Holiday Reception and Giving Opportunity
December 6, 2010
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to thank you for your excellent work -- as always -- during this academic quarter, and to remind you of our holiday reception from 2 to 3:30 this Wednesday, December 8, in the Campus Center.
I'd also like to let you know about the opportunity to give to our own CalWORKs students and their children this holiday season. Here's how:
- Purchase a Target gift card for $25 or more.
- Select a name ornament from the Giving Tree in the lobby of the Administration Building.
- Place the ornament and gift card in the envelope provided, write the student's name on the outside of the envelope, and place it in the mailroom drop box outside the Administration Building.
Thank you for the generosity I know you'll show our students.
It's a bittersweet time for us as the quarter ends and the holidays begin. The economic and political news is consistently bleak, and yet our own work continues to engage us deeply. Our students inspire us every day, with their deep and abiding intelligence, their commitment to each other and to the future, and their own multiple forms of engagement.
Our short-term future is framed by the continuing budget crisis in Sacramento. Despite having won the support of a solid majority of local voters, we were unable to secure the two-thirds majority required for the approval of our own parcel tax. This would have given us a small buffer against state cuts, and allowed us to add sections and services. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the dozens and dozens of students who worked countless hours on the campaign-making the phone calls, walking the precincts, raising dollars. It is a blessing to have students fight so hard for us, and to have so many neighbors who volunteered for the campaign.
So now we wait for news from Sacramento. In her recent e-mail, Chancellor Thor gave you the broad outline of what we're facing, and I won't repeat her message here. What matters to her, and to all of us, is that we face the current budget crisis the same way we have the others: with an honest assessment of our choices and a transparent process. The college and the district have adequate reserves for just about anything Sacramento does this year, but that's cold comfort as we look to the following years.
The good news is right here in front of us: in each other, this beautiful campus, our students and the communities they come from-and the broader community we create among us all.
I hope you have a good holiday break. Take the time to enjoy your families and friends, and I look forward to seeing you in January.
Best wishes for the holiday season,
Brian Murphy