Activist Professor Manuel "Manolo" Callahan Denied Tenure at Humbolt State University

SOURCE: Support Manolo Callahan!: mobilizze@gmail.com

[PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY]

Greetings friend, comrades, student, family, faculty, local community
member, perspective HSU student, alumni, parent,

Below you will find a press release about a recent action in support
of Dr. Manuel (Manolo) Callahan, who was subsequently this week denied
promotion to a 6th year as full time Professor in Ethnic Studies at
Humboldt State University. This will detrimentally affect Callahan's
career as a public intellectual and professor, and it represents
nothing less than institutional and epistemic racism. Callahan is an
inspiring intellectual and scholar having changed the lives of 100s of
students through his engaging and relevant teaching approach and he is
internationally recognized scholar, having worked with other brilliant
intellectuals from Central and Southern Mexico, and edited of
scholarly publications, such as the Humboldt Journal of Social
Relations. In addition, Manolo has been a key figure in mobilizing
political energy and bridging the divide between the university and
broader community. Dr. Callahan's denial of tenure occurs in the
context of a larger trend in the North American university to deny
tenure to those Chican@ scholars who refuse to capitulate to the
capitalist reorganization of public universities, and who remain
critical of the dominant institutions in America. This action, on the
part of the HSU is an insult to academic freedom and an affront to
Chican@ scholarship which, as we know, won its place in academe not
through the generosity of administrators, but through grassroots
mobilizations of primarily students. Please call, email and fax HSU
Provost Robert Snyder and let him know that you are dissatisfied with
this decision and that you will notify your community of his poor
performance. You may also forward this email and encourage others to
do the same.

Robert Snyder's contact info is
Phone: 707.826.3722
Email: ras1@humboldt.edu
Fax: 707.826.5480

In Solidarity,

From many who care and who have learned and gained much from Manolo's
tireless work




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This is the press release that went out Tuesday, May 13, 2008.
Thanks to everyone who participated. And if you haven't already, check out
http://arcatareporter.blogspot.com/


Humboldt State Students and Larger Community Mobilize In Support Of Ethnic
Studies Professor, Manuel "Manolo" Callahan



Date: Tuesday 13, 2008


Arcata, CA: On Monday, May 12, 2008 sixty HSU students, faculty, and
alumni, Vets For Peace, and other active community members delivered a
letter with about 80 signatures in support of the continued tenure track
employment of Professor Manuel "Manolo" Callahan. The diverse group of
supporters, believing Callahan's sixth year at HSU and opportunity for
tenure is at risk, entered the office of Provost of Academic Affairs, Robert
Snyder, at 10:45am. They delivered their extensive letter evaluating
Professor Callahan's work in Humboldt County over the last five years and
insisting on his reappointment to a sixth.

Dr. Callahan is in his fifth year of teaching at HSU and has undergone peer
and committee evaluations claiming to assess his performance in the areas of
teaching effectiveness, service to the community, scholarship, and committee
work. Callahan's activities ? because they at times critique the role of HSU
in perpetuating physical as well as symbolic violence - have been unjustly
treated by some of his colleagues and administrators at HSU as a threat.

The newly formed 'Student and Community Faculty Personnel Committee' who
organized the delivery of the letter states, "We believe that due to his
political work, inherent in the engaging, creative and challenging ways he
teaches Ethnic Studies, Manolo is being racially and politically profiled."

Callahan is recognized as an expert in matters of race, history, and
movements for justice and community self-determination. He consistently
organizes with and provides support, insight, and empowerment to students of
color and other marginalized communities.

On May 12, when Provost Snyder found his office full of people and was
handed the letter, he spoke as if he had little to no authority in the
reappointment decision, and stated that the letter *could not* be considered
in the decision. Longtime community member, archivist, and HSU Graduate
student, Suzanne Guerra, who participated in the letter delivery asserts
that "Bob Snyder has full discretion in this reappointment decision. His
[Snyder's] claim to have no authority is disingenuous."

Submitting the letter was an intervention that had to be made because the
university usually ignores student and community interests when making
decisions that affect them. "80 people gathered in a moments notice to sign
the letter in support of Manolo. The voice of the students and community is
the very lens through which any evaluation must be done, and we insist on
the reappointment of Manolo Callahan," said Ethnic Studies student, Elisa
Oceguera.

In addition to the risk to his livelihood, a failure to reappoint Professor
Callahan would seriously jeopardize HSU's Ethnic Studies Program and the
local people with whom he works and the projects, on and off campus, that he
supports. We refuse to be silent while such a threat exists.

Robert Snyder has final decision-making power on the reappointment of Dr.
Callahan. Submitting the letter was a necessary intervention in a
decision-making process that occurs behind closed doors and completely
disregards students, (most) faculty, staff, and community members.

For a copy of the evaluation letter, send an e-mail to peoplesarc@gmail.com.