Mark Alfred

Mark Alfred (he/him) was the University News Editor for the 2022-23 school year.

December 23, 2022

Strike ends as academic employees, student researchers ratify new contracts

By Mark Alfred, Holly Rusch

Members of United Auto Workers 2865 and Student Researchers United voted to ratify new contracts for academic student employees and graduate student researchers.

December 21, 2022

In 202-page report, Academic Senate panel excoriates Munger Hall design, recommends major changes

By Mark Alfred

The panel listed a slew of concerns related to health and safety, psychological distress, unnecessary energy consumption, an unworkable lack of parking and a “prison-like design.”

December 16, 2022

Contracts ratified; tentative agreements made with unions representing striking UC workers

By Mark Alfred, Holly Rusch

The approved contracts included multi-year pay increases, transit benefits, improved job security and increased paid family leave.

December 10, 2022

UC, unions to enter private mediation to settle differences

By Mark Alfred

The move followed months of negotiations and concessions between the university and bargaining teams for Student Researchers United and United Auto Workers 2865.

November 29, 2022

Strike to continue as tentative agreements reached with academic researchers, postdoctoral scholars

By Mark Alfred

Under the tentative agreements, the majority of postdoctoral students will receive salary increases between 20% and 23% by October 2023.

November 23, 2022

University scrapped decades-old housing plans for Munger Hall, documents reveal

By Mark Alfred

Ultimately, UCSB didn’t execute the bulk of the campus development plan that it spent nearly a decade crafting with community members and local governments.

November 23, 2022

Organizers ‘liberate’ DLG dining commons, offering free meals to students

By Mark Alfred

Organizers welcomed students past De La Guerra Dining Commons’ entry swipe station, allowing them to enter and eat at the dining hall without swiping.

November 21, 2022

UC union strike continues into second week

By Mark Alfred, Holly Rusch

Coordinated protests took place at noon today across all UC campuses.

November 20, 2022

Record number of students attend UCSB

By Mark Alfred

Of the total students enrolled, 23,460 are undergraduates, reflecting the highest levels of undergraduate enrollment at UCSB to date.

November 17, 2022

First week of UC union strikes begins

By Mark Alfred, Holly Rusch

Academic employees across all ten University of California campuses are withholding labor, picketing and marching through campus.

November 14, 2022

Hundreds march at UCSB as largest higher education strike begins

By Mark Alfred, Holly Rusch, Bella Leonard

Over 500 graduate students, employees, faculty members and UC Santa Barbara community members congregated at Davidson Library.

November 10, 2022

Academic workers prepare for Nov. 14 strike

By Mark Alfred, Holly Rusch

The strike is based on allegations that the UC has engaged in unfair labor practices throughout the process to negotiate a new contract for employees.

November 10, 2022

Incumbents succeed in reelection bids down the ballot; local races decided by a handful of votes

By Nisha Malley, Asumi Shuda, Mark Alfred, Holly Rusch, Sindhu Ananthavel

Santa Barbara County voters cast 75,799 ballots of 237,759 voters, amounting to a turnout rate of 31.88%.

November 8, 2022

LIVE: Statewide and Local Midterm Election Results 2022

By Nisha Malley, Holly Rusch, Mark Alfred, Sindhu Ananthavel, Asumi Shuda

Providing live updates on local races, statewide races, and propositions on the ballot for the November 2022 midterm election

November 5, 2022

Three UC unions ready to begin strike on Nov. 14

By Mark Alfred, Holly Rusch

A strike would see the 48,000 unionized UC workers organized under United Auto Workers — including TAs, graduate students and academic researchers, academic student employees and others — withhold their labor from th...