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An Occupy UCLA protester was temporarily removed from a regular committee meeting of the UC Board of Regents this afternoon on the UCLA campus.

Seth Newmeyer, a second-year English and mathematics student, was escorted out by university police after he moved from the public viewing space to the table where the regents were seated.

Newmeyer said he grabbed an empty chair to sit up at the table where the regents were sitting to eat his lunch.

“I felt it was fitting for a student to be present at the table because students should have been part of the discussion,” Newmeyer said.

University police at the meeting said the student was being disruptive, said Nancy Greenstein, UCPD spokeswoman.

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The late actor Peter Falk, famous for his portrayal of Lieutenant Columbo on television, has donated $3 million from his estate to UCLA.

The donation will establish the Shera and Peter Falk Lt. Columbo Memorial Scholarship Fund, according to a university statement.

Falk, who died last summer, and his widow, Shera, wanted the scholarship to support students studying music, students with disabilities and those who have served in the military, according to the statement.

The scholarship will cover the tuition of at least five undergraduate students for four years beginning in fall 2012, officials said.

Compiled by Alessandra Daskalakis, Bruin contributor.

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As the 26th hour came to a close, the tiles lined up and the number flashed onstage.

The record-breaking total: $451,144.03, surpassing last year’s by more than $40,000.

Tears and cheers of joy erupted from the crowd. Dance Marathon participants, exhausted, embraced one another in what had been a shared experience among hundreds of people.

At 1 p.m., dancers sat down for the first time in more than a day with a collective sigh of relief. A total of 837 dancers had completed the full 26 hours; hundreds more participated in three-hour shifts as moralers throughout the day and night.

Emotional moments preceded the reveal of the final total. Jake Glaser, whose mother Elizabeth is the namesake of the nonprofit Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, addressed the crowd before the final total was revealed.

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The South Campus Court of Sciences Student Center will be open for business on Tuesday, said Cindy Bolton, director of Associated Students UCLA Food Service.

The center has been under construction for two years after the demolition of South Campus’ Bombshelter in December 2009.

After numerous delays, preparation for the opening began several weeks ago. ASUCLA officials trained staff and ran a series of tests, Bolton said.

They also simulated mock rush-hour situations to prepare for the influx of students expected once the facility opens, she said.

The Student Center will feature a Subway and Yoshinoya, as well as two custom UCLA restaurants – Fusion and Bombshelter Bistro.

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UCLA’s Dance Marathon, hosted by the Pediatric AIDS Coalition, kicked off at 11 a.m. in Ackerman Grand Ballroom as a cheering crowd of dancers stood up to move it and groove it for the next 26 hours.

So far, dancers have learned the morale dance to “Let’s Groove,” by Earth, Wind and Fire, competed in “Color Wars,” which are competitions between the different teams, and welcomed their first wave of moralers.

The Daily Bruin is bringing you live stories of the dancers’ experiences on our mobile journalism blog, Mojo.

Also, check out our Storify post, which pulls together social media, photos and video surrounding the event.

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The UCLA School of Public Health received a $50 million donation, the largest in the school’s history, officials announced today.

The school will be renamed the UCLA Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health after the donors, according to a university statement.

Jonathan Fielding is a professor in health services at the school, and founding director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The donation will endow a chair in population health to encourage work to improve health through non-health sectors, including transportation, housing and education, and allow UCLA to regularly assess the school’s programs, according to the statement.

Compiled by Kylie Reynolds, Bruin senior staff.

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A report of crimes on campus and in Westwood Village, according to university police.

Campus
On Feb. 7, police were called about a man making offensive gestures and dance moves outside of Ackerman Student Union.
On Feb. 7, police were called about a suspicious letter sent to the chancellor’s residence from Italy.
On Feb. 7, police were called about books, worth $125, that were stolen from Moore Hall.
On Feb. 8, police were called about wireless microphones, worth $5,300, that were stolen from the Ackerman Student Union operations office.

The North Village
On Feb. 8, police were called about hubcaps that were stolen from a car at Parking Lot 1 on 720 Gayley Ave.
On Feb. 8, police were called about dishware, clothing and a garage opener that were stolen from a car parked at 555 Gayley Ave.

Westwood Village
On Feb. 7, a 46-year-old man was arrested outside Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for driving with a suspended license, and was later released.
On Feb. 7, a car hit a pedestrian walking on Gayley and Le Conte avenues.
On Feb. 9, a 47-year-old man was arrested at 10920 Lindbrook Dr. for a UCPD misdemeanor warrant, and was later released.

Bike Thefts
UCLA School of Law

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Holding signs that read “Justice for Janitors” and “the 1 percent is holding us all back,” more than 1,000 protesters marched from Bruin Plaza to downtown Westwood Wednesday afternoon.

The march was organized by the United Service Workers West, a local union of service workers. Organizers said the march was to protest income inequality.

Events began around noon with speeches in English and Spanish in Bruin Plaza. Marchers then walked through Westwood and Wilshire Boulevards and stopped briefly in front of the federal building in Westwood.

“We’re marching around Wilshire to show the banks that the 99 percent will not be held back by their greed or their avarice,” said Martin Terrones, a communications representative for the union.

Pedro Garcia, a janitor who works in Westwood, said he is worried about his retirement.

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[UPDATED at 3:20 p.m.: A man suspected of car theft, who fled from the Los Angeles Police Department and spent about five hours on the roofs of two Westwood Village homes, has been arrested by police. The man, who has not yet been identified, surrendered to police after being hit with multiple bean bag rounds, officials say.

LAPD began pursuing the man through Westwood at around 8 a.m. He was driving a silver Toyota Camry, said LAPD Officer Cleon Joseph. The chase lasted about five minutes and ended at the 800 block of Malcolm Avenue, near Hilgard and Le Conte avenues, Joseph said.]

[UPDATED at 1:25 p.m.: The man then climbed onto a roof of one of the homes, Joseph said. He walked between the roofs of two homes for nearly five hours.

LAPD had the block surrounded, and had SWAT team and rescue vans on the scene. A ladder was also set against one of the homes.

At a little after 1 p.m., police brought the man down from a rooftop and arrested him. The man did not have any weapons on him, officials said.]

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Assembly Speaker John Pérez (D-Los Angeles) today announced a plan that would raise taxes on out-of-state corporations, with the aim of generating enough revenue to cut college fees by two-thirds for middle-income college students in California.

The proposal is contained in two pieces of legislation, AB 1500 and AB 1501. The first bill would close tax breaks for out-of-state corporations. Under the second bill, extra revenue generated by the suspension of the tax break would be transferred to a new scholarship program for UC, CSU and community college students, according to a statement on Perez’s website.

“The pressures of the recession and massive fee increases have eroded, or even ended, the dream of higher education for too many California families,” Pérez said in the statement.

UC President Mark Yudof acknowledged the plan in a statement released this afternoon.

“Like Assembly Speaker Pérez, we are deeply concerned about ensuring affordability for middle-class students who don’t qualify for financial aid,” Yudof said in the statement.

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