On Monday, March 6, CUNY’s Board of Trustees met to discuss…well…a bunch of stuff.

They talked about how we need more fully online programs at CUNY that can apparently be taught by some infinitely elastic labor supply, even as the PSC’s contract is currently expired! Obviously management is happy to continue exploiting instructors as usual.

Unlimited…wtf? Also, what’s an “instructional designer,” like an interior designer?

The board also discussed the crippling budget cuts that are plaguing our university. Some folks protested by holding up signs that called for increased public funding, not increased tuition while the famous CUNY Coffin lurked on the wings sounding the death knell for the People’s CUNY under this austerity regime.

The financial picture at CUNY is bleak. We can expect cuts of between 3 and 5% to our already woefully inadequate budget. When asked why CUNY is losing Mayoral funding, a member of the Board responded, “That’s a good question,” with no follow-up. A harrowing picture of these cuts in City funding can be found on page 36 of this report.

See video proceedings of graduate students from the GC addressing the Board about crucial material issues and their responses here:

Committee on Finance and Administration (From January’s BoT meeting: the response to Jonathan Hanon’s pressing question about low adjunct and grad student salaries is, quite frankly, pathetic).

Committee on Advancement and External Affairs (This clip is from March 6)

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