Spartan Daily, October 8, 2014

Drop by spartandaily.com for SJSU Humanities' 60th birthday on Weather Foggy Hi o 82 MICROSOFT GIVES STARTUPS CONVENE AT CHANGE AND THE Spartan Lo o OFFICE TO STUDENTS SJSU FOR TECHMANITY ART OF PROTESTING 52 PAGE 2 PAGE 3 PAGE 5 Video Volume 143 | Issue 18 Serving San José State University since 1934 Wednesday, October 8, 2014 California Faculty Association calls for higher wages By Sonya Herrera Kelly Harrison, an English and general @Sonya_M_Herrera engineering lecturer, said she was glad she attended Monday’s CFA meeting. Anthropology professor Jonathan Karpf “Jonathan gave a great presentation with some repeated the call for action to his colleagues at of the data of what the choices are,” Harrison said. the California Faculty Association meeting on Included in Karpf’s presentation was a Monday. “thought experiment” on what CFA members “We’ve come down since we started; they would want to do in case the Chancellor’s office haven’t budged,” Karpf said. “That alone is reason was unwilling to meet the CFA’s demands. for us to say, ‘What gives?’” “I was basically trying to take a temperature of According to Karpf, the purpose of Monday’s the mood of the faculty,” Karpf said. CFA meeting was to inform San Jose State He posed the question of which option would University faculty on the inadequacy of the latest be best: to strike and attempt to resolve the salary offer made by the CSU chancellor’s office. disagreement immediately, or to accept the first “We need them to offer a little bit more than year’s salary offer while retaining the ability to they’re offering,” Karpf said. “It’s not much in the bargain for future years. grand scheme of things, but they’re not willing to Karpf emphasized that these were merely budge yet.” thought experiments and there are no plans for a Karpf urged attendees to take part in a press strike. conference and rally that will be held in front of “We never talk about a strike unless it’s needed Clark Hall today at noon. and unless we get agreement from our members “This Wednesday, October 8, is 100 days from that they’re willing to engage in one,” Karpf said. Sonya Herrera | Spartan Daily the expiration of (CFA’s) last contract,” Karpf said. Herlinda Aguirre, office manager of the CFA’s Karpf is one of the CFA’s chapter officers SJSU chapter and an SJSU alumna, has worked Jonathan Karpf, anthropology professor and CFA chapter officer, informs his fellow and has been an activist for the organization with the union since she was hired as a student union members of the details surrounding CSU contract negotiations during a since 1992. According to its website, the CFA intern in 2008. She said the content of Monday’s meeting held on Monday. is a union representing “professors, lecturers, meeting was important to students as well as “SSIs, or salary service increases, are what they don’t want,” Karpf said. “I certainly didn’t librarians, counselors and coaches who teach in faculty. allow faculty to move up within their salary need a videophone in my office.” the California State University system.” “Faculty working conditions are student range,” Karpf said. “It’s the absence of SSIs that After Monday’s meeting, Harrison was The union is active on all of CSU’s 23 campuses learning conditions in so many different ways,” has led to ... newer faculty being hired at higher confident that the chancellor’s office would and has organized system-wide protests on Oct. 7, Aguirre said. “They gained a lot of things because salaries than older faculty.” respond to CFA’s show of power. 8 and 9 to bring attention to contract negotiations of the new chancellor. However, there are still a lot Karpf said the San Jose Mercury News article “The California Faculty Association is not between the CFA and the CSU chancellor’s office. of things that they have to work on.” published on Sunday about the $28 million in that far off in bargaining, and the chancellor’s “We have not yet reached agreement with the According to Karpf, the CFA is working on Cisco equipment and services ordered by San Jose office has the money to give us,” Harrison said. chancellor’s office on either salary or workload,” securing higher service salary and general salary State for its Next Gen Project made it clear that the “We have the power, we have the strength, we have Karpf said. “In terms of salary, the CFA has come increases. university has discretionary funds. the numbers, and all we have to do is show the down twice since our initial offer. The chancellor’s “GSI is a general salary increase. That’s like a “It’s just interesting that they have the money chancellor’s office.” office hasn’t budged once.” cost-of-living increase,” Karpf said. for IT services, that maybe faculty want, maybe Sonya Herrera is a Spartan Daily staff writer. Humanities turns 60 with Olcott leading the way By Lauren Hernandez Olcott, who initially started shared their gratitude to Olcott during “For example, those who could program,” Saltzman-Saveker said. @LaurenPorFavor teaching Latin and Greek in 1976, the ceremony, with many saying she not come today sent notes and emails “I had seen his picture in the paper began teaching in the honors was the reason they thrived in their saying that they couldn’t come, holding a huge stack of books that The San Jose State Humanities program in 1977 and has taught in the academic careers. but that they’d be thinking about everybody had to read if they were in Honors Program celebrated its department ever since. “You’ve been my life guys, and Professor Olcott and thinking about this program.” 60th anniversary at Clark Hall last Rostankowski said the celebration I’m afraid if I say too much I’ll start the celebration,” Rostankowski said. Saltzman-Saveker said there Friday. aimed to not only commemorate the crying,” Olcott said. “You’ve made Senior liberal studies teaching were no computers or PowerPoint The celebration included a long existence of the honors program, my life wonderful and made me major Holly May said she thought it presentations when she was in ceremony honoring Marianina but to also acknowledge Olcott’s want to keep on going.” was interesting to see older members the program, and students were Olcott, Ph.D. for her longtime contributions to the department and Olcott, who prefers to “fly under of the honors program along with expected to take hand-written notes commitment to the department and program. the radar” instead of receiving more recent students. when the professor lectured on the program since 1976. Olcott helped raise awareness of attention on her contributions, said “We just listened to a story of a podium. Cynthia Rostankowski, associate the program to eligible high school she loves her students and that is all woman who had been here 50 years When students attempted to professor of the humanities students potentially interested in she needs to be happy. ago, so it was interesting listening to copy her notes, she would say, “No department and coordinator of joining, according to Rostankowski. She taught at both Stanford her experiences,” May said. “I got the you can come to class and take notes the Humanities Honors Program, “She utilized technology to notify University and Santa Clara best of both worlds — I got to hear the just like me.” awarded a plaque to Olcott in front high school students and we continue University, but she said nothing older stories and see the new students Rostankowski said she hoped of current honors students, alumni, to do that,” Rostankowski said. “We compares to working with the taking the program.” students learn that they are a part faculty and staff. find that contacting all of the students “hardworking” students at May referred to Judy Saltzman- of a program that has a rich history, “The students and faculty of who qualify for the honors program SJSU. Saveker, Ph.D., who was part of the which will continually thrive for SJSU Humanities Honors Program while they are still in high school lets “I really feel that I make a Humanities Honors Program over 50 many years. extend their warmest appreciation them have a chance to start thinking difference in their lives and that years ago. “The Humanities Honors to Marianina Olcott, Ph.D. for her about it.” enthuses me, inspires me, and keeps Saltzman-Saveker started the Program is for four semesters and brilliant teaching and enlightened The program has been so me going because I am 71,” Olcott program in 1959 when she was 17 provides a beautiful foundation,” guidance of the humanities honor successful that it has the best said. years old. She learned she could enroll Rostankowski said. “That program and for her abiding retention graduation rate of any lower Rostankowski said the honors at SJSU, then called San Jose College, foundation makes it possible for commitment to its integrity and division program in the university for program differentiates from others in the humanities department. students to find their own path for excellence,” Rostankowski read students, according to Rostankowski. on campus because of its sense of “I remember the first day of thriving.” from the plaque as she bestowed it to Current and past students filled community and the students who lecture I met Professor Jack Fink, Lauren Hernandez is a Spartan Olcott. the fourth floor of Clark Hall and often visit the department. who was one of the pioneers of the Daily staff writer.

Load more