Dear Colleagues,
It is impossible to find words adequate to the horrors of the racist shootings in Pittsburgh and Kentucky and other recent events, and yet impossible not to mention them. The horrors are clear. The question is what can we as faculty do? There is no one answer, but UA has long had a commitment to ending racism at UVM and beyond. If you are interested in participating in UA’s Civil Rights Committee, contact CRC Chair Leon Walls (lwalls@uvm.edu) to share your thoughts and let him know you would like to be put on the email list. You also might consider donating to the global refugee support organization that has been reported as a target of the Pittsburgh shooter, HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society https://www.hias.org/.
Meanwhile, elections are coming up—across the nation on Nov. 6 and not long thereafter for United Academics. I do not need to remind UVM faculty of the importance of voting, but I offer the statements we solicited last August during the primaries from gubernatorial candidates Phil Scott and Christine Hallquist regarding their views on higher education funding, unions, and more. Both statements are attached to this message, and are revealing about the candidates and about the state of the debate about higher education in Vermont.
Our own elections for UA officers are scheduled for mid-November. Please consider running for a position with UA in this fall’s elections, which will be held shortly after the Nov. 7 Member’s Meeting for terms running from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2021. Serving as a Delegate for your college or a representative for your department is a modest time commitment (meetings once a month) and a good way to get to know UA and colleagues from around campus. There is still room to run for a position on the Executive Council, for Vice President, President, or more. Email our Nominations and Elections Chair Charles-Louis Morand Métivier at cmorandm@uvm.edu, and/or read about opportunities with UA here: http://www.unitedacademics.org/descriptions-of-elected-positions/.
I’m one of the 293 faculty at UVM with tenure. Given that extraordinary security, I believe it is critical to try to do something about the problems of people outside my immediate circles of family, career, and self-care. If you agree, please consider involvement in UA, especially if you are tenured.
As always, keep in touch.
Tom Streeter
President, United Academics