June 24, 2008
Dr. Campbell, Members of the Governing Board, Mr. Chancellor.
I
stand before you tonight as the President of the Maricopa County
Community
Colleges Faculty Association, as a citizen of
There are times in the course of our lives, both personal and professional, when we become convinced that those we love, or those we respect, or those with whom we work and play, are about to take a wrong course of action. In those moments we are challenged by a conflict between our friendship and our moral duty. Do we remain silent to avoid damaging that friendship or do we call to our friend and warn them of the danger we see, knowing full well they will not wish to hear what we say? Dr. Campbell, I believe we are bound both by duty and friendship to risk the wrath of our friend, to speak the truth even when they do not wish to hear it. Thus, tonight I stand calling out to you in friendship.
As you are aware, the Faculty Association has sought throughout our Meet and Confer process with your representatives to find joint solutions to the difficult issues that face us in the operations of our colleges. However, it is possible for reasonable people to disagree about the best course of action in many situations; we do not always reach consensus in our negotiations because of the limits of time. In those cases there are two choices that face us: the first is to agree that we disagree, and continue the process of rational dialogue seeking consensus, knowing it may take more time than we had originally hoped to achieve our goals. The second course is for the stronger party to abandon the process and to force the weaker party to bend to their will.
When those with power choose the second course of action they violate two fundamental moral obligations: their obligation never to treat others as means to an end, and a moral obligation to themselves, to act according to reason and not what is merely expedient. When the strong force the weak to bend to their will they deny their value as individuals, they demean and dehumanize them. But those that would play the tyrant also harm themselves by choosing a course of action that they would never desire their opponent to choose if their roles were reversed. When the strong bully the weak they deny the dictates of their own conscience and declare war not only on their opponent, but also on their own soul.
I plead with you friends; do not use your perceived power to force us to your will, for we will not bend. If you undertake a unilateral action tonight by approving changes to the Residential Faculty Policies that we had no opportunity to approve or disapprove, you will violate the contract that you have made with us. You will be saying to the world that you don’t have to keep your word if you don’t feel like it because you have power. Therefore, grant the petition we have brought you through the grievance process and take no further action on those items noted in our grievance. Come back to the negotiating table and let us reason together where we can resolve this issue.
If you are not motivated by respect for us, if you are not motivated by the friendship we have shared, if you are not motivated by a desire to avoid the unnecessary cost of litigation that will surely follow, then out of moral self-interest do not turn against yourself by treating us as the means to your ends.