wuhan, China.The document directly tells students what names they should use for the virus.One student responded by pointing out that “The Chinese government has actively contributed to the spread of this deadly virus." The Council of Chief Diversity Officers at the University of California released a “guidance document” to announce “supportive positive and inclusive campus climates during the COVID-19 crisis.” The list begins by telling students to “reject racism, sexism, xenophobia and all hateful or intolerant speech, both...

Probably everyone in the academy knows that affirmative action is widely practiced: racial minorities (except Asians) and women are commonly given preference in hiring and admission decisions at American universities. I would guess, however, that some academics — and many more non-academics — are unaware that typical university hiring practices are blatantly illegal. So I’m going to talk about that for a while, in case you find that interesting. Job advertisements commonly say things like that the university rejects discrimination, supports equal employment opportunity, and considers all applicants “without regard to” race, sex, religion, etc. What they actually mean by...

The University of California is dumping fossil fuel investments from its nearly $84 billion pension and endowment funds, calling them a financial risk. An opinion article in Tuesday’s Los Angeles Times says UC will make its endowment fund “fossil free” by month’s end and its pension fund will soon follow. The pension fund covers 320,000 people. …

A student senator at UC Berkeley abstained from a vote supporting transgender rights last week, then took a moment to explain her thinking. Now, more than 1,000 people have signed a petition demanding that she resign from student government or face a recall.

A College Republicans meeting at the University of California, Santa Cruz was taken over by protesters screaming that the group’s existence is a threat to the safety of students. Shortly after the CR meeting convened, one student entered the ground floor room of McHenry Library to ask attendees which group was assembling. After being informed that the meeting was a gathering of College Republicans, the student returned about 15-20 minutes later with company.

The California State Auditor issued a scathing report last week alleging that University of California President and former Obama Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano raised tuitions while her office hid $175 million. The cover page for State Auditor Elaine Howle’s 167-page audit report states bluntly that the UC president’s office “Failed to Disclose Tens of Millions in Surplus Funds, and Its Budget Practices Are Misleading.” The audit found that the UC spent $32.5 billion on expenses during the 2015-16 school year to fund 10 campuses, five medical centers, and its Office of the President headquarters. Although the UC states...

This is the full presser of the lawyer suing UC Berkeley over Ann Coulter's speech.

An act of vandalism at UC Berkeley has renewed political tensions for a conservative group on campus. The College Republicans say they feel increasingly threatened, and the latest incident in which a man destroyed the group's signs at its designated space in the university quad has the group raising red flags. On Wednesday, some members of the College Republicans said more needs to be done to protect their members and their property. The location of Tuesday's vandalism was at a place the group calls the Freedom Table. It's a designated space to promote their group and encourage respectful debate with...

JTA - The student government at University of California voted to approve a resolution calling for the removal of Sabra brand hummus from campus dining services. The resolution passed last week by a vote of 13 to 0 with one abstention. The removal was requested because the Sabra company’s joint owner is the Israel-based Strauss Group, which allegedly supports the Israeli military. The resolution was supported by the campus organization Students for Justice in Palestine. The resolution is not enforceable, and the UC Riverside administration says it has no plans to remove the hummus. “Sabra Dipping Company is owned by...

Liberals - People are sick of you. Make this go viral.

Despite the cancellation of his talk on Wednesday as a result of “anti-fascist” rioters, Breitbart’s MILO has promised he will return to deliver his talk at UC Berkeley at some point in the coming months. In a Facebook post, MILO said that he is “planning to return to Berkeley to give the speech I was prevented from delivering. Hopefully within the next few months. I’ll keep you posted.”

The Associated Students of University of California – Riverside voted on Wednesday night to remove Sabra Hummus from all campus dining services, The Highlander reports. Student leaders voted 13-0-1 in favor of the resolution to kick Sabra Hummus off campus. Sabra’s joint owner, the Strauss Group, is the largest food products company in Israel and has financially supported the Israeli military, according to the New York Times. Students who supported the measure were “troubled” by funds that could potentially go to Israeli settlements by purchasing Sabra Hummus in their campus cafeteria. UC Riverside said in a statement released on Thursday:...