Students win fee lawsuit

The UC school system paid out more than $33 million last month to nearly 35,000 former students after losing a class-action lawsuit over a fee dispute, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

A state judge determined the university system was guilty of unfairly raising fees for thousands of students in 2003 — a price hike that the judge said represented a breach of contract between the university and students.

As part of the settlement, UC compensated former students for the difference between the tuition fees they paid and the tuition fees they had originally expected to pay. Former UC students received reimbursement checks for as little as $1 and as much as $12,000, although most students received between $200 and $300.

Liver transplant program closed

The UC Davis Medical Center plans to shut down the only liver transplant program in Greater Sacramento as soon as existing patients can be moved to another center, the health system announced.

The 11-year-old program is closing for business reasons, not quality problems, stressed Dr. Allan Siefkin, chief medical officer at the hospital.

The program is a designated center of excellence and in good standing with the United Network for Organ Sharing, the federal contractor for organ procurement, but has not achieved the volume it needs to stay viable in tough budget times, Siefkin said.

The closure affects 37 patients currently on the transplant wait list and another 45 in the screening process to determine eligibility. It does not affect 255 patients who have already had liver transplants but receive their follow-up care at UC Davis.

Staff adviser designate

Applications are being accepted for staff adviser-designate to the Board of Regents. There are two staff advisers at a time, with one serving as “designate” for a year and then moving up to staff adviser for a year.

The designate now being recruited would serve from July of this year to June 2011.

The staff adviser program, now in its fourth year, allows for two staff and-or non-Academic Senate academic employees to participate in open sessions of designated committees of the board.

Applications are due by March 2. More information is available online, universityofcalifornia.edu/staffadvisors (“advisors,” with an ‘o’), and from human resources offices around the UC system.

Questions about the staff adviser position or the application process should be directed to Randolph Scott, executive director, Strategic Planning and Workforce Development, Human Resources and Benefits, (510) 987-9996.

UC begins distributing Enron settlement

UC last month began distributing the largest settlement in the history of securities class actions. This initial stage of the distribution process will distribute almost $5 billion of the $7 billion recovered to approximately 200,000 victims of the Enron fraud, including large institutions such as pension funds.

UC serves as lead plaintiff for Enron investors in their class action against the bankrupt company’s various accountants, lawyers and senior executives as well as several banks whose alleged active and knowing participation resulted in the Enron fraud.

UC itself is expected to receive $22 million to make up for its Enron “allowed losses” of almost $110 million.

For more information about UC and the Enron case, visit www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/enron.