Fun_People Archive
18 Dec
Fw: Yale TAs facing retalliation (fwd)

Date: Mon, 18 Dec 95 23:11:38 -0800
From: Peter Langston <psl>
To: Fun_People
Subject: Fw: Yale TAs facing retalliation (fwd)

Forwarded-by: Lani Herrmann <lanih@info.sims.berkeley.edu>
Forwarded-by: Lucy Kuntz <lkuntz>
Forwarded-by: graduateassembly-owner@uclink2.berkeley.edu
Forwarded-by: "Jess Bravin" <jessb@uclink2.berkeley.edu>

 Subject: BLACKLISTING ALERT AT YALE UNIVERSITY

 To all concerned:

 On Dec 7th, graduate student teachers at Yale University voted to withold
 grades until the administration agreed to enter into good faith
 negotiations. The response of both faculty and the administration has
 been one of intimidation, threats of academic reprisals and expulsion.
 One tenured faculty member responded with telling his TA that he would do
 everything in his power to get her expelled. A famous, "radical"
 post-colonial tenured critic in the English dept called in her TAs and
 threatened them with everything possible until the TA became hysterical.

 The dean of Yale college actually did write a blacklisting letter because
 his graduate student was merely a member, before she even made a decision
 to strike. Another famous historian, who has written a number of
 books on liberalism and the western tradition, equated striking TAs with
 Rabin's killers and told his TA that he can not work with her as an
 advisor. She came to this university to work with him. Another tenured
 professor told his striking TA that she would refuse to write him a
 letter of recommedation if he participated in the strike. We accept
 having our pay docked if we strike, but being blacklisted from the
 academy is unacceptable.

 Please, fax or email the president of Yale, Richard Levin. Fax if at
 all possible. Tell him you have heard what is going on. Tell him to
 issue a statement that the right to organize will be respected at Yale.
 Tell him that this kind of behavior is unacceptable at such a respected and
 reknowned university. Tell him you would not recommend graduate students
 apply here and that it is shameful. Also, if you will, urge him to sit
 down in good faith negotiations with TAs so as to avoid a full strike in
 the Spring.

 Please send this message to all concerned.

 Levin's fax number is 203-432-7105
 His email is Ricard.Levin@yale.edu

 Also, please cc a copy to me at the above address and the Yale Daily
 News at 203-432-7424 (fax) or ydn@minerva.cis.yale.edu

 Thank you,

 Greg Grandin
 Dept of History
 Yale University

© 1995 Peter Langston