In today’s busy Academic Senate session, the Senate made a declaration of noncompliance regarding the interim Time, Place, Manner (TPM) policy from the Chancellor’s Office, discussed measures to protect and support vulnerable groups in the wake of the general election and began an open discussion on why the on-campus child care services should be more affordable for faculty.

Academic Senate Declares Intention to Not Comply with the CSU’s Recent TPM Policy

Today’s session saw the Academic Senate pass a resolution to not comply with the recent systemwide CSU policy that they say suppresses free speech, limits academic freedom, and is already being used to silence dissent on campus.

This resolution was brought for a first reading at the previous meeting on November 5th, where Senator Koni Stone introduced it as being modeled after another CSU campus’ noncompliance policy which declares an intention to only enforce CSU Stanislaus’ local TPM policy instead.

Senator Marina Gerson concurred with the resolution’s sentiment, saying she felt the local policy, which was developed through the shared governance of both faculty and administration, allowed for an appropriate amount of freedom of expression.

“It allowed for there to be, sort of, planned events, but also that individuals could express themselves in the moment,” she said.

Senator and CFA Chapter President Dave Colnic followed up by saying that unions were also involved in the development of Stan State’s local policy, whereas they were not consulted on the recent interim policy’s implementation.

Colnic stated there are a number of unions who compose the faculty and staff of the CSU that have not agreed to the new system-wide TPM—such as the CFA, CSUEU, and the APC.

“It’s an imposed policy that is being used, in fact, to silence alternative voices on campuses throughout the system already,” Colnic said.

Colnic continued by saying that the CFA is in a meet and confer process with the Chancellor’s Office, a process which he is not involved in. However, Colnic said with confidence that the CFA will not agree to the policy as it is being currently imposed.

The resolution then returned to today’s Academic Senate session for a vote with no changes.

Senator Dana Nakano, before the vote, said that, if passed, Stan State would be the second campus in the CSU to issue their intent to not comply with the recent policy.

The Senate then unanimously voted to approve this resolution.

Given the complex relationship between shared governance’s authority and administration’s assumed responsibility to carry out the orders of the Chancellor’s Office, whether this resolution will affect how the TPM policy is enforced or not is unclear.

It is clear, however, that Stan State faculty largely opposes the Chancellor’s Office’s recent interim TPM policy.

Academic Senate Voices Support for Targeted and Vulnerable Groups in Response to Recent Election Results

Today’s meeting saw a resolution presented to the floor which, if passed, would declare the Senate’s intention to support documented and undocumented immigrants and their families, to advocate for LGBTQ+ students, staff and faculty and support continued access to reproductive healthcare for all.

“The Academic Senate of Stanislaus State shall purposefully work with the university, the Governor, and state and local legislature to support the humanity of all students, staff, and faculty,” the policy reads.

Senator Colnic spoke in favor of this resolution, reminding the body of the Trans Day of Remembrance event that is to take place at the Warrior Steps tomorrow, which memorializes transgender people who have lost their lives to hate-motivated violence.

“I don’t want to hear more names. Bottom line,” Colnic said.

Senator and UEPC Chair Perea-Ryan also supported the policy, stating that, as a Hispanic-serving institution, we should support our students who are stressed out over potential policy changes over immigration.

Faculty continued to voice their support, with Senator Emma Joy Jampole evoking an article she read about how the first transgender woman elected to the House of Representatives has had her access to the House of Representatives washrooms called into question.

She says that, given these national discussions around restricting people’s rights, and that she is a transgender person herself, she supports this resolution.

Senator Suzanne Whitehead also discussed how personal the issue of immigration and the threat of deportation is to her.

“In the end, after all is said in done, all we want is what’s best for us, our family, our friends, our colleagues,” she said, “As the mother of an adopted immigrant daughter, I feel this extremely more so than perhaps some others.”

ASI President Miranda Gonzalez then echoed the sentiments faculty had expressed, having heard a lot of concerns from students regarding the results of the recent election.

President Gonzalez then inquired into the possibility of, if this is passed, that materials and resources for targeted and vulnerable students to receive legal or emotional support could be distributed to all students campus-wide. Faculty in the room then nodded their head in support for the wide distribution of this message.

The resolution will return at the next Academic Senate session for a second reading and a vote.

Academic Senate Listens and Responds to Calls from Faculty to Make On-Campus Childcare More Affordable

Dr. Sofia Brizuela-Obando, an Assistant Professor in Agricultural Education, visited the Senate as a guest in today’s meeting to voice her concerns regarding faculty’s access to affordable on-campus childcare.

Brizuela-Obanda acknowledged Stan State’s Child Development Center as the best childcare center in a fifty mile radius, but stated that the current rate of $90 per day is too financially strenuous on faculty members who have children in need of childcare.

Brizuela-Obanda mentioned that, last year, ASI pushed for $25,000 to help students who require childcare pay for those services, but lamented that similar measures have not been pushed to help faculty who are struggling financially to pay for theirs.

Senator and ATLC Chair Ayuba Seidu spoke in support of Brizuela-Obando’s statements, having a baby on the way himself.

“Somehow, out there, something has to be done about it,” Seidu said, insisting that there has to be some kind of discount offered to faculty.

Senator Elaine Peterson elaborated on the importance of policy that makes childcare more affordable for faculty, explaining that there is a generational gap where the university is failing to pay younger faculty competitively, however, these younger faculty members need additional financial support and childcare services as they’re beginning to have families.

Peterson says that providing the Child Development Center’s services at a discounted rate would be a win-win incentive for prospective employees and would greatly serve to improve faculty retention.

Peterson continued to argue that the CFA should advocate for child care coverage in their next contract negotiation with CSU administration, and called on the FBAC to also make moves to distribute funding towards discounting faculty’s childcare costs.