Talk:University of California, Merced

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[edit] Alphabetical order of clubs

I put all the clubs in alphabetical order and 169.236.56.125 keeps putting Radio Merced Club first. I am going to put in back in alphabetical order, if the IP address 169.236.56.125 believes it should be first, please discuss why on the talk page instead of reverting the article. Rayana fazli 20:13, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Humor

This whole section was removed. Some of the other UC sites have humor sections, why not Merced?

The the section should be added if it is that important or funny. But I don't see the significance of a humor section. Rayana fazli 20:06, 14 February 2006 (UTC)

Is it how many UCM students does it take to change a lightbulb?

10, one to hold the the lightbulb and nine to turn the ladder. Oh that is so lame Rayana fazli 00:26, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

I agree with Caesar and Rayana that the alleged humor section was irrelevant. My biggest problem with the section was that none of the content was unique to UC Merced. -- Jasper 09:40, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Student Life

The housing office seems unfamiliar with Merced's neighborhoods. The official Student Housing and Dining site describes:

  • "Northern Merced" as the area "closer to the new campus".
  • "Central Merced" as the area "near Olive Avenue".
  • "Southern Merced" as "closer to the downtown area and [having] easier freeway access for travel to" "Castle Air Force Base".

In reality:

  • North Merced is the area north of Bear Creek. In other words, the area "near Olive Avenue".
  • Castle Air Force Base is on Santa Fe Drive, not Highway 99. Santa Fe Drive becomes Olive Avenue, so North Merced has the easiest access to Castle.
  • Downtown Merced is north of Highway 99.
  • South Merced is south of Highway 99.

Merced only has 1,300 students?? LOL?

[edit] Locking out

I think this terminology for what the campus does during the winter is a bit harsh. Maybe we should use less inflamatory terms like my proposed, "the administration closes the campus" or something similar.169.236.127.206

Rayana,

The term on the page is "locks out". I believe this term is accurate, as a practical matter, as a legal matter, and in the implications of this policy for student life on campus. In practice, "Student Housing is closed and locked". The contract states that, "Resident shall vacate the room/suite at times Student Housing is closed. To avoid being considered trespassing on University property, Resident must not remain in Student Housing after it closes."

-- Jasper 17:31, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Possible problems with the policy

This policy is harsh. Yes, many other American universities have similar policies. In my opinion, they suffer for it. If you compare the quality of campus life at universities (such as the University of Washington) that lock out their dormitory students during winter break with universities (such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) that allow their dormitory students to stay over winter break, you will notice the following differences:

  1. Most students who are allowed to stay in their dormitory over winter break stay for several days; very few stay over Christmas Day itself.
  2. Students who are allowed to stay in their dormitory over winter break do not feel rushed to pack things up, and turn in their keys while under the stress of fall-term finals.
  3. Students who are allowed to stay in their dormitory over winter break tend to think of their dormitory as a "home", and their dormitory is truly a community.
  4. Students who are allowed to stay in their dormitory over winter break enjoy living there. 90 percent of MIT students choose to live in on-campus housing all four years -- most of them in the same living group for as long as possible.
  5. About 1/3 of students who are allowed to stay in their dormitory over winter break are also willing to pay to stay there over the summer, while they attend classes or work summer jobs.
  6. Students who are repeatedly locked out of their on-campus housing tend to move out. About 1/3 of UW dormitory residents move out between the beginning of Fall quarter and the end of Spring quarter.
  7. Students who are repeatedly locked out of their on-campus housing tend to treat the school as a commuter-college instead of a residential-college. At the UW, a majority of dormitory residents go home on weekends. The on-campus parking lots, especially near the dormitories, are mostly full on weekday nights, and mostly empty on non-football weekends. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the most common sound in the dormitory hallways is... the ringing of alarm clocks. The students who go home for the weekend often forget to turn off their alarm clocks, so they ring for hours on the weekends.
  8. Students who share the same dormitory for several years form lasting communities. They are much more likely to form study groups. It is often said that, "An MIT student would rather do someone else's homework than his (or her) own." At MIT, more learning happens among the students in the living groups than in class. When MIT alumni meet, they usually ask, "Where did you live?" as well as "What was your major?" and "What are you doing now?"
  9. Students who are repeatedly locked out of their on-campus housing tend to be less active alumni. About 10 percent of UW alumni donate to the school in any given year. About 60 percent of MIT alumni donate to the school in any given year.

These two universities were chosen for the comparison because of their similarities, and because I am familiar with both of them. Both were founded in 1861; both were Land-Grant schools; both are prestigious major research universities (which UC Merced aspires to be); both are academically selective, both have low-rise academic buildings; both have a combination of low-rise and high-rise dormitories within walking distance of classes; both are in neighborhoods with housing shortages; both allow their students to stay in the dormitories for four years, including summers. I am familiar with both universities: I graduated from MIT, and my fiancée will graduate from the UW this spring.

If you find that UC Merced's dormitory system manages to overcome these tendencies, I would be interested to know. Please keep in mind that some of the effects take several years to show up. For example, the effect of having (or not having) upperclassmen around to hand down traditions and advice to freshmen takes a few years to foster a dormitory culture.

In summary, I believe that the phrase "locks out" is the most appropriate short description of what the University does to its dormitory residents during winter break. The connotations are also appropriate. Please note that I did not put any of these tendencies (noticed at other universities) into the article, except in the choice of the single phrase. If you notice clear confirmation or contradiction of these tendencies at UC Merced, you might want to consider mentioning them.

-- Jasper 17:31, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Professional term

The problem with the term "locks out" is that it does not sound professional. It sounds like a little child wrote it and couldn't come up with a more proper term. I am not saying you are a child, but that's what "locks out" sounds like. I agree that locking out seems fitting and from your discription, it sounds like a correct phrase but it makes the university sound ruthless and harsh. I highly doubt that any other universities wiki page has the phrase "locking out." And it doesn't just lock out students who live int he dorms, the whole campus closes down for winter break. Rayana fazli 20:03, 14 February 2006 (UTC)

Actually, "lock out" is a standard professional term used in the IT, security, and towing fields. It describes a situation where a person cannot get into their car, computer, building, or room, because their password or keys are not available. The wording of the housing contract and addendum are consistent with this usage. I am familiar with this term, because I have worked as a computer programmer, dormitory front desk worker, and night watchman. I am also used to signs (posted by towing companies) offering help with "lockouts". -- Jasper 09:20, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

It might be a professional term used in the IT and towing fields but the connotations of that term still has a childish demeanor. Also just because they use it doesn't necessitate our usage of it. When I first encountered this wiki page and I saw that term, I thought an angry student wrote it to spite the school. I would expect something with a little less negative connotation then the term "lock out." It gives a negative image of the university. Logically, that term would be ok because they university does lock out the students, but not everyone thinks so logically and literally. Locks out is not necessary and there is an better term to explain what the school does. We need to have a term that is neutral like "closes the campus." We might be literal but when other people see that they are not taking it literally. It has emotional meaning to it and it shouldn't be used because it can be taken the wrong way. Rayana fazli 20:20, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Neutrality and notability

Rayana,

Respectfully, I disagree. Furthermore, the term "locks out" is clear and unambiguous. The term "closed campus" has a very different meaning in a very similar context. You might want to ask someone who attended Merced High School about the difference between an "open campus" and a "closed campus".

I also think you are misinterpreting the term "neutral" in neutral point of view. It seems to me that the purpose of the "neutral point of view" policy is that most people (even experts) can read the article, and trust that the information matches what they would find if they looked into the subject themselves. It is "neutral" in the sense that even a neutral party would find the article to be accurate, and not misleading.

Whereas I think you want all the details in the article to have "neutral" or "positive" connotations. Unfortunately, people (and institutions) make trade-offs. This results in some facts being "positive", some "negative", and some "neutral". It is appropriate for the wikipedia to report the facts as they are, even if the facts are "positive", "neutral", or "negative". The NPOV tutorial has more on this subject.

May I ask that we resolve this issue by agreeing to disagree, and leaving this part of the article as it is? I am sure that there are many aspects of the article (and wikipedia in general) that would benefit from our efforts.

-- Jasper 23:45, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

P.S. Should the title of this Talk section be changed from "Kicking Out" to "Locks Out"? -- Jasper 23:45, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

A third point of view: I agree with Rayana's perspective that the term "lock out" is non-neutral. In my personal experience, I have seen it used most often in the labor context, as when Safeway "locked out" its employees when they threatened to strike. Also, I do not think it needs to be mentioned in the article because so many American universities shut down their residential facilities and force dormitory residents to go home during the holidays. --Coolcaesar 07:59, 17 February 2006 (UTC)

I agree that maybe the whole sentence about locking students out should be deleted. It is not an important aspect of the university because it is so common among other universities. Rayana fazli 18:41, 17 February 2006 (UTC)

Also I said that the phrase should be "closes the campus" for winter break, not "closed campus" which does have a different connotation. Rayana fazli 19:09, 17 February 2006 (UTC)

Rayana,

Thank you for changing the title of this Talk section.

I think that this policy is an important aspect of the university -- it is even something that makes UC Merced special. The combination of the dormitory policies with the dearth of nearby off-campus housing results in something that is unusual about UC Merced: "Unlike other UC campuses, UC Merced does not have any year-round housing within walking distance of the campus."

Also, something can be common, yet still be noteworthy. For example, many universities are state-funded, and many universities have engineering and science departments. As explained above, I expect that this policy will have profound long-term consequences for the campus. I expect that these consequences will be similar in magnitude to the fact that the campus is state-funded, and that it emphasizes engineering and science.

-- Jasper 05:11, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Research and verifiability

Neutrality and notability are necessary but not sufficient criteria for Wikipedia content. Please review the Wikipedia:No original research official policy. The problem with your theory is that it is pure speculation on your part; as you said yourself, "you expect." But you cannot prove.
Furthermore, many other rural universities in California, such as Chico State University, Humboldt State University, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz all seem to be doing perfectly fine despite their rural locations (I should note that three of the four are notorious party schools). UC Santa Cruz in particular shares UC Merced's problem of having a campus core located in rural countryside more than two miles away from the closest outside housing.
Even if you happen to be an expert on the subject (such as a professor of urban planning or the like), Wikipedia is not the place to publish personal speculation about what could or could not happen at UC Merced in the future. You should publish a study in a peer-reviewed journal and then you can come back and add a paraphrase of the study's conclusions. --Coolcaesar 07:22, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
Caesar,
Thank you for the counter-examples. (I was not aware of UC Santa Cruz' remoteness from off-campus housing.)
Yes, I am quite familiar with the no original research policy. My first draft of my 05:11 note quoted that policy. The draft mentioned that someone, somewhere, must have written articles on the advantages of various dormitory policies. The draft also discussed how I had done nowhere near enough research to even begin to write a wikipedia article summarizing such research. I left that paragraph out of the 05:11 note, because I was already wandering far enough off-topic. If I ever do find enough reliable, verifiable information to start such an article, I will link (or include) it with the dormitory talk discussion. If it meets the standards for inclusion in the wikipedia, I will then post it in an article.
Furthermore, I am quite aware that while two contrasting case studies are enough to generate hypotheses, they are not enough to establish theories. That requires checking whether the hypothesis is consistent with a wider sample, and keeping an eye open for counter-examples. The ability to make mathematical predictions, which can then be tested, is also important.
-- Jasper 07:54, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

Rayana and Caesar,

This section was getting long, so I added some sub-headings. I hope you find them to be fair.

-- Jasper 08:43, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

Yeah thanks for doing that. This discussion was getting a long. I still think that sentence is unneeded and doesn't really help the article. Rayana fazli 20:14, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Third opinion

Hello. I was asked to offer a third opinion. I'd suggest that its probably best to avoid using the phrase "locked out" here; the connotation is fairly ambiguous. I'd further suggest that if the policy in question is noteworthy enough to go into an encyclopedia article, some reliable source should contain someone commenting upon it. Assuming that such a source exists, the best thing to do would be to quote that source (or those sources). If there hasn't been any commentary on this policy outside of the university, highlighting it in the article may be giving it more attention than is reasonable. Best of luck to both of you; the tone of the discussion inspires faith that things will progress towards a better article. Jkelly 06:23, 3 March 2006 (UTC)


I totally agree, unless there is a specific metion of this term in school policy, then it should be mentioned. It isn't noteworthy and signitficant enough to the article. Jasper, There have been three people in favor of getting rid of the comment because it is not valid. I believe that this is just cause to delete the quote. Rayana fazli 09:40, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Notable Faculty

The original list that I made for notable faculty was a bit too generous. The list that I updated to (anonymously) which RKLawton reverted from is probably a better indication of notable faculty at UCM. I recommend a revert to the anonymous edit with only five faculty.Rayana fazli 20:32, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

Rayana,

I updated the list per your request, but it has only four faculty members. Was one accidentally left out?

-- Jasper 18:05, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

Jasper,

It was originally five but I was informed by another student that one of the professors were not as "notable" as I thought they were so the four professors that are posted up now are fine. Thanks. Rayana fazli 17:26, 13 February 2006 (UTC)

Hey, this is regards to the person that deleted Art Woorward as notable facutly. He is very notable, he used to be the chair of the UCLA Department of Psychology. He has received the Psychology Department's Distinguished Service Award in 2002 and the very first Department of Psychology Distinguished Teaching Award in 1996. And he was named “Professor of the Year” in the College of Letters and Sciences at UCLA. This is only a brief intro of what he has accomplished, he has done so many more great things for experimental design, memory, statistics, and schizophrenia just to name a few. Rayana fazli 07:08, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

I think that the notable faculty could be expanded. None of the deans are even listed. I think that at least the following should be added:

  • Jeff Wright, Dean of Engineering and Interim Dean of College One. Former Associate Dean of Engineering at Purdue.
  • Kenji Hakuta, Dean of SSHA and author of many books pertaining to bilingualism and language acquisition. He's leaving soon but he is notable.
  • Maria Pallavincini, Dean of Natural Sciences. I don't know too much about her background.

I definitely think that these should be added just from the fact alone that they are founding deans. Do you agree? --Flarfu 03:35, 4 April 2006 (UTC)


I agree with Kenji but I am not sure about the rest. They have to be notable outside of the UC system and I don't really know anything about the other deans. From what I understand, it doesn't seem like being a dean is enough. They have to have done something significant enough in their field of expertise. If you can prove their notability, then add them. Otherwise the list should stay as is with the addition of Kenji. Rayana fazli 07:11, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

I added Raymond Chiao to the Notable Faculty. He's from Berkeley and studied at Princeton and MIT. Awarded the Willis E. Lamb Medal for laser science and quantum optics. Currently doing research at UC Merced on generating gravitational radiation which would allow people to communicate through the Earth rather than around it with satellites. --Flarfu 19:31, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

I am not sure who these people are or how notable they might be. If anyone can give me some information on why they are notable, I'd appriciate it.

  1. Martha Conklin, Engineering
  2. Anne Kelly, Natural Sciences

Thanks. Rayana fazli 22:15, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

Hakuta and Woodward have left UC Merced. Solder--1 July 06.

[edit] Newspapers

Does UC Merced have a student newspaper?

The McClatchy Company appears to have endowed a "Chair in Communications", according to page 120 of the 2005-2006 catalog. The McClatchy Company publishes the Merced Sun-Star and Modesto Bee, among other newspapers.

Yes it does, it is called the Prodigy. It is a independent, student-run newspaper. I can get more information on it on Monday. Rayana fazli 00:25, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Course structure

[edit] Semester

The article mentions that UC Merced is on the semester system.

  • How long is the academic term?
  • What happens during the first week of the semester, before instruction begins? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.
  • How long is the "dead week" between the academic term and finals week?
  • How long is finals week?
  • Is there a summer session? Yes. If so, how long is it, and are many courses offered during the summer? The usual, and it varies every year.

[edit] Course load

The 2005-2006 catalog's has several sample 4-year "Plans of Study".

  • None of the sample "Plans of Study" require more than 16 units in any semester.
  • All of the sample "Plans of Study" require at least 120 units. This is a graduation requirement. Many of these units can be earned via 4s and 5s on Advanced Placement tests, or via transfer credit.
  • All of the sample "Plans of Study" are 8 semesters long.
  • Most sample semesters in the "Plans of Study" have 4 3- or 4-unit classes, and sometimes a 1-unit seminar or "service learning" class.
  • Most sample "Plans of Study" have either a 4-unit senior thesis or several units of "service learning" classes.

[edit] Class size

What are typical class sizes? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.

  • Are many courses taught in a "large lecture, small section" format? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.
  • Does UC Merced use graduate student teaching assistants? Yes. What is their role? The usual.
  • Can students choose their sections based on who is teaching the section? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.

[edit] Impacted majors?

Are there any "impacted majors"? No.

  • Do any majors require a competitive application process, even after the student has been admitted to the university? No.
  • Does UC Merced have enough history yet to estimate how its drop-out rate compares to other UC campuses, or to CSU Fresno and CSU Stanislaus? Yes.....

[edit] Cross-registration

Do many students take courses at Merced College or CSU Stanislaus? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.

[edit] Grading methods

How are courses graded? Of course, these grading factors vary from course to course, but are there any general statements that can accurately be made?

  • What weight is given to daily attendance? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.
  • What weight is given to frequent homework or quizzes? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.
  • What weight is given to large projects or papers? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.
  • What weight is given to mid-terms? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.
  • What weight is given to finals? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.
  • Are courses graded on a letter basis? With plusses and minuses? Do many students receive pass/fail, pass/no record, or essay grades?
    • Most grades are ABCDF; ABCD have plusses and minuses. GPAs are calculated using ABCDF grades; the plusses and minuses count toward the GPA. As and A-plusses are both worth 4.0 . Reference: pages 39-40 of the 2005-2006 catalog
  • Are many courses graded on a curve? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.
  • Are many courses graded using absolute numerical cut-offs? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.
  • Are problem sets and exams mostly true/false, multiple choice, or free-response? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.
  • Is much partial credit given during the grading process? There are no general statements that can be accurately made.

[edit] Article research

These are all excellent questions, but are you going to do the research? I can do it, but if you are doing it, then I won't have to. Rayana fazli 00:28, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

Rayana,
Thank you for the compliment. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to find answers to most of the questions. I did read the on-line catalog, and I sometimes see articles in the on-line editions of the Sun-Star and the Modesto Bee, but most of these questions are not answered in these sources. Any research you can do would be great, but I do not expect any one person to do most of the research. I hope that most of the questions will be answered eventually.
-- Jasper 03:04, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

To whoever's been answering these odd and extremely banal questions, thanks. I hope whoever wanted to know about UCM at this level of minutia appreciates it, wherever they are. Ameriquedialectics 15:39, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Course Evaluations

Does UC Merced systematically collect student feedback on:

  • The quality of classes? Yes.
  • Each professor's teaching? Yes.
  • Each teaching assistant's teaching? Yes.
  • The amount of work required to do well in each class? No.

If such course evaluations are performed, what are the results used for?

  • Internal feedback to improve the teaching methods of faculty? Yes.
  • Internal feedback to improve the teaching methods of teaching assistants? Yes.
  • Internal feedback to improve the design of courses and majors? Yes.
  • Input to tenure and other promotion decisions? Yes.
  • Preparation of an on-line or published course evaluation guide? No.

Several universities have such programs. MIT's Course Evaluation Guide is a notable example.

[edit] Intro

I deleted this sentence because there are no referneces to back it up. It does not sound of NPOV. I've never heard about UCM being built to raise the population. It isn't even a logical statement.

UC Merced was constructed to increase the population of Merced.

If the person can show where the information came from and that it is valid, then it should be put back on the wiki page. Rayana fazli 20:58, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Well I talked to another person about this sentence and they said it was implied that a university is built to raise the population. Even so, since it is implied with any univeristy, there is no need to put the sentence in. Rayana fazli 15:22, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

I concur with your decision. I still don't understand why the hell they put the campus in Merced when it seems to me that Fresno would have been a far better choice. It's nearly as stupid as putting a university in Chico; the result is that the poor college kids get so bored they go crazy and start hazing each other to death. --Coolcaesar 04:18, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

There's already a CSU in Fresno. The infant UC Campus would pale in comparison to the infrastructure that CSU Fresno already has. UC Regents determined that the San Joaquin Valley had the greatest need for higher education and probably chose Merced because of it's proximity to Yosemite (possible research opportunities) and the massive parcels of land. In fact, UC Merced has 25,000 acres available to them (about 39 square miles). 20,000 of those acres are under preservation but I suspect that the UC will use it in the future. --Flarfu 09:19, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Are you suggesting that Fresno, a city with a population of nearly 600,000 people, and a metropolitan area that includes over 1,000,000 simply couldn't support two major public universities? While you are correct in saying the Board of Regents decided to place a UC in the San Joaquin Valley because the region was under served by UC, you are incorrect in supposing that they placed it in Merced because of "it's close proximity to Yosemite...and the massive parcels of land." The two sites in Fresno and Madera that UC considered constructing the campus are just as close if not closer to the Sierra's and Yosemite National Park. They considered building the campus on a site near Table Mountain just east of freeway 41, and just north of the San Joaquin River. They also considered building the UC campus on a site called Academy in Fresno county, which is east of the city of Fresno and in the foothills. The Table Mountain site in Madera overlooked the Sierra Nevada mountain range and was bordered by the San Joaquin River, it was also closer to the city of Fresno than any of the sites. It was the best choice in terms of aesthetic appeal and proximity to a major urban center. It represents the most logical choice to place a campus. It was a complete and utter mistake to build a UC campus in Merced. The site's beautiful location and close proximity to the largest city in the San Joaquin Valley should have been the deciding factors in where to place the campus, and with those benchmarks the Table Mountain site in Madera County just north of Fresno should have been selected. Madera County government also had said they were going to buy the land from the owners and give it to UC and secure water resources for the land, however for some reason UC chose to ignore the County and awarded the campus to Merced, since their county government promised to donate the land for free and said that an educational trust would donate 30 or so million dollars to UC. So instead of taking in mind that long term success should necessarily outweigh short term gain, UC placed the campus in Merced, instead of ensuring the long term success of the campus by placing it on a site just north of Fresno. So if you are wondering why you have nothing to do and hate your experience in Merced, just think of that. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.180.83.111 (talk) 04:51, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Academics

College One is missing from the Academics section. It doens't follow the "School of..." pattern but it should be included in the list. College One is responsible for general education at UC Merced through the CORE Couses sequence. College One also oversees freshman seminars and some undergraduate research. We should change the wording of "...has 3 schools" to accomadate College One, no? --Flarfu 09:37, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Well the graduate school is also a school, it even has a dean. So you could really say there are five schools, not three, even thought it says everywhere that there are three schools. But isn't this just making things more confusing? --me

I really don't think we should add college one as a school. Once we start broadening the term "school," there will be too many things that can fall into that category including the grad school. We'd be giving College One too much credit if we called it a school at UCM. Rayana fazli 17:49, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

The distinction between College One and the other three (or four if you include the School of Graduate Studies) schools is that College One does not grant degrees. Additionally, at this point, there are also no faculty appointed to College One.

[edit] Cleanup

As it stands now, this article is a mess, so I added a cleanup tag. Its writing quality is sloppy, with missing spaces and the like. Plus, its current content amounts to little more than lists, trivia and speculation, peppered with editorializing comments like "the university tries to add more student activities, but fails miserably". szyslak (t, c, e) 20:29, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

I totally agree, this page needs a lot of work. A big reason why there are a lot of lists and not enough information is because the university is new and there hasn't been time for the page to really develop. Rememeber, most of the people that have contributed to this site are students who haven't perfected their writing skills and who are new to wikipedia. Rayana fazli 21:35, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

I think this webpage has been vandalized, we should roll it back a week or so. --me

I think people have been adding to the page and instead of eliminating or fixing the mistakes, they just put in more and more. I wrote a paragraph which was decent and now it has been edited so many times that it just sounds weird and choppy and it doesn't sound like it would meet wikipedia standards. As for the vandalizing, I am not sure where you see it. People have vandalized the page but I've caught it as reverted it back. I don't see anything now. Rayana fazli 13:31, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Athletics

While I realize that UC-Merced doesn't have athletics at this point, it looks like they are planning for it, based off this article "Envisioned as a NCAA regulation-sized court to host future intercollegiate athletic events" I would consider this worth mentioning. --Colslax 17:28, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] University of California, Riverside Survey

I'm posting this survey request Talk:University of California, Riverside#UCR Survey on all the UC talk pages in order to gather outside opinion on ongoing issues concerning the POV of this article. Please read the article and add your insights to the survey to help us identify any points of consensus in the UCR article. Thanks--Amerique 21:14, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Survey closed, thanks--Amerique 19:19, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Library

Lately, several IP addresses and users have been repeatedly adding text about UC Merced's library. There is a reason why a variety of other users have removed it. It reads like an advertisement, with phrases like "not your traditional academic library", "The Library demonstrates its difference from other academic libraries by not binding print volumes of journals, rather subscribing electronically" and "the UC Merced Library has an impressive small staff of 7 librarians and 7 library staff". I'm sure it's a very nice library. However, per WP:NPOV and WP:NOT#Wikipedia is not a soapbox, this type of content is not what Wikipedia is made for. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a place for advertising or self-promotion. szyslak (t, c, e) 23:43, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

What makes the Library different is not promotional but factual. The library is central at this campus. I am sorry that you, Szyslak feel that it reads as an advertisement. We are not selling anything. If you look at the staff credentials your might even refer to then as "notable" staff as is the case with faculty. All of the information in this article is fact. In reviewing the Wikipedia policies you mentioned the article is not in any violation. Additionally, removal of a valid image is frowned upon according to the Wikipedia guidelines.MichelletheLibrarian 00:04, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

I didn't realize the image was in there. I've restored it. My apologies.
Anyway, are you saying it's "fact" that the staff is "impressive" and that the library's "not your traditional academic library"? Statements like that are purely opinions, stated as fact. Per WP:NPOV, opinions shouldn't be stated as fact. szyslak (t, c, e) 00:12, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
One other thing I forgot to mention: I wasn't claiming that you were "selling" anything. You don't have to be selling anything to write something that sounds like an advertisement. For example, if the lede of this article read "UC Merced is a prestigious, award-winning university that has earned worldwide accolades for its distinguished faculty...", many editors would say that would sound promotional. But that wouldn't mean there's anything for sale. You may also want to note that I'm not the only editor who feels the content you have been adding isn't appropriate for Wikipedia. szyslak (t, c, e) 00:18, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Instead of reverting again, I have edited the passage for neutrality and relevance. I hope this satisfies all parties. szyslak (t, c, e) 00:40, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] First Student Death

I don't think this belongs in the article. What do you think? steventity 16:59, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

As a student here at UCM who knew the student in question, I'm undecided. Sure, it's "notable" and a "first" for the campus (if a dubious one), but I'm not so sure that it deserves its place in the article. Are there mentions of the first student deaths at other campuses? It's only noted because it's fresh in everyone's minds here. So I'm frankly undecided on this, but leaning on removing it from the page- on one hand, this is an event that has been noted in the local news and raises concerns about security and alcohol consumption on college campuses, but on the other, I think that the mention here could be taken as being crass and disrespectful to Hector's memory.
If it means anything, I ran WHOIS on the IP address that originally added the info about the student death, and it came from the University of California Office of the President. Weird. TheLetterM 19:23, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
Correction- it's specifically from someone within UCM, but UCOP is probably listed as they own the campus. TheLetterM 20:15, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
In a quick look at other university articles, I don't see any mention of the first student death. steventity 02:02, 21 March 2007 (UTC)
I didn't think it was appropriate, but I don't usually edit these kinds of articles, so I just made sure it sounded a little more scholarly. I'd be in favor of removing it and adding it to Wikinews, if there's interest, it'll be turned into something over there. Elijahmeeks 05:04, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

I'm removing it. If anyone strongly objects, feel free to put it back. steventity 12:04, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Could some helpful Mercedite please find...

...The University's official colors. Yes, I know they're blue and gold, but I need to know exactly what shades of blue and gold in order to bring the UCM Infobox up to snuff with the other UCs' (see here for details on what we're up to and check UCSC's page {my prototype} for what I hope the finished products will look like across the UC system). I need to know the specific color numbers in either Pantone or hex. This information is usually available in what marketing and PR departments call "identity standards" documents. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find UCM's ID standards docs online, so someone might have to go and ask a real human being at UCM Admin. Any volunteers? --Dynaflow 11:41, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

http://www.ucmerced.edu/colors.html 169.236.72.140 20:43, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
Thanks. Updated. I've also put the official colors into the UCM userbox, available for use on Merced-affiliated people's userpages: {{User ucm}}
UCM This user attends or attended the
University of California, Merced
--Dynaflow babble 22:59, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Intro

An anonymous contributor and I are currently having a discourse about including "UC Merced is the first American research university in the 21st century" in the intro. If anyone can source this as significant, please do so, otherwise I tend to feel this trivia is coincidental and insignificant. Deiz talk 04:02, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Diz is making a very silly point, and is pretending to be an "administrator." S/he is deleting facts without citing any Wikipedia guidelines. It does not mean anything to "source this as significant." That is a made-up criterion that has nothing to do with Wikipedia. Diz is imposing his/her idiosyncratic views about the "century" concept on an unrelated article. Diz should work on something more constructive. 67.187.180.198 04:15, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

OK then. You're a real credit to UC Merced. Deiz talk 04:47, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

You're a real credit to "administrators," Diz. 67.187.180.198 04:52, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

This is a 2nd administrator telling you that the threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is verifiability, not truth. Everything added to the encyclopedia must be attributable. Please review WP:Attribution for the relevant Wikipedia guidelines regarding this. —Ocatecir Talk 05:17, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Please state what exactly what you want to be verified. Your point is not at all clear, "administrator" or not. Being an "administrator" does not license bullying or vague talk. Say *exactly* what you want, and why. 67.187.180.198 05:22, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Ok, it means this: things are not added to the encyclopedia because they are "common sense". They need to be verified because common sense is subjective. If you are going to add "UC Merced is the first American research university in the 21st century" it needs to be cited by a reliable source. —Ocatecir Talk 05:25, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Protection

The actions and attitude of two anonymous users have so far today resulted in one block and a 3-day semi protection of this article. Any editors unfamiliar with the Wikipedia terminology used in edit summaries are invited to check out Wikipedia:Verifiability, Wikipedia:External links and Wikipedia:Reliable sources for an explanation of why external links and non-links to faculty and student clubs, and directory lists of courses offered are not considered encyclopedic. Deiz talk 14:59, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Deiz I have read all of these pages carefully and I still don't understand why you deleted half this article. Please give a clearer explanation *before* deleting so much of the work of others. As an administrator, you need to communicate clearly with other users; you can't just give lists of other articles then delete half of everything. Mercedboy07 15:02, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

You may have missed the "Links to be avoided" section of WP:EL. Here's a choice cut: "a website on a specific subject should usually not be linked from an article about a general subject". Here's the rule of thumb - if something or somebody is notable, and no separate article about it exists, feel free to build the encyclopedia by writing such an article. If the entity in question would not individually pass a relevant notability criteria (WP:BIO for people, WP:ORG for organisations etc.) then it may not qualify as encyclopedic. Externally linking to such people and groups is not the purpose of external links on Wikipedia - EL's are designed to connect readers to resources and information about the exact subject of an article, hence linking the UCM main site is fine, but linking to individual professors is not.
One or more new editors are standing at a crossroads here. One way is a fast track to tying yourself in knots, annoying a lot of experienced editors and getting blocked. The other requires you to watch, listen, read and get a feel for how things work. The UCM article is not special, and questions such as yours are extremely common. If you scroll up this talk page you'll see similar concerns about trivia and miscellany on this article. Any and all polite, enthusiastic editors with a keen interest in how Wikipedia works are very welcome to ask questions. Those who immediately adopt an aggressive, offensive, patronizing or otherwise undesirable attitude tend not to last too long. I'm posting this here, but trust all who have left such comments on various talk pages today will have a chance to read it. Choose wisely guys... Deiz talk 15:16, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Deiz, it is kind of you to reply, but your explanation still is not at all clear. I still don't understand why you deleted half the article and so much of the academic information...about a university. You are correct that some of these issues had come up before in discussion. That is why an administrator such as yourself should join the discussion rather than slash away at an article that has been worked on by many others. You might convince other people of your position, but you will need to present this much more clearly. Mercedboy07

Ocatecir, I apologize for calling the deletion of half the article vandalism. I do not have multiple accounts. The UC Merced article is relatively short. It was not at all bloated and there was no reason to chop off half of it. You did not explain why you deleted the information about majors and clubs. Saying something is "not needed" is not an explanation. What are the Wikipedia principles saying not to use lists? Again, you need to do a better job of *explaining*. Threatening to block users is not an explanation. Mercedboy07 18:21, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

At a crossroads? Not last too long? Come on. UC Merced, if not the first research university of the new millennium (A claim which does need some verification) is the first UC established during the Wikipedia Age, so let's remember that and go easy on over-eager students and faculty who are trying to make their small, new university properly represented on the big W. Unlike other small colleges, UC Merced is different in that it is a new campus of the most respected public university system in the world, so naturally students will look at other UC pages and see their heft and try to match it. More established Wikipedians should assume good faith and new editors should remember that UC Merced, though brimming with potential, is still a small and underdeveloped institution that, frankly, is not as important as the other campuses. It's interesting, in the Wikipedia-UC Merced dynamic, Wikipedia is the established institution and UC Merced is the upstart. Elijahmeeks 03:05, 9 June 2007 (UTC)
I've seen too many editors take the wrong approach to WP because they failed at first to understand how policies and guidelines are applied, and "at a crossroads" is entirely accurate. If UCM has a smaller entry because it is newer and less verifiable, significant information exists about it, that's just the way it is. Many tenure-level academics are notable, but there are ways to establish their notability - WP:BIO - and ways not to do it - namechecking. The world will not end tomorrow, and if it does then none of this will matter. Deiz talk 03:23, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Deletion of Academics Section

I think it was a bit harsh for Deiz and Ocatecir to delete almost the entire Academics section of this article. It is an article about a university after all. When I looked at their User Talk pages, I saw disparaging comments about UC Merced. Perhaps a neutral third party could look into this? 72.254.4.157 02:22, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Any comments about UC Merced on my talk page are a result of the offensive and insulting comments left by anonymous users apparently connected to UCM. In any case, this article is subject to the same standards as every other article. Deiz talk 03:13, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] WikiProject University of California

Several editors are organizing a WikiProject to better organize articles related to the University of California. A preliminary draft is available here. You are invited to participate in the discussion at Talk:University of California#Developing Wikiproject University of California. szyslak 21:30, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] UC Merced is an environmentaly friendly school

Do you guys think we should start a new section talking about what makes UC Merced one of the greenest campuses in california?