UCLA EMERITI Newsletter Fall 2020 UCLA Emeriti Association, Our 53rd Year Vol. 34, No. 1 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE UCLA will continue to confer emeritus/a status on all retiring members of the Academic Senate, Dear Fellow Emeriti, Re- it is believed that this criterion should be com- tired Librarians, and mon to all the UC campuses. Letters in support Spouses: of a return to the original language identifying criteria for conferral of emeritus/a status were I know I speak for most sent to the Chair of the Academic Council, rep- of you, when I say that resenting all UC Academic Senates, who formal- UCLA has been an im- ly requested return to the previous wording. portant part of our lives, both professionally and A second issue was a proposal from the Office personally. The Emeriti of the President to consolidate a number of Association, which repre- emeriti/retiree health plans into a new plan. UC sents retired faculty, li- Emeriti and Retiree Associations did not feel brarians, and their spous- that they had been adequately consulted. This es, fosters continuing connections between issue was raised at a meeting of the Regent’s UCLA colleagues through its newsletter, and, Health Services Committee. The Council of UC normally, through after lunch programs, quar- Emeriti Associations (CUCEA) and Council of UC terly dinners, and an annual arts & crafts fair Retiree Associations (CUCRA) protested this (the current pandemic has required that events perceived lack of adequate consulation. As a now be virtual rather than in-person). The pro- result, the new plan replaced only one of the grams are interesting and informative, whether previous health-care plans and is considered a it be about a career in astrophysics, the current test for possible future changes in emeriti/ political situation in Turkey and the Middle retiree health-care plans. Emeriti and retiree ex- East, or the history of the early architecture and periences with the new health-care plan are be- leadership of UCLA. ing assessed. The Emeriti Association also works with the Emeriti continue to play an important role in Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs to select UCLA’s efforts to meet the challenges of an un- winners of the Dickson and Goldberg awards foreseeable future. Emeriti and Retiree activities and the campus nominee for the Panunzio are coordinated through the Emeriti/Retirees award. The awards honor emeriti who continue Relations Center (www.errc.ucla.edu), which has productive professional activities and/or make an easy link to the Emeriti Association website. significant contributions to the UCLA communi- Membership in the Emeriti Association helps ty after retirement (last year’s winners are iden- maintain a connection to UCLA and one’s for- tified elsewhere in this Newsletter). mer colleagues. A membership application is This past year the Emeriti Association has ad- available on the Association website. I encour- dressed two significant issues affecting emeriti. age you to join us if you have not already done so! https://emeriti.errc.ucla.edu/Join First was a change in the language defining the automatic conferral of emeritus/a status which The Emeriti Association Board, composed of a would have required some faculty, members of number of volunteers dedicated to continued the Academic Senate, to apply for such status. service to their emeriti colleagues and to UCLA, This would require time-consuming preparation is always looking for new volunteers. Please of dossiers, solicitation of support letters, and a contact me with any questions (or better yet to mechanism to evaluate such requests. Although volunteer) at [email protected]. Richard Weiss, President Page 2 FALL 2020 FROM THE EDITOR PROGRAMS IN A NEW AGE Warm Greetings! When the university was forced to shut down in March of 2020, the speaker programs for the remain- This is my first ever message as editor. I felt it was der of the academic year shut down as well. By June necessary to offer my apologies. Plans for a Spring we had gotten our bearings and now we are back in 2020 newsletter were under way when normal life business with a line-up of sessions offered via Zoom. came to a screeching halt. And I never got it togeth- er to produce a newsletter. We began by addressing the impact of Covid 19 on the health system with a talk by Johnese Spisso, Without the spring dinner meeting that has always CEO, UCLA Hospital System and Associate Vice driven our production schedule, it was too easy to Chancellor UCLA Health Sciences, concerning the slide. Once having messed up, it got to be harder impact of the pandemic on the health system. At and harder to get back on track. Valid reasons be- the time of her talk in early July, the effects had came excuses. been profound, but the system was in recovery. The losses were staggering. https://ucla.box.com/s/ Most of all, I am sorry for leaving emeriti, retired li- nt79u1w15nzlp9l6gawhhxa2it31l3z9 brarians, and their spouses and survivors without Six weeks later, Greg Goldman, Chief Financial Of- the knowledge that you are important that is shown ficer and Vice-Chancellor, gave a similar sobering by the newsletter communication. assessment of the campus situation. He too painted a hopeful picture of a future buttressed by the This issue of the newsletter is a hybrid—designed strong fiscal position and reserves that UCLA has. and formatted with the look and feel of our normal paper issues but produced with live links so that Fall found the resumption of our more usual sched- they can be followed directly without having to type ule, albeit in the most unusual format. No chocolate chip cookies, no coffee and water, and no old friends clumsy URLs. to greet each month. We did manage to hold talks at 1:30 on the second Thursday of the month. This fall issue has some sad parts because we must acknowledge losses. But we also welcome new emer- The first talk was given by Nurit Katz, UCLA’s first iti and recognize accomplishments. And isn’t that chief sustainability officer, was entitled, “UCLA: A wonderful? Living Laboratory for Sustainability.” Katz is a charismatic and dynamic speaker and introduced us I hope this finds you well and thriving. to the successful and ongoing efforts to transform UCLA into powerful example of institutions reduc- Diane Childs, Editor ing, and in some instances, eliminating their impact on the environment. It was inspiring. WHAT ABOUT THE ART SHOW IN 2021? https://ucla.box.com/s/ opzpb7rs2whj1527hbmeapo3zbxwh63y When we had to cancel the Art Show this past May, The speaker for November, was Kristy Edmonds, the future seemed very uncertain. Now we know Director of the UCLA CAP (Center for the Art of Per- that the Faculty Center will not be open in May 2021, formance), who spoke on the Arts program in our so your Art Show Committee is coming up with a new normal and the vision of the future. Kristy plan. pointed out that she was essentially alone in Royce Hall with the ghost light on the stage in a 200,000 sq How ever it turns out, there will be a “revelation” to ft. facility. CAP has turned Royce Hall basically into mark this annual spring event. Photographs of art- a film studio and uses their online channel and other work will be posted on our website so that everyone strategies to help keep artists and their skills alive. can enjoy it, including some new pieces from our You can sign up for CAP UCLA’s enews here: artists. https://cap.ucla.edu/enews/ Find the Zoom here: We plan to send out printed invitations to Emeriti https://ucla.box.com/s/rwtki9bszptm2u609yx0qpeo Association members as we have in the past, ex- rc9p5asz plaining the artist participation and welcoming you all to enjoy our posting at your leisure. When authorized by the speaker, links to Zoom talks are found above. The videos are as clear as the origi- Sharon Belkin, Art Show Chair nal and have controls that allow, rewind, fast for- ward, and pause. Logging in to Box is not necessary. Editor’s note: A virtual art show with printed invita- tions. What could be better? And that’s an incentive Steve Cederbaum, Program Committee Chair to renew your membership, isn’t it? FALL 2020 Page 3 DECEMBER IN PARIS JEAN AROESTE Thursday, December 10, 2020, 1:30-3:00 p.m. When Jean Aroeste died in Au- Carolyn Campbell and the Père-Lachaise Cemetery gust at the age of 87, it was the loss of a significant link to the Carolyn Campbell is a former communications direc- past. When Jean won the Emeriti tor of the School of the Arts and Architecture and Association’s Distinguished Ser- served as editor of Arts Magazine for 14 years. She vice Award in 2016, she had is also an exhibited photographer. served the organization for al- most 20 years. She held her first While living in Paris, Campbell developed a fascina- position as Recording Secretary for four years. She tion with the Père-Lachaise Cemetery on the left then became editor of the newsletter for another bank of the Seine. Père-Lachaise is said to be the eight years, “applying her skills with devotion, inspi- most famous and most visited cemetery in the ration, enterprise and personal courage.” In 1999, world. It houses famous people from Chopin to Jim Jean worked on the joint ad-hoc committee whose Morrison, the legendary dissolute and famous leader work led to the development of the Belmont Village Westwood facility. and composer for the Doors.