MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 - AUGUST 31, 2014
riversideindependent.com
VOLUME 1, NO. 17
Gender inequality: committees take up Landmark too much time for female professors $400 million by Vickie Vértiz film and University of California, uity and the ‘Just Say No to television job Riverside sociologist Karen Service’ Fairytale,” Pyke disPyke released findings that cusses “the unequal burden prove female professors are of university service placed creation act asked to serve on university on women because of their committees in such dispropor- smaller numbers in the acadpasses final tionately higher numbers than emy and its impact on career male colleagues that it deprives advancement,” reported UCR committee, them of research and publica- Today. tion time required for promoSome research indicates tion, causing their careers to that female faculty at doctoral headed to lag behind male counterparts. universities serve on 50 perUCR Today reported that cent more committees than Senate floor Pyke presented this study at male faculty, her work showed. the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in San Francisco the week of August 18. The study details that the problem is so nationally prevalent at research universities that some colleagues and administrators advise female faculty to decline committee offers, or to use an old phrase, “Just Say No.” But Pyke stresses that to decline invitations is not enough. In “Faculty Gender Ineq-
Those same research universities typically over-recruit women faculty and women of color for service on committees and task forces to ensure gender and racial diversity. One reason why disproportionate committee requests for women have such a grave effect on their careers is that there are not enough women in tenure-tracked positions in the first place. Pyke also showed in her work that wom-
ments of school districts’ Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP). ”A focus on educational equity is essential if schools are to be successful in preparing students to master the new state standards and, ultimately,
The long saga of AB 1839, the California Film and Television Job Retention and Promotion Act of 2014, continued by passing its final committee barrier, clearing the Senate Appropriations Committee by a 5-0 vote. The legislation, authored by Assemblymen Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) and Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles), contained numerous amendments today which represent the culmination of nearly a year of research and negotiations and would expand and significantly improve the state’s current program to keep production jobs in California. The most anticipated amendment to the bill expands the program’s allocation to $400 million a year. Other changes include: allowing big-budget blockbusters – which create the most jobs – to qualify for the incentive; spending requirements to protect jobs and wages for below-the-line workers; creating certainty for television series by guaranteeing credits if the show is renewed; and providing larger incentives for film and television productions that move to California from out of
Please see page 4
Please see page 2
Karen Pyke - Courtesy Photo
en are recruited for service much earlier in their careers than male counterparts, which is when committee service can take precious time from their careers. Please see page 2
“Excellence Through Equity” Conference to focus on closing achievement gap in education Riverside County Office of Education's Leadership Institute of Riverside County (LIRC) to host event on September 25 featuring speakers from national and regional educational institutions Closing the achievement gap, promoting high expectations, and providing multiple opportunities for students of color are the primary topics of the “Excellence Through Equity” Conference hosted by the Leadership Institute of Riverside County on September 25, 2014, at the Riverside Conven-
tion Center. The purpose of the conference is to provide educators with the strategies needed to create equitable school environments for students from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. These strategies will be aligned with priorities identified as require-
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Holden’s kitchen grease theft bill goes to Governor for signature The California State Legislature has overwhelmingly approved Assemblymember Chris Holden’s bill to strengthen laws against stealing used cooking oil. The Assembly gave final approval to Holden’s AB 1566 which increases penalties for stealing grease and beefs up law enforcement’s efforts to stop modernday-rustlers. The vote was 70 to 0. Used cooking oil from deep fryers in restaurants all across the state has become a hot commodity which can be worth hundreds of dollars when converted into clean-burning biofuel. It is often targeted by grease thieves who see it as a way to make an easy haul. The penalties have been so minor, many law enforcement agencies don’t even respond when owners report the theft. “As the alternative fuels market keeps growing, the demand for inedible kitchen grease-based biofuels will grow as well,” said Assemblymember Holden. “The
price increases stemming from this new demand will make grease theft a more lucrative crime in the coming years. AB 1566 provides law enforcement with the tools to combat grease theft and protect the burgeoning biofuels market by beefing up requirements for licensed haulers, increasing the penalties for stealing grease and allowing law enforcement to impound vehicles for up to 15 days.” According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, a typical fast-food restaurant produces 150-250 pounds of grease a week and a fully loaded pumper truck could bring in as much as $900 at a recycling center. Thieves often strike in the night and syphon off the used grease and sell it on the black market. It has been an on-going safety and environmental issue in many areas. AB 1566 now goes to the Governor for signature.
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Gender inequality at universities Continued from page 1
In UCR Today, the Pyke article states that “The organizational structures of today’s universities, which trace their roots to the universities of medieval Europe when higher education was the exclusive province of men, reflect [the] life course trajectories [of men] and social practices, not [that of women].” Furthermore, her article claims that, “Men continue to occupy the upper ranks of higher education where they have failed to recognize [...] gendered institutional practices that block [the advancement] of female faculty [...].” It is assumed that female faculty take part in committees on a voluntary basis and have autonomy over how much they do, but this idea is naïve, according to Pykes. Much of the service is assigned by department chairs and deans and Pyke adds that female faculty “...may not know if this is a sin-
cere question or an assignment to which saying no could have negative repercussions.” One way to seek support as a new professor is to seek mentorship from faculty outside of the department and out of the university in which one works, recommends the seminal book for women and women of color faculty Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia. Seeking connection with seasoned faculty brings emerging female professors perspective and strategies to help navigate and thrive in university environments. Pyke offers another solution in her research. “We can replace the ‘Just Say No’ mantra toward service with the far more apt slogan ‘Just Don’t Ask,’ “ added Pyke. “But if you ask me for service, be prepared to acknowledge and reward my service labor.”
Film and television job creation act Continued from page 1
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state and those that film outside of Los Angeles. “I’ve heard from so many people over the past year, who have told me about their family being torn apart because production left the state,” said Gatto. “This proactive effort ensures well-paying jobs stay in California and families remain together.” California’s film and television industry has faced increasing competition in recent years from subsidies by other states and countries. Since its creation in 2009, the California Film and Television Job Retention and Promotion Act prevented as many as 51,000 well-paying jobs from leaving the state, and helped generate $4.5 billion in economic activity. Despite the program’s success, figures from the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of
Labor Statistics show that from 2004-2012, California lost more than 16,000 film-and televisionindustry jobs, resulting in more than $1.5 billion in lost wages and economic activity. “Passing this expanded and improved program is a critical step forward to bringing back high-paying film jobs to California,” said Bocanegra. “I’d like to thank Chairman De León for his leadership on this effort. He’s been a tremendous partner and champion for the film industry. I appreciate the Committee’s support of AB 1839 today and look forward to continuing the fight to move this through the legislative process and ultimately see it signed into law.” The bill now goes to the Senate floor, where it needs to be voted on by the end of the legislative session, August 31, 2014.
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The Ice Bucket Challenge: fun or controversial? by jennifer schlueter Have you asked yourself why so many of your social media friends and people like former president George W. Bush, LeBron James, and Oprah Winfrey recently have been pouring ice buckets over their heads? Not only in the United States have people joined this trend where you donate to the ALS Association if the chilling thought of ice water does not appeal to you: Thanks to challengers nominating three other individuals, the ice bucket challenge has quickly gone viral all over the world, and the ALS Association has received over $30 million as of August 20, according to the official website. Compared to the same period of last year, from July 29 to August 20, donations amounted to $1.9 million. According to Slate, the Ice Bucket Challenge was not an invention of Pete Frates, an ALS patient, or the ALS Association, but of a few pro athletes, who were dared to contribute $100 to a charity of their choice, if they declined an ice bath. Proving this are videos by Matt Lauer, Martha Stewart, and others, who predate any videos mentioning the ALS Association. Frates, 29, however, initiated people donating to the ALS Association should they refuse his Ice Bucket Challenge. The non-profit organization is committed to research the fatal nerve disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), or “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” with which former baseball star Frates was diagnosed. Critics of the #icebucketchallenge, as it is referred to online, have expressed their concerns about the dare being a bandwagon trend. Today’s web narcissists join to collect “likes” or because they feel peer pressure. The challenge was supposed to help charities by donating money to them; however, more people seem to enjoy freezing their brain cells because their friends do it rather than raising awareness for a good cause. That’s probably why some videos do not even mention ALS. Yet, there are those outstanding people who have done both the
challenge and a donation. Especially in drought-stricken California, the Ice Bucket Challenge videos are viewed with raised eyebrows and shaking heads. According to Reddit, less water than people believe is wasted: “Comparatively speaking, very little. People use much, much more water for everyday activities than they do for the ALS ice bucket challenge. The most obvious example: you use as much water in one minute in the shower as you would use for one bucket of ice water. (The average showerhead uses about five gallons per minute, while the average bucket holds the same amount.) And most people take showers every day, for often quite a bit longer than one minute.”
With California authorities issuing fines for unlawful outdoor water use such as hosing down asphalts and watering on certain weekdays, it is interesting to note that, according to a 2012 Pacific Institute report, households only use about 4 percent of California’s water, whereas agriculture takes up 93 percent. Cows drink 23 gallons of water, and automatic flushing systems for them can use up to 150 gallons a day. The One Green Planet article which compiled this data therefore suggests replacing animal products with a plant-based diet to save water. Whether you choose to engage in the Ice Bucket Challenge or not, please keep in mind that it intends to promote donations to charities, and not a trend.
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Assistant Sheriff Todd Rogers oversees the 21st annual gun melt Nearly 5,000 weapons destroyed and melted into construction materials On Wednesday, August 13, 2014, Assistant Sheriff Todd Rogers announced the destruction of 4,661 weapons confiscated from criminals in Los Angeles County and collected through the “Gifts for Guns” exchange program. Annually, Gerdau Steel Mill, located in Rancho Cucamonga, generously donates its furnace, equipment and personnel to convert these weapons into steel rebar. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works also donates the trucks every year that transport the weapons to the Mill. These weapons will be melted into steel reinforcing bar (rebar) and ultimately transformed into elements of construction for upgrades in freeways and bridges in Arizona, California and Nevada. “Our partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department allows us the opportunity to make a positive impact on our community,” said Mark Olson, Vice President and General Manager of the Gerdau Mill in Rancho Cucamonga. “Gerdau
is melting materials that could otherwise damage our community and transforming them into steel that will be repurposed to create the buildings, roads and bridges we use daily.” This year twelve law enforcement agencies contributed confiscated weapons to this program. These agencies include Downey Police Department, Long Beach Police Department, South Gate Police Department, Beverly Hills Police Department, El Monte Police Department, West Covina Police Department, Gardena Police Department, South Pasadena Police Department, Manhattan Beach Police Department, UCLA Police Department, Department of Motor Vehicles Police Department and Pasadena Police Department. “The continuous partnership with Gerdau Steel Mill has allowed law enforcement to destroy thousands of weapons that will never be used again to commit crimes on the streets of Los Angeles County. The guns that are
-Photo by Terry Miller
being destroyed today have been collected throughout the year and are a great example of the hard work of law enforcement officers in the communities we serve. Since the inception of the Gun Melt Program we have destroyed a total of 178,167 weapons,” said Assistant Sheriff Todd Rogers.
For more information please contact Public Information Officer Nicole Nishida at (323) 810-1973 or Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau at (323) 267-4800. For information about Gerdau please visit http:// www.gerdau.com/longsteel/
“Excellence Through Equity” Continued from page 1
be successful in college and the workforce,” said Cynthia Glover Woods, Senior Leadership Associate at the Leadership Institute of Riverside County. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade, Associate Professor of Raza Studies and Education at San Francisco State University and the Director of the Educational Equity Initiative at the Institute for Sustainable Economic, Educational and Environmental Design (ISEEED). Dr. DuncanAndrade is well-known for his study of urban schools through the Roses in Concrete Project. He has remained a practitioner in the field by continuing a high school teaching assignment in East Oakland for more than 20 years. He lectures around the world about the elements of effective teaching in urban settings and has authored multiple books and journal articles on the topic. Other speakers scheduled to appear are as follows: •Dr. Ben Castleman, Assistant Professor of Education and Public Policy, University of Virginia •Dr. Joseph F. Johnson, Executive Director, National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) •Christopher J. Steinhauser, District Superintendent, Long Beach Unified School District •Dr. Gabriela Mafi, District Superintendent, Garden Grove Unified School District •Dr. Judy D. White, District Superintendent, Moreno
Valley Unified School District •Dr. Sid Salazar, District Superintendent, Alvord Unified School District The conference is aimed at attracting school, district, and county-level administrators from throughout California who are focused on the following LCAP areas: Implementation of Common Core Standards, Parent Involvement and Engagement, Student Achievement, Student Engagement, and School Climate. “The increasing cultural diversity among students attending public schools challenges educators to provide quality and equitable education for every student. To address this challenge effectively, district and site leaders in our district are participating in the conference,” said Dr. Sid Salazar, Superintendent of the Alvord Unified School District. “We believe this conference will help us to break through the barriers to creating equitable learning environments for all our students.” The conference will be held at the Riverside Convention Center (3637 Fifth Street, Riverside, CA 92501) from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (registration begins at 7:30 a.m.). Registration is $200 per person (includes breakfast, lunch, and all conference materials). For more information, visit www. rcoe.us/leadership-institute or contact Catherine Belcher at 951.826.6122.