Students protest loss of professor

By Kelly Rayburn and Amanda
Schapel
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
[email protected] [email protected]

  ED LIN/ DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

On July 18, students protest the resignation of Pauline
Agbayani-Siewert, the only tenured Pilipino professor at
UCLA.

A group of about 100 students last week protested loudly, before
snaking dead-silently through the Public Policy Building to help
move UCLA’s only tenured Pilipino professor out from her
fifth-floor office.

Pauline Agbayani-Siewert was a popular professor at UCLA who was
tenured in January of 2001 and is now leaving for California State
University, Los Angeles, after UCLA failed to retain her. She was
dedicated to her students, the Pilipino community and her research,
supporters said. For them, the administration’s apparent lack
of enthusiasm in attempting to retain her just doesn’t make
sense.

“A great injustice has been done here at UCLA,” said
fifth-year doctoral student Annalisa Enrile, as the rally
began.

Enrile said she had the opportunity to study at many prestigious
universities in pursuit of her doctorate, including the University
of Chicago, but selected UCLA because she would have the chance to
work with Agbayani-Siewert.

Agbayani-Siewert received a formal offer from CSULA’s
School of Social Work in June and was asked to reply with an answer
soon thereafter, according to a “timeline of events”
passed out at the rally. She then went through the normal retention
procedure with the UCLA administration, letting them know she had
another offer.

  ED LIN/ DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

Fourth-year psychobiology student Cynthia
Antonio speaks to crowd.

Though the administration will not discuss the specifics of
their offer, in the end Agbayani-Siewert liked what she saw from
CSULA better. And apparently, she is not the first to feel that
way. In the last few years UCLA’s School of Public Policy and
Social Research has lost two other professors ““ Mitchell Maki
and Karin Elliot-Brown ““ to CSULA. Protesters noted both
professors are also people of color.

Agbayani-Siewert, meanwhile, could not be contacted after
numerous phone calls and e-mails. Enrile, whose doctoral advisor
was Agbayani-Siewert and who had a key to the professor’s
office, said Agbayani-Siewert was in the hospital during the time
of the rally, but she did not know why.

A statement from Donna Vredevoe, UCLA’s Vice Chancellor
for Academic Personnel, stated, “UCLA regrets that Associate
Professor Pauline Agbayani-Siewert has chosen to leave
UCLA.”

Vredevoe worked with Barbara Nelson, Dean of the SPPSR, in
matters related to retention offers to Agbayani-Siewert, the
statement stated.

“As a matter of policy, these matters are
confidential,” the statement stated. ” … The final
decision to leave UCLA was made by Dr. Agbayani-Siewert.”

A similar statement from Nelson expressed regret
Agbayani-Siewert was leaving and did not go into the specifics of
the retention offer.

Though the administration was mostly silent, concerned students
and community members were not. Supporters of Agbayani-Siewert
claim, among other assertions, UCLA let her go because the UCLA
administration thought CSULA was not a competitive school with UCLA
and therefore did not warrant a retention offer.

“What is this?” shouted Enrile into a
microphone.

“It’s a farce,” answered one person in the
crowd.

“It’s crap,” said another.

“It’s bullshit,” said a third.

Ralliers held signs reading “Dean Nelson we know what you
did this summer,” and “Apology and Resignation
Now.” They chanted “No justice, No peace,” and
“Dean Nelson, out of UCLA.”

“We’re collectively appalled here,” said Mark
Pulido, who was president of the Undergraduate Students Association
Council in 1992 and president of Samahang Pilipino before.

Pulido challenged ralliers, saying “If this is our public
institution then we are morally corrupt if we do not hold it
accountable.”

Current USAC academic affairs commissioner Chris Diaz attended
the rally and said USAC has not passed any resolution condemning or
supporting the administration and their possible role in
Agbayani-Siewert’s departure, but said they may do so
sometime down the road.

Diaz expressed his rancor over Agbayani-Siewert’s
departure at USAC’s July 8 meeting, saying it is important
for the council to support increased faculty diversity.

After loading up a CSULA.-bound car with
Agbayani-Siewert’s books, binders and personal supplies,
ralliers headed to Murphy Hall to request a meeting with the
Chancellor regarding their concerns.

Since Chancellor Albert Carnesale was at the UC Board of Regents
meeting in San Francisco, a few students met with Vice Chancellor
of the Graduate Division Claudia Mitchell-Kernan, Enrile said.

According to Enrile, Mitchell-Kernan said the chancellor would
likely be able to schedule a meeting with concerned students
soon.