Medgar Evers College Faculty Rejects Pathways

Last week the College Council at Medgar Evers College (MEC) failed to pass 27 newly revised Pathways-compliant degree programs despite threats and intimidation by the administration. The Pathways framework and related General Education Program will be on the agenda for a vote at the May 20 College Council meeting, and is expected to fail there as well.

MEC is one of several schools that has not passed a Pathways framework and has rejected PW-compliant curricula. Top CUNY administrators were perhaps hoping that with a new administration in place at MEC they could cajole faculty into playing along with Pathways. Senior CUNY administrators have been a regular presence on campus and faculty leaders have been told that there would be dire consequences for the college if they failed to toe the line. Similar to the threats used at QCC and less publicly at other campuses, faculty were told that if they did not pass Pathways there would be no courses for entering students to register for and as a result enrollment would be affected, costing the college millions and threatening the employment of faculty and staff.

Faculty responded to these threats by pointing out that other colleges have refused to pass Pathways without suffering any such consequences.  Instead, it has forced the administrations of these schools to design and/or pass along and implement Pathways curricula without the explicit or even tacit consent of faculty, making clear that they are completely willing to ignore Faculty Governance when they wish. MEC’s resistance to Pathways has forced the CUNY administration to show its true colors, which is contempt for the faculty.  Once again the faculty have called the outrageous bluff of the CUNY administration, which has tried threats, cooptation, and intimidation to get the faculty to go along with Pathways, but to no avail.

This month’s referendum will make starkly clear the depth and breadth of faculty opposition to Pathways. Be sure to add your vote.