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I am pleased to report that the university has responded to our calls for fair treatment of GA/TAs when it comes to financial aid disbursement. At the end of last semester, the university quietly announced that they would be disbursing funds to graduate students starting on the first day of classes — today — which is the earliest possible date allowed by federal law. Without your help in bringing attention to this issue, we would not have won!
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New York Students Rising (NYSR) is seeking to hire students at CUNY and SUNY campuses to organize for on-campus, campus local, and state-wide events.
NYSR is a statewide network of students and campus-organizations dedicated to defending public higher education and empowering students in New York State. From our campus administrations to the halls of state government, students are an under-represented constituency whose fate is at a perilous crossroads. Students are facing higher tuition and incurring greater debt to attend public universities that are under-funded, increasingly influenced by private corporate interests, and run by unaccountable administrators who receive a disproportionate amount of university resources. There is a pressing need for students to unite and organize to protect our common interests.
Regional Organizers, 2 positions, $2500 stipend per semester, renewable to two semesters maximum: Regional organizers are charged with facilitating the smooth operation of statewide and regionally coordinated events. These organizers are responsible for attending general interest meetings on all participating campuses in their assigned areas, helping campus organizers recruit and train members and volunteers, and reporting back to the NYSR core group on which areas are strong and which campuses need help. Funding will be provided for travel. This position is open to all SUNY/CUNY students and recent graduates.
Send a statement of interest and resume, or description of experience to adhoc@nystudentsrising.org under the subject “Application for <type of> Organizer’”
Deadline for application is January 25, 2012.
http://nystudentsrising.org/
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Academic Excellence is a scam: “all UB students will be billed a $75 Academic Excellence and Success fee ($37.50 per semester for fall 2011 and spring 2012).”
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D0X: UC Davis Pepper Spraying officer, Lt. John Pike. Please be respectful in your condemnation of this act of brutality.
Lieutenant John Pike
Records Unit Manager
Phone: 530-752-3989
Cell: 530-979-0184
japikeiii@ucdavis.edu
Address: 4005 Cowell Blvd, Apt 616. Davis, CA 95618-6017
Skype: japike3John A. PikePOLICE LIEUTENANT - MSPUC DavisJob Title
2010: POLICE LIEUTENANT - MSP2009: POLICE LIEUTENANT - MSP2008: POLICE LIEUTENANT - MSP2010 Pay
Base pay: $116,454.00, Overtime: $0.00, Other:$0.00
Total pay: $110,243.122009 Pay
Base pay: $110,727.00, Overtime: $0.00, Other:$0.00
Total pay: $107,792.202008 Pay
Base pay: N/A, Overtime: $0.00, Other:$0.00
Total pay: $105,000.00LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-pike/18/a76/879
Pike has received 2 Meritorious Service Awards from UC Davis
File formal complaint against UC Davis police officer here: (pdf)
UC Davis Support Services Division
Contact Information:
Captain Joyce Souza
530-752-6202
Monday - Friday
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
jxsouza@ucdavis.edu
Reporting a Crime or Accident
UC Davis Police Non-Emergency Service
(530) 752-1727
UC Office of the President
Mark G. Yudof
University of California
1111 Franklin St., 12th Floor
Oakland, CA 94607
Email: president@ucop.eduProfessor at the university, Nathan Brown, wrote an “open letter” calling on Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi to resign. The entire letter boldly condemns the Chancellor for permitting riot police to handle students as police did. (source)
UC Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi
Her response to the brutality
Offices of the Chancellor and Provost
Fifth floor, Mrak Hall
University of California, Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-2065
Contact form: http://chancellor.ucdavis.edu/contact.php
Katehi’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Linda-PB-Katehi/147754228574654
UC Davis FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/UCDavis
His boss, UCD Police Chief Annette Spicuzza, told the Davis Enterprise that she’s “very proud” of her officers. “I don’t believe any of our officers were hurt,” she says, “and I hope none of the students were injured.” (source)
UCD Police Chief Annette Spicuzza
(530) 752-3113
Salary: $125,000/yr
Linked in: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/annette-spicuzza/18/435/772
UC Davis Police Department
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-6823
FAX: (530) 752-3216
John Pike’s Education
California State University-Hayward (BS)
Activities and Societies: Theta Chi FraternitySubmit a story to Theta Chi Fraternity
International Headquarters: 317-824-1881
http://www.thetachi.org
Theta Chi UC Davis Chapter: Zeta XI
California Penal Code Section 12403.7 (a) (8)
(g) Any person who uses tear gas or tear gas weapons except in self-defense is guilty of a public offense and is punishable byimprisonment in a state prison for 16 months, or two or three years or in a county jail not to exceed one year or by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment, except that, if the use is against a peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2, engaged in the performance of his or her official duties and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, the offense is punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for 16 months or two or three years or by a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.
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CHOP FROM THE TOP NY SUNY2020, NY State Higher Education Commission Report 2008, and Public Pivot: Informational Draft for 10/5 NY Statewide Walk out/Teach in What is the Rational Tuition Plan? • “Rational Tuition Plan”: all SUNY and CUNY campuses will raise in-state tuition by $300 annually; out-of-state tuition will increase over $500 annually, a ten percent increase over the course of 5 years. • Additionally, university centers such as Stony Brook, Albany, Binghamton and Buffalo may raise tuition an additional three percent, permitting approval by the Governor and SUNY Chancellor. What is NYSUNY 2020? · NYSUNY 2020 “enhances SUNY’s academic mission”. The University centers will now compete for Competitive Challenge Grants, where funding for the public education will be based on which University can best “sell” itself to “public-private” partnerships. Which means that corporations will have a direct influence on research for public knowledge. What are Competitive Challenge Grants? · Competitive Challenge Grants require that the University bring the local community and stakeholders together through the Regional Economic Development Councils to kick start local economic development and contribute to regional revitalization and strategic partnerships. This sounds like a good idea though why am I (why is my family) directly paying for it? · Altogether, rising tuition, the shutting down of academic programs, a faculty hire freeze, and declining state funding, when combined with competitive grant-based funding, public-private partnerships and strategic partnership, emphasizes a plan to privatize SUNY and CUNY, in effect taking education out of the hands of the people and educated academics in order to make education “open for business”, and for the seduction of corporate funds to utilize public resources. The dollars you spend on a more expensive education today will not actually upgrade the value of your education in the classroom over the next 5 years nor will these dollars help you find a way to pay back your loans in the face of abysmal unemployment. NY State Commission on Public Higher Education 2008 and The NYSR Response to it. PLEASE: read the full report here: http://www.hecommission.state.ny.us/report/CHE_Final-Report_200806.pdf What is the NY State Commission on Public Higher Education? · The NY State Commission on Public Higher Education is a group of pubic and private political citizens who were called together by Governor Spitzer to compile data on SUNY and CUNY schools to better determine why and how Public Higher Education in New York State should be deregulated to compete for private funds, raise tuition, and streamline bureaucracy in order to “Rise Above The Gathering Storm.” · When judging SUNY/CUNY profit and performance to peer states such as Texas, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, and Massachusetts, the Commission utilizes a narrative of dire worry to create the feeling of emergency in order to quickly adapt to change locally, nationally, and internationally in order to “unshackle SUNY, end micromanagement and free the system to focus on achieving excellence.” Which lead to many things including tuition increases. Page 1- What the Commission says: SUNY was created in 1948, in 1968 the State began giving financial aide to private schools, and in 1985 the call came for more regulatory flexibility and less state regulation. NYSR: What the Commission leaves out: SUNY and CUNY were FREE when they were created with the mission of making higher education attainable to the masses (which it was not at the time), Bundy Aide (1968) takes money out of the SUNY and CUNY budget to fund private schools at the expense of public school students (i.e., your taxes pay for private schools), and less regulation is a conservative push towards privatization of the SUNY and CUNY systems, a common position of 1980’s politics (see Regan and Bush era politics and Neoconservativism). Page 15- What the Commission says: “Without a renewed effort to bolster the foundations of our competitiveness, we can expect to lose our privileged position”. NYSR: What the Commission means- Education has been turned into a ‘knowledge economy’, and that the privileged in New York want to stay privileged in the coming “global scramble” for Education, so they need a plan to eradicate the competition, because the powers that be are feeling threatened. Page 31 – The Commission quotes: “Civilization is on the brink of a new industrial order… [an] increasingly fierce global scramble for supremacy… [to] make commodities faster and cheaper than the competition… [and] develop talent, techniques, and tools so advanced that there is no competition”. Rising Above the Gathering Storm NYSR: What the Commission means:“Key to New York States future as a global leader is tapping into the underutilized talent pool that exists in the states diverse population.” Public Higher Education isn’t doing what the students need it to, let’s privatize and profit. But how will this actually change things in our classrooms or for our future job prospects? Page 50- What the Commission says: “The Commission believes that administrative focus on strengthening particular sectors… is appropriate [to develop new initiatives, and increased achievement and distinctiveness”. NYSR: What the Commission means: Those sectors that can help SUNY and CUNY make more money in a knowledge economy are those that deserve further funding, while those that are not ‘profitable’ are experiencing massive budget cuts. Profitable reads as technology and business. Stopping here as a point of discussion for breakout groups: [insert your campus breakout session questions here] NYSR SOLUTION The Public Pivot Model: CHOP FROM THE TOP Introduction: The Public Pivot is an alternative budget model employs a progressive, temporary pay cut on the highest paid employees and public servants within the university at times of crisis. The highest salaries tend to belong to administrators and the public pivot is a challenge to the disproportionate distribution of resources on our college campuses. Administrators are earning more than $100,000 per year while students are losing programs and the majority of courses are being taught by underpaid adjuncts and GA/TA’s who do not receive fair wages. NOTE: These are administrators in a public higher education system that fail their students by repeatedly losing state funding, reducing access to lower income students and minorities through higher tuition rates and fewer aid programs and allowing the quality of a SUNY/CUNY education to deteriorate. Details: This public pivot reduces a percentage, from 5 to 25 percent, of SUNY/CUNY administrator salaries beginning with those earning $100,000 per year up to the highest earning administrator, Alain Kalayeros, who earns more than $835,000 per year. This model provides one possible alternative to cutting academic programs, increasing class sizes, reducing course offerings or increasing tuition. SUNY Central administrators that earn $100k+ receive $14.2 million of SUNY’s resources. o The Pubic Pivot generated savings of more than $1.28 million by employing pay cuts that leave every administrator earning more than $95k per year. CUNY Management administrators that earn $100k+ receive $14.2 million of CUNY’s resources. o The Public Pivot generated saving of more than $1.48 million by employing pay cuts that leave every administrator earning more than $105k per year. The SUNY University Centers alone generated savings of more than $8.35 million. o Stony Brook generated $3.315 million o University at Buffalo generated $2.78 million. o University at Albany generated $1.209 million. o Binghamton University generated $1.04 million. It’s time for administrators to bear some of the burden of making up for funding cuts due to their failure and corruption instead of asking students to take on more debt through higher education tuition.
