Response from ES/GWS/AFAM collective to cuts from the Organizational Simplification component of Operational Excellence

To the Organizational Simplification Committee of Operational Excellence,

As a coalition of students from African American Studies, Gender & Women’s Studies and Ethnic Studies we are responding to the Operational Excellence Organizational Simplification Committee’s recent decision, under the direction of the Dean of Social Sciences, to employ a strategy of attrition to our departments by reducing the number of staff positions. Although these decisions do not explicitly target and impair our departments, we believe a cut of this magnitude will inevitably do just that. The claim that our departments can sustain a functional infrastructure without these people (their expertise, labor) is problematic. The implications of reduced FTEs are extensive; some of the most obvious of these include the decline of the quality of our curriculum, the strength of our departmental identities, and the ultimate possibility of dissolving our departments completely.

This coalition represents a collective student voice formed as a direct result of the clustering effects of the demands listed in the Organizational Simplification of the Social Science and the Reorganization of Units. We believe that the cuts made to our departments communicates a symbolic message to the larger UC Berkeley community that spaces on our campus concerned with transdisciplinary knowledge production occupy a tertiary position in the University's commitment to equity and inclusion. These spaces are important because they provide a space to develop language and critical praxis for women, LGBTQIA identified individuals, students of color and other marginalized communities on our campus. This is of particular relevance given the growing hostility towards similar program across the nation.

Furthermore, students, faculty and staff in these 3 departments embody a strong commitment to community service and recruitment and retention of underrepresented students. The campus diversity that is a result of this work is the hallmark of the University of California at Berkeley. However, this labor is currently invisible under the purview of Organizational Simplification. As a result, another unforeseen consequence of these cuts would be the decline in underrepresented populations on campus as these cuts undermine our ability to continue to serve as leaders in these efforts.

During the most recent Alliance meeting with Dean Carla Hesse of the Social Sciences, we were given a chart that provided the “data” on which the decision to cut staff positions was based. In regards to each department, the metrics were inaccurate and misleading. We have found numerous errors in the data sources that have been provided for us thus far. The decision to cut these positions, a decision based on irresponsible calculations, elucidates the Organizational Simplification Committee’s inability to adhere to its own basic principles. Please note that we are not writing this letter to demand special treatment. Instead we are calling for structural change in the design of Organizational Simplification program specifically, and the Operational Excellence at large.

In order to achieve operational excellence, we demand the following:



Demands from the Department of African American Studies

I. Of the 70 new faculty hires allocated next year, we demand that four of those new hires be designated to the Department of African American Studies.

II. Due to the consolidation of certain aspects of building operations we demand that our Informational Technology (IT) staff member be appointed to the projected Barrows IT Team. We also demand that our IT staff member be reinstated to 100% full-time position.

III. In light of the drastic cuts to all staff in the Department of African American Studies, our Office Manager is now responsible for African American Studies, Gender & Women’s Studies, and Ethnic Studies. We demand that appointments be restored to 100% FTE.

IV. In order to decrease the overall workload and stress on individual staff members, we demand that there be additional funding allocated for work-study positions in the Department of African American Studies. This will include the hiring and training of both undergraduate and graduate students (preferably students from the Departments of African American Studies/Ethnic Studies/Gender & Women’s Studies referred by the Multicultural Student Development).

Demands from the Department of Gender & Women’s Studies

I. We demand that the metrics deployed in the Fact Sheet Concerning the Organizational Simplification of the Social Science Division and the Reorganization of Units be recalculated based on the following data: Gender & Women’s Studies currently has 71 (not 42) enrolled Majors, 130 Designated Emphasis students and 30 Minors (left unmentioned).

II. We reject the decision to reduce our one and only Student Affairs Officer (SAO), Althea Grannum-Cummings' position by 50% as of July, 1 2011. We demand that Ms. Grannum-Cummings' position be restored to 100% full-time again.

III. We demand that the University commit to preserving a 100% Student Affairs Officer position both in the present moment and future of the Gender and Women's Studies Department.

Demands from the Department of Ethnic Studies

I. We demand that the metrics deployed in the Fact Sheet Concerning the Organizational Simplification of the Social Science Division and the Reorganization of Units be updated and recalculated. Upon close inspection of the statistics we have been provided, we have found numerous out-of-date or inaccurate calculations with regards to these cuts. For example, the current ratios presented do no account for the additional 2.0 staff FTEs that are yet to be replaced since 2009. This would bring the actual total layoffs to 4.5 (as opposed to 2.5) FTE positions in Ethnic Studies alone. Minors and Lecturers are also unaccounted for in the current ratios used to calculate staff workload.

II. We demand a reinstatement of these 4.5 FTE positions.

III. We demand that the department of Ethnic Studies, with its 4 programs in Asian American Studies, Native American Studies, Chican@ Studies, and Comparative Ethnic Studies, be recognized as a department with a target faculty of 24 FTE, with 6 FTE for each individual major program. The current metric used for calculations is 18, which does not honor the omega figure provided by an Ethnic Studies external review, where it is made clear that 24 faculty members are needed for Ethnic Studies to serve as a functional department in the division of Social Sciences.

Collective demands from the Departments of African American Studies, Gender & Women’s Studies and Ethnic Studies

I. Furthermore, in order to ensure transparency and an effective student voice in the OE process, we demand departmental student representation and decision making power on the OE committee(s) that specifically affects the social sciences. Students will have a democratic process of electing those representatives.

II. As a coalition the students of each department are in full support of each demand stated in this letter. We reject the cuts made at present. We demand the reinstatement of all our staff members, the 100% full-time positions for our staff members and the University’s commitment to preserving 100% staff positions both in the present moment and in the future.

We expect a response by March 28, 2011.

Signed,

The Coalition for Gender and Women’s Studies, African American Studies and Ethnic Studies

Sign the petition and end Layoffs of UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Staff Employees!

Please sign this petition to end the Layoffs and Cuts!!!!

http://www.change.org/petitions/no-layoffs-of-uc-berkeley-ethnic-studies-staff-employees
http://www.change.org/petitions/no-layoffs-of-uc-berkeley-ethnic-studies-staff-employees
http://www.change.org/petitions/no-layoffs-of-uc-berkeley-ethnic-studies-staff-employees

for more information on what's going on and to see the fact sheet relating to cuts and restructurings of ES/GWS/AFAM, please CLICK HERE!!

isang bagsak!

Pilipin@s at Cal (1994 – Present)

What's going on??

2011 marks another pivotal year for the Pilipin@ community @ Cal. The community faces a situation similar to that facing Pilipin@s at Cal in 1994. Some of the issues include:

• 45% drop in Pilipin@ freshman fall enrollment since 2008,
• threats to the autonomy of the Multicultural Student Development offices and other student services that cater to our community,
• uncertainty about the Multicultural Community Center's future,
• Threats to Asian American Studies/Ethnic Studies/GWS/AFAM,
  

Other important facts:

• 2010 marks the lowest number of incoming Pilipin@ students (by %) since 1998. This represents a regression to the crisis years of 1995-1996.
• 2010 marks the lowest number of Pilipin@s @ Cal since 2001
• Again, since 2008, there has been a 45% drop in Pil freshman fall enrollment.

Fact Sheet:

If you missed the admissions forum last semester, please take the time to check out the fact sheet attached to this post, which compares our current situation to crises from years past. If the files are too small to read just click on the pics to make them bigger! :)


A little background for the fact sheet:
In 1985, Pilipin@s were made guinea pigs by the University of California: they were removed from Student Affirmative Action (SAA) because they had allegedly reached parity. Since their removal from SAA, Pilipin@ recruitment and retention efforts have been extended across the state out of necessity by members of the student community.

Recently announced: Cuts and Restructuring of Ethnic Studies / African American Studies / Gender and Womyn’s Studies

As some of you may know, it was recently released that Ethnic Studies / Gender and Womyn's Studies / African American Studies Departments are all receiving cuts and restructurings. Here is some more information via the GWS/AFAM/ES undergaduate alliance:


WHAT HAS HAPPENED???

What we know:
It has been released that the Ethnic Studies, African American Studies, and Gender and Womyn’s Studies departments will have their budget’s clustered into one budget bracket with regards to budgets for staff members of the departments. As a result of this clustering, staff members have been cut across the three departments.

What we don’t know:
* What was the logic behind this clustering?
* Why was there not more extensive research done and consultation with faculty of the department to assess the impact of this cut?
* ES is a Family. With previous cuts to the ES department, faculty and staff were always consulted and decisions were reached collectively. Why were faculty and staff not notified prior as to this process?
* What was the process for making this decision? Questions about Transparancy and Accountability to decisions.
* More information on the metrics used to calculate Faculty FTE to Staff ratios.


The departments are affected as follows:
* Ethnic Studies: Four Staff members in Ethnic Studies have been Cut. One Staff position was laid off directly, and three staff members recieved 50% Cuts
* GWS: The Sole Advisor to Gender and Womyn’s Studies was cut to 50%
* AFAM: At least one key member of the department has been cut to 50%

All of these staff positions were notified in late February, the cuts and layoffs to take effect in April, when the budget recycles for the upcoming year. This is less than 2 months away.

Why these cuts, why now??
These cuts to ES/AFAM/GWS are a direct result of the University’s “Operational Excellence” initiative.
* UC Berkeley contracted Bain & Company to consult about how to effectively maximize the efficiency of the UC Berkeley budget. They came up with Operational Excellence.
* “Operational Excellence (OE) is a campuswide program designed to ensure that the excellence of UC Berkeley’s administrative environment matches its research and teaching, and to direct the maximum level of resources to our core mission of teaching, research, and public service. Our aim is to reduce the cost and complexity of administrative operations, creating an environment that allows all members of the campus community to do their best work” oe.berkeley.edu
* Operational Excellence is dedicated “to cutting waste in campus operations, boosting their effectiveness — and reducing administrative costs by at least $75 million a year. http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/09/02/pisano/
* for more information visit oe.berkeley.edu

things to be considered:
1. Ethnic Studies, GWS, and AFAM have been cut before. This is only one iteration in a history of cuts to the departments.
2. These cuts represent about a ⅓ cut to the current Ethnic Studies staff at UC Berkeley.
3. The staff in these departments already work overtime to cover cuts. Who will remain, and what support will they have to pick up work in areas which they may not have formal training or feel comfortable?
4. The metrics used to make these decisions fail to take into account a “diversity index” that accounts for underrepresentation, and the work that these staff do beyond their job descriptions to support students from traditionally marginalized communities--they organize events, workshops, outreaches, etc. to support underrepresented students and student communities. They are the face of diversity at Cal.
5. We view these cuts to ES/GWS/AFAM not only within a historical context, but a present day national and global context. Around the country, these departments have been specifically targeted for removal in Arizona, Florida, Texas, and in certain Cal State programs in California, etc.

Now that GWS, Af. AM and ES are all under same budget, we can take this opportunity to rally together and increase our communication across departments. Much love to the ES, GWS, and AFAM family.

This has been produced by,

the newly (in)formed,

GWS AF. AM and ES Undergraduate Alliance

Keeping our Multicultural Community Center @ UCB -- Fill out the survey!!

Keep the MCC on campus, fill out this survey!!

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFVsMG82WWI0aEZ2QXV0YlhNZXNiQ3c6MQ

Hello community members!!
The Multicultural Community Center needs your help! From the first demands made during the 1999 twLF hunger strike for a permanent multicultural center to our move into Heller Lounge, to developments in staff and programming in the past couple of years, the Multicultural Community Center (MCC) has always been a space of student activism and community struggle.

However, our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), a legal agreement between the constituents/stakeholders of MCC and the University to ensure that the MCC remains a presence on Berkeley's campus, is expiring this semester. This means that despite all these histories of struggle, we are still not guaranteed a space or any funding past this semester.

The MCC staff and others are continuing the fight and are in the process of renegotiating a new MOU to make sure that we stay on campus for the next 10 years during lower sproul re-development. As our family of community members and student organizations continues to flourish, we also need to advocate for our space and capacity to grow. As part of that family, please fill out this survey:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFVsMG82WWI0aEZ2QXV0YlhNZXNiQ3c6MQ

your honest answers will contribute to our new MOU by providing constructive feedback for us to incorporate into the negotiations process. To find more about the history of MCC or how to collaborate with us on your events, please visit the MCC website at mcc.berkeley.edu and watch the trailer above.

Much love community!!

Veteran's Equity Now!!

VETERAN'S EQUITY!!! How can you help???

www.petitiononline/pilveteq/

For over 60 years, Pilipin@s have fought for their benefits! Support the Filipino Veteran's Fairness Act! Sign the online petition

www.petitiononline/pilveteq/

and make a phone call to your local representative and urge them to support the bill!!! Also, if you are a UC Berkeley Student, come to Senate Chambers @ 9:00pm Weds February 16th, to pressure the ASUC to take a stand on Veteran's Equity.

What do you know about your Veteranos?

Q: There were Filipinos serving in the US Army during WWII?
Yes! Depending on what source you look at, there were approximately 200,000-250,000 Filipinos Serving in the US Military during WWII. Some were in the all-Pilipino Batallions of the US Military, others were part of Philippine troops. It is estimated, according to Ago Pedalizo, president of the Justice for Filipino-American Veterans, that there are 50,000 surviving Filipino veterans today.

Q: What do you mean, they don't have benefits?

For the over 60 years since Pilipino Veterans of WWII served as in the US Military, they have been denied equal access to benefits afforded to all other WWII veterans.
What does this mean and why is this? In 1944 the GI Bill of rights was passed which granted full benefits to all that served in World War II, "irrespective of race, color or nationality." However, 2 years later, the Reciscion act of 1946 removed Filipino's "active duty" status when it came to any U.S. law concerning “rights, privileges, or benefits." This meant that out of the 66 Nationalities/Ethnicities listed under the 1944 GI Bill of Rights, Filipinos who had served bravely and honorably now had no access to healthcare, education loans, home loans, monthly stipends, burial in a national cemetery, etc. In addition, family members of Filipinos who served in WWII have no rights to posthomous benefits accessible by other US Veterans. This lack of access continues to this day.

Q: But I thought that part of Obama's Stimulus Package granted the Veteran@'s their benefits!

Actually, when President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA), part of the legislation did provide for a one-time payment of $15,000 for Filipino
veterans living in the US and $9,000 for veterans in the Philippines. However, due to strict eligibility periods and unrealistic documentation requirements, only about 30% of claims from Filipino Veterans were found eligible. Because of this a class action suit was filed in 2010. Even more, Veterans who did recieve payment under the ARRA unknowingly waived all rights to future payments, including benefits listed above such as healthcare, monthly pensions and burial in a national cemetery.

Q: What can I do about this??

A: In early January, 2011 Representative Speier from San Mateo/San Francisco District
introduced a bill entitled the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act to the US House of Representatives This Act is directly in the language that community organizations and members have been advocating for over 20 years. The act, if passed would repeal the Recision act of 1946, and finally grant our Veteranos and their families full access to benefits, albeit 60 years too late.
What you can do is sign an online petition (to be released soon), call Representative Speier to congratulate her and urge her to continue to push for the bill (she needs our community support!), and call your other representatives to urge them to vote for the bill!

for even more information, take a look at:

http://www.filamako.com/2011/01/filipino-veterans-fairness-act-of-2011/

http://www.bakitwhy.com/articles/equity-under-filipino-veterans-fairness-act-2011

http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_17061911?nclick_check=1

much much love!

Veteran's Equity Now!!

Inauguration of the Pilipin@ Student

Hey yall! This is my new blog. It's meant to serve as a newsletter for the Pilipin@ community here at Cal. Back in the 1920's, Pilipin@ students came together to publish a newsleter called "The Filipino Student." It touched upon issues facing Pilipin@'s on campus and back home, and served as central to the politicization of that community. As such, I hope we can revive their vision, give the concept a face-lift and outfit it with a "P" and an "@" for a Pemenist/Womanist touch, and put it online! Please feel free to email me posts of events that directly relate to Pilipin@ history or issues, or any type of posts relating to campus issues, life and politics that affect our community! I'll put it up right away!! I'll also update the blog weekly, to let folks know what's going on in the ASUC!

much love yall,

Alex