In Tuesday’s Academic Senate meeting, the Senate discussed the details of upcoming labor action, passed resolutions in support of LGBTQ+ and undocumented students and condemning the CSU’s tuition increases with overwhelming majorities, and passed a resolution that would approve the honorary naming of a classroom after the late mathematics professor Dr. Viji Sundar.
Committee Reports
Two significant items were addressed during this session’s committee reports. The first was a report from the Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC) that the College of Business and Administration passed a vote of no confidence in regards to their current Dean.
The second was a report from the California Faculty Association (CFA) about four planned one-day strikes at other CSUs and disputing an HR letter which implied the faculty could not show public support for the Teamsters union.
The news of the vote of no confidence was broken by FAC Chair Dr. Dana Nakano, who then deferred to Senator Alfred Petrosky to explain the situation.
Senator Petrosky said that tenured and tenure-track faculty from the college passed the vote of no confidence by an overwhelming majority.
This vote opens up an investigation into the dispute between the college and its Dean and the senator said he’s not at liberty to go into the details of said dispute at this time.
Senator Dave Colnic then, in his CFA report, said the CFA Board of Directors had approved four one-day strikes at different CSUs on December 3, 4, 5, and 7.
The universities these strikes will take place at are, in order: Cal Poly Pomona, San Francisco State, Cal State Los Angeles, and Sacramento State.
“If this strike does not work, expect there to be others, including at Stan State,” Colnic said. “We have the resolve. We have the right.”
He said that further strikes might be averted depending on if a compromise can be reached during the upcoming 10-day negotiations that will take place behind closed doors following the completion of the neutral 3rd-party’s fact-finding report.
Senator Colnic also addressed an HR letter with language that implied faculty could not show public support for the Teamsters or join them on the picket line. 
Colnic said that this is not true, and read it as an attempt to intimidate the faculty. He said that the administration has no authority to tell faculty not to support other unions.
Sense of the Senate Resolutions on DACA, Tuition Hikes, and an Affirmation of Support for LGBTQ+ People
In the Signal’s coverage of the October 18th Academic Senate meeting, it was reported that these three Sense of the Senate resolutions were in the works by the FAC.
The details of these resolutions can be found in that article, as the language of the resolutions on DACA and support for LGBTQ+ people remain the same.
The only language that was changed was in the Senate’s condemnation of the tuition hikes, where justification was added about why they feel the tuition increase is unnecessary and evidence that the CSU can support itself without the additional revenue was included as well.
The primary argument being that the CSU’s reserves have grown at a rapid pace of $1 billion a year for a number of years, from $3.5 billion to $8.5 billion. The CSU has reported operating at a cash surplus for many years.
Both the DACA and tuition hike resolutions were passed unanimously, while the affirmation of support for LGBTQ+ people was passed with two abstentions.
Honorary Naming of a Classroom after Dr. Viji Sundar
ATLC Chair Cassandra Drake introduced a resolution which would approve honoring room 103 in the Science 1 Building as the “Dr. Sundar Active Learning Classroom.”
Dr. Viji Sundar served for 42 years at CSU Stanislaus for the department of mathematics. During that time, Senator Drake reports, she established a large number of educational programs to promote equitable access to education.
She reported Dr. Sundar as having an “infectious, positive spirit.”
The motion to approve the honorary naming passed unanimously.