March 7, 2024
To: President Berenecea Johnson Eanes
CC: Interim Provost Amy Bippus, AVP for Faculty Affairs Elizabeth Heise, Cal State LA college deans, department chairs, and the Academic Senate
As members of the California Faculty Association at Cal State Los Angeles (CFA-LA) we are calling on you to fully and immediately reverse the Fall 2024 course cuts and job losses. We say, let students learn, and let Lecturers live. We are highly concerned that Cal State LA administrators are requiring at least 10% course cuts across several university colleges. Interim Provost Amy Bippus – known on our campus as an architect of austerity when it comes to instruction – has demanded that department chairs and program directors must cut sections and entire course offerings, resulting in the loss of numerous Lecturer faculty positions for the fall 2024 semester to, as we understand, Colleges of Arts & Letters, Ethnic Studies, Health & Human Services, and Natural & Social Sciences. It is unclear if this instruction was given to other colleges or departments, due to the lack of transparent communication from Faculty and Academic Affairs. Chairs have been instructed to gut our curricula and simply “approve course substitutions” for students needing to graduate, thereby damaging the integrity of our curriculum – an area that is the exclusive purview of the faculty.
While Interim Provost Bippus has informed chairs that Academic Affairs is facing an $800,000 deficit, she is requiring cuts of at least $1.75 million over the next year. Even more cuts are threatened after we get a better understanding of student enrollment numbers later this spring. These cuts will have dire academic and human consequences. In addition, instead of allowing chairs to schedule classes as they usually do for the Fall, Interim Provost Bippus is requiring them to adopt a corporate-style “Just In Time” model of course scheduling where new courses may only be opened after another section fills and enough students pile up on waiting lists to justify its opening. This will mean that some faculty will not learn they have classes until days before the semester begins, and students – who are already facing widespread mental health crises – will have a more anxious experience of trying to register for classes.
Cal State LA administrators must support the core mission of the CSU: providing high-quality public education to California's students. Administrative cuts to courses will have a disastrous effect on our students' ability to excel and graduate with timeliness and ease. We call for a reversal of the recent cuts, a moratorium on further course cancellations, as well as the establishment of pedagogically appropriate class sizes that directly support student success.
In addition, Cal State LA is the only CSU campus that forces its students to pay for their classes in full before they can register. Even though many students receive Pell Grants and other financial aid support, this may not cover the entire cost of their tuition and fees. Due to this discriminatory practice, Cal State LA students are limited to enroll in courses, not only impacts their ability to take courses needed to graduate and their quality of education, it causes an unnecessary burden for students and families to take on additional jobs, unnecessary student loans and in some cases abandon their goals for higher education. We see this reflected in demographic enrollment data. In addition to the physical and tangible stress this causes, students’ mental health also takes a toll.
With the cuts already made to the Fall 2024 course schedule, numerous Lecturers are set to lose most or all of their class, which will also mean a loss of healthcare. This is even happening to many long-term Lecturers on three-year contracts who have been teaching on campus for decades. Prioritizing support for the core mission of Cal State LA – which is student-centered instruction – necessitates that our faculty are also protected in their work and their access to health insurance.
We believe you have a choice, and it is not too late to change course. There are alternatives to massive job loss, the reduction of our curricular offerings, and their negative consequences.
Restore Courses to the Schedule: You can restore the already cut courses to GET and ensure that the Lecturer faculty members who would usually teach those courses have them. Chairs are in the process of scrambling to produce new austerity course schedules for Fall; you can call on them to cease that work and return to the original schedules they built.
Reduce Class Sizes: Class enrollments have been steadily increasing for decades, making it more difficult to establish good learning relationships with students. Now is the time to recommit to quality education. Reducing course caps by ⅓ would result in more sections, more employment for Lecturer faculty, and a richer educational experience for our students. Courses at Cal State Long Beach in comparable departments are capped at 32 whereas Cal State LA caps at 40. You can make the student-centered choice, too, and reduce course sizes.
Budget Transparency: For years under Covino’s leadership, the budget has grown increasingly opaque and inaccessible, as administrative bloat has grown, tenure density has declined, and spending on instruction constitutes a shrinking minority of our campus budget (hovering around 37 or 38 percent). Covino, too, touted transparency as he practiced the opposite. You have an opportunity to walk the transparency talk, and engage faculty in conversations about how to fund instruction, as our main priority as a teaching university. Can we get to 50% of our funds spent on instruction, as a comprehensive teaching university? Can you lead the CSU in achieving this goal?
Relieve administrative bloat (chop from the top): If any cuts must be made, they should start from the top. We call on administrators to impose, or voluntarily, take a 10% pay cut to make up for some of the deficit Interim Provost Bippus is claiming to exist. Budgets are moral documents, and with great privilege comes great responsibility. On a campus where those who teach the most (Lecturers) make the least and often struggle to pay the rent, we call on those who teach the least and are paid to most to bear the 10% cut, rather than passing it onto Lecturers upon whom students depend for education, letters of recommendation, mentorship and beyond.
Student Registration: Allow students to enroll in classes without restriction or limitation of full payment at the beginning of the semester, and extend payment deadlines to a later date in the semester, as is already a practice done by the other 22 CSU campuses.
The CSU has the financial resources to protect Lecturer faculty jobs and student access to learning. Currently, the Chancellor’s Office has over $8.5-billion stored in investment accounts, and several billion more in reserves. Instead of claiming austerity, Cal State LA should use its own reserves or ask for support from the CO to cover potential deficits. Lecturers’ livelihood and student learning are on the line. Commit to ask for support from the Chancellor’s Office before one Lecturer under your leadership loses their livelihood.
We still believe the CSU is the "People's University." President Eanes, we ask that you materially demonstrate your support for the aims and goals of this institution: to offer the students – who are the future leaders of our city – the best education, tools, and preparation so that they may successfully navigate the challenges of our times and innovate new solutions towards a healthy, prosperous, and socially just community.
Sincerely,
The undersigned faculty at Cal State LA
1. Anthony Ratcliff, Associate Professor, Pan-African Studies
2. Leda Ramos, Lecturer, Chicana(o) & Latina (o) Studies
3. Dmitri Seals, Lecturer, Sociology / LEEAF
4. Theresa Yugar, Lecturer, Chicana/o and Latina/o
5. Claudia Mercado, Lecturer, CLS
6. Molly Talcott, Full Professor, Sociology
7. Norma Aceves, Lecturer. CLS and English
8. Deborah Brown, Lecturer, Pan-African Studies
9. oliverio rodriguez, Associate Professor, Art
10. Debito Beamer, Lecturer, POLS
11. Roseann Giarrusso, Full Professor, Sociology
12. Paul Cheng, Lecturer, English/Asian & Asian American Studies
13. Vanessa Stout, Associate Professor, Sociology
14. Melanie Stagnaro, Lecturer, Sociology
15. Robin Dodds, Associate Professor, Special Education & Counseling
16. Dinur Blum, Lecturer, Sociology
17. Miguel Zavala, Associate Professor, Curriculum & Instruction
18. Analena Hope Hassberg, Associate Professor, Sociology
19. Jason Chiu, Assistant Professor, Asian and Asian American Studies
20. Luis Nuño, Assistant Professor, Sociology
21. Libby Lewis, Assistant Professor, Sociology & Pan African Studies
22. Tanya Sanabria, Assistant Professor, Sociology
23. Charity Perry, Lecturer, Sociology
24. Lettycia Terrones, Assistant Librarian, University Library
25. Carlos Tejeda, Full Professor, Educational Foundations
26. Scott Wells, Full Professor, History Department
27. Angela Vergara-Marshall, Full Professor, History
28. Christina Acosta, Lecturer, CLS
29. Elena Coleman, Lecturer, Pan African Studies
30. Gabriela Fried, Full Professor, Sociology and Latin American Studies
31. Dawn Amber Dennis, Lecturer, History
32. Timothy Doran, Associate Professor, History
33. Christopher Harris, Full Professor, English
34. John Donovan, Lecturer, History
35. Ericka Verba, Full Professor, Latin American Studies
36. Benito Solis, Lecturer, English
37. Afshin Matin-asgari, Full Professor, History
38. Michael Calabrese, Full Professor, English
39. Karla Cativo, Lecturer, Latin American Studies / Chicano Latino Studies
40. Jimena Laso Baine, Lecturer, Latin American Studies
41. Cynthia Alonso, Lecturer, Chicana/o Latina/o studies
42. Mark Wild, Full Professor, History
43. Verónica Reyes, Lecturer, English
44. Aaron Sonnenschein, Full Professor, Anthropology
45. Gabriela Rodriguez, Lecturer, Latin American Studies
46. Katie Dingeman, Associate Professor, Sociology
47. Radi Jishi, Full Professor, Physics and Astronomy
48. Gabriela Simon-Cereijido, Full Professor Communication Disorders
49. SHWETA ADUR, Associate Professor, SOCIOLOGY
50. Danelle Dyckhoff Stelzriede, Assistant Professor, English/First-Year Writing
51. Sara Pugach, Full Professor, History
52. Enrique C Ochoa, Full Professor, Latin American Studies and History
53. Chris Endy, Full Professor, History
54. Karine Le Bris, Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy
55. Judy Corey, Lecturer, History
56. Tom Alvarez, Lecturer, History
57. Wai Kit Choi, Full Professor, AAAS and Sociology
58. Ping Yao, Full Professor, History
59. Erica Ellis, Associate Professor, Communication Disorders
60. Franz Metcalf, Lecturer, Religious Studies
61. William Rosales, Associate Professor, Sociology
62. Veronica Gonzalez, Assistant Professor, COE C&I
63. Allison Mattheis, Full Professor, Applied & Advanced Studies in Education
64. Adrienne Walser, Lecturer, English
65. Daniel Lambert, Lecturer, English
66. Paola Marin, Full Professor, Modern Languages
67. Nicole Arslan, Lecturer, English
68. Jennifer McCormick, Full Professor, Curriculum & Instruction
69. Ezekiel Joubert, Assistant Professor, AASE
70. Kate Maruyama, Lecturer, English/Creative Writing
71. Pedro Reyes, Lecturer, CLS Department
72. Christine Danelski, Lecturer, English Department
73. Oscar Bernal, Full Professor, Physics
74. Chuck Flores, Assistant Professor, AASE
75. David Ramos, Lecturer, Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies
76. Sarah Minslow, Assistant Professor, English
77. Beth Baker, Full Professor, Anthropology
78. Margaret Lazzarini, Assistant Professor, Physics & Astronomy
79. Kelly Opdycke, Lecturer, WGSS
80. Pau Abustan, Assistant Professor, WGSS
81. May Fu, Associate Professor, Department of Asian and Asian American Studies
82. Rebecca Joseph, Full Professor, Curriculum and instruction.
83. Carrie Adase, Lecturer, Nutrition and Food Science
84. Meredith Zhang, Assistant Professor, Sociology
85. Jasmine Tom, Lecturer, Dept of Nutrition and Food Science
86. Brenda Naimy, Lecturer, EDSC
87. Chris Fennessy, Lecturer, History
88. Jennifer Hicks, Lecturer, English and Honors College
89. Oscar Gil, Lecturer, Applied & Advanced Studies in Education
90. Saemi Lee, Associate Professor, Kinesiology
91. Victoria Umana, Lecturer, Psychology
92. Kelly Field, Lecturer, CHDV
93. Katie Perry, Assistant Librarian, University Library
94. Jessica Bodoh-Creed, Lecturer, Anthropology
95. Jeffrey Santner, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
95. Dionne Espinoza, Full Professor, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
97. Phung Huynh, Assistant Professor, Art
98. Anna Osipova, Associate Professor, Special Education and Counseling
99. Jorge Munoz, Lecturer, History
100. Yoon Kyoung Chae, Lecturer, English
101. William Bollinger, Lecturer, Latin American Studies
102. Hyojoung Kim, Full Professor, Sociology
103. Amelia IRENE Hernandez, Lecturer, CLS
104. María Oropeza Fujimoto, Associate Professor, Applied and Advanced Studies in Education
105. Gunnar Valgeirsson, Lecturer, Sociology
106. Rosalba González, Lecturer, CLS
107. Sun-Hee Yoon, Lecturer, AAAS
108. Juan Lamata, Assistant Professor, English
109. Valerie Talavera-Bustillos, Full Professor, CLS
110. Akhila Ananth, Associate Professor, Criminal Justice
111. Bruce Atta, Lecturer, Philosophy
112. Rick Fraser, Lecturer, Sociology
113. Saba Heritage, Lecturer, Pan African Studies
114. Olga Garcia, Lecturer, CLS
115. Ellen Shiau, Associate Professor, Political Science
116. Sonjia Leyva, Lecturer, Geography, Geology, and the Environment
117. Jennifer Curren, Lecturer, History
118. Michelle Vanegas, Lecturer, Natural Science Program
119. Andrew Montana, Lecturer, English
120. Aaron Gebhardt, Lecturer, English
121. Nicole Horejsi, Associate Professor, English
122. Joyce Parga, Full Professor, Anthropology
123. Ryan Santos, Lecturer, Chicana(o) and Latina(o)
124. Ruzanna Karmiryan, Lecturer, Sociology
125. Maha Karout, Lecturer, Anthropology
126. Theresa Barket, Lecturer, Anthropology
127. Birte Pfleger, Full Professor, History
128. James Brady, Full Professor, Anthropology
129. Kittiya Lee, Full Professor, History
130. Ester Hernandez, Full Professor, Anthropology
131. Andres Aguilar, Full Professor, Biological Sciences
132. Amira Ainis, Assistant Professor, Anthropology
133. Shichun Ling, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice and Criminalistics
134. Samir Alam, Lecturer, Anthropology
135. Timothy Lim, Full Professor, POLS
136. Helen Wells, Lecturer, Anthropology
137. John S. Treantafelles, Lecturer, Political Science
138. Martin Adamian, Associate Professor, Political Science
139. Choi Chatterjee, Full Professor, History
140. James Sera, Lecturer, Anthropology
141. Richard Groper, Lecturer, Political Science
142. Anne M. Reid, Lecturer, History
143. Alejandra Marchevsky, Full Professor, WGSS
144. Joy Sales, Assistant Professor, Asian and Asian American Studies
145. Mijanur Rahman, Assistant Professor, English
146. Noami Duckworth, Lecturer, Art
147. Jared Abbott, Assistant Professor, Political Science
148. Atsuko Sato, Lecturer, Political Science
149. Michael McLendon, Full Professor, Political Science
150. Katrine Chakmakchian, Lecturer, English
151. ChorSwang Ngin, Full Professor, Anthropology
152. Tasha Willis, Associate Professor, Social Work
153. Donna Schuele, Lecturer, History
154. Robert Weide, Associate Professor, Sociology
155. Michiaki Ishimura, Lecturer, Physics and Astronomy
156. Alejandro Villalpando, Assistant Professor, PAS/LAS
157. Luis Alonso, Lecturer, English
158. J. Travis Shutz, Assistant Professor, History
159. Elisabeth Houston, Lecturer, English
160. Sheree Fu, Assistant Librarian, University Library
161. Darron Cunanan, Lecturer, Asian & Asian American Studies
162. Katie Howard, Assistant Professor, Philosophy
163. Mobolaji Olambiwonnu, Lecturer, PAS
164. Melina Abdullah, Full Professor, Pan-African Studies
165. Prince Gumbi, Lecturer, PAS
166. Uriel Serrano, Lecturer, EDFN
167. Steven Brownson, Lecturer, Curriculum & Instruction
168. Lawson Bush V, Full Professor, PAS
169. Ian Sayer, Lecturer, Special Education
170. Natalie Williams Awodeha, Assistant Professor, Division of Special Education & Counseling
171. Zama Dlamini, Lecturer, PAS
172. Miranda Sheffield, Lecturer, PAS
173. Tavengwa Gwekwerere, PhD, Associate Professor, Pan-African Studies
174. Nicole Garcia, Lecturer, School Psychology
175. Bridget Eason, Lecturer, Charter College of Education
176. Erin Schwarz, Lecturer, Special Education
177. Daniel Lambert, Lecturer, English
178. Serie McDougal, Full Professor, Pan African Studies
179. Cheryl Hannan, Full Professor, Division of Special Education and Counseling
180. Doris Monterroso, Lecturer, Early Childhood Special Education
181. Damon Dees, Lecturer, PAS
182. Catherine Sturm, Lecturer, Special Education
183. Alma Olaguez, Assistant Professor, Psychology
184. Louis Esparza, Full Professor, Sociology
185. Jessika Castillo, Assistant Professor, Counseling
186. Rafael Gomez, Lecturer, PAS
187. Lucia Serio, Lecturer, CCOE- Div. Of Special Education and Counseling
188. Tammy Aguilar, Lecturer, Special Education and Counseling
189. Anne Haga, Lecturer, Rehabilitation Services and Rehabilitation Counseling
190. cailine kim, Lecturer, Special education and counseling
191. Gina Michell, Lecturer, SPED & COUN
192. Emily J. Hernandez, Associate Professor, Special Education and Counseling
193. John Bachman, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
194. Joe Potts, Assistant Professor, Art
195. Ramona Mclaughlin, Lecturer, Visual Impairments
196. Christiaan Kier, Lecturer, Special Education & Counseling - Rehab
197. Benjamin Heimann, Lecturer, Special Education and Counseling
198. Mariela Avila, Lecturer, Special Education
199. James Thomas, Assistant Professor, PAS
200. Weronika Cwir, Lecturer, Computer Science
201. Vincent Fazzi Jr, Lecturer, Special Ed and Counseling
202. Boone Nguyen, Lecturer, Asian and Asian American Studies Department
203. John Pohl, Lecturer, Anthropology
204. Emily Baird, Lecturer, English
205. Matthew Gonzales, Assistant Professor, English
206. Renee Grodsky, Lecturer, English
207. Lynne Berman, Lecturer, Art
208. Clare Larkins, Lecturer, Special Education and Counseling
209. Noelle Kahwaji, Lecturer, English
210. Esther Saltzman, Lecturer, English
211. Ximena Hernandez, Lecturer, ENGLISH
212. Susana Morales, Lecturer, CLS, LAS
213. Irene Grau, Lecturer, Communication Studies
214. Samriti Mona, Lecturer, Special Education and Counseling
215. Julie Rinker, Lecturer, Special Education
216. Deborah Conway de Prieto, Lecturer, English
217. Leiza Castillo, Lecturer, English
218. Paula Arvedson, Full Professor, Curriculum and Instruction
219. Onochie Chukwurah, Lecturer, PAS DEPARTMENT
220. cecelia jimenez, Lecturer, C&I
221. Michael Ibrahim, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering
222. Corin Bowen, Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering
223. Maria Baghasarian, Lecturer, Psychology
224. Socorro Orozco, Assistant Professor, Curriculum and Instruction
225. Gregory S. Beirich, Lecturer, History
226. Christine Hsieh, Lecturer, KIN
227. Patricia Ramirez-Ulloa, Lecturer, Child and Family Studies
228. Alex Martinez, Lecturer, Health and Human Services
229. Aimee Cunningham, Lecturer, Curriculum and Instruction
230. Mauricio Sanchez, Lecturer, KINESIOLOGY
231. Sosseh Didarloo, Lecturer, Child and family studies
232. Cadyn Cathers, Lecturer, Counseling
233. Carolena Sarkisian, Lecturer, Kinesiology
234. Maja Broz, Lecturer, Nutritional Science
235. Julie Adler, Lecturer, Kinesiology
236. Leonor Vazquez, Lecturer, CFS
237. Maritza Rodriguez, Lecturer, Child and Family Studies
238. Cynthia Martinez, Lecturer, Psychology
239. Ashley Hamilton, Lecturer, English
240. Aminah Bakeer Abdul-Jabbaar, Associate Professor, PAS
241. Erica Hamilton, Lecturer, Curriculum and Instruction
242. Margaret Finnegan, Lecturer, Criminal Justice
243. "Sonny" Richard E. Espinoza, Lecturer, Chicana/o & Latina/o Studies
244. Zitlali Montes, Lecturer Child and Family Studies
245. Gustavo Menezes, Full Professor, Civil Engineering
246. Dirk Farner, Lecturer, Liberal Studies/Philosophy
247. Allison Sidle Fuligni, Full Professor, Child and Family Studies
248. Jay Conway, Lecturer, Philosophy
249. Zachary Vernon, Associate Professor, Art
250. Cole Case, Lecturer, Fine Art
251. Adriana Garcia, Lecturer, Art
252. Joey Lehman Morris, Lecturer, Art
253. Amr Shahat, Lecturer, Art
254. Colleen Corcoran, Lecturer, Art
255. Diana Madriaga, Lecturer, Art
256. Ricardo Harris-Fuentes, Lecturer, Art
257. Mohammed Abed, Full Professor, Philosophy
258. Carol Zou, Lecturer, Art
259. Rebecca Kershman, Lecturer, English
260. Frederick Hess, Lecturer, English
261. Shelly Wattenbarger, Lecturer, ART
262. Julie Patel Liss, Associate Professor, TVFM-JOUR
263. Abel Guzman, Lecturer, Art
264. Melanie Saldana, Lecturer, Anthropology
265. Hakon Engvig, Lecturer, Art
266. Richard Dean, Full Professor, Philosophy
267. Andrew Knighton, Full Professor, English
268. Karin Lanzoni, Lecturer, Art
269. Ramar Henderson, Assistant Professor, Special Education & Counseling
270. Leona Cheung, Lecturer, Art
271. Blake D Young, Lecturer, Animation
272. Zachary Zezima, Associate Professor, Art
273. Maria Karafilis, Full Professor, English
274. Michael Janson, Lecturer, Public Health
275. Joshua Tuthill, Assistant Professor, ART
276. Eileen Ford, Full Professor, History
277. Atef Laouyene, Associate Professor, English
278. Kenneth Shima, Lecturer, World Languages
279. Michael Parvin, Lecturer, ME
280. Jose Anguiano Associate Professor, Chicana/o & Latina/o Studies
281. Haydeé Jiménez Lecturer, Art
282. Nicole Smolter, Lecturer, Criminal Justice
283. teresita Castillo, Lecturer, Art
284. Cynthia McMeekin, Lecturer, Political Science
285. Chelsea Johnson, Lecturer, English
286. Nia Bush, Lecturer, PAS
287. Tiffanie Ford-Baxter, Associate Librarian, Library
288. Kimberly Franklin, Associate Librarian, University Library
289. Ren Heintz, Assistant Professor, English
290. Dana Saifan, Assistant Professor, Psychology
291. Michael Willard, Full Professor, Liberal Studies
292. Julian Nykolak, Assistant Professor, Art
293. Michael Caldwell, Full Professor, Department of Music
294. Oona Fontanella-Nothom, Assistant Professor, Curriculum & Instruction
295. Phil Wagner, Lecturer, Television, Film, and Media Studies
296. Jung Lee, Lecturer, English
297. Patrick Sharp, Full Professor, Liberal Studies
298. Aya Nakagoshi, Lecturer, Liberal Studies
299. Megan Bowe, Lecturer, English
300. Judy Olson, Lecturer, English
