The recently proposed partnership between Cal Poly and Jubail University College in Saudi Arabia has sparked controversy among students and faculty alike. Some are adamantly opposed to the deal while others are less certain. So why is everyone so upset?
The original proposal was brought to the administration’s attention by an Engineering Advisory Board member, who has ties to Bechtel (a large oil company based in Jubail). Although Bechtel’s involvement appears to be strictly informative, any sort of influence from such a large oil company warrants suspicion. Several other universities were contacted on similar grounds (UC Berkeley was one), but all of them turned the proposal down.
As it stands, Cal Poly would receive almost $6 million from the Saudi government to begin working on the project. The provost said no one stands to make a profit off of this, so where is all the money going? Mostly to pay for the salaries of faculty who will be helping with the partnership both here at Cal Poly and abroad, and the rest, who knows.
Cal Poly’s role would be primarily administrative; the task we’ve been offered is to start Jubail’s engineering program essentially from scratch. This entails writing curriculum to be taught abroad, as well as overseeing facility development for lab and classroom space. At some point in the future, several Cal Poly faculty would travel to Jubail to either teach or act as a dean for the new college.
As always, there’s a catch. The Saudi Arabian government has strict rules against women, homosexuals and Jews, thereby limiting which professors could be involved. Not only is it restricting on our end, but the new engineering program would be offered only to male students. The decision to participate in this new program sends a strong message of hypocrisy on the part of Cal Poly, which prides itself on educating so many female engineers. And although there isn’t profit to be gained, those professors who did participate would receive a significant salary increase. However, if the positions were restricted to only heterosexual, non-Jewish males, then this constitutes a violation of the Equal Employment Act.
Most of the controversy on campus has stemmed from the restrictions on which faculty can participate, but there is a larger issue at stake here. The decision to participate in this endeavor will reflect upon the entire campus, though the administration doesn’t seem to care what the majority of the campus thinks. At the recent Academic Senate meeting where they debated the decision, none of the students in attendance were allowed to speak. Even though the mechanical engineering department voted overwhelmingly against the partnership, the administration is still moving forward.
The veil of secrecy surrounding this project is unsettling. Yet again, it appears that the administration has made up its mind, and the debates and discussion are all just a charade. However, in the event that I’m wrong, then it is up to us to demand more information.
I believe a relationship based on learning could be the right step toward quelling the ticking time bomb that is the Middle East, but we need to be tactful about it. Yes, racism and sexism are illegal in America, but it isn’t in Saudi Arabia. We have cultural norms here that we assume to be right everywhere, and abroad they view us through the same lenses in reverse. Don’t misunderstand me, though; Saudi Arabia has some serious human rights issues they need to sort out. Maybe this is an opportunity for both sides to learn.
Erica Janoff is an industrial engineering senior and a Mustang Daily liberal columnist.