Dear Colleagues:

These excerpts from some "Letters to the Chancellor" sent to my Web site will give you a flavor of the feedback I receive from people at UCSD and out in the community. I thank everyone who has written. I learn from each letter, and I'm glad to share these ideas and my own responses with all of you.

With warm regards,

Marye Anne Fox

Safety Concerns

I guess they are tired of me complaining, but whenever I write to the people involved, they pretty much brush me off. So I thought, why not go to the top...

Have you seen the situation on Osler & on Gilman, from Osler down to Villa La Jolla? It is totally dark. No lights. It's scary. I usually go to work on an electric scooter that has a light and I still can't see that much. I don't know how people can walk those streets without being totally frightened.

I live in the neighborhood. The other night as I was on Gilman getting stuff out of my car, I almost creamed a student on a skateboard because I just didn't see him. Luckily he saw me.

Sure some of it is the city's responsibility and some is the campus's, but can't somebody do something? If it's related to the construction, then what about temporary lighting? Please don't tell me about the woman who will walk the campus looking for lights that are out. That's not enough.

University is always saying there's not enough parking. Those of us who are trying to not park on campus are the ones that are neglected whenever any project comes up.

They are going to be working on that overpass for a year. If there is enough money to make the street wider for cars, there should be money to protect those of us not in cars.

The lights were out last year too when they were working on that water main project. Finally the UT published a letter from me, and the city was out the next day working on the lights. It's not that they can't be fixed, it's that nobody cares.

Chancellor Fox: Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have asked Vice Chancellor Steve Relyea to look into this issue to determine our options to improve the area. We take very seriously the safety of our students, faculty and staff. Thank you for writing.

Impact of Fee Increases on Middle-Income Students

While I commend you on your efforts to defray the increase in costs, especially to those students of low-income families, I also have another concern. Often times the attention and the efforts are made on behalf of these more "disadvantaged" students. However, my growing concern deals with students like myself.

I am one of the many growing number of students who fall into the category where we no longer qualify for many of the aids that are offered to low-income students due to our parents' income. However, our parents' income levels also are not significant enough to help students like myself defray the costs of college. We are stuck in the middle where our EFC falls anywhere between $4,000 and $6,000; yet, we no longer qualify for aid nor can our parents help with much. Where do we come in the picture amongst all of the efforts to defray costs? Low-income students currently qualify for Cal Grant, Fed Pell grant, and UCSD grants-in-aid. These can easily total over $10,000. Affluent students don't have financial burdens as many of their parents are able to afford the price increases and the costs associated with college.

Why aren't efforts being made to target our group and students in similar situations? It is students like myself who have become the ones most financially burdened with loans averaging anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 per year. We are the ones that are forced into having to take part-time jobs just to pay for everything. And although loans can make up much of the difference, leaving college with over $50,000 worth of debt wasn't exactly what I had in mind as an affordable college education. Although somewhat still more affordable than private schools, if the fees continue to increase and this is the trend for the next few years to come, will this still hold true for students who are stuck in the middle?

Maybe public education isn't as affordable as we used to think it was. But, if this continues and students in my situation are continually ignored, public education will certainly no longer be more affordable for us.

As a final note, as much as I would love to say that this was all for my own personal benefit, it is not. I realize that by the time any changes are even made or any efforts are made on our behalf, I will most likely be graduated and off to continue my endeavors elsewhere. However, my intention was to make people like you aware of the situation that many of us face in hopes that future students will not have to go through the same financial hardships that I have faced. The funny thing is that I often hear my friends who are of more "disadvantaged" backgrounds talk about all of the money that they are able to receive through aid and many of them seem to not have as many financial hardships. Yet, here I am having to constantly deal with wondering if I would be able to make next month's rent payment while studying for midterms or finals. And all this for what reason? Because my parents make a little more yet not enough to help me out? I don't know, but this seems a little 'lopsided' to me. So when will we get the attention and the efforts made on our behalf?

Chancellor Fox: Increasing the affordability of a UCSD education for all qualified students is one of my top priorities as Chancellor, and I believe it will be accomplished through a range of initiatives, including raising private support (scholarship funding is a major goal of “The Campaign for UCSD: Imagine What’s Next”). We are working with the Office of the President to persuade the Governor and the legislature to support the investment in higher education for the future of California by increasing funding for the University in order to eliminate the need to raise student fees and maintain the quality and accessibility of the University of California. We also are supporting efforts to increase both federal and state financial aid for low- and middle-income students. So please know that I am acutely aware of the financial pressures on students from middle-income and low-income families, and I pledge to work to alleviate it.

Staff “In Memoriams”

On the Academic Senate web page there is a link to "In Memoriam", which lists the names of those faculty members who have passed on, and it includes one or two pages about their life. I would like to see something similar for staff. Perhaps a link on the BLINK page?

I realize that faculty are what make the university, but staff are the ones who keep it running, from the gardeners to the MSOs. To remember those who have died would be a gesture that would cost little, but would, I hope, leave an impression that the University does care about its staff.

I'm not suggesting that each staff member who dies has a two-page "in memoriam", but perhaps a short paragraph about what they did here, what they did outside of work, survivors, etc.

Chancellor Fox:This is an appealing idea. The vice chancellors and I are eager to find new mechanisms to recognize staff accomplishments, so I will discuss the idea with the vice chancellors and with our Staff Association. Thank you for suggesting it.

School Spirit Idea

Hi Dr. Fox,

I know this may seem like a silly idea from a graduate student, who graduated from UCSD ('04), but I was looking through a few college stores up north and I noticed that they had their own Monopoly type game. Now, I know that our school lacks in our school spirit and maybe creating our own board game, that would relate to our campus, could potentially help a little bit. I think that also many alumni would be very interested in buying the game and reliving the old memories and seeing what's new. This is just a random idea I had, but I was just curious as to what you would think of it. I would call it: "Tritonopoly". I don't know how they make the game or get licensing, but it could potentially be something worth creating. I know for a fact though that UCSD students love board games, because we find ourselves at times "bored" or burnt out with studying. Anyways, please let me know what you think. I would like your feedback. Thanks for reading!

Chancellor Fox: And thanks for writing! Our Campus Bookstore stocks many UCSD and Triton items, and they are always on the lookout for new and interesting merchandise that will showcase UCSD school spirit, so I will pass your suggestion along to bookstore managers.

Chancellor’s Challenge T-Shirts

I have a suggestion that I think will increase income for and interest in the Chancellor's Challenge. Every year, the Chancellor's office could hold a contest in the spring with a nominal prize, say $100, for a new design for the t-shirt. Having your design on the t-shirt would be the main reward for the designer. The t-shirts now are really, really boring and have been for several years. But, if the t-shirt were more appealing, more folks would donate money just to get one, whether they race or not. And the contest itself would increase promotion of and interest in the Challenge. You could have an open design competition or run it through VAG or some other campus group. I'm sure someone would volunteer to organize it. I race every year, buy also buy an extra t-shirt for a friend in Germany who used to work at UCSD and run in the Challenge. We were just commenting on how dull the t-shirts have been the last two years: small logo with pastel colors and an indifferent design.

Chancellor Fox: I am forwarding your suggestion to the committee that organizes the Chancellor’s 5K Challenge for its consideration. This important campus tradition will celebrate its 10th anniversary in October, and we are looking for ways to make the 2005 race a very special event. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the people, including students, staff, and friends in the community, who have worked so hard to ensure the success of this event, which has raised $1,250,000 since 1996 for undergraduate student scholarships.

Golf Carts

I'd like to complain about the number of golf carts being used on campus. Even though posted signs state that certain areas, like Library Walk, are pedestrian only, there seems to be a preponderance of golf carts all over those no-bicycle, no-skateboard zones. To lodge a specific complaint, I saw a golf cart just at 1:50 pm today driving from the area of Revelle College and stopping at the XX. It was going way too fast. There was no UCSD decal, but there was a decal on the front that said, "GEM 2149". The license plate was marked "E 904824". There was nothing these two young men in their 20's were transporting. It looked like they were on a joyride, flicking their cigarette ashes carelessly out the side. I wanted to bring up this issue because it may be a liability issue for the university and the cigarette ashes could pose a fire danger, especially in these Santa Ana conditions.

Your department should REALLY look into the dangerous operation of campus golf carts, especially those driven by students. They are usually speeding around at full throttle, even up hills. I have nearly been hit several times this year alone. In my view, 19- or 20-year-old students with only a few years driving experience do not seem to possess the proper maturity level to be operating these "motorized vehicles." It will likely only be a matter of time before someone’s foot or leg is run-over, or worse, someone is run over completely, an of which would leave the UC system with a hefty out-of-court settlement. Just thought you might want to know. Thanks.

Chancellor Fox:I hope these two letters will alert all cart drivers to obey the rules of the road and to be mindful of pedestrian safety. Like any privilege, the freedom to operate carts on campus byways is contingent upon responsible behavior. I have asked the Chief of Police to bring this matter before the UCSD Traffic Safety Committee to see how we can encourage responsible handling of these carts.

Campus Walking Program

I would like to suggest that the chancellor's office sets up and encourages a walking program for all staff and faculty of UCSD similar to the program at CSU Fullerton. (I've included the link below). Some of the trainers at RIMAC could have open meetings during lunch for each vice-chancellor's area covering the basics of walking, tips and safety issues. Your office could use discretionary funds and provide pedometers for any staff/faculty member joining in. The campus could place signs reflecting mileage and distances between various buildings around the campus. Additionally, a program such as this could really lead to something fun for the campus such as a yearly, ongoing contest to see which department or area walks the most (it would have to be designed equitably since some areas have more staff/faculty than others). None of this would be a significant cost to the campus but health benefits to each participating individual would be substantial. http://hdcs.fullerton.edu/ewp/hpp/wff/index.htm

Chancellor Fox: This is a splendid idea, and I have asked Human Resources, Campus Recreation, and the Blink Team to establish a work group to look into the feasibility of establishing such a program and Blink web site. The work group will be charged with developing an action plan to implement the program including: program parameters, guidelines and routes.

UCSD is a magnificent campus, and many of its most scenic spots – such as the sculptures in the world-famous Stuart Collection – are best viewed on foot. I know that tourists and neighbors in the surrounding community often come up here just to hike the campus. And, of course, walking is a healthy low-impact exercise that can be easily incorporated into anyone’s daily routine. So I would encourage everyone to consider taking short (or long) walks around UCSD for fitness and for fun.

When the work group has completed its task, the commencement of the program will be announced in a campus notice and on Blink. Thank you for your very helpful suggestion.