Over the next two weeks, the faculty will be voting on a change in the Academic Senate bylaws that will reduce student representation on the Academic Senate by close to 60%.

Our accomplished and distinguished faculty has shown an unwavering commitment to the growth and development of our students.  We are inspired by the lessons they teach and we are led by the examples they set.  Our hope is to bring distinction to our alma mater and highlight the inclusive campus community where students, faculty, staff and alumni form an open and vibrant learning ecosystem.

If this ballot item were to pass, it threatens to take our university in a very different direction.

The Associated Students have been working with student leaders, faculty, and staff in order to align with the values of inclusiveness and collaboration that will ensure we have a lasting positive impact on the lives of those we touch.  We have examined the past in an effort to identify where we need solutions in order to move forward.

My priority this year is to break through walls that keep us apart so we can pool our resources and find strength in our unity.

I urge the faculty to work directly with the students and so we can engage each other in building on our joint victories and learning from our past disconnects.  This ballot item to reduce student representation will only make it more difficult for the faculty and the students to come together on issues concerning both our futures. This is a critical juncture in setting the tone for how we approach the coming year.

The campus community is exploring opportunities to redefine how our university moves forward to achieve, with distinction, our common purpose and mission.  The times are changing and we’ll be better served to face the challenges ahead together to define a plan that values the contributions we make in each other’s lives.

I end my plea with our university values which was defined in 2007 by the Academic Planning Taskforce which included ten of our highly respected faculty along-side the then CIO, VP PEM, ASI President.

The University values learning in an academic environment that is inclusive and student-centered.  We value engagement in the civic, cultural and economic life of the communities we serve ~~ locally, regionally, and globally.  We value critical and creative thinking, effective communication, ethical decision-making, and multi-cultural competence.  We value the open exchange of ideas and viewpoints.

I thank the faculty for their thoughtful consideration of ballot item FUFM_1.  I look forward to increased collaborations between the students of Cal State East Bay and our faculty.