Tag: news

CGSU-UE letters to community

More resources from CGSU-UE – the graduate student union endorsed by over 90% of the student body. The university administration has shared loudly and widely its perspective. Here’s the other side.

https://cornellgradunion.org/adminletter

Board of Trustees:

The current federal administration’s funding cuts pose an unprecedented threat to scientific research and the infrastructure of higher education. As stated clearly in the recent email from Cornell Leadership, “if the research capabilities of America’s universities are destabilized and undermined in this way, no institutions will be capable of filling the void of discovery and innovation as a public good.” We agree completely that this proposed removal of funding constitutes an existential crisis to research and teaching. The standards of excellence in research and teaching at Cornell are at risk, as are the livelihoods of the workers who maintain them. 

During this moment of crisis, Cornell has the opportunity to play a defining role in protecting education and science against our current administration. We need it to rise to the occasion. If federal cuts to research funding proceed, we call on Cornell’s administration to draw on its considerable financial resources, including but not limited to its $10.7 billion endowment, to ensure that research and teaching continue uninterrupted. 

We came to Cornell for its dedication to its mission to “discover, preserve and disseminate knowledge” and arrived committed to advancing human knowledge and higher education with our work. Cornell’s administration can honor the academic mission of this institution and the people who do this work by committing to offset any losses incurred due to federal funding cuts. Now is the moment for Cornell’s administration to embrace its responsibility as a leader in research and education. …

More at the link!

Another letter is for the wider Cornell community:

CGSU-UE Calls on Cornell “To Do the Greatest Good” for Scientific Progress

Federal courts have halted the National Institutes of Health’s catastrophic funding changes, in part thanks to a lawsuit undertaken by Cornell and other university plaintiffs. This lawsuit is a meaningful stand in defense of science and a practical step to protect the University and those who work here, but its effects are temporary. NIH leadership has stated that the Institute will “effectuate the administration’s goals over time,” making it only a matter of time before we face last week’s funding crisis again.  

Beyond the NIH, United States Agency for International Development-dependent projects are in limbo, executive orders are piling up and the research infrastructure that drives scientific progress across the nation is, if not actively crumbling, at risk. During this crisis, Cornell has the opportunity to play a defining role in protecting education and science against our current administration, and we — graduate workers, participants in American society and drivers and beneficiaries of scientific advancement — need our university to rise to the occasion. As federal funding cuts proceed across agencies, we call on Cornell’s administration to draw on its considerable financial resources, including but not limited to its $10.7 billion endowment, to ensure that research and teaching continue uninterrupted across Cornell.

Cornell is a private institution with extensive financial resources. Expert financial stewardship has protected the University during troubling times, and, in recent years, ensured unprecedented investment returns. Cornell’s financial health must be maintained of course, and the value of the endowment must continue to grow — but not for the sake of growth alone, but for the sake of, in Ezra Cornell’s words, “the greatest good.” Cornell’s administration has reminded the University community of the endowment’s purpose repeatedly. It is a “perpetual and self-sustaining source of support for the University and its mission,” designed to protect and advance the University’s workings, especially during times of trouble, explained then-chief financial officer Joanne DeStefano MBA ’97 in 2020. We recognize these parameters. But, should the federal government continue wreaking havoc on the federal agencies that fund our research, the devastation to Cornell’s research community, and to the scientific progress writ large, will be enormous. To protect science against the most aggressive attack we’ve witnessed in decades, Cornell’s administration must draw on its extensive financial resources to ensure research continues uninterrupted. …

More at the link!

GUEST ROOM | CGSU-UE Calls on Cornell “To Do the Greatest Good” for Scientific Progress

AAUP wins in court!

A Legal Win for Members and Our Campuses and Communities

From https://www.aaup.org/news/win-aaup-higher-ed-and-our-communities

Last night, in a case in which the AAUP was a plaintiff, the US District Court for the District of Maryland granted a preliminary nationwide injunction on key parts of a pair of executive orders issued by President Trump. The orders broadly and in vague terms seek to end diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities among federal government grantees and contractors, including virtually all colleges and universities.

In its decision, the court explicitly cited the evidence provided by courageous AAUP members when it found that there were “concrete actual injuries suffered by Plaintiffs and their members” as a result of the unlawful actions of the administration and that AAUP members and their institutions would “be forced to either restrict their legal activities and expression that are arguably related to DEI, or forgo federal funding altogether.”

The decision was in response to a suit filed by Democracy Forward on behalf of four organizations representing different affected groups: the AAUP (representing faculty members), the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (representing their diversity officer members), the City of Baltimore (representing a public sector grantee), and Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (representing a private sector grantee). We sought this temporary restraining order to prevent the Trump administration from using federal grants and contracts as leverage to force colleges and universities to end all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, whether federally funded or not, and from terminating any “equity-related” federal grants or contracts.

As our brief explained, the orders are unconstitutional, usurping congressional power and violating First and Fifth Amendment rights. Absent preliminary relief, significant and irreparable harm would have been caused to our members, their students, and communities. Most importantly, the government could have used the threat of terminating billions of dollars of grants and contracts, as well as the threat of investigations and enforcement actions, to force faculty and universities to cease virtually all of their legally permissible work relating to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

The AAUP’s membership includes many potentially affected faculty: those whose work focuses on Black studies; Latino studies; Asian studies; gender or sexual orientation identities; diversity, equity, and inclusion specifically; environmental justice; and other subject matter targeted by the president’s anti-DEIA executive orders. We also represent a significant number of members who focus on medical and other scientific research related to whether and how race and ethnicity affect health outcomes. Beyond AAUP members, students and communities would be harmed by the termination of the higher education grants: work on female reproductive health would be curtailed; assistance to help students with disabilities and from underrepresented populations graduate and find careers would be undermined; and efforts to strengthen research capacity at historically Black colleges and universities would be set back.

The judge noted that our lawsuit is likely to succeed on the claim that enforcement actions against companies and universities would violate constitutionally protected free speech and wrote: “That is textbook viewpoint-based discrimination . . . . The government’s threat of enforcement is not just targeted towards enforcement of federal law. Rather, the provision expressly targets, and threatens, the expression of views supportive of equity, diversity and inclusion.”

More information:

Day of action:  Mobilizing to defend education on March 4

https://www.aft.org/ProtectOurKids

The AAUP is supporting the American Federation of Teachers’ mobilization to defend education

The Trump administration wants to make painful cuts to education and healthcare in order to slash taxes for billionaires. The administration’s plan to “block grant” federal education programs and gut the U.S. Department of Education would rob 26 million students living in poverty of critical services and 7.5 million students with disabilities of special education support. It would eliminate career and technical education for 12 million students, threatening their future job opportunities. Slashing Medicaid and student loans could strip healthcare coverage from 10.3 million people and end access to student loans, making college unaffordable for another 10 million working-class families.

Join us on March 4 and stand up to protect our kids!

On Tuesday, March 4, educators, students, parents and community allies will stand up against assaults on public education and on opportunity for America’s youth. We are calling on lawmakers to strengthen, not undermine, our local public schools and the services they provide to children, families and communities.

By highlighting the harmful consequences of these attacks on public schools and students, we aim to build public pressure on policymakers and amplify the voices of those directly impacted.

We must:

  • Pressure decision-makers: Urge elected officials at both the federal and state levels to oppose cuts to federal funding and block grants, both of which will hurt kids.
  • Raise awareness: Educate the public about the devastating consequences of dismantling the Department of Education, gutting federal education funding and providing no-strings-attached block grants.
  • Mobilize support: Engage a broad coalition of stakeholders—including educators, students, parents and community members—to participate in actions nationwide.
  • Drive media coverage: Generate media attention through storytelling, coordinated events, rallies, etc.
  • Lift up our stories: Highlight how these cuts disproportionately harm vulnerable students, including those from underserved communities and students with disabilities.
  • Take action in our communities: Wage this fight in the communities where students will lose services they rely on, not just in Washington, D.C. 

Day of Action activities can include:

  1. Local and national events: Organize rallies, marches and teach-ins in key cities and communities on March 4. Partner with local organizations to host panels or town halls focused on the impact of federal education funding cuts.
  2. Advocacy and lobbying: Organize call-in days and email campaigns targeting legislators to urge them to oppose the Trump agenda that will hurt our public schools and communities. Provide participants with scripts and talking points for contacting their representatives.
  3. Story collection and amplification: Collect and share real-life stories from educators, students and parents showcasing the tangible harm cuts to services and supports they rely on will cause. Use videos, blogs and social media to amplify their voices.
  4. Media outreach: Conduct interviews with local media outlets and adapt a sample press release and op-ed featuring impacted individuals.
  5. Digital mobilization: Launch a robust social media campaign with shareable graphics, infographics and videos using the hashtag #ProtectOurKids to drive engagement and awareness.

Resources from the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom – AAUP

The director for the AAUP Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom, Isaac Kamola, is sharing resources for the fight:

The cruelty of the new administration’s attack on democracy and higher education has been staggering, from arbitrary cuts to research funding to the malicious misrepresentation of our work to Linda McMahon’s unwillingness to say that teaching African American history is still legal.

Fighting back requires understanding the threats we face as well as developing the tools necessary to convey the value of higher education to a wide audience. In this context, the AAUP’s Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom has recently published a number of resources that we hope will be useful in the fight ahead:

  • Academic Freedom on the Line is a weekly Substack edited by CDAF fellow John Warner. This newsletter examines questions around academic freedom, its role in a democratic society, and what is lost when academic communities face politicized attacks on institutional autonomy and shared governance. Check out posts on CDAF’s mission, the risks of obeying in advance, advice for college and university boards, and reflections on the recent “Dear Colleague” letter.
  • Executive Power Watch is a series of short handouts that offer analyses of education-related executive actions, including executive orders that target diversity, equity, and inclusion; weaponize antisemitism; and target transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people. These resources offer concrete suggestions about what you can do to fight back.
  • Action Reports are short studies that offer concrete analysis and guidance on how to respond to particular threats to academic freedom, such as

Future Action Reports will examine the American Council of Trustees and Alumni and strategies for using collective bargaining agreements to resist post-tenure review laws.

AAUP Chapter Statement on Bargaining between Cornell administration and UAW Local 2300

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August 14, 2024

The Cornell University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors stands in solidarity with UAW Local 2300 and its fight to improve wages and working conditions for essential University workers. Our AAUP chapter, the union for tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty, adjuncts, librarians, postdocs, and academic staff, urges the administration to agree to a fair contract in line with the workers’ demands. These include a pay increase to fairly compensate Cornell employees for their work, which is essential to running the University; bring wages in line with the cost of living; annual cost of living adjustments so that wage increases do not fall behind the cost of living; and greater allowances for parking and clothing to reduce costs and risks borne by the workers themselves.

Over the last several years, working conditions at Cornell have declined considerably, in line with the University’s broader failure to adequately compensate workers and to pay a fair share to the surrounding communities. Like any corporation, the University’s value is produced by its workers, and its operations generate burdens and costs for the community. For years now, University leadership has shifted costs onto workers through inadequate wages and benefits, just as it has chosen to shift costs onto Ithaca and neighboring communities by refusing to pay its fair share for public services.

Cornell creates employment opportunities in Ithaca and the surrounding region. At the same time, it has made living here increasingly unaffordable. This stems not only from its success in attracting workers and students to the region, but also from its refusal to pay its fair share to the city of Ithaca and neighboring communities through local property taxes or adequate payments in lieu of taxes. Cornell doesn’t pay, so everyone else has to pay more. 

As the cost of living increases, Cornell refuses to pay its workers a living wage, let alone a thriving wage. The MIT living wage calculator puts the living wage at $24.64 for a single person with no dependents and higher numbers for other household circumstances: $30.82 for two working parents with two children and $56.85 for a lone parent with two children. By contrast, the lowest entry-level wage in the recently expired contract is $19.17. Cornell’s offer of a 4% pay increase brings this up to $19.93, more than $4 below a living wage. (Cornell administrators have pointed out that this is above the current living wage as calculated by the ILR School’s Buffalo and Ithaca Co-Labs. However, if it were calculated today, it would be close to the MIT number, and when it is next re-calculated in February 2025 it will be even higher.)  

One result of wages not keeping up with the cost of living is that more and more workers commute from outside Ithaca and Tompkins County. This means that workers pay the cost of gas, wear and tear on vehicles, uncompensated commuting time, and parking. Along with these costs come risks. Workers who can’t get to work on time are vulnerable to disciplinary action, even if it is due to factors outside their control. Parking at Cornell is expensive and is assigned with little regard to need. Cornell could show respect for workers and reduce the daily stress facing workers by providing free parking near the place of work.    

We must not forget that UAW members bore the brunt of Cornell’s response to COVID-19. Many administrators, faculty and staff were able to work remotely, providing them with greater flexibility. Largely excluded were workers represented by the UAW, whose skills are essential to keeping the University’s physical infrastructure operational and who literally keep much of the University community housed and fed. These workers have been treated as a second-class workforce, last in line when benefits are doled out, first in line when cost reductions or new burdens are imposed. 

The University touts its public mission but refuses to behave as a good citizen. It privatizes the costs and burdens and claims for itself the successes and benefits. It rolls out the red-carpet for wealthy donors while stonewalling in bargaining and giving short-shrift to the people who make the University work. It is acting with the rapacity of a for-profit corporation sitting on $10 billion in wealth rather than with the public-mindedness and fairness required of a great public institution. 

The AAUP does not believe it remotely possible for the University to function if there were a strike. It would be equivalent to March 2020, when all operations had to cease and the University’s educational and research missions had to be put on pause. This would further corrode University life and community after several difficult years. The expertise of the UAW 2300 members cannot be replaced, and University administration knows it. 

The responsibility for averting a strike lies entirely with the administration. Faculty across the University know that without the work of UAW 2300 members, our teaching and research will grind to a halt. We will stand in solidarity with workers fighting for a living wage and fair working conditions. 

Cornell University Chapter of the AAUP Executive Committee: Risa Lieberwitz (President), David Bateman (Vice-President), Ian Greer (Secretary-Treasurer), Suman Seth (At-Large Executive Committee member), and Darlene Evans (At-Large Executive Committee member).