President Eanes holds town hall on King Hall
This Wednesday at 2:30 PM at the Golden Eagle Ballrooms 2 & 3
In response to our recent actions towards a safer and more transparent campus, President Eanes has created and invited the campus community to participate in a town hall specifically to discuss concerns with King Hall. The town hall will take place this Wednesday, 3/20/2024, from 2:30 to 4 PM in the Golden Eagle Ballrooms 2 & 3, and also on zoom for those who were able to register today before 5PM.
What can you do?
Join us at 2PM outside the Golden Eagle Ballroom.
Wear your CFA (or red) shirt
Prepare your question
Bring a sign
Join your colleagues! Bring your class
Tomorrow, we are hosting an art build:
If you have ever worked in King Hall, you know what it’s like to work in an unsafe workplace. Cal State LA administrators may have you believe that improvements are just around the corner, or that it’s really not that bad in King Hall. This is simply untrue, and not the case. The Chancellor’s Office has been aware of the issues with King Hall and placed the building on a “1B” budget priority for improvements since 2013. Despite the priority level, King Hall continued to be ignored and the CSU administration has since approved budget allocations to fund new stadiums, dormitories and parking structures with less priority designations or urgency.
King Hall was set for demolition in 2020, and then delayed; however, still housing the majority of classes in King Hall and several staff and faculty offices in 2024. The Chancellor’s Office is at fault for negligence, and the new President has a unique opportunity to do the responsible thing and relocate operations in King Hall.
While we don’t recommend it, take a walking tour of King Hall and see for yourself the unfortunate displays, especially on the 2nd and 4th floors. This is what KH looks like today:
Our students and faculty deserve better. Our working conditions are their learning conditions, and this is not something to be proud of regardless of the accolades for being ranked #1 on Forbes’ America’s Best Midsize Employers 2024, or ranked #1 in Upward Mobility.
Our questions to President Eanes
1) Will the university relocate the staff and faculty from King Hall immediately? Please start your response with a clear yes or no. If yes, please provide the date of relocation. If unable to provide a yes or no answer, please indicate the date when such an answer can be given.
2) My question is for Howard B. Spielman and is in two parts: Could he please let us know how many times, approximately, he has served as an expert witness in a legal case involving asbestos and b) could he please specify how many of those cases involved his being hired by the plaintiff and how many by the defendant.
3) Why has there been a delay in receiving testing reports from Risk Management?
4) Why are all ACM (Asbestos Containing Materials) reports prior to 2023 not accessible?
5) Why does King Hall continue (for years) to be listed as a 1B mid-level priority while it continues to be falling apart... putting those who work, teach and learn there at risk? What is the timeline for replacing King Hall?
6) What are the next steps that will ensure this information gathering process doesn't become a university performative move that is driven by protecting the university rather than the safety and well-being of the people that work in King Hall?
7) Can you share information regarding the financial compensation this expert has received for representing companies in asbestos exposure lawsuits?
8) Have Campus Leadership or the expert visited King Hall and see the conditions of ceiling tiles and walls firsthand?
9) Has there been a plan to communicate about the asbestos in King Hall to non-English speaking families and children who utilize the building's services? Additionally, will the town hall information be translated for these families?
10) I have worked at Cal State LA for more than 20 years. During my time, King Hall has been rapidly deteriorating. My office is never cleaned, tiles fall in all rooms (several have fallen on my students), windows are bolted shut (preventing us from escaping during an emergency), doors don't lock from the inside in case of an emergency, the elevators are constantly broken, my colleagues and I are frequently sick, I have lost several colleagues to cancer, the elevators are frequently broken, the bathrooms are old and smelly, and the overall condition of the building is reprehensibly awful. When I have invited guest speakers, they question why we are forced to work in such an awful building. It's not just embarrassing, but life threatening. What are your plans in the next two weeks to a. remove all staff, faculty, and administrators b. let all classes be taught remotely, and c. commit to a short term relocation plan for Fall 2024, and d. one year plan to tear down the building and relocate us to safer buildings.
11) Why is the university denying faculty requests to move their classes from King Hall when there are alternate rooms available.
12. How do you “measure” and account for the toxic stress endured by faculty and staff over many years leading to headaches, immune system decline, increase in asthma, breathing difficulties, pre-cancer diagnosis’ and faculty surviving (and not surviving) cancer while working in King Hall?
13. How do you “measure”and account for the toxic stress with the children ages 3 to 7 who are regularly in programs housed in King Hall?
14. How do you inform Spanish speaking parents that their children are regularly exposed to asbestos and mold in King Hall?
15. How do you measure and account for the exposure to asbestos and mold to the custodians who regularly clean the offices, bathrooms, and classrooms in King Hall?
16. There are severely damaged areas and offices in King Hall that have apparently not been tested. Why have these areas not been tested? Is there a plan to test them? What is the plan around additional testing? As of today, how many areas in King Hall have actually been tested? Can you please specify which areas have been tested? (We’d like the university to provide us a map of areas that have been tested and what the result of those tested areas have been).
17. In your career as an asbestos expert, have you ever recommended long term or permanent evacuation of a toxic or unsafe building? What are the necessary steps the university should take in safely evacuating workers and students from King Hall? Can you please give us a scenario of the adequate steps to do this (how to responsibly evacuate workers in a timely manner)?
18. What types of cancers are caused by or linked to asbestos and how long can it take for these cancers to show up post exposure? What other illnesses or symptoms (other than cancer) can result from asbestos and mold exposure?