CA-AAUP Talks Government Relations at Annual Meeting, October 2003

The economic and political upheavals of the past year have left California’s public system of higher education reeling from massive budget cuts while demographic pressures intensify the demand for access. Faculty advocacy groups have generally united in protest of any further cuts to instructional budgets and have taken great pains to explain the links between economic recovery and post-secondary education. The fundamental problem is that politicians have been reluctant to treat the current crisis as a revenue problem, preferring instead to poke about the malnurished body politic searching for hidden pockets of fat.

The effect of our institutional dieting is, however, becoming apparent, and the BFA and the California Conference of the AAUP are both working to establish a dialogue with key political players who—we feel—can bring a measure of realism to budget discussions in Sacramento.

On October 25th, the CA-AAUP hosted Assemblymember Carol Liu at the organization’s annual meeting (held, this year, in Oakland). Liu spoke to attendees on the financial situation, in general, and the dismal prospects for higher education, in particular. As Chair of the Assembly committee on Higher Education, Liu has moved forward with a series of hearings on higher education finance and funding. The CA-AAUP plans to have a representative of the organization testify at the next hearing (scheduled for December 9th). In a previous hearing (October 21st), the Committee considered a variety of alternatives to traditional funding mechanisms. Aside from the anticipated discussion of student fees, the Committee considered options ranging from increased institutional reliance on distance education technologies through to voucher schemes. Although useful elements may be gleaned from the assortment of alternatives, the basic problem remains the accelerating disengagement of the legislature from its historic commitment to public higher education.

After Liu’s remarks, the CA-AAUP went into its business session during which it resolved to expand its government relations work in a couple of ways. It was generally agreed that part of the problem that we face is an insufficient understanding in Sacramento of the complexity and importance of faculty members’ professional work. The meeting charged the CA-AAUP Steering Committee to oversee the development of an educational packet for legislators (especially, “rookie” legislators) to ensure that the faculty perspective receives a hearing BEFORE crises provoke specific responses. Second, the meeting established a government relations committee charged with representing the concerns of the profession in Sacramento.

The creation of this new committee is significant in two respects. It reflects a recognition that--while numerous lobby groups speak for particular constituencies in higher education--there is not presently any overarching lobby organization speaking in California for the profession in its entirety. The AAUP is represented on more than 130 campuses in the state and has formal ties with faculty in every sector of higher education (UC, CSU, Community Colleges, and private universities and colleges); consequently, it is uniquely situated to provide just such a broad “faculty” perspective. Additionally, the creation of a standing committee reflects the importance being attached to this work internally. In the past, the CA-AAUP’s government relations work has been overseen by the Conference’s officers. This new move should facilitate the intensification of the CA-AAUP’s lobbying.