|
opinion:
letter
CFA responds
to attempt to suppress Teach-In
I want to call the
attention of the campus community to an exchange of letters
between the CSU Administration represented by the Assistant
Vice Chancellor Samuel Strafaci and the CFA, represented by
Statewide President Susan Meisenhelder and professor of English
at Cal State San Bernardino.
Strafaci wrote
to the presidents of all 23 campuses informing them that the
administration was considering a charge of unfair labor practice
against CFA, or an injunction against what he called "concerted
activities" and, in particular, the campus "Teach-ins"
and student involvement in them.
Strafaci then wrote
to Meisenhelder demanding that CFA "cease and desist
from the prohibited activity of the Teach-ins and student
involvement."
In her response,
Meisenhelder clarified that the scheduled "Teach-ins"
are a continuation of the "Future of the CSU" hearings
that were held at San Jose State, Sacramento State and Cal
State Los Angeles during the past two years, the object of
which was to give faculty, staff, students, and community
members the opportunity to discuss trends in the CSU and to
articulate their hopes for its future.
She reminded the
assistant vice chancellor that "Teach-ins" have
had a long tradition in American universities related to First
Amendment protections and struggles for academic freedom,
and that the CSU "Teach-ins" planned for October
have been endorsed by numerous organizations and elected officials
of California.
She wrote: "Respect
for the university as a place dedicated to the free interchange
of ideas and opinions is nowhere evident in your letter."
As for the assistant
vice chancellor's stated concern about including students,
Meisenhelder wrote:
"Students
are neither a passive congregation of believers nor a flock
of dupes; they are, rather, thinking adults with a good deal
of life experience and resistance to persuasion... skeptical
and critical listeners, able to judge a position and an argument..."
She expresses great
concern over Strafaci's idea that talking with the students
about trends in the CSU is inappropriate. The fact is that
students are the ones who are negatively impacted by shrinking
instructional budgets, by administrative bloat, by remediation
policies, among other issues, all of which are leading to
what the faculty fear is a decline in the quality of education
in the CSU.
Meisenhelder ends
with the view that open discussion and critical analysis are
important discussion items and the trends constitute the real
threat to the students and to the mission of the university.
She writes:
"The faculty
are committed to speaking out about the university's future
direction and to providing opportunities for others to do
so as well. We are committed to standing up for the
CSU and for a university characterized by vigorous debate
and the free exchange of ideas."
Meisenhelder is
speaking for many of us who consider that the CSU administration's
attitudes toward faculty, students, and the university require
the Oct. 17 "Teach-in." We hope you agree and will
attend.
-- Martin Fiebert,
psychology professor and
chapter president of the CFA
|
