Valerie Francisco & Michael Viola on Sarah's Case

January 2, 2009

Dr. Clemen Aquino
Chair, Department of Sociology
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines
Diliman, 1101 Quezon City
sociology@up.edu.ph

Dean Zosimo Lee
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
dekano@kssp.upd.edu.ph

Chancellor Sergio Cao
University of the Philippines
Diliman, 1101 Quezon City
oc.upd@up.edu.ph


Dear Dr. Aquino, Dean Lee, and Chancellor Cao:

As graduate students attending U.S. colleges and universities, we are writing to express our concern over the denial of tenure to Professor Sarah Raymundo. We had the privilege to meet Professor Raymundo while conducting research on issues that impact Filipinos throughout the world such as immigration, education, labor, cultural and gender studies, and globalization. Professor Raymundo helped develop and facilitate our research projects by sharpening our ideas, sharing her scholarly resources, and introducing us to her colleagues and students. Due to Sarah’s support, we had the opportunity to not only develop our scholarship but also gain a deeper understanding of various social issues in the Philippines.

During our time at the University of the Philippines, we had the opportunity to witness the relationships Sarah has developed in her nine years at the University of the Philippines. Her colleagues do not only respect Sarah for her scholarship and teaching, she is also widely valued by the student body for her mentorship. From our firsthand experiences, Sarah’s students are civic minded, articulate, and theoretically advanced. These are all important characteristics that cannot be divorced from the important role Sarah has played as a teacher and academic advisor.

Sarah is an embodiment of a public intellectual. Trained as a sociologist, her incisive analysis is not confined to her respective field within the university. While Sarah has written important essays, reviews, and books that have been engaged by academics throughout the world, she has also organized local workshops and colloquiums that have engaged the larger public. As young American scholars with aspirations to serve as educators in our own communities, Professor Raymundo serves as an important role model.

The United States has a disappointing history of denying tenure to important intellectuals such as Howard Zinn and Angela Davis because they exposed repression and injustice. The lack of transparency in Professor Raymundo’s tenure process leads us to believe that because of her activism she has entered in such company. It would be a great loss for the communities that the University of the Philippines serves if Professor Raymundo is not granted a tenured position in the sociology department. We sincerely ask you to reconsider your decision for Professor Raymundo's tenure. We ask that you be explicit about the criteria in which you have decided to revoke tenure from her as she has fulfilled above and beyond the call of scholarship, teaching and community service.

Sincerely,

Valerie Francisco
Doctoral Student
Department of Sociology
The Graduate Center, City College of New York

Michael Viola
Doctoral Student
Graduate School of Education and Information Studies
University of California, Los Angeles