Author: admin

  • 1/30/17: Stand against the immigration ban-Make your voice heard

    Byadmin

    This morning, AAUP President Rudy Fichtenbaum sent the attached email to members asking them to affix their names to a document condemning the immigration actions of President Trump and affirming that America’s universities will not be compromised by the unconstitutional and discriminatory ban on entry into the United States for people from certain Muslim-majority countries. I urge you to join this action. Just click Stand Against the Ban to be taken to the sign up page. We must unite to fight for academia!

  • 1/26/17: Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos unsuited for job

    Byadmin

    The nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education raises alarms that the new administration will fail to support college access and affordability for millions of current and future college students. Her nomination signals a blatant disregard for not only the magnitude of college debt plaguing our students but also the widespread fraud that has been exposed in the for-profit sector across the country. It also reveals an irresponsible resistance to protecting students from sexual assault, gun violence, ensuring the rights of immigrants, and students with disabilities. Equally troubling, at her confirmation hearing and in the disclosure of her extensive…

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    Report: Affordable Public Higher Education is Possible Today

    Byadmin

    A report this week from Reclaim California Higher Education (a coalition of faculty and student groups) makes the case that affordable (even free) higher education is within reach for California. The privatization experiment has failed. The harm to a generation of hard-working, high-aiming young people is proven. It’s time to return to what works: the proven Master Plan for higher education in California. California, with its own resources, can afford to restore top-quality, accessible, affordable college and university opportunity to every qualified student. In fact, Californians can afford nothing less. You can read a summary and download the entire report…

  • As transition looms, campus stirs

    Byadmin

    What is the future of public higher education under a Trump administration? With the transition of presidential power a week away, students, staff, faculty, and administrators on campuses across California are bracing for a rocky relationship. Here at UCLA there are a number of teach-ins, demonstrations, and programs planned for inauguration week. The big one is a campus-wide Teach-In on January 18th, from 5-7 PM in the Ackerman Union ballrooms. You can see a list of various activities here. Meanwhile, California policymakers are displaying an unusual show of unity in their opposition to the incoming administration and its likely policies…

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    CUCFA Letter to Pres. Napolitano

    Byadmin

    The Council of UC Faculty Associations (CUCFA) set a letter to UC President Janet Napolitano on November 23 applauding her statements after the US presidential election, and outlining concrete steps UC leadership should take to protect vulnerable students and staff. In short, we stand united with our administrators against any threats directed at our students and fellow employees, or any words or acts of hate that threaten our mission as a public research university committed to the betterment of our global society through teaching, learning, and the dissemination of new knowledge. We pledge to stand up for, support, and defend…

  • Faculty Respond to Trump Election

    Byadmin

    UCLA faculty are circulating a letter to the campus community in the wake of Donald Trump’s election, and asking colleagues to sign on in support. The letter condemns “acts of hate and bigotry directed at our students and fellow employees.” Here is the full text: Dear UCLA Students and Employees, We, the undersigned, are UCLA faculty who stand united against acts of hate and bigotry directed at our students and fellow employees in the wake of the election of Donald Trump. Words and acts of hate are forms of violence that threaten our mission as a public research university committed…

  • CUCFA Statement on Chancellor Searches

    Byadmin

    A Statement of Principles for Choosing New University of California Chancellors A University of California Chancellor must be committed both to broad access to university education and to scholarly excellence, and have a proven record of support for the value of public education. A Chancellor must recognize that, despite increases in fundraising for specific projects, efforts at privatization have failed to sustain the University’s central mission of education, research, and service for the people of California. In addition to providing intellectual vision and integrity, the Chancellor should demonstrate accountability to the principles and the public mission of the university. To…

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    Academic Senate Rejects New Pension Tier

    Byadmin

    Representatives of UC faculty on all campuses delivered a strongly worded rejection of the proposed 2016 pension tier. Reports from the campuses were extensive and overwhelmingly negative (link to PDF). Berkeley faculty called the proposal “imprudent and potentially fiscally irresponsible.” Davis faculty said, “It is a myth that UCRP is too generous,” and went on to detail a long list of likely negative outcomes from the new tier. Irvine faculty noted “the level of disappointment and depth of passion expressed from all quarters about the negative impact that the imposition of the PEPRA cap has on the future of the…

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    Faculty Voice Opposition to Pension Proposal

    Byadmin

    On Friday, the UCLA Academic Senate hosted an informational meeting that explained in clear terms that this is a bad, bad plan for faculty. What to do about it was less clear cut. Shane White gave a deeply detailed account of financial aspects of the plan (Slides here: Pension Presentation by Shane White). Among the things we learned: Last year’s budget deal introduced the “PEPRA cap” to UC retirement benefits. This is not a limit on retirement pay-outs, but a cap on the earnings that are used to calculate retirement pay-outs. So any new hire after July 1, 2016 who…