It’s time to take stock of the academic year that was, with a few highlights from our Annual Report. Events have been taken over by Covid-19, whose repercussions are still unraveling, sending the university into a tailspin. All the gains made by the university over the last three years have been thrown into reverse. Other issues have been pushed aside: the COLA strike at UCSC and other campuses, financial reform, review of administrative units, public private partnerships, discriminatory health care.
The BFA organized two meetings to discuss criteria for selecting the new UC President who might be announced this week and had a very lively discussion of the future of the public university. Throughout the year, we have posted a Monday newsletter with commentary and news coverage. In recent weeks, we have taken a series of positions on issues related to the interweaving crises of health, economy, police, and racism, especially as they relate to the university. As the university administration makes painful decisions, the BFA will have to be especially vigilant. We depend on our members to raise issues to which we should pay attention, and we look forward to continue to hear from you.
In these times of radical uncertainty, our membership is climbing. We are sad to lose two stalwart members of the BFA Board, Lyn Hejinian and Seth Holmes, but we are lucky to replace them with two new members, Debarati Sanyal (French) and Alastair Iles (ESPM). We now have 17 Board Members, including 6 officers.
Finally, we are seeking to change one of our by-laws. According to Article V, Section VII nomination of additional Board Members by the membership requires a petition from 15 BFA members. The Board thinks this is excessive and proposes to reduce the number of petitioners from 15 to 5. Members will be asked to vote on the amendment.
It will be especially important to continue our newsletter, That Was the Week That Was, throughout the summer as we expect critical decisions to be announced in the coming weeks. So be on the lookout, and don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
Michael Burawoy and Celeste Langan for the Board of the Berkeley Faculty Association