Just got an email from UC Communications
“Former California Supreme Court Associate Justice Cruz Reynoso, chair of the task force investigating the pepper-spray incident on November 18, 2011, said today the task force is working toward public release of findings and recommendations on Tuesday, March 6, at a time and location on the UC Davis campus to be determined.
Additional information will be provided as soon as it is available.”
Just received the three emails below regarding results of three UC Davis Faculty Senate Resolutions regarding the pepper spray incident from November and thought they might be of some interest. See this post for a little background.
REPORT OF THE DAVIS DIVISION OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS, RULES AND JURISDICTION
On December 20, 2011, a petition bearing the signatures of at least 50 members of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate of the University of California was submitted asking that the following Motion Concerning Police Actions be voted on by the membership of the Davis Division (tenure/tenure-track faculty of the UC Davis Campus):
Motion:
Be it resolved that that the Davis Division of the Senate of the University of California hereby (1) condemns both the dispatch of police and use of excessive force in response to non-violent protests on November 18, 2011;
(2) opposes violent police response to non-violent protests on campus;
(3) demands that police deployment against protestors be considered only after all reasonable efforts have been exhausted and with direct consultation with Academic Senate leadership.
The Davis Division membership was notified on February 3, 2012 that on-line balloting was open and would be closed on February 17, 2012, at 5:00 PM. The on-line ballot results were reviewed by the Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction on February 17, 2012 after 5:00 PM and are reported as follows:
Total eligible voters: 2,693
Required to pass: Majority
Vote received:
Yes: 635
No: 343
Invalid Ballots: 0
The Motion was therefore declared approved and the University of California, Davis Division of the Academic Senate does support the Motion Concerning Police Actions.
Respectfully submitted,
Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction
G.J. Mattey, Chair
James Fadel
Mark Grismer
REPORT OF THE DAVIS DIVISION OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE
COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS, RULES AND JURISDICTION
On December 15, 2011, a petition bearing the signatures of at least 50 members of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate of the University of California was submitted asking that the following Five-Resolution Vote of Confidence be voted on by the membership of the Davis Division (tenure/tenure-track faculty of the UC Davis Campus):
Resolution:
Be it therefore resolved that the Davis Division of the Academic Senate:
1) Condemns both the dispatch of police in response to non-violent protests and the use of excessive force that led to the deplorable pepper-spraying events of November 18, 2011.
2) Opposes all violent police responses to non-violent protests on campus.
3) Demands that police deployment against protesters be considered only after all reasonable administrative efforts to bridge differences have been exhausted, including direct consultation with the leadership of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate.
4) Accepts Chancellor Linda Katehi’s good faith apology.
5) Expresses confidence in Chancellor Linda Katehi’s leadership and efforts to place UC Davis among the top 5 public universities in the nation.
The Davis Division membership was notified on February 3, 2012 that on-line balloting was open and would be closed on February 17, 2012, at 5:00 PM. The on-line ballot results were reviewed by the Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction on February 17, 2012 after 5:00 PM and are reported as follows:
Total eligible voters: 2,693
Required to pass: Majority
Vote received:
Yes: 586
No: 408
Invalid Ballots: 0
The Motion was therefore declared approved and the University of California, Davis Division of the Academic Senate does support the Five-Resolution Vote of Confidence.
Respectfully submitted,
Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction
G.J. Mattey, Chair
James Fadel
Mark Grismer
REPORT OF THE DAVIS DIVISION OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE
COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS, RULES AND JURISDICTION
On December 6, 2011, a petition bearing the signatures of at least 50 members of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate of the University of California was submitted asking that the following Motion Concerning the Chancellor’s Judgment be voted on by the membership of the Davis Division (tenure/tenure-track faculty of the UC Davis Campus):
Motion: In light of the events on the quadrangle of the UC Davis campus on the afternoon of Friday November 18, 2011, in light of Chancellor Linda Katehi’s email to faculty of November 18 in which she admitted that she had ordered the police to take action against the students who were demonstrating on the quadrangle and said that she had had “no option” but to proceed in this way, and in light of the failure of Chancellor Katehi to act effectively to resolve the resulting crisis in the intervening days,
Be it therefore resolved that the Davis Division of the Senate of the University of California lacks confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Katehi, and
Be it also resolved that the result of the vote on this motion be communicated to the Board of Regents and the President of the University of California.
The Davis Division membership was notified on February 3, 2012 that on-line balloting was open and would be closed on February 17, 2012, at 5:00 PM. The on-line ballot results were reviewed by the Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction on February 17, 2012 after 5:00 PM and are reported as follows:
Total eligible voters: 2,693
Required to pass: Majority
Vote received:
Yes: 312
No: 697
Invalid Ballots: 0
The Motion was therefore declared defeated and the University of California, Davis Division of the Academic Senate does not support the Motion Concerning the Chancellor’s Judgment.
Respectfully submitted,
Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction
G.J. Mattey, Chair
James Fadel
Mark Grismer
Well today I am finally getting around to voting on some UC Davis Academic Senate resolutions relating to the Occupy UC Davis pepper spray incident. For those not familiar with this – first – I offer you my undying love – second – here are some of my previous posts on the theme:
I wrote a lot about the pepper spray incident here and on twitter – I felt in many ways like I had to report on what was going on for the outside world. Here are some of my key posts:
Catching up to today – now the issue (for me and other faculty/members of the Academic Senate) is that we have to vote on some resolutions regarding the pepper spray incident.
Below are the three for which I am supposed to vote. I am asking anyone out there for input on these. All of them seem pretty, well, lame to me and I am inclined to vote no on all of them. But I am reserving judgement and looking for feedback from others out there. Any comments / suggestions welcome.
#1 Motion Concerning the Chancellor’s Judgment
TO: Professor Linda Bisson, Chair, Davis Division of the Academic Senate
Dear Chair Bisson
The undersigned members of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate hereby petition you to put the following motion of non-confidence in the leadership of the Chancellor to a vote of the entire membership of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate at the earliest date that is feasible under Senate rules.
Motion: In light of the events on the quadrangle of the UC Davis campus on the afternoon of Friday November 18, 2011, in light of Chancellor Linda Katehi’s email to faculty of November 18 in which she admitted that she had ordered the police to take action against the students who were demonstrating on the quadrangle and said that she had had “no option” but to proceed in this way, and in light of the failure of Chancellor Katehi to act effectively to resolve the resulting crisis in the intervening days,
Be it therefore resolved that the Davis Division of the Senate of the University of California lacks confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Katehi, and
Be it also resolved that the result of the vote on this motion be communicated to the Board of Regents and the President of the University of California.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Yours sincerely,
View signatories
#2: Five-Resolution Vote of Confidence
To: The Davis Division of the Academic Senate
Re: Petition for Ballot on Issues
We, the undersigned members of the UC Davis faculty, petition the Davis Division of the Academic Senate to hold a vote on the issues below.
Preamble
Whereas non-violent political protest, free assembly, and free speech are constitutional rights valued at the UC Davis,
And whereas the response of the UC Davis Police Department to peaceful protestors on November 18, 2011 was appalling,
And whereas in the UC Davis culture it is customary for representative(s) from the highest levels of the administration to engage in direct dialogue with demonstrators,
And whereas prior to November 18, 2011 Chancellor Linda Katehi worked diligently to elevate the national and international stature of the Davis campus,
And whereas the presence of an accomplished scholar at the top post has helped UC Davis attract and retain outstanding scholars, including faculty members serving at the highest levels of administration,
And whereas in the last two years, Chancellor Linda Katehi developed a bold plan for campus growth that includes an aggressive fund-raising campaign that will alleviate the burden imposed by ever decreasing state financial support,
And whereas Chancellor Linda Katehi apologized to University community for the events of November 18, 2011,
And whereas Chancellor Linda Katehi publically stated that she will ensure that such events do not recur,
And whereas the events of November 18 transformed Linda Katehi into a Chancellor who engages in a full and open dialogue with students, staff, and faculty,
And whereas Chancellor Katehi moved expeditiously to replace the flawed communications in the two days following the events with a campus-wide dialogue through a series of town hall meetings with students, staff, and faculty,
And whereas a Chancellor with first-hand experience of the horrific events of November 18, 2011 is better qualified to deal with its aftermath,
And whereas dispatching police before engaging in a direct dialogue with protesters, while running counter to the UC Davis culture, does not outweigh the Chancellor Katehi’s impeccable performance of all her other duties,
And whereas Chancellor Katehi’s resignation would have devastating effects on the moral and academic standing of the campus, thereby making it highly unlikely that UC Davis could attract a Chancellor of her stature,
And whereas it is time to promote a constructive healing process rather than risk more harm by pressuring the Chancellor to resign:
Resolution:
Be it therefore resolved that the Davis Division of the Academic Senate:
Condemns both the dispatch of police in response to non-violent protests and the use of excessive force that led to the deplorable pepper-spraying events of November 18, 2011.
Opposes all violent police responses to non-violent protests on campus.
Demands that police deployment against protesters be considered only after all reasonable administrative efforts to bridge differences have been exhausted, including direct consultation with the leadership of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate.
Accepts Chancellor Linda Katehi’s good faith apology.
Expresses confidence in Chancellor Linda Katehi’s leadership and efforts to place UC Davis among the top 5 public universities in the nation.
#3: Motion Concerning Police Actions
TO: Professor Linda Bisson, Chair, Davis Division of the Academic Senate
Dear Chair Bisson
The undersigned members of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate hereby petition you to put the following motion to a vote of the entire membership of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate at the earliest date that is feasible under Senate rules.
Motion:
Be it resolved that that the Davis Division of the Senate of the University of California hereby (1) condemns both the dispatch of police and use of excessive force in response to non-violent protests on November 18, 2011;
(2) opposes violent police response to non-violent protests on campus;
(3) demands that police deployment against protestors be considered only after all reasonable efforts have been exhausted and with direct consultation with Academic Senate leadership.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Yours sincerely,
View signatories
Just got this in email and thought it would be good to share
Posting this email I received for those interested. Not sure what will happen this quarter in terms of Occupy UC Davis actions and related issues … but will post as things develop.
Dear UC Davis Community,
Happy New Year! I am writing to welcome everyone back to campus and to share my thoughts about the coming year at UC Davis.
The many conversations we’ve had about the events of last November affirm that our pursuit of academic excellence can succeed only if our campus remains a safe and welcoming place for all voices and forms of expression.
As we work to ensure this, we must not forget the understandable frustration that has fueled protests. After repeated cuts in state support for California’s public universities and a near doubling of tuition the past four years, many of our students and their families have reached a breaking point. Rising student debt and a still-struggling economy have only made things worse. Students have every right to expect that we will stand with them in fighting to reverse these very troubling trends.
In the coming year, I will personally and persistently advocate for additional state and federal investment in our university to help ease this financial burden and make UC Davis more available and accessible to deserving students. We also will steward our resources wisely, seek to protect academic programs to the extent possible, and do everything possible to fund more student scholarships and fellowships.
Ours is a preeminent public university. As we all strive to enhance its many qualities and distinctions, let us be proud of what is taking place every day in our classrooms, laboratories, health centers and other centers of excellence. All of you, in some way, are benefiting our region, state, nation and world. All great universities place students at the center of their work. We cannot and will not rest until we provide our students the best learning environment and services possible.
I also am committed to focusing on the positive role of UC Davis in economic development and its positive impacts on communities, our state and beyond. A stronger regional, state and global economy will provide our graduates with the career and service opportunities they deserve.
In support of this goal, I have initiated an extensive effort involving faculty, students and staff to assess and evaluate our 2020 Initiative. Central to that task is our ability to convert this concept into a plan that is implementable, aligns well with and supports our values and principles as a land-grant university.
The 2020 Initiative can be a bold blueprint for UC Davis to meet its financial challenges while broadening access to California students and allowing our university to become an even more vital engine of economic development.
Much work lies ahead. We expect to receive in coming weeks the results of various inquiries regarding the events of last November. We will receive critical reports regarding the future of UC Davis athletics. And we will hear the concerns and ideas generated by the fifty faculty, staff and students helping to study and shape the proposed 2020 Initiative.
I look forward to sharing and discussing these important subjects with you.
Sincerely,
Linda P.B. Katehi
Just got this email announcement and I thought I would share. As many know, in the aftermath of the pepper spray incident, whether you support the UC Davis Chancellor or not, it was pretty clear that communications regarding the incident were, well, poor at best. Hopefully this will improve things. Of course, action is more important than communication — but I am glad to see the Chancellor responding to communication issues —
Dear Colleagues,
I write to inform you about additional actions that I am taking immediately to strengthen Strategic Communications. These steps will help us address needs and challenges facing UC Davis today while preparing us to take advantage of opportunities that lie ahead.
You may recall that in September 2011 I eliminated the office of Vice Chancellor of University Relations and shifted Communications, Government Relations, and Special Events to the Office of the Chancellor, reporting directly to me. Shortly thereafter, Cynthia Barbera was brought on to serve as the acting Executive Director of Strategic Communications pending the appointment of a permanent director.
In meetings with various colleges and departments over the past three weeks as well as in other contexts, I heard many comments and clearly expressed concerns about the ability of Strategic Communications to meet our present needs. I share many of these concerns.
Accordingly, I have asked Barry Shiller to serve as interim Executive Director of Strategic Communications. He will assume day-to-day management of the campus’s central communications activities, effective January 5, 2012.
Barry brings to us an extensive background in strategic communications, diverse career experiences from the UC system and elsewhere, and – as a proud Aggie parent (Class of 2007) – particular appreciation for UC Davis’ distinctions and excellence.
Most recently, Barry served for more than three years as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications & Marketing at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). There, he guided UCSC’s marketing and institutional communication efforts including media relations, branding and marketing, and campus communications. He closely collaborated with students, faculty, staff, foundation and alumni representatives, campus leadership and others on a comprehensive effort to highlight UCSC’s many distinctions in teaching, research and service. Under his leadership, UCSC achieved greater regional and national prominence.
Barry previously served in a similar capacity for nearly five years at Saint Mary’s College of California. Prior to that, he held communications and public affairs leadership positions at a San Francisco public relations agency; an e-commerce start-up firm and the northern California affiliate of the American Automobile Association (AAA). Barry earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco and completed advanced studies in insurance and risk management.
I am confident that Barry will serve us extremely well as the interim leader of our central communications activities. I hope you will join me in warmly welcoming him to the UC Davis family.
It is also essential that we launch and complete a comprehensive national search for the permanent director of our central communications unit. Many faculty and others have expressed an interest in helping to shape and inform the long-term direction of our campus communications activities. Community input will be critical to this search as well as the ongoing evolution of our strategic communications efforts.
I have asked Jessie Ann Owens, Dean of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, to chair the Recruitment and Selection Committee for this important position, and Dean Owens has graciously agreed. You may expect details early in the New Year about the search process and in particular how faculty, students, staff and other members of the campus community can contribute to this endeavor.
I’ll continue to share updates as we work to improve our communications efforts. Your assistance is critical to our success.
I wish each of you much peace as we enter the New Year.
Sincerely,
Linda P.B. Katehi
Chancellor
Posting for anyone interested (email from Linda Bisson – Chair of UC Davis Academic Senate)
Dear Colleagues:
There was an issue with the set up of the email address for the Special Committee that has now been corrected by IT. If you sent an email to the committee prior to Wednesday December 21st, we request that you send it again. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Linda
*original message*
Dear Colleagues,
During an emergency teleconference meeting, on November 20, 2011, the Davis Division Executive Council approved formation of a Special Committee to review the incident in which protestors were pepper sprayed on November 18, 2011. The Executive Council Special Committee on the November 18th Incident has been appointed. The charge and membership are available on the Academic Senate website: http://academicsenate.ucdavis.edu/committees/exec-council-nov-18.cfm. If you wish to provide the Special Committee information, please forward an e-mail message to: specialcommittee@ucdavis.edu. I anticipate receipt of the report from this committee in February 2012.
Sincerely,
Linda F. Bisson, Chair
Davis Division of the Academic Senate
My younger brother Matt is a sound engineering student at UC Irvine. As I did with my post: Top 10 reasons to still consider attending #UCDavis #OccupyUCDavis he has tacked the UC crisis with humor … Check out his radio spot:
https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F29593375&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff7700 Radio Spot by mattglenn
Just got this email and thought it would be of interest to some
Colleagues,
This message provides notice of two impending ballots, as required by Davis Division Bylaw 17: http://academicsenate.ucdavis.edu/cerj/manual/dd_bylaws.cfm#17-. You have received this notice as a voting member of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate. The Davis Division received at least 50 valid signatures with each petition, requiring initiation of a formal notice and electronic ballot. More information, including the method for gathering pro and con statements and the voting period, will be distributed on January 9, 2012. The petitions are summarized below:
1) Petition received on December 6, 2011, requests a vote regarding a lack of confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Katehi, with the result of the vote to be communicated to the Board of Regents and UC President.
2) Petition received on December 15, 2011, requests a vote regarding 1) condemnation of both the dispatch of police and use of excessive force in response to non-violent protests on November 18, 2011; 2) opposing violent police response to non-violent protests on campus; 3) demanding that police deployment against protestors be considered only after all reasonable efforts have been exhausted and with direct consultation with Academic Senate leadership; 4) acceptance of Chancellor Katehi’s apology; 5) expression of confidence in Chancellor Katehi’s leadership and efforts to place UC Davis among the top public universities in the nation.Sincerely,
Ines Hernandez-Avila
Secretary, Davis Division of the Academic Senate
Chair, Native American Studies
Just got a pointer to this by email and thought some would be interested (not endorsing everything that is there but it is definitely worth a look – the Fact Sheet they are annotating rubbed me the wrong way too).
5 UCD faculty members prepared an annotated version of the “fact sheet” sent by the Chancellor’s office last week: https://sites.google.com/site/realfactsheet/realfactsheet.pdf
This is designed not only to give more of the relevant facts, but also to analyze the quality of communications coming out of the Chancellor’s office. The list of endorsers is at https://sites.google.com/site/realfactsheet/endorsers.pdf
Jonathan Eisen's Lab 