“Linda Katehi has demonstrated her disregard for the values of public education.”
Student Workers Cite Recent Scandals as Evidence of Corruption and Influence Peddling
The UAW 2865 Joint Council passed a unanimous resolution calling on the UC Office of the President and the UC Regents to dismiss UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi. The call comes after revelations that Katehi served in a compensated position at textbook company Wiley and Sons for two years while also working as Chancellor, receiving almost $420,000 in wages and stock options from the private company.
Last week, Katehi also accepted a paid position on the board of for-profit education outfit DeVry, then resigned amid public outcry.
The resolution by the Academic Workers union, representing 13,000 teaching assistants, graduate instructors, and tutors in the UC system, argues that both of these board appointments represent a conflict of interest for Katehi. Wiley and Sons, as a major textbook supplier, has reason to seek influence within the UC system, and the massive compensation given to Katehi is therefore suspect. DeVry is at the forefront of efforts to erode public education by providing for-profit alternatives.
“Private companies don’t share the goals of the University of California. The UC should be about creating opportunities for people, but DeVry, along with other for-profit colleges like Corinthian and Trump, are just about making money,” said Jeb Purucker, a UC Santa Cruz graduate student and elected representative to the union’s Joint Council.
At Davis, several dozen protesters have been in Katehi’s office for three days, demanding that she be fired and replaced. “It’s my job here as a TA to advocate for students. My students are working-class and people of color. They are the ones that are mostly affected by Katehi basically incentivizing our tuition and expensive textbooks,” said Marco Rosales, a Ph.D. student in the history department.
Duane Wright, a sociology graduate student and union member, said that Katehi represents extreme wealth inequality between upper administrators and workers in the UC system. “I make less than $20,000 and my tuition is paid because I have a union, but I still have to take out loans to pay my rent. I don’t have an extra job where I can moonlight and make an extra $400,000,” said Wright.
In addition to calling for the firing of Katehi, the resolution demands “a process of selection and approval of her replacement by a democratic council of students and workers.”
UAW 2865 RESOLUTION DEMANDING THE FIRING OF UC DAVIS CHANCELLOR LINDA KATEHI
REMINDING all members of the UC community that Linda Katehi has a history of involvement in corruption and influence peddling in higher education, dating back to her previous position at the University of Illinois.
FURTHER RECALLING that Katehi irreparably damaged her relationship with students and workers at UC Davis by ordering police violence against student protesters in 2011.
WHEREAS Katehi compromised her chancellor position by accepting a board appointment and would-be monetary compensation of $70,000 from for-profit educational outfit DeVry, whose goals are at odds with the mission of the University of California.
WHEREAS Katehi accepted a board appointment and received compensation valued at $420,000 from private textbook vendors Wiley and Sons, who have reason to seek her influence for private gain.
NOTING that the acceptance of these appointments represent a clear conflict of interest and lack of judgement.
WHEREAS, students and workers at UC Davis are protesting to demand the firing of Katehi in light of these scandals, and demanding that her replacement be selected and approved by students and workers.
CONVINCED that Linda Katehi has demonstrated her disregard for the values of public education.
BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE JOINT COUNCIL OF UAW LOCAL 2865:
CALLS on the University Office of the President, as well as the UC Regents, to remove Katehi as Chancellor of UC Davis.
DEMANDS a process of selection and approval of her replacement by a democratic council of students and workers.
When I read the description of the meeting in the Bee, it was clear to me that Katehi is just not good at dealing with student protests. She wanted to schedule a meeting and “bring her team” because she says that she is not the only one who make decisions for the University. She is the Chancellor and clearly doesn’t realize this. It seems that her view is that the University is run by a team and therefore the students need to address their concerns to this team, not just the Chancellor.
Again, I really miss Chancellor James Meyer, who would never have let this get so far out of control. I believe that Larry Vanderhoff would have done vastly better here. I’m beginning to doubt Katehi’s value to the University. She may be well-respected in the science community, but she doesn’t have the skills to run a public University with such a diverse population of students. Her lack of courage when it comes to talking to the students is really disturbing. She should be able and willing to talk to students in any setting and at any time. This is what a good leader does. This is what we need her to do.
Do the students really want to talk with her and have a civil conversation or just demand that she resign?
The students don’t want to talk to her, they want her to resign. They’ve made it clear that’s the only acceptable outcome. But that doesn’t mean this is her strength in handling it.
According to these articles the students do want to meet:
http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/ucd/student-protesters-demand-katehis-resignation-sleep-over-in-mrak-hall/
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2016/03/14/uc-davis-protesters-holding-strong-as-university-threatens-discipline/
According to the Vanguard, “For the student protesters, there is no outcome that works for them other than the chancellor resigning or being fired. ”
In response to a similar post by you yesterday, David wrote, “I was there when this happened. But as I understood the conversation the Vice Chancellor said that the Chancellor wanted to meet with them but wouldn’t come there. The students said they weren’t leaving and if the chancellor wanted to meet with them, she had to come there. I did not get the impression from that that the students were demanding to meet with her. In fact, I have the conversation on audio recording and quoted it in this article. The Enterprise and CBS 13 weren’t there when this conversation took place. I was.”
You had no response to that post.
There’s a video on the FB student’s union page where Katehi approached the students and the students say they want to meet “right here, right now” and that they are open to a meeting. It’s at the 12 minute mark of the video. In their own words.
Then things changed from Monday morning. You’re welcome to come down to my office to hear the audio of the exchange between the VC and the Protesters. When I talked to them they said they were willing to meet, but it had to be at the location, they were not going to meet offsite and the only acceptable outcome was her resignation or her being fired. There was no demand for a meeting however.
It’s a conversation. They ask a question. She answers it. She asks a question. They answer it. They ask another question. She answers that one and so forth. Why is that so difficult?
They are demanding that she resign. She can tell them that she doesn’t intend to and why. She can talk about the things she is working on that may benefit them and other students at the University. They can talk about what they are struggling with and why they feel her actions were a betrayal.
I believe they want to have a civil conversation, demanding that she resign.
RK: Vanderhoff wasn’t terribly adept at handling student protests. Look at Sodexho for a recent example under his watch, he got caught with undercover cops and all sorts of other imbeds.
OK. But I always found that he was willing to talk to students, staff and faculty.
I think that willingness was situational at best.
A team is what got us the Pepper Spraying.
Over, done, history, mistakes were made, improvements have been implemented. Move on.
“at odds with the mission of the University of California”? wth does that mean? I think this needs to be fleshed out better. Could we be talking about some academic bias and discrimination from these elite UCD students? I don’t really see too much of a problem with a UC Chancellor sitting on the boards of any company that provides useful education services. In fact, she is likely to learn thing in this role that could help here develop vision and ideas for how UCD might be improved. I don’t see any conflict of interest here. I would prefer she participates without any compensation except for expense reimbursement, but this amounts here are really de minimis.
Now here I have a problem. The education textbook industry is run like a monopolistic cartel where the books are overpriced and unnecessarily updated to new editions every year to prevent the used books from being sold and repurchased at a lower cost. If she was involved to help improve this situation, then there is no conflict of interest. The amount of compensation is troubling though.
I agree that there is certainly the perceptions of conflict of interest, but then maybe not. That needs to be fleshed out. I absolutely agree that she demonstrated a lack of judgement for her involvement with Wiley and Sons.
The rest… not so much.
The kids need to just demand an investigation of her Wiley and Sons involvement, and go back to class and back to thinking about how they will pay off all their student debt.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/03/14/va-suspends-devry-university-from-a-key-veterans-program/
This article delves into everyone’s issue with Devry a little better.
Well based on this, it would make sense that DeVry would seek out someone like Katehi to help advise them for how to improve.
Frankly
it would make sense that DeVry would seek out someone like Katehi to help advise them for how to improve.”
Agreed. As long as she did it on her own time and either without compensation or with donation of her proceeds to a fund for UCD students who she is supposedly serving.
Frankly
“ I don’t really see too much of a problem with a UC Chancellor sitting on the boards of any company that provides useful education services. In fact, she is likely to learn thing in this role that could help here develop vision and ideas for how UCD might be improved. I don’t see any conflict of interest here. I would prefer she participates without any compensation except for expense reimbursement, but this amounts here are really de minims.”
Here we have a difference of perspective. I think that any participation in outside boards should be provided without compensation ( one could argue over a very small expense reimbursement account) and I do not see, and doubt many of these student employees would see $ 70+ K as “de minims” on top of her $ 400 + K compensation from the university although it certainly might seem so to you. I also believe her association with KAU to be unethical although arguably not monetarily significant as far as UCD students and employees are concerned.
Frankly, you cant see the conflict of interest of a Chancellor of a public University (who is paid nearly 500 k a year of taxpayer money) serving on a board of a for profit university? There is an inherent conflict of interest. If you cant see it, youre blind.
No there is not a clear conflict of interest. Education is education. If an executive from one education institution can sit on the board of another and add value to the overall quality, choice and access of education for all, then we should support it.
Also she is likely to learn things from this board role that would help her be more creative in her role at UCD.
Excuse me but you seem a bit naive about these things. And/or you are demonstrating some troubling academic elitism.
And in terms of the pay, I assume that there is a policy somewhere that covers this. If the policy did not exist to forbid it, then she has not broken any policy. The demand should be to change the policy in that case. Now, if the policy exists and she has broken it, then by all means she deserves to be reprimanded in some way.
Katehi didn’t break any policy as her Wiley and Sons position was known by Big Sis. Where she might have a problem is it’s reported she took the DeVry position before it was formally approved, though she already had the paperwork submitted. If Katehi should be fired for taking the Wiley and Sons position then Big Sis should also face consequences. I post this at the risk of being called a troll for my opinions.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article65110317.html
Thanks BP.
For a troll, you have good posts.
Let’s put aside the Chancellor for a brief moment…
There are ‘rotten apples’ out there… the tenured professors who have the contracts with the book publishers, and profit in the constant revisions to the textbooks (which, technically, in some fields, actually need constant updating) which those same professors make “required reading”.
By the time I was a Senior @ UCD in the mid-70’s, my required textbooks cost more than my tuition… I was lucky… most of my required textbooks were NOT authored by my professors, and were in subject areas that were not prone to ’emergent’ info. Most of those textbooks sit in boxes in my garage, unopened for 40 years… I learned the material, and used it, and practical experience lead me not to need them.
The textbook “scam” is huge now, given the emergence of ‘kindle’, the internet, etc. as alternatives to “textbooks”.
If you add up all the ‘royalties’ professors get on textbooks, and their ability to “monopolize” on that, the Chancellor’s “take” is ‘chump change’.
That said, the Chancellor was completely wrong to be (or be perceived to be, either one) in that corrupt system.
Perhaps the VG, or a reader, can “out” the true villains re: textbooks. The tenured professors… how much do they get ‘on the side’? It has been a 40-60 year scam, yet it is not addressed.
hpierce
I agree with your assessment of the value ( or lack thereof ) of textbooks given the current state of electronic information and communications. I have only opened a textbook a handful of times within the last year or so and then only to show something to a student when my computer was not yet up and running. I use on line sources for information daily as do my residents and students.
some fields NEED updating EVERY day… LOL
Others like basic algebra do NOT>>..except for the set of students who truly struggle no matter what…
They don’t need new books, THEY need new Activities, and cuisinaire rods and such…
But, the MOST math oriented do NOT need to waste time on the extras….see my other comments above…I see YOU are more in my age group..
Back in the 70s books cost MORE than tuition because THE STATE paid THEIR fair share…
They NO longer do….and yet they STILL try to dictate what happens on campus and who THEY like and DON’t Like…. The Gov and Regents got Naplitano to do what THEY couldn’t…
And, look how well THAT is working out for OUR campus, OUR CHANCELLOR KATEHI>>>etc…
hpierce wrote:
> Perhaps the VG, or a reader, can “out” the true villains re: textbooks. The tenured professors…
> how much do they get ‘on the side’? It has been a 40-60 year scam, yet it is not addressed.
Back when I was an undergrad (and paid for my own books) I discovered that the “old” versions were typically 99% the same as the new versions and were often “free” since the bookstore would not buy them back. I also read that there is an amazing number of professors who just “happen” to make their students buy the $100+ textbooks of the professors that make their students buy the $100+ textbook they have written. It does not “fit the narrative” to complain about rich greedy professors since most of them are left of center and join in complaining about the rich greedy business people so as hpierce states this scam has been under the liberal media radar for generations.
http://www.amazon.com/forum/textbook/Tx1YK0QNSJ43U9L/5?_encoding=UTF8&cdSort=newest
To be clear, I did not put the issue of “professor’s textbooks” as an issue that flew under the “liberal media” radar… it has flown under the liberal/conservative/moderate radar. Fox News has covered it no more than CNN, etc. The statement,
is a big over-reach [and grossly inaccurate] of both what I wrote, and what I intended.
Keep you ‘freaking’ views/hands out of my mouth!
SOD
“It does not “fit the narrative” to complain about rich greedy professors since most of them are left of center”
I have no idea what “narrative” you are alluding to given that this article is about the protests surrounding Kathy’s actions and, I , as probably the most outspoken “liberal” on the Vanguard just agreed with hpierce’s assessment regarding textbooks as a peripherally connected topic worth considering.
Katehi is an administrator, SOD is talking about academics… professors. He is correct in that the greed of educators is shielded by the political correctness speech code rules. Teachers are heroes right?
Nope, they are just human.
Frankly
“ the political correctness speech code rules.”
Wow ! My liberal brainwashing must have been really deficient. I have no idea what those “speech code rules” might be.
“Teachers are heroes right?”
No more so than EMTs, firefighters, police officers, nurses, doctors, our military or anyone else whose work benefits the public. Please, I beseech you, no more outing me as less than your stereotype of how a liberal must think and be in the world.
Fair enough, but don’t label those of us who are in the middle of the political/social ‘bell curve’ as reactionaries or conservatives… or uncaring… most “labels” are inherently divisive…
There are liberal “Trumps”… and, am NOT saying you are one, but they exist…
When they deface the egghead with paint, they lost me.
Give in, and what do you expect next?
Actual destruction? Yet, is it not “art” to ’embellish’ the sculptures? I agree that it is punk ‘vandalism’.
No fair David! I turned on my phone looked at the Vanguard, and the headline read “Regents to Fire Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi”
Apparently the iPhone version cuts off the beginning of the headline. I danced a jig, then drink a bottle of champagne, then went out and warshipped the sun.
Then realized it was yesterday’s article …
who are UAW 2865 Joint Council?
I know that is the UNITED AUTO WORKERS of AMERICA aka the TEAMSTERS affiliates I believe…
And, WHO do YOU claim to represent?
Which job titles and HOW many people are MEMBERS of said union and how many are FORCED to pay unfair share?
I recall how ridiculous it was, when the UAW was hurting for MEMBERS and they managed to convince TEACHING assistants that is would be a GOOD idea to JOIN UP….
There was a LOT of fraud in THAT union “election”…
Those who hardly have graduated HS were now going to dictate what PhD level students were going to think and do…
REALLY?
And, any students who are LISTENING to some of THE most corrupt OPPORTUNISTS In HISTORY>>>>are now trying to GET RID of A really STELLAR Chancellor…
UNREALLLLLLL!!!!!!!!
Marina Kalugin (Rumiansev)
And for fans of another nice good ole boy… Chancellor Vanderhoef…… I REALLY liked HIM also….and google Celeste Rose to see THAT bit of ANCIENT history…
OH>>>. and YOU guys make MY case way better than I do most of the time.
PS> WHICH regents, the ones who Brought IN HOMELAND SECURITY to CLEAN up the UC?
or is it the STUPID new gullible LIBERAL regents??
Pray give ALL the names and details for THAT also…. thank YOU!
OUR FACULTY wanted to go with ELECTRONIC versions and the survey responses were ALL over the place…
Some titles are NOT available….
Students who buy used books and WANT to keep them for reference…others who LIKE to hold a book
Others who cannot stand looking at a monitor for so long or have a difficult time with THAT…
Faculty ONLY get royalties for books THEY write…most faculty do NOT write books but TRY to choose the BEST regardless of the price…..although THEY are also VERY COGNIZANT and try to haggle to get the prices REDUCED>..
some even illegally copy pages so that students do NOT have to buy expensive books..
Katehi and the faculty ARE NOT the greedy ones….
HERE is a WAY better article than the LOCAL rags…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-uc-davis-chancellor-son-20160502-story.html
Marina
What I don’t understand is why General Counsel Charles Robinson has retained a lawyer for $ 1200/per hour to investigate the Chancellor Katehi’s alleged violation of the UC Policies if it was already determined and was clearly stated . I think that Melinda Haag was hired for something else beside the intimidation of Chancellor Katehi by flashing her former U.S Attorney title.
Haag, former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California, was the criminal prosecutor that helped bring down Sen. Leland Yee on racketeering charges last year. Leyland Yee authored Senate Bill SB 650, which was signed into law in July 2010 with an effective date of January 1, 2011. The bill authored by Senator Leyland (SB 650) was signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to protect UC faculty and workers who report illegal or improper actions from retaliation in the workplace.SB 650, which was authored by Senator Leland Yee, provides UC employees with the same legal protections as other state employees, including those at California State University and California’s community colleges. The new law ensured that UC employees could exercise their right to seek damages in court on a retaliation complaint to which the university did not respond fairly. The SB 650 cost UC lot of money not so long ago . The Keyzer’s case on DV
From the day that Katehi arrived on campus, she had open meetings with the various constituents….a day to meet with staff, a day to meet with students, and so forth.
She TRULY went around soliciting input and talking with everyone who wanted her ear….
The Chancellor set up “Office hours” at the Coffee House for some hours each week, that any student, or anyone really, could come by and talk about ANYTHING..
I actually did a few times…but that was long ago…
Things really turned for the worse after that first protest….advisors were telling her it was not safe….
I truly do NOT know if she was still doing the open Office hours after THAT….does anyone else know?
THAT was now five years ago…
When I see her pictures in more recent times, while being grilled by students, and so many others who blame her for ills that SHE did not create and with SUCH lack of respect and such verbal and bordering on physical attacks, I am horrified how she looks physically after such relentless abuse.
I UNDERSTAND this brilliant woman, who made it up the ranks in a country where she was NOT given any hand up…in a VERY difficult field even for the average guy….and who managed to succeed regardless of those who kept trying to pull her down to THEIR level of mediocrity…
It is ALWAYS the MOST mediocre who try to take down someone who is successful… If THEY had the capability to be successful, they would NOT spend THEIR time taking down others who are better, or seem better, or have more or whatever.
The mentality of the masses is that she MUST have paid HER way to the top….She paid with blood, sweat and tears…..
And, it would be SO much easier for HER to just step down… SHE does NOT need THIS job……..
She is STILL here and FIGHTING because she knows ans understands what the Napolitano is DOING>>>> NO one ELSE has EVER stood up to the NAPO and ended up standing….
It is in the UC Davis community VERY BEST INTEREST< that the Chancellor is welcomed back to finish what SHE has been doing…..and then, and ONLY then, should she leave once she has taken down some of the peripheral idiots who have been standing in HER way.
Bring back TRUE shared governance….Napolitano is running amuk.
UC NEEDS a NEW Pres, and some better regents…. Garamendi should come back….
CA needs a BETTER GOV< and some better legislators…
the ones taking inappropriate take down messages against our Chancellor need to either wake up, grow up, do some REAL research or stop believing those who are vocal for THEIR own vested interest reasons…