As the country mourns the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we in the BFA reaffirm our commitment to racial justice and the delivery of high-quality education for all – values inscribed in our public mission. This was the resounding conclusion of the BFA Board Meeting last Tuesday. We concurred that maintaining such commitments, in the face of the crises facing the university, will require solidarity with unions on campus, especially the lecturers, represented by UC-AFT, and graduate student instructors, represented by the UAW. It will require forging bonds with our students. We need to protect those who are at once among the most vulnerable to economic downturns and among the most important to the teaching mission.
But it also entails vigilant attention to the campus’ finances. We were recently surprised, for example, to discover the relatively low allocation to Berkeley of a low-interest loan from UCOP. Of the 10 campuses, only Santa Cruz ($40m) received less than Berkeley ($72m), while UCLA received $427m. Is Berkeley’s administration simply being more cautious? Or are we already so deeply in debt, from past indiscretions, that we cannot take on a heavier debt burden? The data can be found on the last page of an informative communication from Kum-Kum Bhavnani, outgoing Chair of the systemwide Academic Senate. We will need every possible resource to cope with the austerity that will descend upon us before the year is out.
Michael Burawoy and Celeste Langan for the Board of the Berkeley Faculty Association.