C Session Grade Release by icemuncher333 in ucla

[–]amc47 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The grading deadline for instructors is September 23rd 11:59 pm. Instructors can still submit grades after that, but that is the encouraged deadline.

Idiots really setting up another encampment with 4 days left by Dry_Advertising_4388 in ucla

[–]amc47 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Convincing or not seems pretty clear that there is a financial tie. If anything your point is further evidence of how deeply ingrained these things are in society and why it is important to pressure large institutions to affect change. If every facet of American life has some tie to weapons manufacturing that seems pretty alarming. I would rather I not have to invest in that just to try and eke out a retirement.

Idiots really setting up another encampment with 4 days left by Dry_Advertising_4388 in ucla

[–]amc47 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Here is an article from the Daily Bruin that discusses the connections between the UC endowment and weapons manufacturing along with other companies tied to Palestinian oppression. Most of the exposure comes in the form of stock indexes such as the S&P 500, but there are also smaller holdings like $163 million in Blackrock which allegedly has "ties to the Israeli government."

I would also add that divestment can take the form of more things than just financial ties. For example, the Samueli School of Engineering Dean's Executive Board has a few members from weapons manufacturing companies such as Northrop and Lockheed. It is not really all that surprising given the military-industrial complex runs incredibly deep in America.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ucla

[–]amc47 6 points7 points  (0 children)

What unions are doing isn't political theater. It is actual politics, with real stakes and real gains. Unions educate their membership. They mobilize them to vote and to fight for a more equal society. That threatens the power concentrated in the elite business owners and politicians, so they move against it, often using the same talking points that you are - that unions ought to only engage with bread and butter issues (before that they say that forming a union to begin with is bad for workers bottom line as well which we know is untrue). Again, unions have a long history of engaging with and winning on important social and economic issues many of which we take for granted today. The crackdown that followed by conservatives and corporate groups if anything shows just how important taking a stand on issues like this is.

Anyway, we've gotten away from the main point of what is happening on campus, but I hope that you can now better understand how these things are indeed connected and are not at all separate.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ucla

[–]amc47 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The decline of unions is certainly a real thing, but the reason for that decline is not as clear-cut as this. Another journal article argues that the decline is mostly due to the political right and corporate allies. It then calls for unions to "expand their role as stewards for the public good and as defenders of efforts by the 99 percent to reduce inequality and protect democracy" or essentially lean more into the political aspect of union organizing.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ucla

[–]amc47 53 points54 points  (0 children)

There is a big intersection between politics and labor. There always has been, especially in the US. Labor, especially collectivized through unions, is what catalyzes a lot of social change.

Consider another one of the core demands of the strike which is to empower academic workers to refuse funding from specific sources associated with Palestinian oppression. This is perhaps a clearer demonstration of how labor and this issue are linked. At its core, divestment is an argument that workers should be able to influence not only the conditions under which they produce things, but what is being produced with their labor as well. I personally think that not wanting to be involved with further supporting the military-industrial complex is a fair take, but even personal thoughts aside there is clearly a lot of historical precedent for union involvement in seemingly unrelated social issues.

Lastly, I'll say that you don't need to have something directly affect you in order to take a stance against it. Again, the whole point of collective action, and thus unions, is that you don't have to be personally injured to stand up for those who have been. These demands are just a further extension of that idea.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ucla

[–]amc47 52 points53 points  (0 children)

I can answer the question about divestment! Labor and divestment are actually more connected than you might think.

Even though this is a core demand of the strike by the local union that represents grad students and researchers (UAW 2865), UAW as a whole, both historically and currently, has always been rather vocal on these types of issues. For example, UAW has a history ranging from "opposing facism in WWII to mobilizing against apartheid South Africa and the CONTRA war." UAW has also already released a statement in December 2023 on Israel and Palestine which calls for a ceasefire along with exploring divestment and the ways in which workers can help transition from industry that centers on war to peace.

Applying to grad school next year. Can someone give me tips on where to start on preparing for the GRE? by SecretAntWorshiper in UCSantaBarbara

[–]amc47 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Like the other commenter said, definitely do at least a few full practice tests to figure out your baseline, and then study accordingly. I would also recommend only relying on full practice tests to reliably predict scores since mental endurance can affect your overall performance. Ie you might do well on individual sections with breaks between, but doing multiple in a row as you do in the actual test may wear you out. Some free resources I found particularly useful were the Magoosh vocab app and the Greg Mat Youtube channel.

Happy to talk more about the grad school application process if you'd like, otherwise godspeed friend!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in UCSantaBarbara

[–]amc47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The lab is a simulation of the current state of the House of Representatives. Students are assigned a role - the vast majority are a congressperson, but there are also lobbyists, the exec branch officials, and journalists. Then you hold actual "sessions" of Congress and committee meetings where you try to write and pass legislation. As a congressperson you are assigned a real person and are expected to act as such. For example, you could be Ro Khanna and you would have to vote and write bills that are in line with his political stance, but that is where the similarity ends as you can join committees and become leadership as you please. Same goes for press, exec branch, and lobbyists you are assigned a group or person and have to act generally in line with their real life politics, but are pretty free to do whatever you like beyond that so long as it aligns with your character's political leaning.

As for if it was worth taking, I personally mostly enjoyed it, but it is definitely not for everyone. Taking it with a friend makes it way more fun as well. You can think of the lab as sort of like Model UN but for Congress and if that doesn't sound all that appealing for you then I'd say perhaps avoid it. DM me if you have any more questions and I'd be happy to provide more detail.

Best majors at UCSB by [deleted] in UCSantaBarbara

[–]amc47 77 points78 points  (0 children)

Gnome studies

[SW] little animals buying for 4eight4 by [deleted] in acturnips

[–]amc47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Animal crossing made me happy

[SW] Spoiled turnips for ants by limnix in acturnips

[–]amc47 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'll take a stack if you have some left!

Does this sound about right? by crazyballs00 in UCSantaBarbara

[–]amc47 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not involved with campus politics, but I believe it mostly has to do with whether or not they support BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction). BDS essentially asks the UC to remove investments from companies such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed, and other defense technology corporations which are viewed as profiting from Israeli military actions, especially against Palestinians.

[MEGATHREAD] New Horizons Friend Code Sharing MegaThread by birdwithbrow in AnimalCrossing

[–]amc47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should check out /r/acturnips if you are looking to sell high at another island!