SSU faculty debate vote on Armiņana
Press Democrat 5/16/07
The balloting, which began Monday, threatens to overshadow campus activities in the final week of the school year.
"It's kind of grim," said Elaine McDonald, chairwoman of the Academic Senate. "People are nervous, people are asking for information, people are trying to figure out how to vote."
McDonald was among the referendum supporters who made a case during a faculty meeting Tuesday that Armiñana hasn't spent enough on teachers, classrooms and educational programs.
Armiñana was in Long Beach for the CSU trustees' monthly meeting, but his cabinet issued a defense of his 15-year tenure at the 7,000-student campus in Rohnert Park, saying he protected the faculty from state budget cuts.
Of the 17 people who attended the faculty meeting, 15 were staunch supporters of voting no confidence in Armiñana.
Lynn Cominsky, chairwoman of the physics and astronomy department, was the only faculty member there who supported the president.
"You are speaking to yourselves," she told the group.
Catherine Nelson, a political science professor who said she was undecided, asked the group why they were rushing to hold the referendum now, during the last week of school, when it is harder for faculty to debate the issues.
"I need this time to grade papers, to meet with students and celebrate graduation," Nelson said.
Nelson said after the meeting she was torn by the issue.
"I have severe concerns over the direction the university has taken, but I don't know if a vote of no confidence is the right strategy," Nelson said.
McDonald urged the group to get their colleagues to vote, and worried that a low turnout would send a mixed message.
There are 454 faculty members eligible to vote. The results are to be released Monday.
Critics say Armiñana has spent discretionary money on things other than hiring teachers, funding faculty development and building new classrooms. They also say the $100 million Green Music Center, which is under construction, is a drain on finances.
Tim Wandling, chairman of the English department, said SSU gets $3 million to $4 million a year in discretionary money, which could have gone to academic programs.
"During the Armiñana years, it is hard to rectify that the academic side is getting less than in the previous years," said Bill Crowley, an SSU geography professor. "We are second to last in faculty salaries in the CSU."
Armiñana's cabinet, made up of six senior administrators, said he has raised money for the school while dealing with state budget cuts.
The statement says SSU has been underfunded compared to other campuses its size, taking a $5 million hit in its general fund budget in the past three years; forestalled $1.2 million in cuts of teachers; committed $1 million to technology and $1 million to faculty development over the next five years; and raised $150 million from private donors to fund teaching.