A panel of five faculty members at Cal State Long Beach agreed that the campus is in a crisis, as they discussed California’s budget cuts on higher education at the Solidarity Symposium last Tuesday. This crisis can be a turning point for the university, said professor of American Indian Studies Troy Johnson, as it provides the opportunity for a positive change.
“We are at a cross roads,” said professor of Chicano and Latino Studies Jose Moreno. “Are we a packing plant, or are we a place of hope for the practice of freedom.” Moreno went on to say that there are pockets of hope but we must continue to strive to be both idealists and practitioners of freedom. This has become more difficult under the stresses of the budget cuts - which Clarissa Rojas, professor of Chicano and Latino studies, said are an unprecedented attack on the university.
This privatization of the university has narrowed access to marginalized groups, consequently stifling diversity and collaboration in thought, ideas, and activities on campus. The panel pointed out the disparity between the demographics of the campus and the representation marginalized groups receive, emphasizing that representation is more than just numbers. Johnson used the words of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to illustrate this point, “We share physical proximity without spiritual affinity.” We must engage in a constructive dialogue, urged the panel, forming a true synergy among the campus community.
The crisis that Cal State Long Beach faces, offers the potential for possibility and change, but the change will not come without sacrifices explained Moreno, “You can only promote change if you are willing to risk something.”
“We are at a cross roads,” said professor of Chicano and Latino Studies Jose Moreno. “Are we a packing plant, or are we a place of hope for the practice of freedom.” Moreno went on to say that there are pockets of hope but we must continue to strive to be both idealists and practitioners of freedom. This has become more difficult under the stresses of the budget cuts - which Clarissa Rojas, professor of Chicano and Latino studies, said are an unprecedented attack on the university.
This privatization of the university has narrowed access to marginalized groups, consequently stifling diversity and collaboration in thought, ideas, and activities on campus. The panel pointed out the disparity between the demographics of the campus and the representation marginalized groups receive, emphasizing that representation is more than just numbers. Johnson used the words of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to illustrate this point, “We share physical proximity without spiritual affinity.” We must engage in a constructive dialogue, urged the panel, forming a true synergy among the campus community.
The crisis that Cal State Long Beach faces, offers the potential for possibility and change, but the change will not come without sacrifices explained Moreno, “You can only promote change if you are willing to risk something.”
Photo courtesy of the Daily49er
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