> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • The Evolution of Race in Admissions
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
Faculty
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

California Faculty Union Accuses College Accreditor of Violating Laws

By  Peter Schmidt
May 1, 2013

The California Federation of Teachers and its affiliate representing faculty members at the City College of San Francisco have filed a complaint with the accreditor of that state’s community colleges, accusing that organization of having conflicts of interest and of violating federal and state laws.

The complaint, submitted on Tuesday, also has been sent to the U.S. Department of Education to review as it considers whether to renew its recognition of the accreditor, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

We’re sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network. Please make sure your computer, VPN, or network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from c950.chronicle.com and chronicle.blueconic.net.

Once javascript and access to those URLs are allowed, please refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

The California Federation of Teachers and its affiliate representing faculty members at the City College of San Francisco have filed a complaint with the accreditor of that state’s community colleges, accusing that organization of having conflicts of interest and of violating federal and state laws.

The complaint, submitted on Tuesday, also has been sent to the U.S. Department of Education to review as it considers whether to renew its recognition of the accreditor, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

The complaint accuses the commission of taking improper actions at the City College of San Francisco and argues that those actions are part of a broader pattern of malfeasance affecting community colleges throughout the state, where the commission has issued either sanctions or warnings to 27 of the 112 community colleges.

In a media advisory announcing the union’s plans to publicly release the complaint on Wednesday, Alisa Messer, president of the American Federation of Teachers Local 2121, which represents both full- and part-time faculty members at the San Francisco college, said, “The ACCJC’s actions in San Francisco and elsewhere are in sharp contradiction with the agency’s mission, have harmed and continue to harm the interests of students, faculty, and the broader community, and must cease.”

In an interview on Tuesday, Ms. Messer said, “We felt that we had a responsibility to go to the ACCJC and bring this complaint to them in advance of their next decision about any community college in California.” The union sent a copy of the complaint to the Education Department, she said, because “we thought it was important for them to have this information” in making a routine decision on renewing federal recognition of the commission, which accredits two-year colleges in California, Hawaii, and the Pacific territories.

ADVERTISEMENT

In a written statement issued on Tuesday, the commission said that its policies prevent it from commenting extensively on the complaint at this point and that any response based on its review of the complaint will be communicated directly to the City College of San Francisco. The complaint, it said, “will be processed in accordance with commission policies, including the obligation to maintain in confidence materials pertaining to a member institution.”

‘Show Cause’ Sanction

The filing of the complaint comes as the City College of San Francisco waits to learn whether it will be stripped of its accreditation by the commission, which last July issued a “show cause” sanction ordering the college to shore up its finances and overhaul its governance and operations. Many steps that the college has taken to satisfy the commission have met with resistance from the college’s employee unions and Academic Senate. The complaint asks that the “show cause” sanction against the college be removed.

Among its accusations, the union says the commission has numerous conflicts of interest. Among them: Peter Crabtree, the husband of its president, Barbara A. Beno, served on a team that evaluated the City College of San Francisco. Other members of the evaluation team have been involved in an advocacy group, the Community College League of California, that has pushed community colleges to lock away more money in a retiree-health-care fund than is required under federal law. And the commission evaluated the City College of San Francisco at the same time it was publicly at odds with the college over pending state legislation to narrow the mission of California’s community colleges. The measure passed after being amended in ways that reduced the union’s opposition.

The complaint also accuses the commission of being biased against the rights of unions and of stacking evaluation teams with managers and administrators who advance the interests of colleges’ administrations at the expense of their employees.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Peter Schmidt
Peter Schmidt was a senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education. He covered affirmative action, academic labor, and issues related to academic freedom. He is a co-author of The Merit Myth: How Our Colleges Favor the Rich and Divide America (The New Press, 2020).
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin