The
Collegian
Fresno State | Serving the campus since 1922
collegian.csufresno.edu
March 5, 2010 | Friday
Protest part of nationwide action By Thaddeus Miller The Collegian Students, educators, staff and community members took to the streets Thursday as part of a nationwide day of action, and ended with a sit-in. An estimated crowd of 300350 people rallied in Fresno State’s Peace Garden to protest the state of California’s education system. The rally was preceded by a march to campus from the corner of
Shaw and Blackstone avenues that began at 10:30 a.m. The crowd held signs and chanted as they marched. Matthew Jendian, sociology professor, said he marched to support students and education. He said prop 13, in 1978, was the beginning of Califor nia’s problems with
educational funding. Prop 13 rolled back property tax. “It set in place the infrastructure, the permanent defunding of public education,� Jendian said. “Ever since then we have been sliding backwards on how much California pays for See ACTION, Page 6
Students staged a sit-in on the second floor of the Joyal Administration building Thursday (below). Jamie San Andres (right), ASI senator, addresses the crowd of protesters and Vice President for Student Affairs Paul Oliaro (right, back).
Brianna Campbell / The Collegian
Matt Weir / The Collegian
Tenure meant to protect academic freedom By Joe Bailey The Collegian Academic freedom allows professors to research and explore controversial or divisive topics related to their department without fear of persecution. Academic tenure is the means by which academic freedom is achieved. L i s a We s t o n , p r e s i d e n t of the Fresno State chapter
of the Califor nia Faculty Association, has been tenured for nearly 20 of her 26 years at Fresno State. Weston, an English professor, believes that a high-quality tenure system is necessary for superior education. “Tenure ensures that [professors’] teaching is solid and they are providing valuable services to the university,� Weston said. “It also gives the professors some security of
employment and more freedom to engage in controversial projects.� Weston said to become tenured, professors must go through a challenging probationary period where their performance in the classroom and in their field of research is reviewed numerous times. “Probationary professors are reviewed numerous times ensuring that they are conducting research that is mean-
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ingful and they are getting results,� Weston said. Weston said once a professor becomes tenured it is very difficult for them to be fired. Weston has not seen a tenured professor laid-off in the time she has been at Fresno State. Weston added that becoming tenured is not an easy task. “If you’re a rubbish teacher, then you’re not going to be tenured faculty,� Weston said. “If you’re doing research and it is
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quality, and it is peer-reviewed then you can be granted tenure. Barring something terrible or catastrophic happening, or really serious budget cuts, you know you have a job.� Weston believes that Fresno State has a very fair and balanced tenure process but also feels that the professors should receive more compensation for their work. See TENURE, Page 6 1RUWK &HGDU )UHVQR &$ ) /RFDWHG DFURVV IURP )UHVQR 6WDWH