CR committed to a better future

As we approach the halfway point of the semester and look forward to a spring break redefined by new CDC guidelines, I feel gratitude and great pride in what we have accomplished as a college community during this unprecedented time in CR’s history.

I have written in the past about the Board of Trustees and the role they play in CR’s governance structure and this week they displayed exemplary leadership in passing three resolutions that stand up for equality and stand against growing xenophobia in California and in the nation.

Resolution 776 recognizes the contributions women have had on our history, culture, and society. The resolution calls for all members of our community to observe Women’s History Month each March with appropriate programs and activities.

Resolution 777 urges the elimination of any wage gap based on gender, and supports the #EqualPayCA campaign led by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

Although the California Equal Pay Act prohibits employers from paying any of its employees wage rates that are less than what it pays employees of the opposite sex, of another race, or of another ethnicity for substantially similar work, research has found that women of all races are still earning less per hour than white men. It is telling that, according to the Center for American Progress, Asian women earn 90 cents, Black women earn 62 cents, Hispanic or Latino women earn 54 cents, and white women earn 79 cents to every dollar earned by white men. In addition, 41% of mothers are the sole or primary breadwinners in their families and make, on average, 69 cents to the dollar as compared to fathers. The disparity in earning has a significant impact on the economic security and welfare of working women and their families.

To ensure that we are in compliance with the Equal Pay Act, the Board has directed me to conduct an annual district gender pay analysis, review hiring and promotion processes to reduce bias and barriers, and identify and promote best practices that will help close the pay gap, including clear processes against retaliation.

Resolution 778 condemns the recent surge in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.

Since the onset of the pandemic, incidents of hate crimes against Asian Americans have increased, including a recent surge in violent attacks in our own San Francisco Bay Area. Resolution 778 confirms that we are committed to standing with the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and calls on all citizens

and public and private section leaders to join us in condemning racist attacks against Asian Americans and renew their commitment to speak out against such attacks.

To complement the board resolutions, our faculty continue to take a strong leadership role in creating an equitable and inclusive learning environment for our students and have recently concluded a three-part series of dialogue sessions that encouraged faculty to look comprehensively at inclusivity and cultural competency in our curriculum. I want to thank professor Sean Thomas for the time and effort he put into developing the conceptual framework that led to these sessions. They are another important step forward in ensuring our curriculum respects diversity and motivates the broadest possible range of students. It was also clear from the final session, however, that there is still work to be

done.

The Administration and Academic Senate will convene an ad-hoc task force to continue the conversation and Thomas, in his role as curriculum committee chair, will work collaboratively with professor Justine Shaw, chair of the multicultural and diversity committee, to engage their committees in developing recommendations for how to support faculty on this topic.

In the face of this frustrating and challenging time, the Board of Trustees and I remain deeply committed to taking a leadership role in building a better future for our faculty, staff, and students and to making a real difference in our community by confronting the failures of the past, resolving to change, and working to combat injustice through education.