Statement to the Board 3/26/2009

Thank you for allowing us to speak; we greatly appreciate this opportunity to address the Board directly.

On February 17th, nine long-serving tenured Faculty were laid off from the Art Institute. In public meetings held on February 23rd and March 13th, two independent groups of concerned students prepared written statements to raise our concerns, ask questions, and express grievances to the administration. Both times, our formal presentations were not addressed point by point and our grievances were not acknowledged in a respectful manner. In light of that, we have prepared this statement for you, to express our grave concern for the future of the school.

We respectfully request that the Board of Trustees and Administration of the San Francisco Art Institute rescind the layoff notices issued to the nine tenured Faculty.

We believe these layoffs have produced a major negative impact on the students' educational experience, the reputation, and the overall sense of community at SFAI and will result in an immediate and unresolvable distortion of the incredible curriculum cultivated, in part, by these dedicated professors.

In addition, we believe that the elimination of these Faculty constitute a serious injustice.  Most of the faculty who have received layoff notices have filed formal grievances asserting claims that SFAI failed to follow mandatory procedures of the Collective Bargaining Agreement; violated rights of academic freedom; and discriminated on the basis of age, disability, medical condition, gender, or union activity.  The likelihood of lawsuits is very high and would most certainly result in exorbitant legal expenditures; thus negating any fiscal savings from the layoffs.

Specifically, we have some of the following concerns:

• The declaration of financial exigency does not appear to be truthful in light of evidence showing insignificant drops in revenue and in contrast to repeated claims of financial fortitude.
• The manner in which the layoffs were carried out is in clear violation of the legal obligations outlined in the Faculty contract.
• No plan has been presented to the students that addresses the immediate impact to our education resulting from this 25% drop in tenured faculty members. Needed classes may be eliminated, and it will be harder to fulfill degree requirements in their abscence.
• The classes that remain will have to be expanded, resulting in excessive student-Faculty ratios, reduced opportunities for student participation in courses, and diminished access to faculty outside of class for personalized instruction and advisement.
• These decisions were made unilaterally by a very small committee of administrators, without due input from the heads of affected departments, the Faculty Senate, or the Faculty Union.

We find ourselves deeply troubled by the choices this administration has made in response to current financial difficulties and believe that these choices represent a serious failure of leadership. We are not alone in these feelings.  Not only do these decisions have an exponential impact on our individual educational experiences but they have begun to ripple outward into the Bay Area art community and beyond. There is a swelling consensus among students, alumni, professional artists, donors, and countless individuals at large that support our views and are willing to stand with us in current and future actions.

We believe that rescinding the layoff notices is essential for the preservation of the continuity, stability, and integrity of the Institute.

Thank you for your time and your kind consideration,

The SFAI Student Community

<This statement was copied from the original document, read to the Board of Trustees and Staff in attendance at the Thursday, March 26, 2009 Board of Trustees Meeting.  No part has been altered or omitted.  Please feel free to contact the administrator of this page with any questions of comments regarding the contents of this page.>