UC Faculty Petition Targets 25.5:1 Ratio as Cal’s Flores Wins ACC Nod

The UC Faculty Association—a coalition representing more than 14,000 Academic Senate faculty members across all 10 University of California campuses—has issued a public petition calling on the UC Office of the President (UCOP) to hire more faculty, lower the systemwide student-to-faculty ratio to 25.5:1, and safeguard campus research budgets, while in UC Berkeley athletics freshman volleyball setter Anna Flores earned ACC Setter of the Week honors, according to two Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026 reports from The Daily Californian (campus administration report by Maximiliano Trujillo and women's volleyball report by Aubrey Packer).

14,000-Member Coalition Urges 25.5:1 Ratio and Criticizes Administrative Growth

In its petition, the UC Faculty Association urges the UC Office of the President to negotiate with faculty around three core priorities: reducing the student-to-faculty ratio from 29.6:1 (recorded in the 2025-26 academic year for tenured and tenure-track faculty and equivalents) down to 25.5:1, committing institutional funds to protect research budgets, and creating a dedicated fund to "defend UC against Federal Interference," pointing to the Rutgers University faculty union contract as a model.

Supporting documents released by the association found that between 2011 and 2025, tenured and tenure-track faculty positions across the UC system grew by 20%, whereas senior administrative positions increased by more than 100%—leaving the university system with 3,000 more senior administrators than Academic Senate faculty. Trevor Griffey, vice president of legislation for University Council–American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT), which represents more than 7,000 UC librarians and non-Academic Senate faculty, noted in an email that a 45% increase in senior professionals at UC campuses between 2019 and 2024 has contributed to structural deficits and instructional cuts.

At UC Berkeley, Chris Hoofnagle, professor and director of the Center for Law & Technology at the UC Berkeley School of Law, criticized campus administrative expansion for generating procurement and compliance rules unconnected to teaching and research, noting that UC Berkeley employs at least 40 staff members with compliance titles. UC Student Association (UCSA) President Candice Phan affirmed student support for the petition while rejecting tuition hikes to fund staffing, and UCOP spokesperson Stett Holbrook stated that while the petition had not yet been formally conveyed to UCOP, UC leadership is engaging with the UC Academic Senate on the issues.

Cal Freshman Setter Anna Flores Named ACC Setter of the Week

In UC Berkeley women's volleyball, freshman setter Anna Flores was named ACC Setter of the Week after recording her 12th double-double of the season with 42 assists and 14 digs against No. 23 North Carolina, according to The Daily Californian.

Under head coach Jen Malcom, the Golden Bears (15-6 overall, 5-5 ACC after 20 games) dropped a five-set match at North Carolina (3-1 in conference road play after taking the second set 27-25 and tying the fourth set before UNC won the third set 25-17 and the fifth set 25-20, following a 10-9 fourth-set rally) and fell 3-0 at Duke in Durham (where the Blue Devils rallied from a 15-11 first-set lead and a 5-0 Cal second-set start to win 25-22 and hit .542 in the third set, marking Cal's first-ever loss to Duke after a 2025 comeback win). Cal now returns to Berkeley to host No. 15 Stanford.