Quakes in two shakes, Press-Telegram
New $70,000 CSULB seismometer can calculate data on temblors almost as they occur.

Legislators urge CSU to halt project, Sacramento Bee
Democratic lawmakers Thursday called on California State University Chancellor Charles Reed to temporarily halt installation of a $662 million computer system and redirect millions of dollars to student services that have been slated for budget cuts.

Cal State Computer Spending Assailed, Los Angeles Times
Two lawmakers called for California State University to halt spending on its controversial computer system and to redirect $50 million for the project to student services.

Fresno State social sciences leader quits to teach, Fresno Bee
Ellen Gruenbaum said Wednesday she is resigning as dean of the College of Social Sciences at Fresno State to resume teaching and research in anthropology. Gruenbaum said her decision was not a result of February's hotly contested campus conference on radical environmentalists.

Caffeine, all-nighters still standard at exam time, Modesto Bee
A good pub with the right amount of background noise is one California State University, Stanislaus, student's favorite study place, especially when final exams roll around.

UC reaches agreements with 2 employee unions, Oakland Tribune
University of California officials on Thursday announced tentative contract agreements with two employee unions.

UC reaches deal with lecturers, tech workers , San Francisco Chronicle
The University of California has reached tentative contract agreements with two unions representing some 10,000 lecturers, professionals and technical employees, officials announced Thursday.

UC panel champions dating ban, Contra Costa Times
Six months after UC Berkeley's law school dean resigned in the face of a student's sexual harassment complaint, the University of California Academic Assembly voted to prohibit romantic relationships between faculty and their students.

Inland colleges send alert on SARS, Press-Enterprise
Inland colleges are warning graduating seniors to be on the alert for flu-like symptoms after commencement ceremonies, because the events might attract people from areas hardest hit by the SARS outbreak.

California Senate OKs Bill Challenging NCAA, Los Angeles Times
The California State Senate approved a bill Thursday barring in-state colleges and universities from abiding by the NCAA's rules on scholarships, student wages and several other topics.

Senate votes to move the fizz off-campus, Sacramento Bee
Departing sharply from the years when school districts were signing multimillion-dollar contracts with soft drink companies, legislation approved Thursday by the state Senate would ban most soda sales at California schools.

Emergency Bailout of Oakland Schools OKd, Los Angeles Times
An emergency $100-million loan for the insolvent Oakland Unified School District cleared its final hurdle in the Legislature on Thursday and was headed to Gov. Gray Davis for signing.

Home Schooling in Cyberspace, New York Times
While there are a few online universities, and many traditional colleges and high schools offer some courses over the Internet, online education is only just beginning to spread to the lower grades.

Student testing prompts backlash, Fresno Bee
Only a year after President Bush signed a law requiring states to give yearly tests in reading and math for all students in grades 3-8, Washington is hearing cries for relief.

Minority Students and Women Gain in Share of Total Undergraduate Enrollment, Federal Report Says, Chronicle of Higher Education
Undergraduate enrollment has increased over all in the past three decades, but the enrollment of women and minority students has increased faster than that of men and white students, according to a report released on Thursday by the U.S. Education Department.

Fees reported by Davis adviser raise some eyebrows, San Diego Union-Tribune/AP
Richard Katz, one of Gov. Gray Davis' top advisers, has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees the past two years from clients who have had business before the governor's office on issues that Katz handles.

GOP Budget Leader Backs Recall, Los Angeles Times
With the deadline to approve California's budget only weeks away, a Republican lawmaker involved in talks over how to close the state's shortfall has donated $10,000 to the campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis.

Don't recall Davis, Feinstein urges, Sacramento Bee
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is urging Californians to reject a Republican-led drive to recall her fellow Democrat Gov. Gray Davis, calling it "misguided" and a waste of taxpayers' money.

Opinion: The Bottom Line for Teachers Unions, Boston Globe
When teachers unions demand hefty increases in education spending or mandatory reductions in class size, they get a respectful hearing. Union officials are routinely quoted in the media and invited to testify before legislative committees. And yet their aims are no less self-serving and their interests no less mercenary than those of any other union. So why the difference?

Opinion: High school exit exam failing, too, Ventura County Star
The report card is in on the California high school exit exam, and it's flunking. Or rather, too many students are flunking.

Kids collect pennies for school , San Francisco Chronicle
Lobbyists for Sacramento's most powerful special interests -- from the Chamber of Commerce to labor unions -- have all weighed in on how California should erase its budget deficit. But it's Mrs. Maddock's third-grade class that has put up the cash -- or at least some coins.