The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Wednesday September 12, 2018
Volume 104 Issue 5
CSU executives receive pay increases
DIANE ORTIZ / DAILY TITAN
Cal State Fullerton graduate student, Liz Sanchez, addresses the board room about the recent compensation raise.
Student activist calls for a board of trustee meeting “shutdown.” DIANE ORTIZ News Editor
Cal State University executives received a 3 percent salary raise at a July 24 board of trustees meeting. CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White, five vice chancellors and the 23 campus presidents will receive the same compensation increase. The salary increases were proposed by White. Garrett Ashley, vice chancellor, was the only CSU executive to receive an
additional 9.6 percent raise after having two additional titles added to his portfolio responsibilities with no pay increase: state government relations function and alumni relations function. Gov. Jerry Brown’s approved $92.1 million budget increase for the 2018-19 year made the salary increases possible, according to a CSU budget report. Although the raises are already approved, members of the Students for Quality Education and the California Faculty Association urged the trustees at their Tuesday meeting to prioritize students and faculty going forward. “For the first time in many years, higher education funding has been taken seriously in the state of California,” said Rafael
Gomez, the associate vice president of the California Faculty Association. “I’m asking all of you to please reexamine the approach you have taken in terms of the budget. What we really need is more students in the classroom and more tenure-track faculty in the class.” Gomez said the budget money was given with the expectation that it would be used to increase student enrollment and the number of tenure faculty members. Susan Green, Chico State professor and California Faculty Association treasurer, said to the trustees during the meeting that Students for Quality Education and the California Faculty Association activists helped secure the $364 million in CSU funding in the first place.
“You’re welcome,” Green said to the board of trustees. The increase that was voted on and approved for the administration at the board meeting was a similar percentage to what was given to all the employee groups, with the exception of the faculty, who will receive a larger 3.5 pay increase on Nov. 1, said Mike Uhlenkamp, the chancellor’s office spokesman. Uhlenkamp said salary increases are only considered when there is room in the budget. “When the budget is good, then we negotiate contracts with our represented employees that lock them in to giving them raises over a number of years,” Uhlenkamp said. Emily Hinton, CSU student trustee, sent out an email
encouraging student government representatives to get more involved in CSU board meetings, as they add student voices to the conversation. In the email, Hinton said that the increase was “planned and budgeted for ahead of time and was given in order to address the increasing cost of living and keep up with the rate of inflation.” Liz Sanchez, Students for Quality Education member and Cal State Fullerton graduate student, said they want the board of trustees to stop with the salary increases for executives altogether. “As of right now, there are students who do qualify for financial aid and still obtain loans because of the cost of living,” Sanchez said. “I think it’s a slap in the face the fact that they want this money while we are truly suffering the costs of living.” Andrew Flores, California Faculty Association intern and CSUF student, said students need more representation at the system level and more support from the CSUF Associated Students. “We still should be out here as students. It’ll be a lot better for the work that we do to unionize as students. And so far, our student government is falling short on that,” Flores said. Sanchez said there should be a board of trustees meeting “shutdown” in order to send a direct message. “They’ve seen us yell on the outside. They’ve seen us cry on the inside of the meeting. We’ve brought statistics. We have brought our own personal narratives and nothing has changed,” Sanchez said.
Women of color Remembering 9/11 foster self-love Sistertalk is a group at CSUF which offers women support and a lending ear. BRANDON KILLMAN Digital Editor
Lauren Peterkin, the current discussion facilitator of Sistertalk, has found a safe place to open up about her personal struggles as a woman of color raised by a mostly white family. “I had a lot of issues growing up — just the fact that I was black, I didn’t like it, because my mom is white, and I would always look up to her and I would think she is so beautiful, and I always wanted to be like her. She is white with green eyes, straight hair... So just looking at her, I always felt ugly or I didn’t feel right because of my mom,” Peterkin said. Every Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. members of Sistertalk get together at the WoMen’s Center to talk over observations, struggles and victories they face as black women on campus and in modern society. Topic discussions range from colorism in the black community, to appropriation of black style, to the inequality of male and female roles specific to the black community. There is no subject that is off the table for discussion. Sistertalk has allowed women of color on campus to be vocal about serious personal issues and light-hearted ones. The group does not hold back in talking frankly about the world, the society they live in and their experiences living their day-to-day lives as black women.
After joining Sistertalk and participating in their meetings, Peterkin has discovered a sense of confidence that wasn’t there before. “Talking about (struggles) in these meetings really made me feel like there was nothing wrong with being black, whether you’re full black, half black, or whatever. It’s made me really appreciate black people and love myself,” Peterkins said. As the President of Sistertalk, Kyree Jackson said her main focus is to not only hold discussions relevant to black women, but also act upon their thoughts in a real-world setting. “We want to make an influence that is going to encourage growth. If we talk about colorism, what are some actions we can take to stop ourselves from having colorist habits or stop someone else? We really want to educate the community,” Jackson said. For some participants, this network of women has also been an opportunity for academic growth. Jackson reflects on a moment last semester where several members were struggling in their classes. Jackson’s reaction was to initiate a discussion to see how they could all help each other. “I feel like when they are not doing well, then I am not doing well,” Jackson said. Jackson’s tenacity to help her peers succeed can be traced back to her own determination to be a successful student. She said as a black woman, she is expected to work just as hard, if not harder, for her accomplishments to be recognized next to everyone else’s. SEE PROSPER
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DOMINIQUE VILLAMOR / DAILY TITAN
OC County Undersheriff Don Barnes commends communication between law enforcement agencies since 9/11.
The Nixon foundation holds annual memorial to tribute those lost on Sept. 11. HOSAM ELATTAR News Editor
At the Richard Nixon Museum, Patti Trentini, one of the foundation members, remembers making breakfast for her three children before a vacation to Martha’s Vineyard when she received an urgent voicemail from her sister on September 11, 2001. When Trentini called her sister back, her brother-in-law answered. Trentini’s parents had been on Flight 11 from Boston headed to Los Angeles International Airport. “He said their plane just crashed into the World Trade Center. The rest of the day was the beginning of the darkest time
in my life,” Trentini said. Trentini was one of over 400 people commemorating the 2,977 Americans lost that day at the Richard Nixon Museum in Yorba Linda on Tuesday. The museum also included a special display of steel and soil taken from the World Trade Center after the attack, as well as “a flag that was flown over ground zero”, said Chris Nordyke, Nixon foundation events director. Don Barnes, county undersheriff and recurring commemoration guest speaker, said 9/11 brought about “important change” on how local law enforcement operates in the U.S. to prevent similar attacks in the future. “In the 17 years since we have seen dramatic change in our nation’s attitude and concerns about safety, vigilance and privacy,” Barnes said. “The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has resources dedicated to detecting and stopping terrorism in our
jurisdiction.” Barnes praised the county’s Intelligence Assessment Center, which is steered by the Sheriff’s Department, and the county’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is a collaboration with the FBI and other entities that investigate terrorist activities. He thanked them for opening up communication and information-sharing between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. “The ability to communicate openly and quickly, to share information swiftly and without barriers has been essential to preventing additional attacks against our homeland. Let me assure you attacks have been prevented,” Barnes said, adding that “poor public policy” regarding communication between law enforcement agencies could return the U.S. to “a pre-9/11 condition” and put the U.S. at risk. SEE TRIBUTE
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