Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the new semester. I hope you all had a nice break. Today I write with an update and two opportunities for you to get involved.
As many of you know, Tom Streeter has left UVM to take a position at Western University in London, Ontario. I want to thank Tom for his excellent leadership as our president over the past couple of years and his long service to the union in many capacities over the years.
Last semester you elected new delegates and officers for the two-year term beginning July 1, 2019. Until the new term begins, I will be serving as the president of United Academics. As of July 1, Julie Roberts will begin her term as president, and I will return to the role of vice president.
One of UA’s most important tasks this semester will be to appoint a Bargaining Team for the next round of negotiations beginning in Spring 2020 for the full-time bargaining unit. I’d like to put out a call to anyone interested in serving on the next Bargaining Team. Please contact me directly at sarah.alexander@uvm.edu if you’d like to be considered for a position on the team.
Another one of our goals this semester is to fill the vacant seats on the Delegates Assembly (DA). Serving on the DA is an opportunity to represent the concerns and issues of your unit and to participate in decision-making within our union. To that end, we will soon hold a special election to fill seats on the DA for the term July 1, 2019-June 30, 2021. The DA meets once monthly during the regular semesters. We currently have open seats for
Grossman School of Business
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
College of Education and Social Services
Rubenstein School
If you are a member in any of these units and would like to serve as delegate, please email me at sarah.alexander@uvm.edu and tell me you’d like to run for the DA. Serving as a delegate is a great way to engage in service that really makes a difference. To read more about getting involved in UA, see our website: http://www.unitedacademics.org/get-involved/.
Finally, I’d like to invite you to get in touch with me if you have any questions or concerns.
All best,
Sarah Alexander
President, United Academics