When you mix religion, the California Faculty Association and the CSUS Faculty Senate into the same meeting, the results are damned from the beginning.

And last Thursday, a resolution to slap the hand of CFA over its handling of exemptions from SB645 (which requires non-CFA members to pay a portion of CFA union dues, even though they are not members) met with understandable skepticism. It will be voted on at the next regular senate meeting.

SB645 contains a provision that allows people not to pay the agency fee, if they in fact have a conscientious objection to doing so. (The fees are still levied and by law must be donated to a non-religious-based charity.) The CFA denied all such claims for exemption last year (about 100, statewide, according to a faculty member at the meeting) which infuriated those conscientiously objecting. The whole discussion brought back not-so-fond memories of the Vietnam era when it was amazing to see how many people’s consciences wouldn’t allow themselves to be inducted into the army ? usually right after their student deferment ran out and they were notified that they were 1-A draft material. Canada picked up a number of new citizens at that time, too.

Maybe the CFA does need to be a little more understanding, but could someone explain how giving money to a non-partisan organization that fights for faculty rights, an accountable administration and academic integrity could violate someone’s religious beliefs?

… Accountable is not usually used in the same sentence as the CSUS Foundation, but Greg Wheeler, chair of the Foundation Board of Directors promised full disclosure of Foundation operating costs and profit margins when he spoke at the same senate meeting in a pitch to convince Senators the Foundation exists to serve the University.

Faculty Senator Larry Takeuchi, from Management, was told he will be allowed to review any documents he wants to find out why textbooks cost what they do, how much profit is in that $1.50 cup of coffee, and why a cup with ice costs 15 cents.

Wheeler also unveiled a Foundation plan to build five buildings in the south campus area ? including one soon for Regional and Continuing Education, which ironically is feeling very threatened by plans for Year Round Operation. For RCE, the good news is when it comes to preserving the bureaucracy, the state is at its best. The same state employees who protected us from the droughts of the 1970s became our flood gurus in the1980s and 1990s. Maybe RCE will simply switch the building sign to YRO one day next year and see if anybody notices.

… YRO is getting lots of notice around campus, though it appears the class schedule most likely to pop out for summer 2001 may require students to purchase a GPS to navigate through the various configurations under consideration. The lack of overall coordination will probably prevent students being able to mix and match courses from different colleges. Getting a coherent full-time summer semester schedule seems as remote as a landslide Nader victory in November.

Michael J. Fitzgerald is a professor of Journalism and a member of the CSUS Faculty Senate. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].