Rally and Offer Public Comment for CSU Board of Trustees Meeting on November 18

We are asking for your support at the upcoming CSU Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting on November 18 in Long Beach. 

If you are able and willing, please offer your public comments (virtual or in-person) as well. First, sign up with CFA, then register for public comment here. 

There is a lot at stake, and we know these issues are not only affecting us as educators, but our students and communities as well. 

Since the last BoT meeting, Chancellor García approved the $144 million 0% interest state loan that our members and union siblings urged her to accept and use for the sole purpose of restoring programs, premature job cuts, and funding classrooms. 

However, instead of acknowledging this and reversing the harm her administration has caused, she has decided to redirect those funds into one-time bonuses for CSU employees. Let’s be clear: this is not the chancellor being generous; it’s her being calculated and deceptive. By giving us one-time bonuses (does not go into your base pay or count for retirement), it puts her at liberty to say, “Because we gave you this money, we’re not going to give you the raises you deserve or are fighting for at the bargaining table.” 

We cannot let this happen! We need to urge the chancellor and the trustees to do what is right: invest in instruction, restore jobs, and let the bargaining table be the space where we discuss faculty salaries. 

What’s more troubling is the chancellor’s attempts to downplay her behavior in complying with federal agencies like EEOC, suggesting that she was merely “cooperating” and should be absolved of any wrongdoing. This kind of equivocation is pedantic and evasive, and it places the demand on others rather than her administration to keep our campuses safe. Ultimately, her actions have jeopardized the livelihood of faculty while distancing herself from any accountability for the situation. 

Make no mistake that academic freedom is at risk, in large part because our own CSU administration is enforcing policies that have a chilling effect on free speech on campus. 

This behavior cannot continue. Join your colleagues in ensuring that the $144 million goes to the people who uplift our students and our communities and let’s show the trustees that public higher education is not a place for censorship. It is a place for belonging. 

Register here, and we hope to see you in Long Beach.