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THE PATRIOT RETURNS |
Vol. 38, No.3 December 24, 2007
Holiday Chutzpah from the PSC On Monday December 17th, the New York State Commission on Higher Education issued a Preliminary Report. Chief among that body's charges are to review the state's systems of public higher education, and to make recommendations on improving academic standards and performance. Among its various suggestions are markedly higher levels of state spending on SUNY and CUNY, additional financial aid for low-income students, increased funding for research, and a commitment to hiring 2,000 new full-time faculty members, including 250 "eminent scholars" attracted by competitive salaries. All told, there is much to welcome in this report, and little to criticize. Unless, of course, you happen to be Barbara Bowen. When contacted by the good folks at Inside Higher Education, she suggested that since CUNY has 5,000 fewer full time faculty than in 1975, the Commission's recommendations were at best "incremental." Nor did the report adequately address the issue of competitive salaries for all, not merely a "few eminent faculty who are well-compensated." The Dear Leader does make a few good points. CUNY continues to rely far too much on contingent faculty (notwithstanding the fact that adjuncts seem to be the power base for her New Caucus) and our salaries continue to decline relative to peer institutions. But since it has been Bowen and company who have negotiated the last few disastrous contracts, we do wonder why she shifts the blame to Albany, rather than to her krew at 61 Broadway. We wonder, too, if the recommendations for CUNY would be different if Barbara had been a commissioner, not just a kvetcher. As we reported in a previous number of TPR, the PSC's Bowen was not invited to serve as a member of the Higher Education Commission, unlike the UUP's William Scheuerman. While SUNY's faculty and staff have a voice on the inside, those of us at CUNY do not. Once again, we are the objects, not the agents of change. La Pasionara's endless excoriations, campaigns of outrage, declarations of emergency, etc. have marginalized the PSC, and most certainly will keep it there. Thus it takes a good deal of holiday season chutzpah for her to criticize this preliminary report. We can't wait to hear what the Dear Leader will have to say about the final version.
A Tale of Two Unions That our academic sisters and brothers at the State University of New York have a seat at the table seems to be paying off. The United University Professions have just reached a tentative contract agreement with the State University of New York. Among the provisions are a 13% salary increase over the four year life of the contract, a $500 lump sum payment to long-term part-time employees, a $250 increase to their Benefit Fund for dental and vision benefits, and no percentage increases in employees' share of the cost of health insurance premiums. The UUP's previous contract expired on July 1st, 2007; they settled with SUNY on December 20th , in a little over six months. The PSC's last contract with CUNY expired on September 19th, 2007. Were we to follow the UUP settlement calendar, we'd expect a tentative agreement by late March. Given Barbara's track record, however, we are not holding our breath. To date there has been no financial package offer forthcoming from Albany via 80th Street. In the meantime, Barbara and her krazy kontract krew have taken the vital issue of lower teaching loads off the bargaining table, and are focusing on paid parental leave and better health benefits for adjuncts instead. While the Professional Staff Congress has been busy staging mass demonstrations and silent marches, the United University Professions has again delivered the goods. While the UUP has thanked Governor Spitzer for his support, Barbara is on her soap box denouncing him. We'd be better off dumping our Dear Leader and her New Caucasians, and petitioning to be represented by the UUP instead.
Bowen and Israel: Among the characteristic features of the New Caucus is its commitment to an astonishing range of political causes. The PSC has both a Peace and Justice and an International Committee, and spends our dues monies in efforts to change the government in the Mexican province of Oaxaca and to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. While devotees of The Patriot have been kept up to date on these matters, members of New York 's taxpaying public may not have been. At least until a few days ago. In a far reaching piece in the December 19th number of The Jewish Press, Elliot Resnick reports on the PSC's various "anti-Israel" activities, and Barbara's connections with such figures as Michael Letwin. The article also features comments by many CUNY colleagues. We urge you to read it.
A Turning of the Tide at Manhattan Beach? For those of you not on the faculty at Kingsborough Community College, we forward the following information on changes in intra-campus and university-wide affairs:
KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Date: December 14, 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here is the list of election results in the University Faculty Senate Delegate election: Elected:
Other results:
Total Ballots Cast 105
Here is the list of election results in the University Faculty Senate Delegate -- Alternate election: Elected:
Other results:
Total Ballots Cast 105
O'Malley v. Karkhanis As we go to virtual press, the attorneys for Sharad Karkhanis await the filing of full complaint by Susan O'Malley's lawyers. For additional information and commentary on O'Malley's $2,000,000 libel suit against our editor-in-chief, please visit http://freespeechcuny.blogspot.com.
Happy Holidays from The Patriot Returns!
Sharad Karkhanis, Ph.D. Forthcoming issues of The Patriot may be accessed at http://www.patriotreturns.com |
