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CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
Councilor At Large (7 candidates; vote for 1)
Colleen Carroll
Senior Research Assistant: Community Research Partnerships Coordinator. Urban Studies & Planning. Fixed Term Faculty.
This fall, I have had the pleasure of serving as the Interim VP for Legislative & Political Action. During that time I have worked closely with the other EC members, and member-leaders statewide, to improve working and learning conditions at higher education institutions across the state. I have helped craft a strategy to reduce, or prevent, funding cuts to HECC at the state level and fight for the funding PSU needs to fulfill its mission. I am running for the At Large position so that I can continue to serve PSU-AAUP by participating in the ongoing legislative and organizing efforts needed in the 2026 short session and into the future.
[This statement was submitted by the nominee]
Brian Elliott
Professor. Philosophy. Non Tenure Track Faculty
Over a decade and a half at PSU, I have worked my way up from Instructor to Full Professor. This progress was only possible thanks to the constant efforts of our union to hold managers and administration accountable. I have served on two other occasions on the PSU-AAUP Executive Council (2010-2012 and 2022-2024) and I am now standing for a third term of office. My prior experience puts me in a strong place to advocate for NTTF members and to build lasting alliances with our TT and adjunct colleagues. In the current context of managerial failure and attacks on the protections our contract offers us, I will dedicate myself to fight for the diversity of stakeholders our union represents. We are stronger together!
[This statement was submitted by the nominee]
Madeline Frisk
Coordinator of Student Government Relations & Advisor to Greek Life. Student Activities & Leadership Programs. Academic Professional.
I joined PSU-AAUP in 2021 when I started as an academic professional as the SALP Advisor to ASPSU & Greek Life. I have been involved with Together 4 PSU, a coalition of PSU’s unions and ASPSU leaders since 2022, and a unit rep since 2023. The perspective of academic professionals must be present within our union leadership to bridge the gap between unions and students to strengthen our cause in solidarity.
I believe in unions as a force for change and I believe that I can help find ways to show AAUP members that not only is the union a space for advocacy but also for finding a sense of belonging on campus. This makes our work feel more fulfilling, allows us to better serve students, and to feel like we can make an impact on a broader scale. We are stronger together!
PSU-AAUP Service:
Together 4 PSU Union Coalition Member: 2022-present
Student Activities and Leadership Programs Co-Unit Rep: 2023-present
AAUP Oregon Service:
Advocate for Academic Professionals: July 2025 - present
[This statement was submitted by the nominee]
Isabel Jaén Portillo
Professor. World Languages & Literatures. Tenured Faculty
I’m a professor of Spanish and a PSU AAUP member since 2010. My service experience includes the Faculty Senate (Presiding Officer in 2019-20; Faculty Senator in 2011-14, 2015-18, 2021-24, 2025-present) and the Advisory Council (2021-23).
We are witnessing a shift in higher education toward corporate and market-driven ideologies that prioritize cuts and are undermining our institutions rather than strengthening them. The crucial balance of shared governance is being disrupted, as faculty are often reduced to mere “consultants” rather than partners in decision-making processes.
At PSU, in the context of national enrollment decline and financial pressure, it is imperative that the administration and the board begin working with the faculty—as equal decision-making partners—in implementing strategies focused on the right academic priorities. PSU needs to invest in the employees who work directly with students and carry the load of our institution. We need a course of action that helps us emerge from our current crisis, rather than shrinking us and impairing our ability to serve our students and our communities.
[This statement was submitted by the nominee]
Aleksandar Jokic
Professor. Philosophy. Tenured Faculty
My experience with PSU-AAUP includes serving on the Executive Council twice: interestingly on both occasions during the most turbulent times; first, in 2014 when we overwhelmingly voted to approve going on strike, and again during 2023-2025 when we saw first layoffs in a long time as well as a very long and contentious bargaining sequence when we managed to secure a reasonable contract. I have also been serving on the Bargaining team since 2023. As the immediate future promises more interesting times, I think it is an opportunity to return as a member of the Executive Council.
[This statement was submitted by the nominee]
Jennifer Kerns
Teaching Associate Professor, History; Affiliate Faculty, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Non Tenure Track Faculty
Past AAUP Experience: President and VP for Membership and Organizing, Unit Representative
I am running for the PSU-AAUP Executive Council because I believe deeply in the power of collective advocacy to defend our work and our university. Having served in AAUP leadership and worked closely with members across units, I bring extensive experience within our union and the kind of institutional knowledge that comes from years of navigating PSU’s systems. I’ve also seen what we can accomplish when we organize with purpose—from advancing teaching professor ranks, to increasing pay for academic professionals, to securing policy that supports caregivers and strengthens equity across campus. These successes were possible because members stood together and insisted on real progress.
Today, PSU is facing serious challenges. Administrative decisions are increasingly out of step with the university’s mission and with the needs of the people who make it run. As a board member, I will help strengthen our collective capacity, support transparent decision-making, and ensure that member concerns across ranks and units are genuinely heard and acted on.
[This statement was submitted by the nominee]
José Padín
Associate Professor. Sociology. Tenured Faculty
I am excited to see the generational turn of the guard in our union and would delight in supporting our union as an at-large member of the Executive Council! Dedication and the knowledge and institutional memory that come with experience and extended union service are what I offer. I have served our union as President, twice, Past-President, VP for Grievances, and co-lead organizer of the 2014 strike campaign. I also served as President of AAUP-Oregon, and as a member of the board of the national AAUP-Collective Bargaining Congress. Faculty, staff and students at PSU are facing hard times, and it seems they will only get harder. Attacks on the faculty, on our rights as workers, and on academic freedom are the worst we have seen in our lifetimes. It is time for “all hands on deck.” ¡Presente!
[This statement was submitted by the nominee]
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