Unionwide Town Hall Attracts Nearly 350 Faculty to Organize for Change

Last Tuesday’s unionwide town hall brought nearly 350 participants together to discuss timely concerns like budget cuts, A.I., fighting ICE and immigration raids, and how we can take collective action to combat these issues.

Given the enthusiasm but limited time frame during the first town hall, we will be holding a second unionwide town hall on April 1, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m! We encourage faculty to bring another colleague or two so that we can continue to stay informed and build momentum around concerns happening across all our campuses.

“It was empowering to come together and share our stories and struggles of how the authoritarian measures of the Chancellor has affected all of us.  The draconian actions have a long-lasting impact on students, staff, faculty, and the communities that we serve as stewards of public education. It was powerful to connect with colleagues across different campuses, which is why it’s so important that we are always in dialogue with one another. We can strategize together and discover novel ideas for moving the work forward,” said Elaine Villanueva Bernal, CFA Long Beach vice-president for lecturers and CSU Long Beach lecturer.

CFA members are beginning to realize more and more that the work we’re doing extends far beyond the CSU system. This is part of a larger national conversation. These issues are affecting many communities across the country, and we must work in coalition with the University of California and California Community College systems to address the broader impacts of austerity, A.I., and threats to the safety or our undocumented and mixed-status students.

A major issue raised during the town hall was the chancellor’s rushed implementation of her A.I. initiative. While some faculty have already integrated A.I. into our work and research, it’s very concerning when it’s forced upon us by management without any prior knowledge or consultation. To make matters worse, the additional risk of A.I. algorithmic bias has the potential to cause invisible harm among racial and gender lines.

Faculty recognize that they must have the freedom to teach in ways that best support our students, and this is something that is increasingly being threatened by harmful administrative decisions.

The proposed state budget cuts have also heightened the urgency around proper funding, but it’s also raised red flags around years of financial mismanagement. Both Chancellor García and Sonoma State interim President Cutrer have faced sharp criticisms for their mishandling of CSU finances and for their lack of transparency with the abrupt announcement of layoffs and program cuts.

CSU Channel Islands and CSU East Bay have become the latest campuses to be severely impacted by these proposed cuts. We strongly encourage you to show your support by signing this petition to stop cuts at CSU Channel Islands and this petition to stop cuts at CSU East Bay.

Following the recent change in the federal administration, town hall attendees were also alerted to the important work of CFA’s Immigration Task Force, which advocates against policies that harm undocumented students and their families.

At CSU San Marcos, students and faculty have been fighting to turn their campus into a sanctuary site to ensure that everyone feels safe and can pursue their education without fear. If you’re interested in joining the task force or assisting in the ongoing work, please reach out to immigrationtaskforce@calfac.org.

Alongside the work being done on immigration, management’s recent actions at CSU San Marcos have raised serious concern over free speech suppression. The harsh enforcement of the campus’ time, place, and manner policy appears to be a clear attempt to stifle student activism, particularly in the wake of the pro-Palestinian student encampments in April 2024. This oppressive policy has also contributed to the ongoing attacks on Ethnic Studies, further undoing years of efforts to create and grow the curriculum.

“There is so much happening on our campuses right now, mostly bad.  But we have to maintain the course of staying united in our fight for a better CSU for ourselves, and for our students.  It was unfortunate that the time in the town hall breakout rooms wasn’t longer!  The engagement and solidarity I found there was inspirational,” said Vang Vang, CFA Treasurer and Fresno State librarian.

We encourage all faculty to get involved with their chapters, and please remember to save the date for the next unionwide town hall on April 1 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there!