Message from the PSU-AAUP President

To all my AAUP comrades and colleagues,

Here at Portland State we’ve gone through an immensely challenging year, and while all signs point to another on the horizon, it’s worth pausing to attend with care to the moment at hand. And this moment in late spring matters so much to all of us because of the graduation of our students. I’m sure it’s not an exaggeration to say that almost nothing is more meaningful for us all right now than admiring the work our students have done to get here. Along with all of you, I want to acknowledge the perseverance of all our students-- in challenging times, in an uncertain world, all of you have brought all of us pride and inspiration, and for those graduating, we’re excited for you to turn to this next chapter in your lives and set out toward making positive public and private impacts on the world around you. 

Even while we feel the hopeful optimism of this graduation and this spring, we also have to acknowledge the loss via layoff of as many as 17 of our faculty colleagues. In this process, which has felt at times tragic and senseless to many of us, a wealth of expertise, capacity, charisma, and ethical devotion has been swept away, and we’ve seen this group of colleagues and friends forced to let go of their own commitments to Portland State’s students. Our union has pushed the grievance process for these layoffs to the point of arbitration, which will proceed this summer, and we are committed to the position we’ve held all along about these layoffs, which is that they violate the letter and spirit of the CBA’s provisions and threaten important norms of shared governance in ways that affect us all. 

Together, and for now, we have to remain committed and hope for the best in this process. In the year to come we’ll need to gather our resources in new and concerted ways as we face the potential for further change. I and other union member-leaders will begin to prepare for all of this over the summer, with strategic planning sessions and concerted committee work focused on how the contract provides us tools to help guide Portland State to the best possible outcomes in difficult times. 

Thank you all for your solidarity, your perseverance, and your faith in our mutual work and community. In all of that, there’s so much to build on, and in spite of the difficulties, I’m incredibly excited to take part in building and growing this union’s power, reach, and impact with all of you. 

Bill 

Bill Knight
President, PSU-AAUP