Like many of you, we are very concerned about the issues we face as faculty members of a large public university. In recent years, we have witnessed the deterioration of our universities across the US as funding has been cut, faculty governance has been eroded, contingent faculty are replacing ladder faculty, academic freedom has been attacked, and even tenure has been threatened. Recent political developments have accelerated this crisis dramatically. There is no reason, however, to stand alone against such attacks. It is this very reason why the Davis Faculty Association exists and why we are pleased to have you as members.
The Davis Faculty Association is the ONLY organization that exists solely to represent and fight for faculty here at UC Davis. Together, we pool our resources and talents to ensure that our views are heard, loud and clear. We faculty are very busy, which is why it is even more imperative to strengthen the DFA, because while we are in the classroom, in the lab or in the field, the Davis Faculty Association is looking out for our interests— analyzing administrative proposals and documents, protecting our salaries and benefits, developing a community of faculty, meeting with our political representatives in Sacramento and Washington, DC, and many other tasks.
In addition to the day-to-day activities of the DFA, we are a member of the Council of UC Faculty Associations, (CUCFA), which means we are organizationally connected with faculty associations at all University of California locations. Nationally, we are in partnership with the American Association of University Professors, (AAUP), which connects us with university professors in hundreds of other universities across the United States. Together, we form a powerful body in a strong position to ensure the survival and success of higher education.
Some of the advocacy the DFA and CUCFA were involved in this year include:
*Working to keep the UCD School of Ed Teacher Credential Program open
*Continuing to fight to save the Physical Education program
*Fighting against curtailment
*Investigating UCD police accountability and implications for racial justice
*Working on higher-ed legislation in Sacramento
*Advocating on behalf of public education in state budget
*Advocating for the $66 Fix for public higher education
*Meeting with incoming UC President Drake to present faculty issues
*Beginning discussion around tech platform censorship
*Coordinating with unions around campus issues including campus closures and reopening, lecturer bargaining, health insurance, and child care.
Like many of you, we are looking forward to putting this academic year behind us and move into a more “normal” life, although it is still unclear what “normal” will really look like. It is a good time to reflect upon our situation as faculty—on campus, in the community, and in the world at large. We entered into the COVID era under the presidency of Donald Trump, a presidency characterized by racism and anti-immigrant hostility, as well as an antipathy to science, education, and public health. In the world at large, police violence, environmental devastation, economic despair and other seemingly insurmountable problems were amplified by our inability to mobilize on a mass level, due to COVID restrictions. It’s been a difficult year. I hope you agree though that we as UC faculty, one of the most powerful educational institutions in the world, can make a difference. That difference relies upon our success at organizing a collective response as UC faculty.
The DFA is the democratic, representative organization that exists to support faculty, especially when faculty find it difficult to juggle their teaching, research and service responsibilities and still keep an eye on administrative actions and political developments. If you decide you want to contribute more directly, the DFA welcomes you to run as an officer of DFA. Either way, if you care about the future of our university, I implore you to get involved with us!
Sincerely,
Jesse Drew (Co-Chair) and Richard Scalettar (Co-Chair)