UC President Drake names advisory committee for Berkeley chancellor search

University of California President Michael V. Drake assembled an advisory committee to assist in the search for a new chancellor at UC Berkeley, the UC Office of the President announced in a press release.

The formation of the committee comes after Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ announced in June that she plans to retire following the 2023-24 school year.

The committee includes Drake, UC Board of Regents Chair Richard Lieb, five additional Regents and a variety of other university faculty, staff, students and alumni.

“The search advisory committee will be involved in recruiting, screening and conducting interviews with candidates for the position,” the press release read. “The committee’s work will be scheduled so that candidates can be presented to President Drake for consideration and a recommended nominee submitted to the Board of Regents for approval, tentatively by May 2024.”

The committee’s first meeting is scheduled for Oct. 10, where members and invited guests will assemble in a closed session.

Davis schools, library receive litany of bomb threats

The Davis Police Department reported bomb threats on six occasions to the Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library, as well as various Davis Joint Unified School District campuses, district buildings and homes of school district employees, in recent weeks.

The first of the threats — received on Aug. 21 — solely targeted the library, The California Aggie reported. The threat occurred days after a controversial event at the library where a speaker was asked to leave by a library staff member after referring to transgender athletes by incorrect pronouns.

The library received additional threats on Aug. 24 and Aug. 28, which reportedly contained anti-LGBTQ+ language. Davis Police evacuated the library and nearby schools after each threat. Each situation was eventually cleared by law enforcement.

“We’ve never dealt with so many bomb threats that are coming one after the other in the course of a week-and-a-half, so yes, it’s frustrating,” Lieutenant Don Harmon told KCRA-TV. 

On Sept. 20, the Davis Police Department (DPD) was notified of the fourth bomb threat that targeted three Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) campuses, homes of DJUSD employees and DJUSD district offices, in addition to the library.

Davis police conducted searches of the schools, offices, residences and library, and ultimately cleared all threatened areas, The California Aggie reported.

“We are thankful for the quick responses and efforts of the Davis Police Department and the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office who went to work right away to clear threats and protect our students, residents and facilities,” a DJUSD Facebook post read following the Sept. 20 bomb threats.

The library and school district were threatened twice more on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26. DPD Chief Darren Pytel said in a Sept. 25 statement that the DPD is working with the FBI on ongoing criminal investigations surrounding the threats.

“The Davis Police Department does not take these criminal threats and acts of terrorism lightly. We understand the harm, anxiety and unneeded stress that these threats have been causing our community,” Pytel said in the statement. “While bomb threats are rarely credible, the officers will continue to respond and take each incident seriously.” 

“We ask all community members to stand firmly against hate and to continue to denounce those who have placed Davis in harm’s way,” Pytel said.

A version of this article appeared on p. 2 of the Oct. 5, 2023 print edition of the Daily Nexus.

Alex Levin

Alex Levin (he/him) is the University News Editor for the 2023-24 school year. Previously, Levin was the Assistant News Editor for the 2022-2023 school year. He can be reached at alexlevin@dailynexus.com.