Takeaway: Read this union report about the mistreatment of Rutgers-Camden and what we’re doing about it. RSVP to attend our Freedom School on “Camden Matters: The Fight for Reparation and Racial Equity” on Monday, February 21, at 7 p.m.
Dear colleague,
Rutgers-Camden is nationally recognized for its excellence in serving lower-income and BIPOC students. Yet it has suffered from years of underfunding and neglect because of central administration policies that starve the campus of the resources it needs. Our colleagues in Camden see and feel the effects every day: meager course offerings, deteriorating dorms and classrooms, inadequate equipment and supplies.
Our union’s commitment to equity, dignity, and racial justice demands that we stand with Camden. We all have a stake in ensuring that no part of our university is shortchanged by an administration whose austerity policies in Camden (while Rutgers Athletics spends whatever it wants!) jeopardize a critical priority of our university: ensuring access to all students in New Jersey, regardless of income and color.
You can learn the facts about the mistreatment of Rutgers-Camden by reading this union report (you can also download a version that you can print out on 8.5″x11″ paper). The report proposes five measures that President Holloway’s administration can take to ensure a stronger future for Camden students, staff, and faculty:
- Cancel the debt
- Fix the funding
- Respect Camden’s success
- Diversify the faculty and the academic focus
- Equal pay for equal work
We also hope you’ll attend our union’s first Freedom School of the semester on “Camden Matters: The Fight for Reparation and Racial Justice” on Monday, February 21, at 7 p.m. (click here to RSVP). The featured speaker is Davarian L. Baldwin, author of “In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower: How Universities Are Plundering Our Cities.” He’ll be joined by members of the Camden community, on campus and off, for a panel discussion cohosted by our colleagues and union leaders Donna Murch and Keith Green. Please invite colleagues and friends to RSVP for Freedom School and share the Facebook event page.
Camden is critical to Rutgers’ mission of serving all the people of New Jersey. Our union will fight in our contract campaign to get Camden the funding and resources it deserves. If Rutgers is to be the “beloved community” that President Holloway says he aspires to, nothing less than equity and respect for Camden will do.
In solidarity,
Becky, Todd, Donna, and Keith
Rebecca Givan, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Todd Wolfson, General Vice President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Donna Murch, New Brunswick Chapter President, BIPOC Committee Co-chair, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Keith Green, Director, Africana Studies, Rutgers-Camden; Member, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
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