Author: Khouloud Elmasri
WHEREAS, the Associated Students of San Diego State University is the representative body, and the official voice of the students at San Diego State University; and
WHEREAS, it is the mission of the Associated Students to represent, serve, and protect the collective interests of students at San Diego State University; and
WHEREAS, San Diego State University serves as a venue for creative, thoughtful and respectful discourse where conflicting perspectives can be debated and reasonable compromises reached; and
WHEREAS, the climate that currently exists in the contract negotiation process undermines morale at all levels, compromises the efforts to provide quality instruction to students and damages the ability to recruit and retain high quality students, faculty, staff and administrators; and
WHEREAS, the two main sources of funding for the CSU system are student fees and the state general fund; and
WHEREAS, prolonged collective bargaining negotiations detract all CSU entities from lobbying efforts in Sacramento and encouraging the Legislature to reprioritize the State’s budget in order to make higher education a top priority; and
WHEREAS, Associated Students shares the vision of the Master Plan of Higher Education and continually advocates to preserve the quality, affordability, and accessibility to the “People’s University;” therefore be it
RESOLVED Associated Students recognizes that it is neither the role, nor the responsibility of the students to participate in contract bargaining between the California Faculty Association (CFA) and the CSU; it is, however, the role of the students to advocate for actions and policies that produce a quality educational system; and be it further
RESOLVED that Associated Students urges negotiators for the CSU and CFA to use the fact-finding process as a means to reach a reasonable solution that addresses the critical issues without resorting to imposition or job actions; and be it further
RESOLVED Associated Students condemns any tactics that divide, conquer and manipulate the student voice and interest; and be it further
RESOLVED Associated Students considers access to higher education a top priority and calls upon the State to adequately invest in the higher education and strongly recommends that CFA and the CSU to join student advocacy efforts; and finally be it
RESOLVED CSSA will make public the issues raised in this resolution and distribute copies of this resolution to President Weber, SDSU California Faculty Association Chapter, SDSU Academic Senate, and the California State Student Association.