Team UC-AFT -- our colleague needs your help!

Generating a civil rights complaint of gender discrimination and a union grievance alleging breach of contract, UC Davis Lecturer & Director of Choirs Erik Peregrine has been laid off after 1 year of their 2-year contract.

Please sign this petition demanding that the Music Department reinstate Erik to the position and work they were promised through 2024. We also demand that the department properly address alleged instances of gender discrimination.

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After receiving positive verbal feedback from the Music Department at UC Davis about their teaching in 2021-2022, Lecturer & Choir Director Erik Peregrine earned a 2-year contract for 2022-2024. But, soon after their appointment began, the Music Department began a search for a tenure track faculty member to replace Erik's position. Erik reports that throughout this time they experienced gender discrimination related to their transgender identity and have filed complaints with campus offices as well as California’s Civil Rights Department. In March 2023, when Erik was nearing the end of year 1 of their contract, the Music Department issued them a layoff notice.

"Erik consistently facilitates an environment that welcomes collaboration and the wholeness of everyone’s humanity in full, successfully bringing all levels of experience to a high standard of musicianship. I always leave rehearsal a better musician than when I had entered, in the most uplifting and empowering way." - current student

After serving in a wide variety of conducting and teaching positions across North America for a decade, Erik was hired as a lecturer in the Music Department at UC Davis in 2021 to serve as Director of Choirs. Erik is also artistic director of Ensemble Companio, an award-winning Northeastern regional chamber choir. Erik’s ensembles are regularly recognized for innovative, diverse, and inspiring presentations of underperformed repertoire and they are an internationally-recognized leader in transgender vocal pedagogy and LGBTQ+ inclusive choral practices. Erik is beloved by their students and has poured their professional expertise and heart into directing the choirs at UC Davis with great success.

“Erik was the most significant and influential force of my applying to graduate school for conducting. They were the first to show me that I don’t have to compromise between living authentically as a nonbinary person and pursuing a conducting career.”-- current student

Despite repeatedly calling attention to various gender expression-related incidents as well as asking questions about how the department will fulfill their obligations under the UC AFT contract regarding their employment next year, Erik has not been able to get anyone to properly address these issues.

We call on Chair Laurie San Martin, Music Professor Mika Pelo, Dean Estella Atekwana, and Provost and EVC Mary Croughan to reinstate Erik Peregrine into the position UC promised them.