Save Community Studies Rally at UCSC

Message sent out by members of the Coalition to Save Community Studies:

"The Coalition to Save Community Studies is calling for an IMMEDIATE ACTION. This in response to Allison Galloway’s announcement this morning that the undergraduate Community Studies major is being suspended.

Why: To demonstrate our complete support of the CMMU faculty who have been alienated and silenced throughout this administrative process. We will gather at the Plaza and march along McLaughlin Drive to Oakes College, CMMU headquarters for the last forty years. This devastating decision to suspend CS was made possible only because of the strain and pressure that Dean Kamieniecki has placed squarely on the shoulders of our educators and allies in the CMMU department. As a result, many of our teachers have chosen to find new departments to work in next year, rather than suffer the administration’s continued disrespect and dishonesty.

This decision to suspend CS was made by the Committee on Educational Policy after one year of relentless pressure from Dean Kamieniecki and other Social Science administrators to do so. This suspension puts even heavier strain on the CMMU faculty and staff who have already suffered enormously as a result of the administration’s pressure throughout the last year. While the catalogue rights of current UCSC students interested in completing the Community Studies Program as it currently exists have not been violated, the door has been shut forever on every student that has yet to enroll in this school, and forty years of extraordinary curriculum and invaluable experience will fast become a fond memory. "

-The Coalition to Save Community Studies

Official CEP Decision sent out to the entire UCSC campus:

VPAA Alison Galloway Chancellor’s Office
Dear VPAA Galloway,
The Committee on Educational Policy (CEP) has reviewed the responses of the Community Studies faculty to your request for information about the future of their undergraduate program. We have concluded that the fractured state of the department threatens the viability of the Community Studies major.
In the spring of 2009, CEP expressed concerns about the financial difficulties facing the Community Studies Department. After a year’s time, the faculty have not been able develop a satisfactory plan for supporting the major with the reduced resources at their disposal. Instead, the current proposals describe “teach-out” plans that will lead to the discontinuation of the major.
Although we do not recommend the discontinuation of this popular, highly respected program at this time, we have unanimously decided to immediately suspend the Community Studies major for a period of at least two years. We make this decision out of concern for the welfare of both current and prospective students.
The Department has made good progress toward developing the “teach-out” plans that are required when a program is suspended. Although we are not prepared to offer detailed feedback on the plans at this time, we would like to provide the following guidance to the Department and Administration:
1. Prospective students interested in Community Studies must be notified that the major has been suspended. Their decision to attend our campus should not be based on the erroneous belief that they will be able to declare this major. The administration should consult with Admissions to determine the most efficient and appropriate mechanism for disseminating this information.
2. Proposed and declared Community Studies majors should be informed about the status of the program as quickly as possible and assured that their interests will be protected as described below.
3. The teach-out plan should allow Community Studies majors to complete their degrees in a reasonable amount of time. The quality of the program must be maintained during the teach-out period. Any changes in degree requirements must be justified on pedagogical as opposed to budgetary grounds and will require the approval of CEP.
4. The teach-out plan should also be sensitive to the needs of continuing students who have demonstrated an interest in the major but have not had the opportunity to complete a gateway seminar or foundational course in Community Studies. Access to the major may not be restricted simply by reducing the number or capacity of courses without the
SANTA CRUZ: OFFICE OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE
CEP – Community Studies 4/6/10 Page 2
approval of our committee. Instead, the Department must clearly articulate the criteria that will be used to choose the subset of qualified students that will be allowed to enter the major. Please note that any mechanism for limiting access to the major must be approved in advance by our committee.
5. The Social Sciences Dean, the Academic Senate, and the Administration should work together to ensure that students who are unable to pursue a degree in Community Studies can declare another major that fulfills at least some of their aspirations.
6. To ensure transparency, the confidential reports of the Community Studies faculty on which our decision was based (or the information therein) must be made public.
If the above guidelines are followed, the suspension of the Community Studies major should have little or no effect on current students.
We hope that our decision to suspend the Community Studies major will not be misconstrued as the first step toward its inevitable discontinuation. If the problems facing the program can be resolved, we will be happy to reverse our decision. In the meantime, our committee is prepared to assist the Department and Administration in any way possible.
Sincerely, s/a John Tamkun, Chair Committee on Educational Policy

Cc: David Kliger, CP/EVC Lori Kletzer, Chair of Academic Senate Mary-Beth Harhen, Senate Director Sheldon Kamieniecki, Dean of Social Sciences B. Ruby Rich, Community Studies Chair Betsy Moses, Principal Analyst William Ladusaw, VPDUE Felicia McGinty, VP Student Affairs