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Over the course of the last few weeks, many faculty across campus are being informed of potential revisions to their unit’s Professional Responsibilities/Workload policies. In some cases, work that had previously earned a course release will no longer do so. In other cases, workloads may be “rebalanced” in order to increase course load at the expense of scholarship or service responsibilities. Our collective bargaining agreement has two mechanisms for revising workloads policies after they have been approved by the Provost. Faculty can suggest changes to the workload through their internal governance committees and/or faculty meetings. These changes would need to…

With a $1.8 billion state budget deficit, Oregon families are facing massive cuts to schools, health care, and the services they rely on daily.  We may see nearly 350,000 people lose their insurance through the Oregon health plan, and tens of thousands may lose access to their mental health and dental care. Thousands of seniors and people with disabilities will likely lose access to services that help them live independently and with dignity in their homes. And we will likely see funding for early education programs slashed. This is unacceptable so long as the world’s largest corporations pay the lowest corporate taxes in the entire nation. In the next few weeks, the Ways and Means committee will…

United Academics participated in a terrific lobby day in Salem on February 14th. The event, organized by Oregon’s Higher Ed Coalition (which consists of the Oregon Student Association, OEA, SEIU, AAUP, AOF, and AFT-Oregon) was focused particularly on the crisis of growing student debt, and the strong need to raise revenue in the state to ease financial burdens on students and on universities. We took part in a “Drowning in Debt” rally on the steps of the Capitol at noon, where students and their staff and faculty allies talked about the need for legislators to come up with a revenue…

White nationalists have been emboldened by the recent election, and their leaflets/posters are appearing on the UO campus. White nationalists and other hate groups use a variety of symbols to signal their presence to others. It may be useful to familiarize yourself with commonly used hate symbols so you know them when you see them. Help us keep campus safe by removing any white nationalist posters you find. If you see anyone posting such leaflets/posters or if you find hate graffiti or other targeted acts of vandalism, please contact UOPD.

We have several important opportunities to meet legislators. UA is working on several legislative efforts, including: work with the UO on the higher ed budget, work with AFT-Oregon to support a healthcare benefits bill for adjunct instructors, work in coalition to find a revenue solution (not more cuts) to the $1.8 billion projected deficit in Oregon for the next biennium. On February 14, join us for a Higher Education Lobby day. All higher ed constituencies will work together to advance priority funding and avoid deep cuts and rising tuition at our public colleges and universities. On February 20 in Salem,…

United Academics supports the University of Oregon President Michael Schill’s statement on global engagement and international scholars. We join him in supporting the international faculty, students, and staff in the UO community affected by President Trump’s Executive Order banning the entry of all persons from Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Yemen. UA, along with President Schill, supports students affected by the policies of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) in line with the strong statements in favor of sanctuary policies approved by the university administration and the faculty…