Tue, 6 Jan 1998 23:17:13 -0800 (PST) Tue, 6 Jan 1998 23:11:13 -0800 (PST) Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 23:11:13 -0800 (PST) To: (Recipient list suppressed) From: Michael Eisenscher Subject: CA-CSU Privatization Plan Protested; CFA Chapter Chair Letter to Editor Sender: meisenscher@igc.org /* Written 2:47 PM Dec 12, 1997 by labornews in igc:labr.newsline */ /* ---------- "CA-CSU Privatization Plan Protested" ---------- */ > Thursday, December 11, 1997 San Francisco Chronicle > CSU-Corporate Plan Protested > S.F. State students rally against proposed partnership > > Pamela Burdman, Chronicle Staff Writer > > SAN FRANCISCO > About 100 San Francisco State University students > rallied yesterday to urge the Cal State system to > put the brakes on its planned partnership with > four high-tech corporations to wire the campuses > for high-speed telecommunications. > > About 70 of the students marched to a nearby > auditorium, where faculty members were busy > criticizing the plan -- a sign of increasing > hostility toward the 10-year corporate partnership > plan that California State University brass are > proposing. > > CSU officials are hoping to sign a deal with > Microsoft Corp., GTE Corp., Fujitsu and Hughes > Space and Communications by the end of January. > But critics say the 22-campus system is moving too > quickly, especially because key details about the > unprecedented venture have yet to be released. > > ``This is the first time this has happened,'' said > Brian Eby, a history major and organizer of > yesterday's protest. ``If this succeeds, it will > make it that much easier for (similar) deals to go > through at other universities.'' > > The envisioned partnership is being called CETI -- > California Educational Technology Initiative -- > but student protesters have dubbed it ``Corporate > Educational Takeover Initiative.'' > > Some 500 Humboldt State students also rallied > against the proposal on Monday. And faculty > senates at San Jose State and at least four other > campuses have passed resolutions urging CSU > officials in Long Beach to take their time. > > The state Legislature has refused money for the > technology upgrade. Administrators, who have been > seeking input for several years and thought they > had found a clever way out of their funding > dilemma, said they are surprised by the outcry. > > Students and faculty, however, say they have been > surveyed about their technology needs but until > recently had not heard about the business plan. > > The documents that have been released remain > vague. They say CSU will form a limited-liability > company with the four corporations and that the > new company will sell technology to CSU and the > general public. > > But it is not clear how the company will be > controlled, what products will be sold at what > prices, and what, if anything, students and > faculty will have to pay. > > ``Everything seems to be double-speak,'' said > Margo Kasdan, a cinema professor who heads S.F. > State's faculty union. ``It's right out of `1984.' > '' > > Accounting professor Bob Daniels also questioned > the premise of the initiative: ``I hate CETI,'' he > said. ``It's an abuse of the partnership idea . . > . that somebody sets up a partnership to sell > something back to yourself.'' > > But some students and faculty say they feel > comfortable with the proposal. > > Blane Uthman, a student leader at Cal-State > Hayward, said a weekend session in Long Beach with > representatives of the corporations convinced him > that the initiative is the cheapest way to wire > the campuses without getting more money from the > state or raising fees. > > ``It's not a question of pro-business or not pro- > business,'' he said. ``It's a question of being > pro-student. I'm afraid some of my fellow students > are not looking at the big picture, about what it > means to future students.'' =============================================== /* Written 2:41 PM Dec 27, 1997 by labornews in igc:labr.privatiza */ /* ---------- "Corporatization Threatens Pub Educa" ---------- */ > Monday, Dec. 22, 1997 San Francisco Examiner LETTERS TO THE EDITOR > CSU's high-tech link > > Frances Hong's article on the California State > University corporate initiative - the California > Educational Technology Initiative - covered the > issue well ( "S.F. State students, professors shun > high-tech partnership," Dec. 11). She quotes me on > my concern about the privatization of public > higher education. > > My concern goes beyond questions of intellectual > property rights. This suggested private-public > partnership is a corporation designed to buy > products to sell back to itself. > > This corporatization transforms the 23 campuses of > the CSU into an exclusive market for GTE, Fujitsu, > Microsoft and Hughes Global. > > Corporations and education have different, if not > opposite, goals and methodologies. The > corporations' methods are focused toward making > profits. Education, especially higher education, > takes as its goal understanding and intellectual > illumination, and its methodology is necessarily > open inquiry. > > The students immediately understood the > difference. Of course they and the faculty oppose > the destruction of CSU, and so should California > taxpayers. They should insist on a serious inquiry > at a Jan. 6 congressional hearing on the program. > Margo Kasdan Professor of cinema studies > President, SFSU Chapter California Faculty > Association San Francisco