Hello!
My name is Kate Mills and this is my first year serving as president of your union, United Academics of the University of Oregon. As the seasons change and the academic year comes to its official start, I want to take a moment to share how excited I am to be your colleague here at the University of Oregon.
We begin this academic year as an incredibly strong union that has repeatedly demonstrated collective care and support for each other. Shortly after 14 months of bargaining to secure our current contract, faculty continued to show up for each other this summer when the UO administration announced planned layoffs. Our collective efforts changed the course of these planned layoffs. While fewer faculty were laid off than anticipated, we are still working to challenge the layoffs of our Teaching Professor and Librarian colleagues.
I am truly grateful to be a faculty member at a university with not only a strong faculty union, but also three other strong unions (SEIU for classified staff, GTFF for graduate employees, and UOSW for student workers). As our workloads are interrelated, I look forward to strengthening the connections between our unions, to advocate for our collective rights as the workers who make this university function and thrive.
This year, each unit will update their Tenure-Track Faculty and Career Review and Promotion policies. As a union, we bargain for these opportunities so that the faculty have a voice in the processes that impact their workload and career progression. Please reach out to your unit’s steward, your UA rep, or a UA officer, if you have questions or would like support in updating the review and promotion policies in your unit.
It is clear we still have much work to do to continue to advocate for our rights as workers, for academic freedom, and for the integrity of higher education. If you would like to become more involved in your union, please reach out as we have many opportunities for member involvement!
I look forward to seeing many of you on campus and hope that you will join us at our events over the year so that I can learn how we, as a union, can support your work. Please join us on October 3rd at our Welcome Back Social from 4-6pm at your Union Hall.
With appreciation,
Kate Mills
Associate Professor, Psychology
President, United Academics of the University of Oregon
AAUP/AFT Local 3209, AFL-CIO
Upcoming Events
- Welcome Back Social Hour: Friday, October 3, 4-6pm. Stop by the Union Hall (603 E. 13th) for snacks, beverages and sparkling conversation!
- Member Town Hall: Friday, October 10, noon-1:30pm. Join us on Zoom to talk about university budgets, our plans to fight the recent faculty layoffs, and our ongoing efforts to demand financial transparency from university administrators.
- Communications & Action Team: Thursdays, 3-4pm all quarter long (UA office + over zoom). Join the CAT channel on slack for more info.
Useful Syllabus Statements
Note that It is no longer required to include University Policies on your syllabus. They are now automatically linked from each Canvas site.
Class Recordings
You may not create any recordings of this class without consent. Do not upload any recordings of our class online; this practice threatens our ability to learn safely, undermines academic freedom, and violates your classmates’ trust. It is also against the Student Code of Conduct and state law to record without consent.
Dreamers
I support all students regardless of their identity, immigration status, or country of origin. As a trained UO Dreamer ally, I support Dreamer students and promote their sense of belonging and safety as they pursue their higher education goals. For more information and resources please visit https://www.uoregon.edu/UOimmigrants. Remember, when interacting with faculty, staff, and offices around campus you are never required to reveal your status.
A Commitment to Academic Freedom (from our affiliate AAUP)
Higher education is predicated on the exchange, vetting, and deliberation of often controversial and unsettled ideas. In this particular class, for example, we explore how ...[philosophers address questions of justice, sociologists engage questions of race, etc.]. We are not here to simply express personal opinions or repeat talking points, but rather to engage a set of ideas and research findings that have a long and complicated history and are therefore subject to ongoing debate. Committed students and scholars can, and do, disagree on the topics we will be discussing.
The syllabus has been designed to bring these controversies and disagreements to the fore. Students are also invited to introduce additional challenges in a serious and open-minded manner.
Such conversations require mutual trust and respect. It is therefore essential that students feel free to express their deeply held views and continually developing perspectives. This means ensuring that all students and faculty feel included and welcomed to engage in discussion. Because hateful or discriminatory speech and behavior degrades the possibility for a free exchange of ideas, it will not be tolerated.