Dear SBFA members,
This Fall, our traditional message of “Welcome to a New Academic Year” comes late and in dark times for the world. We grieve the loss of Israeli and Palestinian life since Hamas’ horrific attack on October 7 and Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza in response. In times of acute crisis, campus communities become vital sites for analyzing and discussing the history and context of the issues underlying the crisis. Emotions and political passions also run high among students and faculty. SBFA’s mission is to defend academic freedom, the expertise of faculty, and free speech. We supported and distributed CUCFA’s letter of November 16 because it reminded university administrators that their role is not to make sweeping statements but to protect and uphold the principles of academic freedom by allowing uninhibited exchange on often conflicting and controversial positions.
Following a majority vote of the Faculty Association chapters, CUCFA sent a letter on October 30 to UC President Michel Drake and the Regents objecting to unreasonable increases of 15-193% in health benefit costs. Since then, 1,600 faculty members have signed on to the letter, with 400 faculty members writing testimonials about how the sudden, drastic increases in health benefit costs will affect them and their families and their ability to carry out the teaching and research that sustains UC. Many also objected to the lack of consultation and notice. Thanks to the many UCSB faculty who signed the letter and contributed to the testimonials. CUCFA sent those 1600 signatures and a selection of the often wrenching testimonials to President Drake and the Regents on November 12 before the Regents meeting. Recognizing that faculty have far greater clout when allied with labor, CUCFA joined a letter from the UC Union Coalition to demand that the UC Regents stop passing on cost increases to employees, include unions in healthcare plan negotiations, and be transparent about negotiations between the University and its own health systems to protect from self-dealing.
We are also witnessing a time of significant wins for collective bargaining organizations. The successful strikes of the Writers, Actors, and Automotive unions have struck a decisive blow to those who had predicted the end of the workers’ rights movement. They come on the heels of the historic and successful negotiations by our Unit 18 lecturers’ union in 2021 and the graduate students’ union strike in 2022. The latter, however, has also proven to us that UCOP will not hesitate to let individual campuses and faculty bear the financial consequences of their labor agreements. This is why CUCFA and SBFA are now integrated into local and system-wide Labor Coalitions, participate in a new national labor federation called Higher Education Labor United (HELU), and we have created a new position of Vice-President for Labor Relations held by the previous SBFA President Eileen Boris.
Along with Eileen, we also welcome our old and new SBFA officers: Claudio Fogu (President), Laila Shereen Sakr (Vice President for Communications), and Harold Marcuse (Treasurer). Charmaine Chua, Suma Ikeuchi, Kalju Khan, and Constance Penley complete our executive board. As usual, you can contact us at ucsbfa@gmail.com.
Your executive board looks forward to meeting you to hear and discuss your concerns. Since several of us are on sabbatical this fall, our next member gathering will be on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 4 pm (place TBA). Given all of the issues facing us now, from graduate funding and health care to challenges to academic freedom, we hope we will have a good turnout. Please stay tuned for more information about the gathering.
We end our welcome with a small incentive. Our local Isla-Vista Food Co-op–the only one in Santa Barbara County!–has offered a 5% discount to UCSB FA members who shop there and 500 bonus points for becoming a member. The Co-op participates in many UCSB campus events, employs many of our students, and reinvests in the community.
We hope you finish the teaching term strong and have a relaxing and/or productive holiday break.
Sincerely,
The UCSBFA Executive Board
Claudio Fogu (French and Italian) – President
E-mail: claudiofogu@ucsb.edu
Eileen Boris (Feminist Studies) – Vice President for Labor Relations
E-mail: eboris@ucsb.edu
Laila Shereen Sakr (Film and Media) – Vice President for Communications
E-mail: lailashereensakr@ucsb.edu
Harold Marcuse (Department of History) – Treasurer
E-mail: marcuse@history.ucsb.edu
Charmaine Chua (Global Studies)
E-mail: charmainechua@ucsb.edu
Suma Ikeuchi (East Asian Languages & Cultural Studies)
Email: sikeuchi@ucsb.edu
Kalju Kahn (Chemistry)
E-mail: kalju@chem.ucsb.edu
Constance Penley (Department of Film and Media Studies)
Email: cpenley@ucsb.edu
