A Message from our CSUS CFA President

Dear Colleagues

President Gonzalez on Thursday said to us: “Welcome Back.” Perhaps so…for those who remain. But there is no welcoming back the estimated 300 faculty this campus lost over the last year, many of them fired due to budgetary reasons between Fall grades being turned in and the start of classes this Spring. There is no welcoming back the 5000 students who disappeared from classrooms—either denied admission, kicked out for frivolous bureaucratic reasons, or coerced into leaving due to skyrocketing tuition. This was the substance that Gonzalez missed in his superficial Convocation Speech—most of which was dominated by comments from the Academic and Student Affairs administrators. These two spoke in percentages and numbers and dollar signs about declining enrollment and program elimination, which really is code for student ghosts and fired faculty. We must be wary of those who speak of people’s lives by using numbers and percentages.

The President did acknowledge the public outcry over UEI’s purchase of the CalSTRS building, but didn’t answer the most important question: In these worst of budget times why did the campus pay $5 Million to UEI when that money could have saved faculty jobs, kept classrooms open, and paid for classes needed by students in order to graduate? The California Attorney General has opened an audit on UEI, so the President had to say something. But what he said amounted to little more than superficialities. Faculty, Staff, and Students deserve an explanation.

And most importantly, the President did not acknowledge—in fact did not even seem to even be aware—that 10 brave students stood up with mouths gagged holding signs protesting the increased fees, their ghosted peers, and the lack of classes. These students are the ENTIRE reason we are all here. To ignore them is shameful. To not listen to them simply proves their point (the gagged mouths) that this administration does not listen, does not care, will not do what is right.

Now more than ever Faculty, Staff, and Students must stand together. We must resist those who would make this University into an exclusive, pale, rich institution. Make no mistake: that is what it means to raise tuition, to force out those who are less prepared or less able to navigate the bureaucracy. We must remain true to the CSU’s mission to be The People’s University.

Please join CFA in informational pickets on the first two days of classes Mon 1/25 and Tues 1/26 from 8am-10am at the J street entrance to campus.

In union,

Kevin Wehr

President, CFA Capitol Chapter

Associate Prof. Dept. of Sociology

CSU Sacramento