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news
CFA benefits students,
faculty by hiring Negrete
By Melissa Anderson
Summer On-line Forty-Niner
The California
Faculty Association creates another effort to benefit students
and faculty by appointing student interns. Alejandro
Negrete, junior from Cal State Long Beach has been hired as
an intern-organizer for the CFA. Negrete will assist the CFA
to gain student support for their "teach-in," as
well as support for new contract bargaining for faculty.
Armando Vazquez-Ramos,
lecturer in the Chicano and Latin Studies department and the
chair of the Long Beach chapter of the job action committee
appointed Negrete to the CFA.
"I worked
with him in the past, he is an active and competent student
leader," Ramos said. "I have known him for three
years, and recommended him because he has the skills we need."
Negrete is entering
his junior year at CSULB, and is majoring in Chicano-Latino
studies. He is also an active member of various organizations
on campus. He was the senator of the College of Liberal Arts
and a member of the La Raza Association.
"This association
has been on campus for 30 years," Negrete said. "We
try to promote Latin Culture. We hold off-campus events as
well. Last year we worked with the community of Long
Beach to get more Latino's registered to vote."
Negrete served
as the Latino Studies Student Association president last year.
"One of the
events that we held was the Cesar Chavez week long celebration,"
Negrete said. "We had a memorial march on campus, a film
about Cesar Chavez, bands, and an academic discussion panel
over the week."
Now as a hired
intern for the CFA, Negrete not only wants to work for student
support, but also for more student input.
"We want to
make a student support committee," Negrete said. "Faculty
and student issues coincide with each other, students need
to know that. If something is affecting the faculty it is
eventually going to affect the students as well."
The "teach-in"
is going to be held Oct. 17, 2001 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at
the main campus quad. Both Negrete and Ramos are hoping to
gain student and faculty support.
"We are asking
faculty not to hold class, but to attend the teach-in, students
as well," Ramos said. "The point is to inform, educate
and gain student support all across campus."
The CFA is fighting
for more full-time, tenure-track and tenure faculty. More
than half of the CSU faculty is composed of lecturers, according
to the CFA website.
"Lecturers
don't have the job security that gives them permanent commitment,"
Ramos said. "We need to incorporate more full-time faculty
so they have the job security and benefits that they deserve.
Money has been going to the administrators instead of to full-time
teachers and instructional funds."
According to the
CFA between 1994 and 1999, CSU student enrollment increased
by 35,000 students. The problem is the schools are filled
with these students, but CSU only managed to fill one new
tenure-track position.
According to the
CFA website, the high cost of living in California mixed with
the low CSU salaries for faculty is making it hard to full
openings.
"The decline
of full-time faculty has been declining for years, while they
increase administrative lecturers," Ramos said. "Students
don't get the attention or advisement that they need."
Negrete has also
been working on student issues, including not enough classes
and classes that are too large.
"We want to
get the ratio of students to faculty more balanced,"
Negrete said. "Students can learn more if the faculty
is balanced, they won't get lost in the shuffle."
Negrete plans on
organizing on-campus student retreats between now and the
October 17 "teach-in". He wants to inform students
of the issues on hand and also get them involved. If
you are interested in supporting the CFA you can contact Alejandro
Negrete at the CFA office, (562) 985-5165.
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