By: Leyenda Jacobson-Harris, CSULB Sociology Lecturer
Guest Writer
I am just a girl trying to make an honorable living using the California State University degrees I am still paying off.
As a lecturer, I am enrolled in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, requiring me to complete 10 years of full-time work in public service to pay off the $35,000 in student loans I took out for a master’s degree in sociological practice from San Marcos State University.
Attaining 10 years of full-time work in a profession that only offers part-time gig work is no 10-year feat. Until my debt is cleared, I earn the wage imposed upon me by the CSU board and my union leadership. It is an admittedly deflated wage padded with “the magic” I make in the classroom.
Because I only have CSU degrees, I serve as a stress test for the value of a CSU Master’s degree. When I see the numbers in the “lecturer” salary table, I see the value the CSU system applies to its educators.
Many jobs will pay what the CSU system offers, (about $65,000 per year) that do not require 6+ years of higher education, a master’s degree and the debt that comes along with it.
I am left thinking, working in substandard conditions for a deflated wage while repaying a loan tied to my employer… isn’t this the definition of indentured servitude?
My first memory of social activism was a teacher strike. My mom was also a public educator and engaged in an earlier iteration of the fight for a fair, public education system.
That early memory connects to my decision to pursue Critical Sociology in college, where I learned how to use my body, mind and spirit to push movements for positive social change. During our current labor struggles, I have made use of my college degrees by applying all I learned from my beloved CSUSM faculty and mentors.
I must confess that my choice to vote no on our tentative agreement is not an altruistic act completely, it represents a fight for my livelihood and dignity.
My husband and I met 20 years ago as college students. He took every class alongside me and we have the same degrees. My husband also served the community as a sociology lecturer.
During the pandemic, we made the difficult decision for him to join the military; we could not survive on lecturer wages. The Air Force did not value his degrees, so he enlisted as an E-3, celebrated his 40th birthday in boot camp and is currently stationed 1,200 miles away. We speak daily and visit when we can afford to, which is rare.
My daughter is a CSU student. She is watching my life unfold and paying keen attention to my working conditions. It is challenging to support her in many ways. I cannot support her financially and now, I am having trouble supporting her decision to attend college.
My love for the CSU system is intergenerational. I refuse to let the fate of our public university become a for-profit corporation churning out degrees they devalue.
By demanding a wage appropriate for my professional class, adequate working conditions for my colleagues, our students and the health and safety of my CSU community members, I am serving as a steward of the CSU system and the integrity of the degrees it awards.
The role of the CSU executive branch is to engage in fundraising and philanthropic work on behalf of the CSU, not the faculty.
Public administrators should not be awarding themselves staggering pay increases while also claiming insufficient funds to adequately pay their staff or care for their students, even after approving a 34% tuition hike.
Public service executives who cannot perform their primary job functions should be held accountable, not wield their power to punish the people they serve.
This is a public university. This is our university. Now is the time for us to stand united for our CSU.