The CSU measure to establish an ethnic studies and diversity graduation requirement begins its first test today. The measure is before a committee. If it passes, it moves to the whole Board of Trustees tomorrow. Ethnic studies backers pan the CSU plan. calmatters.org/education/2020…
"Much has changed since we last met on May 12 just two weeks after our last board meeting we collectively held our breath as we watched the shocking video of the brutal murder of George Floyd." -- Loren J. Blanchard, executive vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs.
"The proposal before you lifts ethnic studies to prominence in our curriculum in line with the Natural and Social Sciences, the arts and the humanities," Blanchard says. That's true, but it also allows other courses not typically part of the ethnic studies curriculum.
Blanchard: Courses that may count toward not just in African American, Native American, Latino/a and Asian American studies, but also "experiences of historically oppressed groups, such as LGBTQ, Muslim and Jewish populations" as well as police reform, public health disparities.
Alison Wrynn, a senior CSU official, says focusing on just the four groups that typically define ethnic studies "does not reflect the lived experiences of students today, nor provide a complete set of tools to advance social justice in our nation." Critics call this watered-down.
Strange, given the outcry over this motion: The BOT chair of this committee says "no written comments were received by the chancellor's office staff in relation to the official posting of this amendment." BOT committee debate begins now.
Blanchard cites graduation initiative to close graduation gaps and lift graduation outcomes, as well as ending remedial math and english courses, are examples of the CSU responding to the needs of students of color.
Trustee Hugo Morales opposes this. He says the rule as written would allow a student to honor this requirement by not taking a single course on Black, Native American, Latino/a or Asian Americans.
UPDATE: Trustee Abrego proposes a motion to suspend consideration of this proposal as written today and to ask the chancellor’s office to convene meeting with the academic senate and statewide Ethnic Studies council, to resolve concerns expressed in this proposal.
CSU senior official Wrynn says that the CA Department of Finance reviewed CSU's estimate of $16.5 million in added costs because of #AB1460 and concurred with the CSU's estimates.
Blanchard: the Board of Trustees shouldn't wait any longer because the CSU has worked on this for six years. He says the chancellor's office has spoken with ethnic studies chairs and he feels confident this is the right path. But the statewide Ethnic Studies Council opposes this.
Trustee Khames: You can take an ethnic studies, or a social justice class, in order to fulfill that requirement. "Is this really an ethnic studies *and* social justice proposal, or is it kind of an 'or' type of thing." She supports the motion to suspend this vote.
Trustee Faigin agrees with concern that with #AB1460 is so far along in the Legislature, this board should wait on a vote. "It's been too many years putting this in effect." He doesn't see how waiting two more months is a problem.
Faigin says he's concerned that the CSU proposal and AB1460 would require just one course, validating fears a student could forego taking a course on ethnic studies. He wonders if BOT can wait, see what the governor signs, then consider proposing a two-class (6 unit) requirement.
Trustee Eisen says it's the BOT's job to change what the CSU requires, not the Legislature. She calls what the CSU is considering now, the ethnic studies/social justice graduation requirement, "momentous." To her it's "ethnic studies 'plus', not ethnic studies 'minus.'"
Eisen: Do we want a narrow definition, or a broader definition that allows the system to include issues of inclusion that the BOT now cannot foresee. She cites the Supreme Court's ruling that protection of sex in workplace discrimination protects gay and transgender workers.
Her point: the CSU, like Congress 50+ years ago, cannot anticipate what categories of identity will be marginalized in the future.
Trustee McGrory: He supports this but also wants assurance that ethnic studies will be taught under the CSU proposal. Blanchard: CSU will be looking at courses that intersect on social justice and ethnic studies, but ultimately the OK'd courses will be under faculty's purview.
Trustee Taylor supports the CSU proposal as presented (we're still in debate, no votes cast yet).
BOT Chair Kimbell: "To blindly go down the path of allowing the legislature to dictate what we're going to teach, who's going to teach it, is for me by it mind boggling." She considers what happens if in a decade lawmakers order the CSU to teach Creationism.
Abrego: "it's pretty clear in the bill (#AB1460) that they are deferring to the statewide academic senate and the ethnic studies council to work out the curriculum and the objectives and how it's going to be to be taught. So it's not curriculum and direction from from" lawmakers.
Abrego: "If we wanted to teach our students about racism ... who best to teach that then the experts, and that's the ethnic studies faculty." He says the CSU can teach social justice now, without any BOT vote or change to the general-ed requirements.
Trustee Khames: "Learning about the economics of poverty and discrimination is very different than learning about the history of African Americans from the perspective of black people." She doesn't know how this is "ethnic studies +" if students can take non-ethnic studies course
Faigin: He wasn't "putting my trust" with the legislature with #Ab1460. "But if they are going to. And they apparently are, then that's the real world. And we can then deal with [what] the real world has brought us."
BOT chair Kimbell: "If we don't vote to approve this proposal essentially what we are doing is we're ceding to the legislature their right to create policy" on what to teach. Chancellor White: the Board of Trustees "must lead" and "not react."
Chancellor White: Creating a requirement of six units, as was proposed by a trustee so that students could take an ethnic studies AND social justice course, would be too difficult because the "ecosystem" of 120 units to graduate is balanced delicately.
White: Ethnic Studies has matured. It is deep, it's powerful, but it's more than what it used to be. And in today's moment, [it's] more important than what it used to be." He points out that traditional science, his background, evolved from pure biology to molecular bio, for ex.
Right now Abrego's motion is to pause vote on this CSU proposal until the September BOT meeting. CSU chancellor's office staff stress that this would cede final word to the governor before the CSU BOT formally takes its vote. Other BOT members not on this committee want to ...
debate this as a whole board tomorrow. So they are urging their committee colleagues (only they can vote on this now as a committee item) to pass it here so that it moves along for tomorrow.
Faigin, who agrees with Abrego on the merits, votes against his motion so that the CSU proposal can live on. The Abrego motion to table the vote fails. So now the committee will vote on the motion itself.
The CSU ethnic studies and social justice gen-ed requirement passes its committee test, garnering 2 No votes and 10 Yes votes. It now moves to the full Board tomorrow.
The No votes came from Trustees Abrego and Khames.
UPDATE: CSU govt. relations official on AB 1460: "We've engaged with the governor's office on *a regular basis*, expressing our concerns regarding legislative precedent, emphasizing the responsibility of the board to determine curriculum, through the shared governance process..."
@threadreaderapp unroll
