Supreme Court Decision on DOMA and Prop 8
In late June, the Supreme Court in a landmark decision ruled the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and dismissed a case on Proposition 8, a bill banning same-sex marriages in California. DOMA, which limited the federal rights of gay couples in Social Security benefits, health insurance, etc., was struck down in a close 5-4 ruling. In a more complex ruling, the Court declined to rule on whether Proposition 8 violated the Constitution, upholding a lower court’s rejection of the bill.
The DOMA and Proposition 8 cases represented a step toward fairer treatment toward gay couples and allowed for gay marriages in California to resume. Following the decisions, the opposition’s petition to halt gay marriages in California and continue to fight against the Supreme Court’s rulings failed.
SOAR Receives Extra Funding
After fighting to keep its doors open last spring, the Student Outreach and Retention Center (SOAR) has received additional funding toward it’s academic and personal support for students. In addition, an extension of temporary funds for the center will remain through June 2016. Both Chancellor Michael V. Drake and student affairs vice chancellor, Thomas Parham, stand behind this decision, recognizing the university’s role in helping all students succeed and in maintaining retention efforts.
New President of the University of California—Janet Napolitano
With the departure of Mark Yudof as head of the University of California system, former Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, was approved by the UC Board of Regents to become the first female UC President. After 4 ½ years working in the Obama Administration, Napolitano comes to California during a time of rising student debt, statewide budgetary issues, and tuition hikes.
Positive reactions to the appointment emphasized her strong commitment and management skills demonstrated in times of disaster and the ongoing efforts to fight terrorism. Others believed her federal government experience is well suited to the position’s political demands. The choice of Napolitano also caused concern among immigration activists in the UC system due to the controversial policies of her tenure that deported over a million undocumented immigrants. Doubts were raised over her lack of an academic background, reflecting an obstacle in understanding the needs of students and higher education in California.
In response, the Executive Cabinet of ASUCI in early September condemned Napolitano’s appointment as well as the UC Student Association board for their inaction against the decision.
Syria
In August, the United States came close to military action in Syria after evidence that poison gas was used to kill hundreds of Syrian civilians surfaced, believing that President Bashar al-Assad’s regime was responsible. Sticking to chemical weapons as the “red line” for global intervention, President Obama on Congress and public support for limited strikes as opposing liberals and conservatives questioned an attack’s effectiveness in easing the Syrian civil war and further engagements in international conflicts.
As the possibility of U.S. military intervention escalated, Syria agreed to surrender and destroy its chemical weapons stockpile after talks with its Russian allies. So far, they have also vowed to comply with U.N. Security Council a resolution and plan to rid the country of its entire weapons arsenal by 2014.
UCI’s New Walking Dead Class
Piloting a free eight-week MOOC (massive open online course) beginning October 14th, four UCI professors are teaming up to teach a class on AMC’s hit zombie apocalypse program, “The Walking Dead.” In “Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead,’” the instructors representing the math, physics, social sciences, and public health departments hope to engage students by studying topics that include disease, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, species extinction, and nutrition. The interdisciplinary approach to the show looks to uncover the educational aspects of survival in entertainment and promote an unprecedented conversation on zombies.
The pop culture class at UCI has already attracted national media attention for not only relating math to zombies, but also for being the first to partner with AMC in an online classroom and helping education reach a wider audience as a MOOC. Through its partnership with the network, Instructure, the MOOC platform hosting the course, will have access to the show’s content and exclusive cast interviews.
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