A Personal Note on the Proposed Fee

Colleagues,  

This is a tough message to write. Like many of you, I am a lecturer who is uncertain about their future at the moment. I write today with two things in mind:  

1. I love being a faculty member, a CFA Union member, and serving on our Capital Chapter executive board.  
2. If I tell my students not to support any kind of fee increase, then I am actively working toward the destruction of my own livelihood.

These are competing interests I am struggling with right now. My position as educator and believer in affordable, accessible higher education for all pulls me in opposition to the fee increases. My position as a member of the union pushes me to fight for increased funds as it might save more jobs.  

However, the promise by the president’s office to restore the fall schedule with Student Success Fee funds is a good line and one to which I am willing to listen.  

Listening means fighting for a seat at the table so that if the Student Success Fee passes, we have an active role in making sure those fees are spent on instruction. 

The truth of the matter is that we all have been pit against each other. Faculty against student? What happened “our hive, our home?” This should never have been the case, but nonetheless here we are. 

Speaking as a member of the CFA Sacramento State executive board, I want you to know that we continue to fight for a budget that does not cut funds for the CSU. We are fighting for you, our fellow Lecturers whose jobs are most vulnerable; we are fighting for you, our fellow Tenure-line Faculty who are on the chopping block next round; we are fighting for you, Librarians whose hours and budget have been slashed; for you, Coaches who experience wildly different levels of support from the university;  and for you, Counselors striving to serve student mental health needs. We are fighting for ALL of Unit 3. We are fighting for all of us. We must fight together because we want to thrive as we fulfill the mission of higher education – to shape our future thinkers and doers.  

If we want to succeed, this fight cannot remain on campus. We need to turn up the heat on the Chancellors Office and California Legislature. We need a critical force so large that they have no choice but to surrender that which they have kept for themselves.  

They might have the money, but we have the people. It’s time to exercise our collective power.  

Click HERE to pressure the Chancellor 

Click HERE for tools to contact your legislators.  

Together we can stop the cuts, release the investments, and save the CSU!  

In solidarity,  

Chris Patterson  
Lecturer, CFA Member, Faculty Rights Committee Co-Chair 
with support from the Executive Board of the CFA Capital Chapter