President’s Column: Let 1000 Flowers Bloom

by José Padín, President, AAUP-Oregon

Spring in the Pacific Northwest is a glorious time. Nature’s miraculous return to life, after months of latency, cannot but inspire thoughts of gratitude.

Coming into full bloom also, for us — the members of AAUP-Oregon — are signs that our work the last year is bearing some wonderful fruit.

PSU-AAUP and United Academics bargained strong, forward-looking, collective bargaining agreements for faculty and academic professionals at PSU and UO. These new collective bargaining agreements bode well for the future of quality, equity, and retention of talent in Oregon.

The OSU-AAUP chapter has set an example for the rest of us, building a campus-community coalition for a socially-just university.

New AAUP chapters have sprung up at Willamette University and at Pacific Northwest College of Art.

PSU and UO chapters have substantially increased their membership.

PSU graduate employees are forming their graduate employee union and expect to file for recognition soon.

Faculty and academic professionals, as a class — through our combined efforts as AAUP-Oregon — had an active voice on legislation that impacts higher education throughout the short legislative session in Salem. This makes two legislative sessions! We now look forward to providing leadership in crafting enlightened bills in upcoming legislative sessions.

Campus, statewide, and national AAUP efforts are making racial justice at the university a top priority.

AAUP-Oregon has been an important part of each of these victories. We are not a bureaucracy, but a member-run organization.

Be part of this member-led movement —attend our annual membership meeting this Saturday, April 23, in Portland. Register here

Let 1000 flowers bloom!