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Promoting Quality Higher Education– An Investment in Oregon’s Future

NEWSLETTER, LEGISLATIVE & POLITICAL, OTHER LABOR NEWS

AAUP-Oregon News

March 01, 2017 / PSU-AAUP

Newest AAUP-Oregon News 

Save the Date!  Our membership meeting/annual conference is coming Saturday April 29th, from 9:30 to 3:00 at the LaSells Stewart Conference Center at Oregon State University in Corvallis. The theme is Resisting the attacks on science, faculty and student rights, and academic freedom.  Join with faculty from around the state to build our network and plan our strategies in this moment of attack on the basic values of higher education..
 

National Political Crisis? We Seize State-Wide Opportunities


by José A.Padîn, President

The locus of sane policy-making for education is decisively moving to the states. A good case for this can be made at a time when national government seems in disarray.
 
Here in Oregon, AAUP-Oregon is incredibly active in the legislative session in Salem, looking after the interests of college students, faculty, the academic class, public higher education more generally. In just over a month, we’ve reviewed over 1,500 bills, identified over 100 that impact us, and offered legislative testimony on a few. The issues we’ve acted on, or are under review, are quite varied; from PERS reform, to cultural competency requirements, to student loan insurance.
 
Our members have also been active visiting legislators in two lobby days sponsored by the Oregon Student Association, and the A Better Oregon coalition, and attending Ways and Means Committee “roadshow” events.  
Read More Here
 

 

Legislative Update

by Margaret Butler, Executive Director 

The 2017 Session
The  legislative session has begun and the biggest issue facing the state and our legislators is money.  While this week’s revenue forecast increased revenue by $200 million, the state still needs an additional $1.6 billion to fund services at existing levels. The Governor’s recommended budget includes new revenue to fill some of the budget shortfall—an increase in the cigarette tax and in the health care provider tax.  The Ways and Means Committee co-chairs’ budget does not include new revenue.  What kind of budget will actually be adopted at the end of the session remains to be seen. The Ways and Means Committee has scheduled budget town halls across the state to hear from Oregonians and discuss their proposal. 


Town hall meetings thus far have been well-attended and Oregonians have made the case for new revenue again and again to legislators. AAUP-Oregon leaders Erna Gelles and José Padín attended the Portland session on February 11th, and while signed up to testify, were not given the opportunity due to the large numbers of people wishing to speak. Read More Here
 

PERS Cuts Proposed--Take Action Now

by Margaret Butler, Executive Director

As I’m sure you have heard in the media, there are many proposals floating in Salem to make changes to PERS. Senate Bills 559 and 560 were heard in the Senate on February 13th, and AAUP-Oregon President José Padín testified for us, along with many, many others from a wide range of organizations.  Read José's testimony here.According to the PERS coalition, these bills are extreme, unfair, and illegal.

Learn more and contact your lawmaker at KeepOregonsPromise.org
 

SB 559 proposes changing the way PERS calculates the final annual salary by using a five year average as opposed to the three year average currently utilized. This breaks the agreement made when our members where hired and reduces retirement benefits for current and future employees. The Oregon Supreme Court has said that benefits already earned cannot be taken away.  Read More Here

 
Responses to National Events
by Nancy Eichsteadt, VP for Communications


These are strange and troubling times for our country and for Higher Education. The new Trump administration surprised us all with how quickly they decided to roll out their agenda. Each week features a new round of troubling executive orders and appointments that threaten to roll back any recent progress on social justice issues that directly affect campuses. How is Oregon higher ed impacted with the onslaught of changes coming from Washington? Here are a few local stories about what’s happening on campuses in Oregon.
 
Portland State University
PSU declared sanctuary campusOregonLive, January 29, 2017
International student applications declinePortland Tribune, Feb. 16, 2017
 
University of Oregon
Michael Schill troubled by immigration ban—OregonLive, January 29, 2017

Oregon State University
OSU president criticizes Trump's temporary immigration order
Capital Press, January 31,2017
 
Hechinger Report: Immigration Controversy Could Drive Up College Costs

Inside Higher Ed: International Studies Association Meeting--Some of Our Friends Couldn't Make It
 
Portland State University


We Ha
ve a Lot of Fight!

by  José Padin, President, PSU-AAUP

Our membership is up. Up to 84%!
 
We have elected a new Vice President for Membership and Organizing, our colleague Jennifer Kerns from the History Department.
 
Our leadership has seen an infusion of new blood from member ranks in the last year. The “freshman class” includes three members of our Executive Council, Jennifer Kerns (VP Organizing, History)  and Amanda Byron (VP Grievances, Conflict Resolution), and John Newton (Councilor, Music); and three members of our Collective Bargaining Team, Michael Clark (English), Theresa Kaimanu (College of Urban and Public Affairs), and Courtney Bailey (Student Activities and Leadership Program). Finally we have three members who are running for elective office, for Executive Council, for the first time. 
Read More Here
 

 
 
University of Oregon

 
More Draconian Cuts at the UO
by Michael Dreiling, President, United Academics at UO


As the University of Oregon enters its second spring under the helm of President Michael Schill, we face another round of deep cuts to the faculty who advance the university’s core mission of educating Oregon’s students. Last year saw more than 75 faculty members severed from the university’s ranks. This year, a similar number of faculty will have their employment, in many cases long-term employment, terminated by the university administration. Over the course of two years, the university will lose more than 10% of its instructional workforce.

If these cuts were being made strategically in areas where faculty were not needed, we might understand. Unfortunately, the decisions to terminate many of the university's faculty are not being made to trim excess staff or strengthen our education and research missions. In fact, many of the proposed cuts will damage these missions and make it harder for UO faculty to continue providing Oregon’s students with a quality education. Read More Here

 

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