Dear colleagues,

The proposal to include a diversity component in the curriculum for undergraduate students in the College of Letters and Science was approved by the College faculty on October 31st, 2014 and by the Legislative assembly on November 20th, 2014.  Normally, this would be the final step in making a change to the undergraduate curriculum in the college.

However, a small group of anonymous faculty have invoked an obscure Senate Bylaw to have this curricular change voted upon for a fifth time, but by the entire Senate faculty. This vote would include faculty in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, Law School, Anderson School of Management, Fielding School of Public Health, David Geffen School of Medicine, and Jules Stein Eye Institute, faculty for whom this College curriculum change has no impact, threatening the autonomy of the College to set its own curriculum. The Diversity Requirement Implementation Committee and the College Faculty Executive Committee has vigorously protested the interpretation of the Bylaw allowing this petition action.  However, senate leadership has rejected this protest and scheduled a vote of the entire UCLA Senate faculty at the end of February.

This anonymous petition action threatens the autonomy of the College of Letters and Science to determine its own curriculum and threatens the very foundations of shared governance at UCLA.
A number of faculty spanning many departments have written an open letter to all Senate Faculty letter requesting (1) that the senate leadership act transparently to divulge the petition to the faculty at large, (2) that the petitioners reconsider their endorsement of the petition in light of its negative impact on fundamental principles of faculty governance, and (3) that all UCLA senate faculty support the principle of curricular autonomy of UCLA faculties.

This open letter can be found at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-the-curricular-autonomy-of-ucla-faculties.html. I am writing to ask you that you sign the letter in support of the principle of curricular autonomy at UCLA. Please encourage other colleagues to support this effort.

Thanks so much,

Vilma