Academic Freedom Under Attack Ack at Cuny T Cuny
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● ACTIVIST ACADEMIC Kenneth Clarke 1915- 2005 A CCNY professor CNEWSPAPER OF THE PROFESSIONALlarıon STAFF CONGRESS / CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK SUMMER 2005 in his own words PAGE 11 PENSION NEWS Union gains better retirement benefits The PSC had advocated for these changes for more than a decade. Now, less money must be kept in TIAA-CREF accounts. PAGE 12 NEW ORGANIZING Grad Center to RF: Count the votes! RF workers at the Grad Center voted in a union election stalled two years by RF appeals. Now, another appeal keeps the ballots sealed in the boxes. Workers want the RF to drop its appeal so the votes can be counted. A union victory is predicted. PAGE 3 Gregory Nemec AAUPAAUP INQUIRYINQUIRY CONTRACT ACADEMICACADEMIC FREEDOMFREEDOM Negotiations and protests continue UNDERUNDER ATTACKACK AT CCUNYUNY PSC members protested at various venues throughout May and June; little The American Association of University Professors will conduct an inquiry into the state of academic freedom headway was made at the table. The po- at CUNY. The AAUP cited four recent cases that raise concerns about a pattern of political interference in lice union broke the City pattern, win- academic affairs. In two cases at Brooklyn College in May, faculty members came under attack in the news me- ning 10% over two years – though much dia and the PSC came to the defense of their rights. The union called on Chancellor Goldstein to speak out in of this gain was funded by slashing pay defense of academic freedom, but he remained silent. PAGES 6, 7, 10, 12 for new hires. PAGES 4-5 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS ● AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS ● N.Y.C. CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL ● N.Y.S. AFL-CIO ● NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS 2 NEWS & LETTERS Clarion | Summer 2005 WRITE TO: CLARION/PSC, 25 W. 43RD STREET, FIFTH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10036. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | E-MAIL: [email protected]. FAX: 212-302-7815. CUNY IN BRIEF The meaning of ‘non-competitive salaries’ Graduate tuition jumps At their June 27 meeting, the CUNY Board of Trustees voted to ● In the Department of Physical Godless prof at free for irreligion, it will cease to be the following: increase graduate student tuition Sciences at Kingsborough Com- free for religion.” Oath: I have never said, written, and fees. munity College-CUNY we recently spineless college Corey Robin or done anything that might be About 20 students attended to went through a search to fill an ● Back to the future: recent events Brooklyn College found offensive or inappropriate by protest the decision, and Trustee open tenure-track chemistry posi- at Brooklyn College [see page 6] the parties listed above. Lauren Fasano, the student repre- tion. The search was a success. We suggest that the following people Signed: sentative, voted against the hike. found a highly qualified candidate, would presumably be unfit to serve Loyalty oath _______________________________ For many students, the increase one with an excellent record at CUNY as a department chair: ● MEMO will amount to about a thousand prestigious institutions. Further- Thomas Jefferson: “In every To all Brooklyn College faculty: [Name withheld] dollars per year. Trustees said the more, he really wanted to teach in country and every age, the priest It is necessary to emphasize that Brooklyn College hike was needed to make up for a New York City. has been hostile to Liberty.” academic freedom does not apply to Editor’s note: The author is a de- shortfall in state funding. The candidate was heavily re- Pascal: “Men never do evil so faculty members who are elected to partment chairperson. A survey of students in Hunter’s cruited by the search committee in completely and cheerfully as when the position of departmental chair- masters in public health program our department and seemed very they do it from religious conviction.” person or to any faculty member found that 30% said they would interested in the position. He was Mary McCarthy: “... the average who might eventually wish to be Union unity have to take fewer classes. so interested that when the College Catholic perceives no connection considered for such a post. ● A very compelling reason to con- wouldn’t pay for the candidate to between religion and morality, un- Because our College must always tribute to the PSC’s recently estab- Marriage equality & fly across country for an interview, less it is a question of someone be very cautious about offending the lished Defense Fund was tucked he paid for the trip himself. The else’s morality.” University’s central administration, away in the last paragraph of “Give CUNY benefits interview went really well, and Voltaire: “The truths of religion not to mention students or their fam- Us A Fair Contract” in the May 2005 City University will now recognize everyone agreed that he would be are never so well understood as by ilies, alumni, donors, and, especially, Clarion: Former PSC President Irwin same-sex marriages performed in a great addition to our department. those who have lost the power of Fox News or the New York Sun, no Polishook was among the first con- places that confer legal status to All that remained was negotiation reason.” approval can be given for the elec- tributors to the Fund. such unions, extending CUNY ben- of salary. Denis Diderot, quoting the atheist tion of chairs who, prior to their elec- Despite differences between the efits to both spouses. I recently learned that we lost the priest Jean Meslier: “Man will never tion, may have done something con- current leadership and the former, Empire State Pride Agenda, an candidate to another academic insti- be free until the last king is strangled sidered inappropriate or offensive we should note that they both agree LGBT rights group, announced this tution. The primary reason was eco- with the entrails of the last priest.” by members of the groups just men- on the importance of the union be- development in June, after inter- nomic: Our college offered a finan- Sigmund Freud: “Religion would tioned. Whether this faculty mem- ing prepared to mount an aggres- vening on behalf of Robert Pisano. cial package significantly lower thus be the universal obsessional ber might be able to successfully sive contract campaign. In its early Queens College initially said Pisano than our victorious competitor. A neurosis of humanity; like the ob- head his or her department cannot days, the PSC had a defense fund, would have to file domestic part- salary of $20,000 a year lower, in sessional neurosis of children....” be considered relevant. and even went so far as to designate nership paperwork before his fact. The candidate wanted to live in Bertrand Russell: “I say quite de- To simplify the election process a strike date! spouse could obtain any benefits. Manhattan, and could not afford to liberately that the Christian reli- in the future, all faculty members Let’s follow the lead of PSC’s After discussions with 80th do so on the salary that our college gion, as organized in its Churches, who might wish to be become chairs President Emeritus, and make gen- Street, the college subsequently re- offered. has been and still is the principal en- are requested to answer the follow- erous contributions to the Defense versed its position. CUNY said that What institution could afford to emy of moral progress in the ing question and sign the oath: Fund. Pisano had been the first Universi- pay a salary so much greater than world.” Jay Appleman ty employee in a same-sex couple to our institution was willing to offer? One more quote for those who Question: Are you now or have PSC Chapter Chair apply for spousal benefits, and an- Columbia? NYU? might support Tim Shortell’s being you ever been guilty of saying, writ- Queensborough CC nounced that in the future all such The correct answer is: A high forced to step down as chair of the ing, or doing something that might marriage certificates would be school in the New York City public Brooklyn College sociology depart- be found offensive or inappropriate Editor’s note: To contribute to the accepted university-wide. school system. ment – this one from US Supreme by the parties listed above? PSC’s Defense Fund, contact your “It makes me feel good,” Pisano Patrick Lloyd Court Justice Robert Jackson: “The Yes_______ No________ chapter chair or go to www.psc- told Clarion. “They’re supporting me, Kingsborough Community College day that this country ceases to be If you answered “no,” please sign cuny.org/contract.htm. my family and my marriage.” Pisano is a CUNY office assistant in the Soci- ology Department and member of AFSCME DC 37. He and his partner were married on May 5 in Toronto. TIAA/CREF funds OK’d for Malo trial drags on The trial of former Hostos student adjunct pension buyback Miguel Malo, arrested four years ago for holding up a sign during a campus protest at Hostos, has been By CLARION STAFF In testimony before the Board of adjourned until September 6. Malo, Trustees, PSC President Barbara a former Hostos Student Senate In an important change, especially Bowen stated “This change is long vice president, was arrested during for part-time employees at CUNY, overdue.” In further testimony a campus protest against cuts in the CUNY Board of Trustees at Bowen strongly urged the trustees ESL classes. He is charged with as- their meeting on June 27, 2005 to extend to part-time instructional saulting CUNY security personnel, agreed to allow participants in the staff the right to join the ORP. “Be- which he strongly denies.