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teacHing Load ● Time for a change John Jay faculty seek recognition for research time. larıon PAGE 3 CNEWSPAPER OF THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF CONGRESS / CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK FEBRUARY 2013 Pat Arnow teacHing Psc-cUNY 101 CANDIDATES’ SCHOOL Marcia Newfield, VP for Part-Time Personnel, speaks during “PSC-CUNY 101,” a become effective advocates for CUNY faculty, staff and students. The PSC will two-hour seminar on public higher education and CUNY for candidates running be active throughout 2013 as it works with labor and community allies to shift for New York City Council in 2013, held at the PSC Union Hall on January 26. The New York City away from the politics of austerity. For more, see a roundtable thirty-three candidates were provided with detailed analysis and encouraged to interview with five members of the union’s Legislative Committee. PAGE 10 Medgar evers History Lesson PatHways FrackadeMia President Looking at the Rejection on SUNY shutters resigns reel Lincoln many fronts Shale Institute Medgar Evers College Steven Spielberg’s new movie From the annual convention SUNY Buffalo has its repu- President William Pollard about the 16th president ex- of the Modern Languages tation called into question announced his resignation plores the passage of the Thir- Association (MLA) to an after launching, and then after a rocky term in office. teenth Amendment, which array of faculty governance closing, an institute with Faculty and staff say the outlawed slavery. A historian bodies, Pathways continues close ties to the oil and college is in crisis. PAGE 2 takes a closer look. PAGE 11 to meet resistance. PAGE 7 gas industry. PAGE 4 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS ● AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS ● NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION ● NYC CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL ● NYS AFL-CIO ● NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS 2 News & Letters Clarion | February 2013 Brooklyn College backs academic freedom By PETER HOGNESS academic departments, programs, the college. Such intimidation chills is precisely the freedom to express a choose. I mean, if you want to go to and centers, have the right to invite debate and makes a mockery of the position even when that position is a university where the government As Clarion went to press, PSC Pres- speakers, engage in discussion, and ideals of academic freedom.” deeply unpopular.” The officials had decides what kinds of subjects are fit ident Barbara Bowen joined others present ideas to further educational In her letter to Gould, Bowen written to Gould, demanding that the for discussion, I suggest you apply to in supporting Brooklyn College discussion and debate. The mere wrote that the PSC appreciates political science department with- a school in North Korea.” President Karen Gould’s defense of invitation to speak does not her “holding firm, even draw its co-sponsorship of the forum. The mayor rebuked City Council academic freedom after BC’s politi- indicate an endorsement of The PSC, when under fire, to the Bowen said they should retract that members who had explicitly threat- cal science department came under any particular point of view, NY Times & principles of free speech demand, adding, “A college president ened Brooklyn College’s funding attack for co-sponsoring a forum and there is no obligation, as and academic freedom.” who stands up for academic freedom over the incident: “The last thing that on the BDS movement, which calls some have suggested, to pres- Bloomberg Defending the Univer- at CUNY – where academic freedom we need is for members of our City for boycott, divestment and sanc- ent multiple perspectives at all on the sity’s ability to serve as has come under repeated assault in Council or State Legislature to be mi- tions against Israel. The college any one event.... Providing an a home for open debate recent years – should be applauded by cromanaging the kinds of programs came under fire from critics who open forum to discuss impor- same side “is upholding the role of ‘progressive’ politicians, not bullied.” that our public universities run, and wrongly equated the department’s tant topics, even those many find the university as a public good,” base funding decisions on the politi- co-sponsorship with endorsement highly objectionable, is a centuries- wrote Bowen. “The entire society MAYOR spEAKS OUT cal views of professors. I can’t think of of the speakers’ views. Political Sci- old practice on university campuses gains when ideas – both good and On February 6, Mayor Bloomberg anything that would be more destruc- ence Chair Paisley Currah noted around the country.” bad – are exposed to the light of spoke up in support of both the col- tive to a university and its students.” that the department “welcome[s] In a February 5 editorial, The public discourse.” This is one of lege and the political science de- Text of Bowen’s letters and more – indeed encourage[s] – requests New York Times said it “strongly many reasons, she said, that “the partment. “I couldn’t disagree more information are available at www.psc- to co-sponsor speakers and events defend[s] the decision by Brook- PSC-CUNY Collective Bargaining violently with BDS as they call it, cuny.org. from all student groups, depart- lyn College President Karen Gould Agreement makes academic free- boycott, divestment and sanctions,” Bowen invited PSC members to ments and programs.” to proceed with the event, despite dom a contractual right.” the mayor told reporters. “But I could write to Clarion (see below, left) In her February 4 statement, withering criticism by opponents In a separate letter to a group of also not agree more strongly with an with their own points of view. An ac- President Gould said: and threats by at least 10 City Coun- elected officials, the PSC president re- academic department’s right to spon- ademic union, she noted, is always “Students and faculty, including cil members to cut city funding for minded them that “academic freedom sor a forum on any topic that they home to many different opinions. tation was at risk, due to a failure to comply with three of the 14 criteria MEC president resigns, but stays used by the Commission. MEC is re- quired to provide a monitoring report By JOHN TARLETON Learning Center had reduced its on September 1 of this year, document- Faculty want interim leader number of tutors by half. On Oct. 17, ing that it meets all 14 standards. If the Medgar Evers College President several hundred students walked out Commission determines that the col- William Pollard announced his res- has not designated an interim presi- students and community supporters of their classes and held a rally in lege has made insufficient progress, ignation on January 30. His depar- dent. Instead, Pollard is to remain in of the college. Faculty votes of no- MEC’s main plaza, demanding better the school can be put on probation, ture came after three-and-a-half office until the search for his succes- confidence were approved by wide student services and the resignation which can be followed by either sus- rocky years in office and mounting sor has been completed, a process that margins in December 2010 and again of Pollard and Provost Johnson. pension or removal of accreditation. problems at the college this semes- could take six months or longer. in April 2012, the latter by a With an 8% decline in student en- “It’s going to take many years for ter, culminating with the school be- “We need to have an interim Pollard’s vote of 136 to 13. rollment and its own projections of a the damage to be repaired properly,” ing warned this November that its president so we can deal with record In the Fall 2012 semester, $3-million deficit, on October 3, the Crawford said. accreditation was at risk. the immediate problems we marked by Medgar Evers College went Pollard administration directed de- The news was widely welcomed face in regard to accreditation,” through a series of crises. partment chairs to formulate plans SEARCH plANNED at the college. “We had an incompe- said Sallie Cuffee, chair of the mounting Problems with the campus for reducing Spring course offerings In a January 30 statement, Chancel- tent president,” said PSC Chapter Medgar Evers College (MEC) problems. computer labs meant they by as much as 30%. The administra- lor Goldstein announced that a presi- Chair Clinton Crawford. “There Faculty Senate, who noted that could not be used for the tion backpedaled on course reductions dential search committee had been were no more arguments that he CUNY has often named interim lead- first three weeks of the semester, after protests by the PSC and Faculty formed that included seven members should stay.” ers after presidential resignations. and a number of students received Senate, but the college was shaken. of the Board of Trustees and Lehman But while many faculty and staff After Pollard was named presi- notices that they were behind on tu- The downward spiral continued in President Ricardo Fernandez. Faculty were cheered at the prospect of a new dent of MEC in 2009, he and his ition payments that were supposed November when the Middle States and student representatives remain to president, they also voiced concerns newly appointed provost, Howard to have been covered by financial Commission on Higher Education of- be appointed. The statement affirmed that Chancellor Matthew Goldstein Johnson, quickly alienated faculty, aid. Ongoing cuts to the college’s ficially warned MEC that its accredi- that Pollard would continue as presi- dent until a successor was chosen. Brenda Greene, professor of Eng- lish at MEC and executive director Letters to tHe editor of the college’s Center for Black Lit- WRITE TO: CLARION/PSC, 61 BROADWAY, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10006.

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