FAQ

What is the SDFA?
What is CUCFA?
What is the relationship between the San Diego Faculty Association and the Academic Senate?
How much do I have to pay to become a member and where do my dues go?
What kind of organization is the SDFA?

 

What is the SDFA?

The San Diego Faculty Association (SDFA) is a dues-paying organization of UCSD Senate faculty affiliated with the Council of University of California Faculty Associations (CUCFA). The aim of the association is to preserve and promote public education of quality for all Californians. As such, we believe that the ongoing privatization process compromises the mission of the University of California as outlined in the 1960 California Master Plan for Higher Education and therefore curtails the possibility of equal and fair access to higher education as well as the promise of having a diverse university that reflects the population of California.

 

What is CUCFA?

The Council of University of California Faculty Associations (CUCFA) is an umbrella organization for the Faculty Associations (FAs) at each UC campus such as the SDFA. The purpose of this coalition is to coordinate efforts between the different FAs in the UC system, share information and resources among different campuses, engage in conversations with the Office of the President in Oakland and monitor the legislature in Sacramento. Other UC Faculty Associations include:

 

What is the relationship between the San Diego Faculty Association and the Academic Senate?

The aim of the SDFA is to advance shared governance by collaborating and strengthening the Academic Senate mission. However, when the AB 1091 legislation passed (also known as HEERA or The Berman Act) in 1979, it became clear that the authority of the Academic Senate was restricted to academic matters and that the Senate could not represent the economic or employment interests of its faculty before the University or the Legislature. As with other Faculty Associations, the SDFA emerged to provide faculty an independent voice to address both the legislature and the administration of the university.

 

How much do I have to pay to become a member and where do my dues go?

The SDFA has a relatively low model of dues:

  • $16.00/month for Assistant Professors and Acting Profs of Law
  • $22.00/month for Associate Professors
  • $28.00/month for Full Professors

 

The dues are automatically deducted from payroll. A portion goes to CUCFA and it is used for the different advocacy campaigns and to monitor the legislature in Sacramento. The remainder is used internally in the chapter to support different activities, membership meetings, regional meetings, etc.

 

What kind of organization is the SDFA? 

The SDFA is not a high-dues service organization, that is to say, we do not represent faculty interests in exchange for dues. We are a grassroots organization whose power resides in our capacity to act collectively as faculty. We strongly believe that faculty will have a more meaningful and effective voice if we come together to share our concerns and our vision of a public university. Because we believe in collective action, we are convinced that our power is directly related to our capacity to build a large and active membership chapter.