New Year, New YOUnion: Get involved today!

For us here at AAUP-Oregon, this week is the true beginning of 2023. At campuses across Oregon, professors, instructors, graduate employees, and professional faculty are back at their worksites to serve the mission of their respective institutions. Meanwhile, Oregon’s 2023 legislative session is just around the corner, and AAUP-Oregon’s Legislative Committee will soon begin reviewing bills to identify our state conference’s legislative priorities. Undoubtedly, our legislative work is vital to protecting the rights and freedoms that we enjoy as higher education workers here in Oregon, and we must remain vigilant to prevent the overtly political project to weaken tenure protections and academic freedom from taking root in our state.

Your voice will be essential in making sure our priorities are heard this legislative session. Be on the lookout for updates from your locals and AAUP-Oregon about ways that you can help get pro-worker and pro-education legislation passed this year. If you are looking for an action to take immediately and are concerned about climate change’s impact on the future, consider signing this Divest Oregon petition calling for PERS investment transparency. AAUP-Oregon is a proud member of the Divest Oregon coalition, and we believe you have a right to know how your retirement is being invested.

However, the reality is that political advocacy alone cannot change how our institutions operate. We must do the work to transform our campuses, and this means getting involved in not just our unions, but also our faculty senates and institutional boards. For too long, faculty power has been wrested from us and passed to university administrators who have mismanaged our institutions and squandered our budgets. The end result is a profession where many see no future for themselves.

To change this, we need YOU to get involved. Getting involved isn’t always easy, and it can feel like one person can’t make a difference. However, collective action is powerful, and by working together, you can make a real impact on the issues that matter most to you and your colleagues. 

So what can you do? You can:

• Get more involved with your local, attend its meetings, stay informed on the latest developments, and support its organizing efforts.
• Run to join your faculty senate and help your union maintain a good working relationship with them.
• Help your local identify prospective university board members or put yourself up for consideration as a member of the faculty.
• Contribute your energy and expertise as a member of our AAUP Oregon Executive Committee.

I would love to meet with you to talk about how we can work together to improve higher education in Oregon! Contact me at victor@aaup-oregon.org.

In solidarity,

Victor Reyes

Director, AAUP-Oregon