UC Mills

Please register and join us on Saturday the 25th!!!

If you have not done so already, please register for this vitally important AAMC Annual Meeting, taking place at 9:30 am PDT on Saturday, September 25. There we will provide updates on both the current status and the future of the AAMC’s legal action, addressing any questions you may have.
The last day to register to attend by Zoom is Friday, September 24. You can register for the Zoom here.

https://millscollege.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwufuyhrDMtHdAaXMm63lBUj4HChd1awcmc

You will need to have a registered Zoom account and be logged into it in order to register for the meeting. Everyone planning to attend, either in person or virtually, needs to fill out our information form, located here.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeu2cyy35XLjyN8n-x3_Zyc0BcPzp07YDXMbU9VCsh6ti9fRw/viewform

AAMC Annual Meeting registration information Virtual registration deadline has been extended to Friday, September 24th!!

Mills College has a legacy and a future. To support the fight to save it, please see the link in the comments!

https://tntribune.com/top-california-clergy-support-alumnae-association-of-mills-college-in-calling-for-truth-and-transparency/?fbclid=IwAR1AxudpIbT-KyOXDsWCVVxvmq8k8TSSfVCD8MMMKGSVI7xLy4532JJtMuo

Top California Clergy Support Alumnae Association of Mills College in Calling For Truth and Transparency - The Tennessee Tribune Oakland, CA – Leading clergy from California have joined the Alumnae Association of Mills College and the grassroots organization, Save Mills College, in support of a recent motion to force President Beth Hillman and Mills [...]

KGO and KCBS both reported on the Court order forcing Mills College to provide the Trustee requested documents.

https://mercuryllc.box.com/s/ngqwe29pg1b82zlhq6kkh6tlq22iraww

https://mercuryllc.box.com/s/lcuuhrtl25tpeyepawm6l28fghxag2z8

Box

Really Mills College, you had to have a Judge tell you to do the right thing?

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2021/08/17/judge-orders-mills-provide-financial-documents-extends-restraining-order

Judge Orders Mills to Provide Financial Documents, Extends Restraining Order Alameda County Superior Court Judge Stephen Pulido on Monday ordered Mills College in Oakland, Calif., to provide hundreds of financial documents to Viji Nakka-Cammauf, a member of the college's Board of Trustees and president of the Alumnae Association of Mills College Board of Governors. The women...

Keep an eye on this page for links to articles about the fight for Mills!

https://www.ktvu.com/news/mills-college-trustee-gets-access-to-colleges-financial-condition

Mills College trustee gets access to college's financial condition A judge again temporarily blocked Mills College from merging with Northeastern University and ordered the troubled Oakland college to turn over financial documents to an alumnae trustee.

The Judge agreed that the Trustees should have the information in order to vote.

https://patch.com/california/alameda/judge-grants-mills-college-trustee-access-colleges-finances

Judge Grants Mills College Trustee Access To College's Finances The move stops college officials from making any decisions about Mills' future until Sept. 3.

The Alumnae Association of Mills College had a win this week with the Judge ordering the electronic release of documents by the end of the day today. Please keep sending mojo, thoughts and donations to support the fight for the live of my beloved alma mater (link is the first comment).
Thank you for your continued support!

https://www.diverseeducation.com/news-roundup/article/15113935/mills-college-must-release-financial-info-pause-merger-with-northeastern

Mills College Must Release Financial Info, Pause Merger with Northeastern News RoundupMills College Must Release Financial Info, Pause Merger with NortheasternJessica RufAug 17, 2021Following a court order, Mills College in Oakland, California, must provide financial data, term sheets, planning documents and other information about the college's financial situation and pe...

The AAMC is providing the transparency that Mills College and its defendants refuse to provide.
The facts are located here.

https://www.aamc-mills.org/lawsuit

Alumnae Trustees Lawsuit Against Mills: AAMC Alumnae trustees filed a lawsuit on June 7, 2021 and applied for a temporary restraining order on July 26, 2021 to gain access to information they need to make informed decisions regarding the future of Mills College

Subscribe now to receive the AAMC's latest email update and survey invitation: https://www.aamc-mills.org/subscribe. Today we sent an email message about the lawsuit against Mills College, along with a link to a very important survey, to about 4,000 alums whose email addresses are in the AAMC's own records. The College has blocked us from sending this information to members whose email addresses are stored only in our shared database. If you did not already receive the email from us today, please join our AAMC mailing list now!

Join Our Mailing List: AAMC Subscribe so we can keep you up-to-date since Mills has blocked us from sending messages related to the lawsuit to alums.

Mills alums-please go check out www.aamc-mills.org and add your info to the contact list. With Mills blocking email and censoring information on how the AAMC is fighting the planned college closure/acquisition/merger/demise, this is the best way to stay informed!

Alumnae Association of Mills College Founded in 1879, the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes the interests of Mills College alumnae—who number more than 26,000—through action, information, and lifelong connections and learning.

Attached are links to the FAQ list and legal action filed by in order to get the help of the Courts to find out the truth of what is going on.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T6-xNzCzi1viRswDo_03zu_v8RnRo7n3/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JCh_kQR2HfCIwmqhlJnwkEjVWvq-41dh/view

Here is an FAQ List about the Legal action filed by the Alumnae Association of Mills College.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JCh_kQR2HfCIwmqhlJnwkEjVWvq-41dh/view

AAMC Lawsuit FAQ.pdf

Millsies and all people who I know and don't know who care about truth and are anti-censorship, please read the below post and the attached legal complaint filed agaist Mills College.
I have attached the complaint so that it may also be shared, and have made this post public so that anyone and everyone can see it. Please send it to anyone you know with large numbers of followers and tag any newspaper/public personalities who might get us some exposure.
My fellow graduates and I were taught to stand up for what we believe and know is right at Mills, and because the current administration of the college does not like us bringing its decisions into the light, they are censoring us.
"We tried to email the message below to our membership yesterday, but Mills College administrators, who control our shared email platform, blocked it.
ALUMNAE TRUSTEES SUE MILLS FOR INFORMATION THEY NEED TO HELP DECIDE THE COLLEGE’S FUTURE
Four representatives of the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) who serve on the Mills College Board of Trustees say they and other trustees have not been granted the information they need to make informed decisions regarding the future of Mills College, including decisions leading to a March 2021 announcement that the College would stop functioning as a degree-granting college and become a “Mills Institute.”
With support from the AAMC, three alumnae trustees—who are elected by alumnae to serve on the boards of both the College and the AAMC—and the president of the AAMC, who also serves as Mills College trustee, filed a lawsuit (see PDF accompanying this post) in Alameda County Superior Court to gain access to the information they need and to stop future action at least until the trustees can fully evaluate the options on the table.
AAMC President Viji Nakka-Cammauf, MA ’82, and Alumnae Trustees Deborah Wood ’75, Adrienne Foster ’74, and Tara Singh ’05, MBA ’07, want the College to produce “financial data, term sheets, due diligence, consultant reports and other reports, other materials pertaining to the contemplated ‘Institute,’ and other information regarding the facts underlying the announcement and the announced upcoming changes to the College,” the lawsuit states.
In addition, the plaintiff trustees say measures to begin planning for the closure of Mills College were included in a “consent agenda” presented to the Board of Trustees for its March 4 meeting. This consent agenda included measures to develop “teach-out” and communication plans—plans only—which would be considered by the board for final approval later. The trustees were not aware of any decision to stop admitting students and allege that the College’s March 17 announcement prematurely signaled the end of Mills’ role as a degree-granting college.
The lawsuit was filed on June 7, but due to COVID-related court closures that delayed the lawsuit’s processing, this legal action could only be made public this week. The lawsuit does not address the College’s current partnership negotiations with Boston-based Northeastern University, announced on June 17, as it was filed before those negotiations began. But since then, the alumnae trustees have asked the College for additional information they need to evaluate the current circumstances.
Alumnae trustee positions were created in 1990 following a student strike protesting the Board of Trustees’ decision that Mills would be a co-ed institution. That decision was famously reversed."

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T6-xNzCzi1viRswDo_03zu_v8RnRo7n3/view?usp=sharing

Complaint for Damages and Equitable Relief-1.pdf

Today UC Mills responded to the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Katie Sanborn, on her invitation to discuss the advancement of special interests with Northeastern University, rather than advancing the core mission of Mills College.

Dear Katie,

Thank you for sharing your response to us, though admittedly it would have been better coming before the announcement about Northeastern was made, once again blindsiding our community. Open communication and transparency are key as we work to co-create the future of Mills College. The continued absence of any shared materials or specific questions regarding our proposals by the Board of Trustees shows ignorance to the fact that we alumnae/i are subject matter experts and professionals in our own right who can see clearly through the condescension exhibited by your letter. Remember who you educated.

We maintain that we have questions for the Board of Trustees who, whether or not you like this fact, are legally responsible to the stakeholders of Mills College… that includes us. As alumnae/i, we have millions of endowment dollars on the line; our commitment to the mission of Mills College cannot simply be swatted (or swayed) by letters like the one we received from you. You yourself have yet to ask our organizations a single question or interact in any meaningful way. We reiterate that again, we would appreciate answers in writing to the following questions:

- Please show us the actual financials (not your opinion of them) that resulted in the decision to close Mills College and explore an acquisition by Northeastern University.

- We are not interested in the willful failure to be transparent on the part of the Board of Trustees and any partner with whom they seek "alliances". The UC Mills option removes this barrier of access to information, while providing government oversight. Save Mills is asking for that transparency and the opportunity to present new financial stabilization and growth plans under a system that would preserve the current admissions policy. Neither group has been given an opportunity to present their case in person or to answer questions by the Board. Why not?

- Additionally, we were surprised to receive an actual deficit number from President Hillman yesterday of 24 million dollars. Why has a Capital Campaign not been launched for such an achievable number and why were alums not tapped to facilitate paying off this debt?

The abuse of the College's resources that came to light under former President DeCoudreaux teaches us that oversight is crucial to preserving the future of the College. The UC Mills and Save Mills College Coalition will not accept any option that doesn’t ensure that all stakeholders give feedback on all financials and all strategic plans. While some alumnae/i may be of varying opinions on next steps, part of that has to do with lack of access to all the information, perpetuated by the Board of Trustees.

What we understand completely is our collective power. Our strategy will continue to reflect this understanding until the Board of Trustees opts to treat us with the same respect as its other potential partners, share the same material information, set the same number of exploratory meetings, and face the media with more than a splashy press release. Until then, we see this Northeastern partnership as another chapter in a gaslighting shell game that we will not only refuse to play, but call out substantially and widely.

We look forward to helping you advance the core mission of Mills College, and not those of special interests.

Sincerely,
Save Mills College Coalition
UC Mills Campaign

On Jun 17, 2021, at 2:36 PM, Mills College Board of Trustees wrote:

Dear UC Mills Campaign,

Thank you for your deep care for the future of Mills College, and for your development of a proposal for Mills College to join the UC system as a stand-alone public institution of higher education. We appreciate your presentations to the Mills College Board of Trustees and your outreach to outside entities and individuals to build that proposal.

After careful review of proposals from Mills community-based organizations and academic institutions, and after integrating the priorities of alumnae proposals into that review, Mills College is now beginning formal conversations with Northeastern University because it provides the best option for Mills at this time.

Given the financial realities, there are simply no viable options going forward for Mills to stand alone in its current form. So finding a partner was critical to the preserving the Mills mission and legacy. As you will see from our recent communication, we are excited by the prospect of a partnership with Northeastern University.

The Board of Trustees has determined that this is, by far, the best past forward, and offers Mills many of the key opportunities sought by your UC Mills proposal, as well as additional opportunities beyond what can be accomplished within a public university system. We further note that, during Mills’ many conversations over past years—and in recent months—with leaders at UC Berkeley and the University of California system, we have not found support for the economic and educational model that UC Mills advocated.

In reviewing the proposals, the Board of Trustees focused on the following criteria:

● Mission: How does the partner’s mission and strategic goals, including those related to a union with Mills, align with the mission and core values of Mills College?
● Structure: How does the partner’s proposed legal, financial, and academic structure for Mills align with the College’s priorities?
● Students: How would Mills' current students benefit?
● Faculty: How would Mills' faculty benefit?
● Staff: How would Mills' staff benefit?
● Campus: How would the Mills campus be used, sustained, and developed?
● Legacy: How would Mills' legacy be secured?
● Transition: How would Mills' liabilities and outstanding indebtedness be satisfied and assets preserved?
● Ex*****on: Is the partner in a position to execute on the transaction?
● Overall Assessment: Does this proposal fulfill the College's immediate needs and secure its future in a viable way?

We thank you and your constituent group members for the significant time and effort you have devoted to developing, presenting, and advocating for your proposal to the College.

Please know that many of your ideas are reflected in Northeastern University’s proposal, and your input has been key to what we hope will become the new path for Mills College. While we know this is not exactly what you proposed, we are confident that this the best way forward, and we are hopeful that you will join in our excitement and hope for the future as we pursue this new alliance with Northeastern University.

To that end, President Beth Hillman and I would be pleased to meet with representatives of UC Mills to further discuss this exciting opportunity.

Warmly,
Katie
----
Katie Sanborn
Chair, Board of Trustees
Mills College

This has been posted on the by one of the Alumnae Association of Mills College Governors:

“I am writing as a Governor. The announcement yesterday regarding yet another partner with absolutely none of our demands addressed is disturbing and no transparency is disturbing. All avenues of redress will be explored.”

Hello All,
If you are represented by the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC), you will have received an email survey asking your opinions on whether and how the AAMC should continue with its legal action. Please complete and submit it as soon as possible.
If you do not fall under the AAMC’s representation, please forward an email with your opinion on whether or not the AAMC should continue the legal fight.
Thank you so much!

would offer a small college experience not available elsewhere in the UC system.

There are many ways to say the same thing, but we think Margaret Meade said it best.
We are a ‘group of thoughtful, committed citizens’ and we can get Mills College back on course.

Friends and supporters-we are so happy to announce that as of this afternoon, Crack'd Toffee has raised $1000 for the AAMC!

We are also pleased to announce that there is a matching donor of up to $1000 for the next $1000 by sales of Crack'd Toffee. Thank you all for your support, and we hope you will spread this fundraiser far and wide so that we not only raise another $1000, but get that matching $1000.
www.crackdtofee.com/aamc

www.crackdtofee.com

With , we will bring back shared governance.

Please read this piece from TeenVogue on how the power in colleges in universities has shifted from professors to Boards of Trustees. And the makeup of said boards has had a very corporate lens over the past 50 years.

The Modern American University Is a Right-Wing Institution Just look at who is really in control.

UPDATE! I've uploaded higher rez pictures! Enjoy.

Hey, everyone!

UC Mills is getting swag! We will have a store up soon but in the meantime we have made some great postcards! Photo and graphics credits go to Mills alums.

Save 'em, send loving notes to friends and family, send encouraging notes to Trustees, send scathing notes to Trustees! Do whatever you like with them. They're pretty.

We have lots! Don't be afraid to order as many as you want! They're $1 each including shipping to you. Funds go AAMC.

To order send me a DM with how many of each you want and your address. You can forward the funds to me at Venmo or PayPal, you can even mail me a check if that's easiest for you.

Cheers everyone! Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Venmo:
PayPal: [email protected]
Check: DM for address.

Congrats to the Class of 2021! We celebrate our newest Mills grads & welcome you now as alums. You did it!
🎉💐🍾💐🎉

UC Regents meet Wednesday and Thursday this week. UC Mills has updated our Contact Influencers page and the email links for each of the UC Regents with a pre-populated e-mail asking them to say NO to any deal with Mills at this time*.

It takes 7 minutes to click on each email link, sign your name at the bottom of each, and send.

So, as a last hurrah before the Regents meeting this week, let's have everyone send e-mails to the Regents. Let's make some noise!

* We are asking NO to any proposal about Mills before the UC Regents at this time. Our intent is that at a future UC Regents meeting, a formal proposal will be before them to vote for UC Mills at that time.

www.ucmills.com/motd

UC Mills: Message of the Day Social media messages to target different influencers each day. Check back every day for new tasks!

New Message of the Day!!
Tell UC President Drake and Chancellor Christ NO to any deal with Mills!
www.ucmills.com/motd

Sign up to speak during public comment at the UC Regents meeting next week, May 12-13th. While we cannot confirm topics related to Mills are on the agenda, you may provide general public comment on any topic relevant to the University of California! It takes five minutes, and you’ll likely be confirmed to speak.

https://www.ucmills.com/uc-regents-meeting

UC Mills: Sign Up for Public Comment at the UC Regents Meeting, May 12-13, 2021 Urge them to vote NO on any current proposal with Mills College.

Today, the Faculty of Mills College voted “No Confidence”.
https://www.ucmills.com/faculty-no-confidence-vote

UC Mills: Faculty Vote No Confidence in Mills' Leadership On Monday, May 3rd, Mills College faculty overwhelmingly passed a resolution of no confidence against its Provost, President, & Trustees' Exec Committee.

Please, if you haven’t done so yet-email the Mills Board of Trustees and the general mailbox for the Board of Trustees. You can do so directly from www.ucmills.com.

A New Possibility: UC Mills Transform Mills College to a UC Mills, where diversity & social justice are the mission and the product.