Students, faculty and staff of City College of San Francisco (CCSF) gathered Thursday, Feb. 6 at the Ocean campus to attend a meeting with the CCSF Chancellor Arthur Q. Taylor.
The rain could not contain the passionate screams of about 150 participants, who gathered at 8 a.m. at the Diego Rivera Theatre. They protested by and shared their discontent with the Taylor’s administration, who began his role at the institution on Nov. 1.
As the rain fell with increasing intensity, participants raised their banners bearing phrases like “They say take away. We say no way,” and “Fund education not administration.” The spirit the early morning, and the need to save this institution seemed to gradually strengthen each one of the protesters.
Alisa Messer, President of AFT 2121, the union representing CCSF’s teachers, acknowledged the general feeling of concern in the community.
“People are nervous and scared,” Messer said. She emphasized the educational excellence of this institution, and issued a call of hope to the community: “There are high hopes for the new year. We want a City College for years to come.”
One of the biggest upsets among the participants was the salary adjustment made by Taylor, cutting 5 percent of salaries across the institution, including faculty and staff in general. At the protest, teachers pointed out the difficulty of living in a city like San Francisco with their salary reduction.
Outside of these cuts, 124 classes have been cut this semester, and there has been a 15 percent drop in enrollment in the school.
According to current statistics, only 26,217 students registered for the spring semester 2014, compared to 31,299 recorded a year ago.
Taylor stated that he currently receives an annual salary of $285,000. Meanwhile, students intervened to suggest that a 5 percent cut in his salary would save at least 100 classes.
“I own the errors of this institution. And I will not try to run away from them,” admitted Taylor, who justified his actions by explaining to participants that all decisions made are for the good of the institution.
“I’m here because I care, but that does not mean I will not make tough decisions.”
For Martin Madrigal, a member of the Student Association, it was important to transmit the feelings of many students. He strongly questioned Taylor’s politics—noting that accessibility to the institution is more difficult than ever before, especially for undocumented students.
Madrigal confirmed that he knows students who have had to leave the school due to their immigration status and feelings of lack of support from the institution.
“I’m not happy with the speech because Taylor only gave possibilities and failed to offer realistic plans,” said Madrigal, while making a call to the general student body to form a solid union. “Many students do not know anything and just come to school and that’s all that matters to them. We should all be supporting each other.”
Despite these criticisms of the current CCSF administration, they continue to publish about the success of the projects—including an advertising campaign for this semester that just started.
It is estimated that the campaign will cost about $503,309 and generate up to $4.6 million in profits for the institution. Nevertheless, aside from the current economic situation at CCSF, enrollment has yet to increase.
Each 16 credit units registered with the institution can present a maximum of $4,632 in state subsidies. For every 16 ‘no credit’ units, this amount can only reach $2,745.
There are many faces fighting for the future of CCSF. According to Wendy Kaufmyn, instructor of engineering, the goal is to “maintain a City College for the community.”
—Translation Gabriela Sierra Alonso