The theme was "got classes?" and the message was clear.
With police officers standing by, one student after another took to the open mic, expressing how the class cuts were impacting not just themselves but their families and communities.
As the "free speech hour" drew to a close, participants decided to take their message beyond approved confines and marched to President Raj K. Chopra's office, where police blocked their way.
Student leadership says this rally is just the beginning.
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Thats crap, now teachers who attended the rally are being suspended!!
ReplyDeleteAnyone who thinks that you can intimidate college students into not protesting injustice is in for a surprise.
ReplyDeleteThe college's president gets IN THE WAY of education at SWC!
ReplyDeletesad sad sad...
ReplyDeleteMy Grossmont College department does not let full-timers teach overload (not sure if this is a department or college decision).
WHY do SWC full-timers feel the need to teach 7 classes per semester and deprive adjunct such as myself (16 yrs at SWC, freeway flyer who has been cut at all 3 of my schools) of classes?
GREED.....
These are difficult times, please Full-Time Faculty, do not be greedy
Faculty are not being greedy. There are laws governing the College ratio of full vs part-time. We got hit at audit for having too many part-time faculty.
ReplyDeleteNow Jean Roesch is sending out an email addressed to the "College Community" claiming that the rally is not the focus of the investigation but "safety and security concerns after the rally had concluded." Is this a case of tell a big enough lie and they'll believe you? Or is it an attempt to poison the well? I think it's an attempt to prepare the public for the lie they're concocting.
ReplyDeleteFaculty are certainly NOT being greedy. We are taking pay cuts via no summer classes or overload (which many of us have created classes so that part-timers will have classes to teach). I have personally created numerous classes that I cannot teach and gladly give to part-timer so that they can have their income. ( I was an adjunct too and can sympathize with the feelings of job uncertainties).
ReplyDeleteGrossmont College district may have different rules or policies, different pay scales, and other options. Additionally, most of us rely on the summer pay to feed our families too (many of us are single parents with no other viable means of support). We opted to not have any overload in the Spring 2010 semester so that the part-timers would have jobs.
We were also penalized for having too many part-timers compared to the full-time staff from the state. That says something about the integrity for part-timers having a strong support system here at Southwestern College. I don't know of any other college who is providing such strong support and jobs for their part-time colleagues.
Southwestern College has cut 25% of its classes for the upcoming Spring semester. President Raj Chopra has accepted and kept a raise that amounts to 15000. a year. Neither classified staff nor faculty have been offered so much as cost of living. Many adjunct professors have lost their positions....And now President Chopra is paying substitutes to teach the classes the suspended professors are not being allowed to teach. The college is also paying for attorney's fees and associated cost for Miller Brown and Dannis Law firm to try and support the baseless "criminal" charges the college is threatening the professors with. Needless to say, this is money that could have been spent on providing classes for students.
ReplyDeleteNote this: Penal Code 626,6b from the same law the college is using to stifle the freedom of speech and assembly of students and faculty says:
ReplyDelete" (b) The provisions of this section shall not be utilized to
impinge upon the lawful exercise of constitutionally protected rights
of freedom of speech or assembly."
626.6 is a different code. It applies only to people who aren't employees, students, etc. They cited 626.4, which is broader.
ReplyDeleteswc students need to stand up and fight for whats right. i know our students will stand up and fight for what we believe in.
ReplyDelete