Results of UA's Delegate elections announced

United Academics is pleased to announce newly elected Delegates, whose terms will begin July 1, 2021. Below is the list of Delegates:

CALS:

Julie Smith (Animal and Veterinary Sciences)

CAS:

Jamie Abaied (Psychology)

Mike Ashooh (Philosophy)

Hyon Joo Yoo (English)

Erica Andrus (Religion)

Linden Higgins (Biology)

Sarah Turner (English)

David Feurzeig (Music)

Chris Vaccaro (English)

Sara Nelson (Theater)

Don Loeb (Philosophy)

CEMS:

Karla Karstens (Math and Stats)

Katherine Merrill (Math and Stats)

Krisan Geary (Math and Stats)

CESS:

Haley Woodside-Jiron (Education)

Jean M. Sienkewicz (Social Work)

Valerie Wood (Education)

CNHS:

Koela Ray (Biomedical and Health Science)

Abilene Smith (Nursing)

Ken Allen (Biomedical and Health Sciences)

Extension:

Juan Alvez (Extension)

Grossman:

Joanne Pencak (Business)

Libraries:

Graham Sherriff (Libraries)

RSENR:

Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne (RSENR)

Clare Ginger (RSENR)

Part-Time faculty:

Katie Kennedy (Psychology)

Clyde Stats (Music)

Patrick Brown (CDAE)

United Academics supports UVM staff in organizing drive

United Academics supports UVM staff in organizing drive: Solidarity letter from United Academics Executive Council and Delegates Assembly

April 15, 2021

Dear UVM Staff Organizers and Colleagues,

We, the United Academics Delegates Assembly and Executive Council, wish to extend our sincere congratulations to you on achieving the milestone step of filing for election for your new union. You have worked so tirelessly over the past year (years!) to organize and build solidarity among staff, and meanwhile the administration at UVM is radically reorganizing and changing your working conditions. Our hearts are full of hope that soon you will be able to have a strong voice, the power of collective bargaining, and the legal protections against arbitrary and unfair treatment that a union provides and that all workers deserve. We know there is much work ahead in the coming weeks to ensure your union victory, and we want to express our total support and best wishes in your efforts. Please think of United Academics faculty, including our Delegates’ Assembly and Executive Council, as an asset and a resource that you can call on for support at any time.

In solidarity,

Erica Andrus, Chair of United Academics Delegates’ Assembly

on behalf of the College Delegates, Department Representatives, and Executive Council of UA

United Academics Executive Council votes to support a New Deal for Higher Education

AAUP/AFT New Deal for Higher Education : https://newdealforhighered.org/

The United Academics Executive Council endorses the vision, values, and goals of the AAUP/AFT New Deal for Higher Education campaign. We recognize the importance of higher education to our communities, our economy, our democracy, and the goal of human advancement. Robust higher education will:

BUILD PROSPERITY FROM THE BOTTOM UP
Education and educated people drive economic success, from the vibrancy of our communities to the health of the whole economy. Higher education provides these tools by preparing students to be the workforce of the future, from teachers, nurses, and technicians to programmers, paralegals, and IT specialists. As large employers, universities and colleges have the ability to reverse course and lead with truly high road practices that strengthen the stability of their workforces, the educational experiences of their students, and their local economies.

ADVANCE SOCIAL, RACIAL, AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Teaching and research should raise our awareness of systemic inequalities and racism, and pioneer new ways to address them. The education and training available to students in higher education should also create economic mobility and reverse economic disparities. If our system of higher education is affordable and accessible to all, it can be a pillar of a more just world.

STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY AND CIVIL SOCIETY
Participating in democracy requires the ability to recognize truth, to challenge our understandings, and to think critically about the world in which we find ourselves. Higher education challenges all students to build these abilities. Strengthening higher education makes our democracy stronger because it empowers people to think about their lives and make meaningful change in the world.

FOSTER KNOWLEDGE AND INNOVATION
Higher education must inspire the free exchange of ideas and the search for truth. All scholarship and teaching creates value--whether it is social, economic, or cultural. Scholarly work advances us as a society and prepares us for the challenges of our world.

A true New Deal for Higher Education will reauthorize the federal Higher Education Act and create other federal higher education policies that establish stable and dedicated public funding streams and hold administrations accountable for how those monies are spent. This campaign will advocate for:
--prioritizing teaching, research, and supporting student success;
--allowing all students to access higher education regardless of their ability to pay;
--ensuring job security, equitable pay, professional voice, and sustainable careers for all faculty and staff;
--creating academic environments free from racism, sexism, and other bigotries that prevent learning, degrade research, and perpetuate inequality; and
--canceling student debt for borrowers who have unjustly shouldered the burden of financing higher education the last 40 years.

With meaningful public funding for teaching and research across all academic departments our institutions can excel as drivers of innovative thinking, economic growth, dynamic citizen engagement, and creative solutions. We must advocate for specific federal, state, and institutional policies that will drive fundamental reform and fulfill the promise of higher education as a public good. We invite students, staff, faculty, parents, alumni, trustees, community members, and community, academic, labor, and business organizations to join us in creating a New Deal for Higher Education.

United Academics student scholarship applications open- April 15 deadline

Our United Academics Scholarship Committee is now accepting applications for our 2021 United Academics student scholarships. This is an opportunity for United Academics to recognize students who are engaged in community service, especially in pursuit of social or economic justice. Please encourage your students to apply. Feel free to share the attached flyer and forward the link to the application: http://www.unitedacademics.org/scholarships

The application deadline is April 15. The scholarships provide monetary awards of $500-$1500 each.

Please note that the Linda Backus scholarship is for college students whose immediate family member is a member of a union in Vermont, and is not limited to UVM students. That means UA members and other Vermont union members with children or step-children in college anywhere (having completed 2 or more years) are eligible for this award; please encourage them to apply!