How Cal Poly Humboldt Students Activated Faculty to Stand Up for Freedom: A Conversation with Dr. Tony Silvaggio

By Jessica Silver-Sharp

For more than a decade AFT1493 has proposed article language around academic freedom that our District has struck down. However, with recent, dramatic shifts in our political climate already underway with the reelection of President Trump, faculty are more concerned than ever about academic freedom and its close relative, campus free speech. In contract negotiations currently underway, our union will again demand strong language that would empower faculty and our union to submit grievances against infringements in academic freedom.

In this article, we briefly discuss an attack on student freedoms by our administration during Spring 2024 as well as the experiences of Cal Poly Humboldt students and faculty and their protests that made national news when The New York Times published “A Small Campus in the Redwoods Has the Nation’s Most Entrenched Protest.”

 

SMCCD Faculty Support for Students around Repressive Policies

While all three college Academic Senates were able to pass resolutions around the conflict in Gaza calling for immediate ceasefire (SEE College of San Mateo & Cañada College), when the Skyline College Governance Council (CGC) forwarded its resolution from the Academic Senate to President Orante for acceptance, he wrote to the CGC by email to reject the most critical parts of the resolution on the grounds that, “my full endorsement of the resolution would be contrary to our board policy on Academic Freedom.” 

Then, in May, the administration restricted student expression with new District commencement policies published on commencement websites that cited a “de-escalation first approach for non-violent behavior.” From AFT Co-President and Sociology/Social Justice Studies faculty Rika Yonemura Fabian to the Skyline CGC on May 22, 2024: 

“While the [college’s] policy states: “support[ing] students, staff, and faculty in nonviolent protests and demonstrations” is part of college’s philosophy, the  “de-escalation first” approach next described actually specifically prevents, rather than supports, the most common techniques used in “nonviolent protests” — including acts  as basic as holding up signs… Deescalation is a technique for violent protests; non-violent acts by definition are peaceful and do not require plans or language like this.” 

“This commencement plan language demonizes supporters of Palestine as actors of potential violence…and disruption despite…lack of precedence…This…language also aligns with the narratives of a racialized criminal justice system that profiles communities of color as disruptors of social order, and echoes the continuing dehumanization of Palestinians…” 

While Skyline College’s commencement webpage remains up as of this writing, policies resisted by faculty around protest protocols were eventually removed.

 

What can we learn from Cal Poly Humboldt?

As our union continues to fight for contractual language that would safeguard faculty’s rights to free expression, including academic freedom and the right to express political views outside of class, we looked to the experiences of Cal Poly Humboldt faculty and their students. This February, members of our AFT local met for a Zoom interview with sociology faculty member Dr. Tony Silvaggio, then Vice President of Cal Poly’s CFA faculty union, to see what we might learn from their at times harrowing experiences up north.

 

A Spirit of Civil Disobedience

We began by asking about academic freedom language that appears in the preamble of their faculty contract. We learned that faculty were less concerned by contract wording because of their outrage over student treatment by police, their strong tradition of civil disobedience rooted in the campuses long involvement in the radical environmental movement, and also the “activated” state of their faculty following their recent participation in the largest US faculty strike in history.

Dr. Silvaggio next described the turn of events at his campus, which began with an SOS text he received from a student protester explaining that a police officer was beating them — could he come to campus immediately? Although faculty had been banned from entering the occupied buildings, he was able to do so, and, with colleagues, managed to de-escalate violence being perpetrated by the police. 

Faculty-student support was further strengthened when the faculty union immediately organized a virtual Know Your Rights teach-in for students related to their freedom to protest as well as another similar workshop for staff and faculty. Dr. Silvaggio explained, 

“Faculty were activated as a result of student protests and the draconian response of our administration to that protest…it went counter to our culture. As a union we thought, if they’re going to do that to students, they’re going to do it to us. There’s that recognition..that we have to do something, so folks came out. It mobilized hundreds of faculty.” 

For faculty wanting to support students but not to protest themselves, the union also offered legal observer training: “What many of us did was become legal observers. That gave us the shield. ..It allowed us to be present and witness for our students when the cops came. One faculty member stayed on campus and got arrested, sent to jail…”

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Activating and Defending Faculty & Students while also Challenging Management

Immediately following the student occupation of a campus building, the Cal Poly Humboldt administration shocked California by being the first US university to close campus and cancel all in-person instruction. Faculty were banned from campus for the remainder of the semester. In protest, many faculty returned to their offices to prepare to move instruction online. 

When one faculty member who had been arrested for protesting received a letter of reprimand and threat of suspension from the administration, the union called out the hypocrisy of the administration for having singled out the one faculty member for harsher treatment, by demanding at their Academic Senate meeting: “We were there [protesting], too! Where is our letter [of reprimand]?” Eventually the letter was withdrawn.

The union also continued to activate faculty by blasting out messages about next actions, speaking with the local press, and in April calling for a vote of no confidence in their university president Tom Jackson, who announced his resignation in July.

 

Fighting back against illegal policies

However, in August 2024, days before the Fall term was to begin and without any advance notice to faculty or administrators, the CSU Chancellor’s Office issued a new “time, place and manner” policy to severely restrict future campus protests. (Time, place, and manner refers to restrictions on when, where, and how people can express themselves). 

In response to that infringement on the academic freedom language in their contract, the union communicated with faculty to “Get ready [to protest]…!” This galvanized faculty and led to “standing room only” meetings with administrators. The union also filed a PERB charge violation against the University charging them with unfair labor practices. The Chancellor’s new policy on time, place and manner was then redacted for faculty but remains in effect for students. 

While the crackdowns and penalties have had an unfortunately chilling effect on the Cal Poly community, as has the onslaught of attacks on queer and undocumented communities by the Trump administration, students and faculty have continued to make good trouble.

For example on February 6, the “Turning Point USA Cal Poly Humboldt chapter tabled on the quad, but was met with an impromptu concert holding space for queer joy. A marching band and dancers with flags took the space in front of the organization’s booth and started a dance party.” (Turning Point USA is an organization that advocates for far-right politics by forming college chapters).

Also, as part of an action campaign, the faculty union recently brought in an immigration lawyer to run a Know Your Rights session geared at supporting undocumented community members. The Academic Senate followed suit by sponsoring a related workshop for all employees. More than 30 faculty also joined a union-created “rapid response team” in preparation for campus visits by ICE and other potential emergencies. These actions have provided outlets for faculty to stay engaged, and have opened the door for them to speak out against a range of new attacks, including those against the LGBTQ community. 

While our three community colleges and Cal Poly Humboldt are very different types of institutions, we have seen at each that when faculty are aware of their rights, are organized and have a platform, and when they engage with students in their social justice struggles, they can score important victories in the fight for basic human rights for all. 

AFT 1493 faculty members wanting to observe and participate in our union’s upcoming fight for academic freedom in our contract are encouraged to get involved by signing up here. What else can SMCCD faculty do? Join your AFT1493 socials, drop in on membership meetings, and reach out to your AFT campus chapter chairs to get involved!  

• Skyline College: Mick Song 
• Cañada College: Camille Kaslan 
• College of San Mateo: Gil Perez 

 

Thank you to Dr. Silvaggio for providing his time and inspiration as well as to the following faculty who participated in the interview: Mustafa Popal, Katie Manbachi, Kolo Wamba, Michael Hoffman and Rika Yonemura Fabian. Special thanks as well to Elinor Westfold and Kolo Wamba for their much needed editing support.