Student frustration over the neoliberal assault on higher education is not just a U.S. or even North American (e.g. tri-national COCAL) phenomenon..According to New Americas Quarterly, "Latin America's students are angry—and getting angrier." The International Students Movement connects students on both sides of the pond. Casualized academic labor is moving in this direction too but still has a long way to way to go. Millions of students have taken to the streets across Latin America in recent years in protests that reflect an unprecedentedly broad mobilization of popular opinion.
Just a reminder about the petition page on Uniting in Diversity for Equity. There is also a resources page for helping child refugees. It's time to add a Projects page to the pages menu update list. 
San Jose City College, founded in 1921, is a community college located in the city of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. San Jose City College was originally called San Jose Junior College and operated in downtown San Jose, California. San Jose Unified School District took over the College’s operation in 1953, moving it to its present 2100 Moorpark Avenue location, overlooking Interstate 280. The name changed to San Jose City College in 1958..Each Chapter of A Simple Matter of Justice focused on the barriers, opportunities and organizing approaches being undertaken in a different situation. The video-book’s Afterword, taped at COCAL IV in San Jose, CA, demonstrates the value of an international-scale coalition/organization to increase the effectiveness, reach and resolve of contingent faculty.
Today is another movie day on the blog ~
BYOP(opcorn). Leading up to #cocalXI ~ or #altCOCAL, even both,
depending on your inclinations (but that's another post), the current Sunday Matinee series focuses on
Barbara Wolf's films about adjunct academic labor, which have been
closely associated with COCAL since the first Campus Equity Week in 2001, where Degrees of Shame: Part-time Faculty: Migrant Workers of the Information Economy was shown in Chicago (and became a CEW staple). The afterword to A Simple Matter of Justice was taped at COCAL IV in San Jose, CA. In the picture to the the right, Barbara Wolf is handing out flyers in Chicago. |
| Barbara Wolf, Workplace 4.2 |
…more recent ones are in the collection too but revisiting earlier articles seems in order. Some may be thinking of Keith's work just in terms of posts on the adj-l listserv, an occasional article and now his book, Equality for Contingent Faculty. There is actually a substantial body of work extending back 20 years or so. |
| l-r: NFM Board Member Bill Lipkin, his UAF-NJ colleagues and board members Dave McClure and Lynne Cummins, with Randi Weingarten |
Scheduled plenaries, forums and workshops will deal with contingent faculty in higher education problems faced by in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and around the globe.
Possible solutions and actions will be planned
…from Works & Days—Cultural Logic…HT #JoeBerry's #COCAL Updates. No telling when or even if we will get back to updating archived updates but you can always subscribe to your own by email. Just email joeberry@igc.orgI am now leaving for COCAL X in Mexico City and may or may not have sufficient time and internet access to send out another COCAL Update before I return to the US August 21. If not, have a good remainder of your summer and and excellent start of the school year, for all those who start early.
Three notes of self promotion: My partner Helena Worthen and I have written three articles that have recently appeared or are about to appear that should be of interest to this list. (photo, UNAM by David Milroy)
If any readers would like copies of these articles emailed to you when the final versions become available, just drop me an email. In solidarity.In addition to Joe Berry, other New Faculty Majority members attending include David Milroy for CFA and NFM board members Judy Olson, Jack Longmate and Steve Street. All are now in Mexico City. I promise to do my utmost at harrying them for reports to share with you.
According to UK political activist Richard Seymour writing in The Guardian, Chicago teachers could strike a blow for organised labor globally. Although risky, a successful, a fight to halt school budget cuts in Democratic heartland would be a huge boost for unions.
UVA reinstates president after corporate right wingers who engineered her ouster were themselves defeated (resigned), Inside HigherEd"We wanted to remind you that the COCAL X Mexico (English) is taking place on 8/9/2012 - 8/12/2012 at Avenida Universidad 3000, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Delegación Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, DF. We expect the available registrations to fill up quickly. So, we would like to offer you the opportunity to reserve your spot at a reduced early bird rate! To RSVP, click here . We look forward to hearing from you! Thank you, David Milroy."
Adjunct fired at Texas A&M (Daily Mail, UK), a public university, as indirect result of objecting to cross displayed on top of university building (e.g. files complaint with ACLU that leads to removal of crosses and subsequent email threats that administration does not act on but reacts by taking away her fall courses for speaking out), as recently reported in Crosses, Threats and an Adjunct by Scott Jaschik (Inside HigherEd). See also Seth Kahn's impressive letter to San Antonio Texas A&M administration (Adjunct Project). Breaking update: she is now in communication with The Fire, which took an immediate interest in the case.
