Faculty advocacy on behalf of pro-Labor candidates made an impact at the polls on Tuesday, as many CFA-endorsed candidates, including Gavin Newsom and Tony Thurmond, will advance to the November general election.
Untiring advocacy by CFA members and CSU students this year is paying off as support grows for three CFA-sponsored bills, two of which passed through the Senate today and one more headed for a floor vote this week.
Months of hard work by CFA activists and students is paying off again this week as the Senate and the Assembly agreed to increase CSU funding and reopen the doors to thousands of Californians who were eligible but denied access to the People’s University.
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A student at Cal State Long Beach struggled with depression and anxiety due to parents divorcing, and gave up finding a counselor on campus because it took too long.
At the State Capitol this morning, CFA leaders joined Assembly Higher Education Committee Chair Jose Medina, CSU and UC students, and state Assemblymembers and Senators at a news conference to sound a defiant challenge to Governor Brown’s minimal funding plan for public higher education.
CFA President Jennifer Eagan and CFA Secretary Kevin Wehr called on the CSU Trustees at their meeting yesterday to support two bills—SB 986 for more CSU mental health counselors, and AB 2505, for greater transparency by CSU administrators in spending tax dollars.
State budget goes to votes of state Assembly & Senate this week
Plan signals renewed awareness of public higher ed’s importance to California’s future
The California Faculty Association applauds the new state budget plan, which provides improved funding for the 23-campus California State University system, as it heads to a vote of the California State Legislature this week.
CFA encourages members of the State Assembly and State Senate to vote in favor of the budget that contains this CSU funding, and CFA urges Governor Jerry Brown to sign it into law.
SLO STUDENT ANTI-WAR PROTESTORS FACE SANCTIONS: After months of criticism for excusing racist behavior by fraternity men wearing blackface at campus parties and a campus Republicans “free speech wall” of racist and xenophobic remarks, the administration at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has begun an investigation—into a protest by anti-war students against military contractor Raytheon at a campus jobs fair.
In a letter to Cal Poly SLO President Armstrong this week, SLO CFA Chapter President Lewis Call pointed out the obvious: “It appears that Cal Poly uses a double standard when evaluating free speech claims.”
Call wrote in the letter on behalf of the CFA chapter executive board, “Students at California’s public universities have been protesting the presence of military contractors on their campuses since the 1960s” and “formal university investigations of peaceful student demonstrations have a serious chilling effect on student free speech.”
LISTEN UP: Looking for a podcast to listen to while traveling or even just relaxing this summer? Check out “Radio Free CSU,” CFA’s podcast. Our inaugural series examines our union’s commitment to Anti-Racism and Social Justice Transformation work, and in each episode, host Audrena Redmond talks with a CFA leader about one of the guiding principles of that work.
Here are links to episodes available:
Episode 1: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere
Episode 2: We intentionally center Anti-Racism as part of our mission
Episode 3: We acknowledge that even we in CFA are part of the problem of racism
Episode 4: We acknowledge that WE can be part of the solution by being intentionally committed to addressing it (racism).
California Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Subcommittee 1 on Education approved a budget proposal this morning that, if adopted, would add $317.6 million to the CSU’s general state funding in the fiscal year that starts July 1.
“The persistent advocacy for many months by CFA members, CSU students and our supporters, is paying off for the California State University, witnessed by this funding proposal,” said CFA President Jennifer Eagan on hearing the news. “This is one victory on the road to reinvestment in our public university, and we must keep up the pressure.”
BARGAINING CONTINUES ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM: CFA’s Bargaining Team met again with management to continue discussions about Intellectual Property and Academic Freedom. As part of the agreement to extend the contract last year, CFA and CSU management had agreed to discuss these issues prior to bargaining the next faculty contract in Fall 2019.
