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onnectionCC Binghamton Chapter, United University Professions
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October 2014 No. 86
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Start-Up New York: Private Gains Over Public Propertyby Benita Roth
Sociology Department
Since becoming the BinghamtonUUP chapter president, I’ve foundmyself needing to pay attention tomany, many things that I was happyto ignore as a faculty member. Ithink of the new learning challengesthat I face as being one of workingthrough concentric circles: the in-nermost one is our campus, withlarge circles encompassing the state-wide union, then New York statepolitics and bureaucracy, then thestructure of the labor movement andfederal policy around labor law, andthere is certainly a global level toconsider. So far, the inner circleshave been keeping me pretty busy. .
On the state level, one of the po-litical initiatives that I’ve needed topay attention to is Start-Up NY,Governor Cuomo’s self-professed“ground-breaking initiative to pro-mote job growth in New York” byoffering companies that either relo-cate or start up here a tax-free envi-ronment for ten years. (The officialsite for the program is http://startup.ny.gov/.)
Cuomo’s promise to let these busi-nesses come to New York “tax-free”is no joke; eligible businesses wouldpay no taxes—no income tax, busi-ness, corporate, state or local taxes,sales and property taxes, or franchisefees—for 10 years. Lots of types ofbusinesses are ineligible, so unfortu-nately, budding restaurateurs neednot apply.
From our standpoint here as em-ployees at SUNY Binghamton, the
From the Chapter President
most significant thing about Start-Up NY is that the initiative offers upSUNY as the “framework” for theprogram. Not only does Start-UpNYspell out SUNY (clever that), thefull name of the bill is the “SUNYTax-Free Areas to Revitalize Trans-form UPstate NY,” showing the kindof violence that politicians are will-ing to do to the basic rules of Englishgrammar in order to get a good acro-nym. The bill asks for SUNY to offerup “empty space” on their campusesthat would be suitable for new busi-nesses. The new businesses in prin-ciple need to be tied to the educa-tional mission of the schools.
Another provision in the law al-lows SUNYs to acquire land withinone mile of campuses in order tomake that land into “empty space”and available for business. You canread the governor’s program bill inall of its legislative-language gloryat https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/default/files/documents/GPB32-START-UP-NY-MEMO.pdf.
Cuomo is hugely invested in Start-UP NY; he sees it as his bulwarkagainst challengers claiming thathe hasn’t created enough jobs dur-
ing his term. On a recent visit toAlbany, I was witness to a highlyplaced official with the SUNY Re-search Foundation imploring Presi-dent Stenger to submit a Start-UpNY plan so as to aid Cuomo’s abilityto speak to the issue of jobs in his re-election campaign.
Leaving aside the question ofwhether Cuomo needs to actuallyworry about re-election in a statewhere he sewed up his party’s nomi-nation (and the Working FamiliesParty’s endorsement) with virtuallyno effort—and where his opponentis yet another lackluster Republican— you might ask, well, just what hasthe administration of BinghamtonUniversity done about Start-UP NY?
BU submitted a rather minimalplan. I had circulated a summary ofBU’s plan to members during springsemester last year. As required bythe Start-UP NY law, the adminis-tration consulted with UUP aboutthe plan, and promised to further
What does it mean forSUNY to seekprofit-making
enterprises to comeonto campus and useour “empty space?”
Binghamton Chapter newsletterNumber 86 October 2014
EditorLisa Havtur
An official publication of theBinghamton Chapter of the UnitedUniversity Professions, Local 2190of the American Federation ofTeachers, AFL-CIO, and affiliatedwith New York State UnitedTeachers; the Binghamton Chapteris a member of the Broome CountyFederation of Labor.
The opinions expressed in thisnewsletter are those of the authorsor of the Binghamton Chapter andare not necessarily the opinions ofUnited University Professions.
The editor welcomes letters andother comments of interest to theBinghamton Chapter.
UUP Chapter Officers
Benita [email protected]
President
Heather [email protected] President for Academics
Fran [email protected]
Vice President for Professionals
Lisa GallagherInterim Treasurer
Darryl M. WoodLabor Relations Specialist
Linda O'BranskiChapter Assistant
Chapter phone 777-4382
Persons wishing to reprint anyof the contents of our newsletter areinvited to request permission of theauthors directly or through the edi-tor, [email protected].
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by Susan Seibold-Simpson,UUP Binghamton Chapter
Last February, I was approachedby Benita Roth, UUP BinghamtonChapter president, about attendingthe NYSUT Professional Issues Fo-rum on Health Care. Being a fairlynew executive board member, I tryto accept every opportunity to learnabout the union and its benefits toemployees, so I gladly accepted heroffer.
The first session I attended wasthe Higher Education Health CareFaculty and Professionals network-ing group. This was a small groupsession designed to identify chal-lenges and concerns associated withteaching within the health care in-dustry. The group was comprisedmostly of nurses/nursing faculty, butalso included a dentist teaching den-tal assistants, and an individualworking with the New York StatePoison Control Center.
We discussed seamless transfer;the waiver of 64 credits for transi-tion to BA/BS programs from com-munity colleges and the need to ap-ply for a waiver (deadline is end ofApril); the transition of public healthto privatization; adjunct salaries;and the impact of hiring only BSprepared RNs in organizations.(Some organizations might indicatean inability to fill open positions,saving the institution money, butleading to overworked nurses.) Itwas a great session, and I noted atthe end that this session alone wasworth attending the conference.
The next session I attended wason addiction disorders and their im-pact on families, presented by Dr.Brian Freidenberg from Universityat Albany/SUNY. This was a verystrong session that included groupparticipation, also interesting. Onetake-home message was, “childrenlater on could be addicted to excite-ment and danger to feel alive. This isdue to trying to recreate the familyenvironment to feel normal.” One
NYSUT Professional IssuesForum Focuses on Health Care
strategy for adult children of alco-holics is coping skills training, whichhas been found to be very effective.
Cynthia McDonald gave a warm,heartfelt, and emotional acceptancespeech for the NYSUT 2014 HealthCare Professionals Member of theYear award.
There was a wonderful keynotespeaker during lunch, Amy Claryfrom the American Federation ofTeachers.
She spoke about the cost of healthcare and the role of the union inestablishing a climate of safety andspeaking truth to power. She dis-cussed the priorities of spending andnoted that unions have a role inreducing the gap between the “haves”and “have-nots.” She provided com-pelling charts from the EconomicPolicy Institute (www.epi.org).
The final session, sponsored bythe UUP Nursing Professions WorkGroup, was “Impact of the Afford-able Care Act: Where Do We GoFrom Here for Real Care Fairness?”The quick answer is: single-payeruniversal health care.
Martha Livingston opened thesession. Mark Hannay provided amost excellent handout on the Af-fordable Care Act and health carereform in New York specific to 2014.Ben Johnson gave information aboutsingle-payer in Vermont—but henoted it is not “single-payer,” as othergovernment sponsored programssuch as the VA’s, Medicare, andChampus continue. He focused onhow to build momentum to move theprocess forward.
Laurie Wen (and MarthaLivingston) discussed the NY MetroChapter of Physicians for a NationalHealth program, which is focusingon a Medicare-for-all program. Thebill is called the Gottfried-Perkinsbill, or the NY Health bill. Shenoted, “Without a sense of hope, weare going nowhere. … We need towork at the State level to make itfeel possible. … We need a victory inthe Assembly.”
ance. Everyonerepresented byUUP, whetheror not they signtheir member-ship card, is en-titled to our sup-port. We clarifyfor memberstheir specificc o n t r a c t u a lrights. We offermoral support.
We are required to represent bothmembers and fee-payers equally—and we do that.
Third, your executive board mem-bers serve as delegates to the state-wide assemblies of UUP members.Statewide gatherings are sites forexploring “terms and conditions” is-sues by exchanging information andexperience, while working out is-sues to be resolved in the next roundof contract negotiations. Here, UUPtries to decipher and respond to thechallenges posed by such SUNY-wide initiatives as OPEN SUNY. Italso seeks a broad, SUNY-wide, con-tracted solution to the problem oflow adjunct pay.
Delegates work hard—network-ing, giving and sharing information,trying to better understand and ad-dress broad state educational orpolitical initiatives that have an im-pact on our careers and on education.
This work takes patience and gen-erosity, for no policy decision is madequickly. UUP uses food and fellow-ship to make the workload less bur-densome (a delegates assembly isnever good for the waistline), butdelegates nonetheless sacrifice agreat deal of energy and time toshape UUP policies, contract nego-tiations, and more.
If you want to shape what UUPdoes on campus or within SUNY, besure to talk with your local executiveboard members. The more you speakwith us, the better we represent you.
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by Heather DeHaanHistory Department
As the 2014-2015 academic yearbegins, we want to invite all facultyto participate in UUP life—not justin “beat the blues” events, but moreimportantly in UUP’s ongoing dis-cussion of campus affairs. Many fac-ulty and staff have little sense ofwhat UUP is or does—only that itnegotiates the contract and servesas a handy resource for faculty whosesecurity or jobs are threatened. UUPis these things, of course, but it’salso much more.
First, UUP is a body engaged inthe ongoing discussing and negotia-tion of the “terms and conditions ofemployment” for all UUP members.We have a dynamic, growing cam-pus whose “conditions of employ-ment” (UUP’s area of concern) arenot entirely defined by the contract.
Increased online teaching, thelack of parking, limited classroomspace and the resulting rules re-garding prime time classes affectthe hours and conditions of our work.
Smart classrooms, where lecturescan be videotaped, require protec-tion for intellectual property rights,as does any possible SUNY contractwith Coursera. These issues havebeen raised and discussed at monthlyexecutive board meetings, as well asat UUP’s monthly meeting withUniversity administration. By keep-ing the communication lines to fac-ulty, staff, and administration open,we try to identify and resolve issuesas they arise.
Second, UUP assists members atmoments of crisis, from impendingloss of employment or tenure to “dis-ciplinary action” or a filed griev-
How UUP Binghamton Matters
HeatherDeHaan
Fourth, we are here to informeveryone of rights and benefits. Theinformation that you need is avail-able online and in handbooks, butmany members are unaware of theexistence of—or need for—these ma-terials. In response, we hold an an-nual “Benefits Fair,” designed to in-form members of various “perks”that come with being UUP member.
In the coming year, we hope tohold a “How to Read Your Contract”session, so that employees under-stand fully the terms under whichthey labor. We would also like toorganize a “Preparing for Tenure”session, to help junior faculty foregomany common strategic mistakesborn of not knowing the details ofhow the tenure process works. Otherevents might be organized as theneed for them arises.
So, please check out theBinghamton and SUNY UUP news-letters. Let us know of questionsand issues that you have, either oncampus or statewide. Let us know ifyou want to put yourself up for elec-tion. (You can also pencil yourself inon the ballet, when it comes). Recog-nize that we’re here to advise “in apinch.” Know that UUP is activelyworking for you behind the scenes.
Everyone
represented by
UUP, whether or
not they sign their
membership card,
is entitled to our
support.
“Education is not the filling of a pail,but the lighting of a fire.”
–William Butler Yeats, writer,Nobel laureate (1865-1939)␣
From the V ice President for Academics
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Professional Kudos Spotted in BU’S ‘Inside’ SEPTEMBER
A conference was held June 16-20in Columbus, Ohio, to honor BartleProfessor of Mathematics␣ RossGeoghegan ␣ on the occasion of his70th birthday.Titled“TopologicalMethods in Group Theory,”␣ the con-ference honored the numerous math-ematical contributions Geogheganhas made. He was one of the firstmathematicians to use topologicaltechniques to study groups, and histextbook, Topological Methods inGroup Theory, is one of the standardreferences in the field. Conferenceorganizers will publish conferenceproceedings in the LMS LectureNotes in Mathematics series.
Professor of English␣ MariaMazziotti Gillan’s␣ Writing Poetryto Save Your Life: How to Find theCourage to Tell YourStories ␣ (MiroLand/Guernica Edi-tions), has been named by Poets &Writers ␣ as one of the “Best Books forWriters.” This 200-page writingguide combines Gillan’s personalstory as a poet and author with hersuggestions for writers at all stagesof development. More than half ofthe book is comprised of writingprompts designed to give poets con-fidence and help them overcomewriters block, jumpstart creativityand silence the critical voice.␣ Goonline to see the “Best Books forWriters” List.
Sandro Sticca, professor ofFrench and comparative literature,has recently published S. EustachioMartire. Santo Bizantino (Parma-Roma, Studies in Christian Thoughtand Tradition, 2014). The Byzan-tine saint Eustace was a Christianwho suffered martyrdom under theemperor Trajan. Sticca studies thedevelopment of the cult of this earlyGreek-Byzantine martyr whose vitabecame very popular within theLatin Christian world, becoming cel-ebrated in iconography from theearly sixth to seventh centuries inCappadocia and through the twelfth,thirteenth and sixteenth centuries
in Europe. Sticca tries to separatethe legendary and apocryphal ele-ments from the historical reality ofthe general Placidus-Eustathius.Three authorities on Christian spiri-tuality—Don Michele Persichitti,Antonio Varasso and ProfessorVincenzo Centorame—centered acolloquium on Sticca’s book on Aug.10, in the city of Casauria (Abruzzo).
AUGUST
M. Stanley Whittingham, dis-tinguished professor of chemistryand of materials science, has beenreelected for a two-year term to thevice chair of the board of directors ofthe New York Battery and EnergyStorage Technology Consortium(NYBEST). NYBEST was created in2010 to position New York state as aglobal leader in energy storage tech-nology, including applications intransportation, grid storage andpower electronics.
Maria Mazziotti Gillan, profes-sor of English and award-winningpoet, was honored on June 29 by theCultural Ministery of San Mauro,Cilento, Italy, province of Salerno,the region her parents came frombefore they emigrated to America in1936. Gillan was presented with abook of her poems about the town ofSan Mauro called, In a Place of Flow-ers and Light. In addition, a paradewas held in her honor, as well as aconcert of traditional Italian songs,a reading of her poems in Italian andEnglish, and a dinner. Gillan wasthen escorted by the mayor to hermother’s childhood home, where aplaque dedicated to the writer andher literary contributions to the townof San Mauro had been affixed to thefront of the stone house. The follow-ing evening Gillan was again hon-ored with a reading of her poems inItalian, as well as a concert of Italianfolk songs and a dinner. She waslater interviewed by Italian televi-sion. The broadcast was aired inSouthern Italy.
Susannah Gal, interim dean oflibraries and professor of biological
sciences at Binghamton University,recently graduated from the HERSBryn Mawr Summer Institute forWomen in Higher Education Ad-ministration, held July 6–19 at BrynMawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa.
Since 1978, the HERS Institutefor Women in Higher Education atWellesley College has annually of-fered women faculty and adminis-trators the opportunity to partici-pate in an intensive program thatprepares them to be leaders in highereducation.
The 73 participants in this year’sinstitute represented institutionsacross the U.S. and focused on“Women Leaders: Facing the Chal-lenges as We Re-Invent Higher Edu-cation.”
JULY
A presentation titled “Campusesas Community Partners During Di-saster: An Integration of Planningand Process for a Common Purpose”by the Center for Civic Engagement’sdirector,␣ Allison Alden, and assis-tant director,␣ Christie Zwahlen,was recently published in␣ Issues inEngaged Scholarship, Community-Campus Readiness: Approaches toDisaster Preparedness␣ from the 2013New York Metro Area Partnershipfor Service-Learning (NYMAPS)Symposium Working Papers Series,Vol. III.␣ The publication can be foundonline.
Nancy Um, associate professorof art history, has been selected toserve a three-year term as reviewseditor for␣ The Art Bulletin␣ publishedby the College Art Association, ef-fective July 1, 2015. She will serveas reviews editor designate untilthen.
Two Binghamton University stu-dents had their artwork selected fordisplay at the “Best of SUNY Stu-dent Art Exhibition” at the NewYork State Museum. “Figure Study2” by␣ Joanna Sanchez␣ and “fivewords” by␣ Shannon Swenson␣ werechosen.
by John OldfieldOfficer for Contingents
Over the summer, I attended aworkshop covering “PerformancePrograms and Evaluations” and“Promotions and Raises.” The work-shop was attended by about 50people, mostly from Upstate Medi-cal and Cortland. I am glad that Iattended because I left with four bitsof information you may find valu-able.
Performance ProgramsShould your responsibilities
change during your program year,you should ask for a new Perfor-mance Program reflecting thosechanges.
For example, if a member of thedepartment leaves, and you are re-assigned some, or all, of thatmember’s duties—even if “It will beonly for a short time”—those dutiesshould be reflected in writing. Re-member, if your Performance Pro-gram changes “a substantialamount” you can ask for an increasein compensation. Do not wait untilthe next cycle.
EvaluationsThe only standards here are
“satisfactory or unsatisfactory.” Youshould not receive “grades” such ason a scale of 1-5. What you do wantincluded are written descriptions ofyour performance and/or changesthat your supervisor requests to im-prove performance. Any inconsis-tency between your evaluation andyour performance program shouldbe brought to the attention of yoursupervisor, particularly relating toanything “unsatisfactory.”
It is important that you receive asigned (by your supervisor) copy ofyour Evaluation at the time you meetwith your supervisor.
How to Effectively Use ‘Performance Program andEvaluations’ and ‘Promotions and Raises’
Additional Duties Assigned/Raise Denied
Imagine that you have been coop-erative and performed some addi-tional responsibilities for a shorttime. After six months, you feel anincrease of compensation is war-ranted. You go to your supervisorand discuss a raise, but this requestis denied.
At this point, there is a provi-sion for members to then request areview of that decision via the Col-lege Review Panel. A large part ofhow successful that action will bedepends on how well the previoustwo items (Performance Programand Evaluation) have been ex-ecuted.
There are two times a year thatrequests are accepted by the Col-lege Review Panel: January andJune. Be sure to keep all copies ofPerformance Program and Evalu-ations.
Department ExpansionYour department may be assigned
new areas of responsibility. You havebeen receiving satisfactory evalua-tions and are highly regarded. Thesupervisor tells you the departmentis going to grow by a substantialnumber of employees and would likeyou to supervise four people. Thisshould result in a promotion and acompensation increase and you are
excited; however, don’t forget thenew Performance Program.
Remember, these processes anduse of these tools are not meant to beconfrontational. Rather, proper useof these tools should lead to a betterunderstanding of your responsibili-ties and duties, a more effective,efficient department, and a less-stressed supervisor. It may even re-sult in increased job satisfaction anda better execution of our mission,which is the education of our stu-dents.
Performance Programs, Evalua-tions, and Raise and Promotion ac-tions are important for every mem-ber of UUP, but navigating the pro-cesses on your own can be a chal-lenge. If you have read relevant sec-tions of the agreement and find youneed guidance or still have ques-tions, please call one of your chapterofficers—you are the reason we arehere! (You can reach me [email protected].)
On a personal note, I retired fromthe University in July. However, Iwould like very much to stay in-volved in representing you as chap-ter delegate and officer of contin-gents. I plan on attending themonthly UUP Executive Board andLabor Management meetings as wellas Delegate Assembly, workshops,and other events. In order to con-tinue, however, I need you to vote forme as delegate and officer of contin-gents.
One last thought: I have had manyjobs in my career, from entry level tomiddle management, and Bing-hamton University is the best orga-nization I have ever worked for. Is itperfect? There is no such thing. TheUniversity has, however, over myshort 16 years, continuously im-proved, and the future looks evenbrighter!
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These processes
are important for
every member of
UUP.
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by Fran GoldmanAsian and Asian American
Studies
As we begin a new academic year,I hope that you all had an opportu-nity this summer to take some timeto relax, rejuvenate, and prepare forthe coming year.
What many forget is that mostprofessional staff are calendar yearemployees and are here whenclasses are in session and evenwhen they are not. We serve manyfunctions on campus but most ofthem revolve around the studentsand the academic mission of theuniversity.
In that vein, what we do andhow we do it should be evaluatedby your supervisor on a yearlybasis. This is something that isin the Board of Trustees Policiesas well as the Agreement betweenUUP and the State of New York.Failure on the part of your su-pervisor to provide an annualevaluation is a disservice to all,as the performance program andevaluation provide not only ameasure of how well you are do-ing, but is also the basis for pro-motion and salary increases.
In the last Connection I high-lighted the importance of your per-formance program and how you canensure that what you do is correctlydocumented. I want to take time inthis issue to outline the evaluationprocess and your role in this proce-dure.
As I hope you are aware, the evalu-ation as noted in the Board of Trust-ees Policies should include such ar-eas as effectiveness in performance,mastery of specialization, profes-sional ability, effectiveness in Uni-versity service and, continuinggrowth.
There are many ways to satisfythe above criteria. To begin with,you should keep a list of how you
From the V ice President for Professionals
Failure to Get Annual Evaluation A Disservice to Allachieved thesegoals and objectivesover the evaluationperiod. Items thatyou need to keep inyour files and to usein your self-evalua-tion should include:
• Activities thateither improveyour ability to deal
with the duties of your position orthat reflect such improvement
• Professional, scientific, admin-istrative or technical innovativemethods, programs or inventions youmay develop or refine
• Participation in University pro-grams (i.e. active committee work,local or SUNY governance, student
or community activities)• Continuing evaluation courses,
training programs or participationin professional conferences or orga-nizations, related to continuing pro-fessional growth
• Degrees, licenses, honors,awards or other recognition in yourprofessional field.
Lastly, remember that your evalu-ation should be a reflection of whatyou have accomplished over the pastyear and how well you did it basedupon the duties and responsibilitiesoutlined in your Performance Pro-gram.
If you are not evaluated on a regu-lar basis, please contact me and wecan work together to see how we canget this done.
UUP Vision Benefit UpdateUUP benefits-eligible employees’ vision care providers require a
seven-digit identification number to verify eligibility for coverage.The number is available on any UUP-affiliated card as “EnrolleeNo.” To obtain your number, contact the UUP Benefits Trust Fundat 1-800-887-3863.
The Office of Human Resources recently reminded UUP-representedfaculty and staff that the Deficit Reduction Program (DRP) payroll deduc-tions will restart in the check beginning␣ Sept. 24, 2014, and conclude withthe paycheck of␣ June 17, 2015. A total of four days of gross compensationwill be deducted from those checks.
“FAQs for the DRP Affecting UUP Represented Faculty and Staff 2014,”including rates of deduction, are available on the HR site @ HR News. Thesedeductions were suspended for the summer and were not deducted from thechecks of July 2, 2014 through Sept. 10, 2014.
Repayment of deductions eligible to be paid back will occur over 39 payperiods beginning in April 2016. Details regarding repayment will beavailable closer to that time.
For more information, contact Cheryl Robinson-Boyett at 777-2129or␣ [email protected], ␣ or Bonnie Jenson at 777-6613or␣ [email protected].
Deficit Reduction Program toRestart for Those Represented by UUP
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United University ProfessionsBinghamton ChapterLSG 516Binghamton UniversityPO Box 6000Binghamton, NY 13902-6000
consult on any amendments orchanges. So far, BU’s administra-tion seems to take very seriously theidea that businesses that come to“empty space” here really do have tomesh with the educational missionof the university; new businesseshoused here have to offer potentiallysynergistic effects with various pro-grams here on campus, in the form ofproviding student internships andthe like.
As of this summer, there are fivecompanies that will be locating inspace on campus. The Press & SunBulletin’s website article (http://www.pressconnects.com/story/money/2014/07/26/binghamton-startupny-jobs-taxfree/13217143/)lists the companies that will be situ-ating themselves on campus. Threewill be housed in the Innovative Tech-nologies Complex and two in theCenter of Excellence building.
Despite BU’s minimal responseto Start-UP NY, I still have reserva-tions about the potential downsideof such initiatives for the future ofpublic education. For one thing, StartUP NY was supposed to attract newbusinesses to the state, according tothe newspaper story; two of the com-panies were relocating from spacesin Vestal and from that distant, ex-otic Village of Johnson City. Onehopes that their presence on campuscontributes something to our educa-tional mission, but that remains tobe seen.
And however much we seek busi-nesses that mesh with educationalobjectives, some parts of our studentbody will be left out.
On the broadest level, what doesit mean for SUNY campuses likeours to openly seek profit-makingenterprises to come onto campus anduse our “empty space?” There’s areason I keep putting quotationmarks around “empty space;” BU isslated to grow by thousands of stu-dents in the near future and we areto do so on a campus that is alreadyvery small, given the number of stu-dents we have. We will, apparently,
and for the near future, be offeringmany more night classes than everbefore in order to accommodate thesestudents.
I have concerns as well aboutpromises that UUP has been madethat Start-Up NY businesses thatlocate on campus won’t use BU’sresources. After all, these businesseswon’t be islands, and once on cam-pus, the potential for use (and abuse)of campus resources, including ourlabor power, is there.
Lastly, I have concerns aboutStart-Up NY’s stated goal: to turnSUNY campuses into economic en-gines to boost a lagging (up)stateeconomy. The unstated goal, besidesre-electing an incumbent governor
with national aspirations, is priva-tizing public institutions. While Idon’t think public universities shouldbe walled-off ivory towers, I con-sider Start-UP NY to be a deeplyanti-public program. It literallyturns public space into private spaceand, as such, is a program that by itsvery design exempts businesses fromparticipation in the public good inthe form of paying taxes. It alsoinevitably shrinks the public spaceavailable to our students and ourmembers. My hope is that BU as aninstitution, and we as its employees,continue to resist attempts to com-promise our oft-stated mandate tobe the premier public university ofthe 21st century.
Glenn G. Bartle Library, East Reading Room on first floorFriday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 18, Noon - 4 p.m.Sunday, Oct. 19, Noon – 4 p.m. (Bag/Box Sale)
Close to 10,000 books, ranging from academic texts to popular historyand classic fiction, will be on sale at prices from $.25 to $3. Proceeds godirectly to fund library activities. Returning alumni are cordially invited tovisit the book sale and help support the University Libraries. On Sunday,a bag of books is $5 and a box is $10.
Annual Library Book Sale
Start Up New York: Private Gains Over Public Propertycontinued from page 1
