Return to CPFA Opening PageHi (new reader),
Welcome to the list! I know a couple of people have sent you info about CAPE's website already, but I wanted to give you a little additional background on this new organization, which is actually an offspring of this list.
Early this last summer some of us began grumbling (again) about our common plight as parttime instructors and said what we REALLY need is a statewide organization for parttimers. This really hit a hot spot because pretty soon we were getting an extraordinary amount of email coming in from everyone about the need to organize across the state and pretty soon even leaders of various faculty organizations (CFT and the State Academic Senate come to mind) came on line arguing for or against statewide PT organization. After awhile the topic became so hot, someone suggested we meet over summer to discuss the possibility of creating such an organzation because "if not us, who? if not now, when?"
The idea was to capitalize on all this extraordinary energy and excitement and to make something happen NOW.
And, amazingly, we did it! In August we met in San Luis Obispo at El Chorro Park (thus we refer to ourselves as the El Chorro Group) and it was an incredibly empowering and productive 3-day meeting. We've accomplished a lot since then too (a website, private listserv for the steering committee, a press release that has been sent out to all the major state news agencies and faculty organizations) and we are in the process of drafting our constitution, by-laws, and mission statement, as well as putting together a membership packet and a newspaper for statewide distribution. But we are still in the process of "creating" our self and even while now our membership is composed nearly exclusively of our steering committee, we still have a sense that our organization belongs to this listserv and that all of you are members. THIS IS FOR US, guys! This is our thing. WE are making it happen because if WE don't, it won't.
So what are we making happen? Well, what do YOU want to happen? I, for one, would like to see the end of aparteid education in the California Community College system. I want full professional equality, and I want it NOW, because things don't happen in the past and they don't happen in the future, they happen in the present.
And how do we make it happen? First of all, by joining a statewide organization dedicated SOLEY to making it happen. That's what sets us apart from all the other faculty organzation. We have one purpose: To bring full professional equity to the California community college system. That's it. And we are potentially 29,000 members strong. Second, by creating a massive media campaign to educate the public about what's going on and how it's undermining education, demoralizing and demeaning teachers, and doing a grave disservice to our students. Third, by creating coaltions with other faculty and labor and community organizations who share our common purpose. And fourth, by holding colleges and districts and trustees accountable for the unfair and unprofessional systems they have created, condoned, and tolerated: By creating a rating sytem that compares salaries, benefits, working conditions, PT/FT ratios, etc.at the various colleges, and making the scores public.
When it comes down to it, as far as I'm concerned, the future of higher education lies in our hands. Do we submit to an unjust system that victimizes not only us, but our students, and the very ideals upon which community colleges were founded: democracy and equality for all (teachers too!)? Or do we stand up and fight the good fight? It's now or never: WE decide.
So join us at our next meeting in Bakersfield October 3-4. Or just join us period. Let's make it happen.
Debbie Brasket
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