Fact-finding Panel Issues Report

In a brief e-mail sent Sunday, President of CSULB F. King Alexander informed CSULB students, faculty and staff that there was a meeting held that morning about the report results from the fact-finding panel regarding the CSU/CFA negotiations and that there will be no strike until further matters are settled.

He wrote:
"Today it was determined by the CSU Board of Trustees to defer a decision on the fact-finding recommendations. The
contract has been extended until April 6, 2007 to allow the parties to use the fact-finding panel's report as a basis for
settlement. There will be no concerted strike activity during this period."

The fact-finding panel report claims CSU faculty are significantly underpaid compared to comparable institutions and proposes about a 25% increase in faculty pay in addition to a 10% increase in tuition fees.

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CSU Faculty Strike Authorized

Days after CSU Trustees voted to increase tuition fees by 10% for university students in the CSU system, members of a union representing CSU faculty members authorized a strike.

The CFA’s Board of Directors will set the dates and locations of the strike which, according to the CFA, will likely begin in April.

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Pending Increase in Tuition Fees

CSU students will experience a $252 or 10 percent increase in tuition fees.

Although the CSU system offers some of the most affordable education in the country, gradual increases in university fees will continue, according to a CSU press release. This hike in student fees will be a by-product of increasing salaries set up to compete with other institutions.


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Long Beach Reads One Book

Veterans will join readers in a Long Beach reading campaign called, "Long Beach Reads One Book." More than 100,000 Long Beach residents and 45 local organizations participate each year, including CSULB.

The campaign is in its sixth year and promotes not only awareness and education, but community.

In honor of all veterans, particularly those participating in the reading campaign, the book chosen this year is "The Greatest Generation" by NBC's Tom Brokaw. It includes a series of interviews that Brokaw conducted with those who not only fought in WWII, but fought through the Great Depression in order to make a new life for themselves in modern America.

The events will take place throughout the city from March 18 to 25.

On Sunday, March 18, the Long Beach Museum of Art will host a reception that will be free and open to the public.

On Monday, March 19, Villages at Cabrillo will host a panel discussion with WWII, Vietnam, Korea, and Gulf War veterans.

Holocaust survivors will visit CSULB on Wednesday, March 21, for lectures and films.

Throughout this week-long campaign, residents and students alike get a chance to learn history in a manner that expands beyond a classroom setting.

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Image credit: Amazon

Students Speak Forgiveness

Last year, Long Beach was named one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People by America's Promise and again this year. Safety is a common concern among several communities, especially one held in such high regard for its youth programs and community services.

MySpace is promoting a Long Beach campaign dedicated to promoting non-violence at Students Speak Forgiveness.

After a series of unsettling late-night attacks on campus, this campaign can help restore and maintain the city's reputation as one of the best communities for young people. A reward for the community can also reflect upon the surrounding colleges and universities, mainly CSULB and LBCC.

CSULB, although named one of the best public universities, is still considered a commuter school and does not hold the prestige equal to other universities in Southern California. Hopefully, it can more often emphasize upon more flattering attributes, such as its seemingly favorable recreation and wellness center. There is a dispiriting problem, though, when two stories relating to the university are in the papers right now: an imminent CSU faculty strike and rising tuition costs.

2 Additional Story Ideas:

1) Several schools, communities, and organizations, such as Girl Scouts, have banned trans-fats from their food or products they serve. How prominent are trans-fats in food around campus? What are the regulations, if any?
2) The City of Long Beach and the Arts Council for Long Beach will present Smithsonian Week 2007: SPEAKOLOGY . . . the art of words, tales, songs, & secrets, from March 10 – 16 (City of Long Beach).