Strength in numbers
OU-AAUP is a democratic organization. Officers are elected by popular vote. Members decide actions and priorities. Anyone who teaches at OU can join. More members mean a stronger voice. More active participation means we can accomplish more.
Membership matters
So please join us now. At present there are no local dues, only the mandatory dues that go to support the national and state organizations. Both these organizations already support us in many invaluable ways.
Be active
If you’re already a member and have ideas for how OU-AAUP could offer you more in the form of events, information, or services, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Even better, consider joining a committee to promote collective bargaining, plan events, welcome new members, research salary and other statistics, or any of the other services we try to perform. Or stand for office in our Spring elections.
Sign a card for collective bargaining and mail it today
The cards we’ve provided say a person wants OU-AAUP to represent him or her in a collective bargaining unit. That doesn’t just happen when you sign, of course. First we wait until a strong majority of the faculty has signed cards, then we file them with the state so there can be an election. If there’s an election, everyone will vote whether they signed a card or not. It’s a long process and if in the meanwhile you’ve lost your card, you can print one out here [link coming soon] and mail it to the PO Box as indicated.
Talk about collective bargaining
This is by far the most important, effective, and valuable way you can be involved. If faculty Ohio University successfully organize as a union, it will be thanks to the conversations colleagues have with each other in hallways, offices, and out about town. Fliers and websites won’t persuade most people. But informed discussion will.
You can do this on your own but even better is to let the OU-AAUP know that you’re willing to be a liaison – a bridge between the organization and faculty at large. Some people are more comfortable keeping a low profile but have been very helpful. Others including those listed here are happy for all their colleagues know they can come to them for answers as well as debate.
Consider writing to any of these people not only with questions about collective bargaining but about how to be involved.
Gene Ammarell (Sociology & Anthropology)
Jack Bender (Philosophy)
Joe Bernt (Journalism)
Phyllis Bernt (Information & Telecommunication Systems)
Duncan Brown (Media Arts & Studies)
Ken Brown (Chemistry)
David Burton (Modern Languages)
James Casebolt (Psychology - Eastern Campus)
Matthew Friday (Art)
Ashok Gupta (Marketing)
Steve Hays (Classics & World Religions)
Katherine Jellison (History)
Vinny Just (Math)
Judith Yaross Lee (Communication Studies)
Frank LoSchiavo (Psychology - Zanesville Campus)
Glenn Matlack (Enviromental & Plant Biology)
Michael Nern (English - Zanesville Campus)
Hajrudin Pasic (Mechanical Engineering)
Steve Reilly (Biological Sciences)
Joe Slade (Media Arts & Studies)
Daniel Torres (Modern Languages)
Julie White (Political Science)
Write a letter every couple months
It gets tiring to read letters from the same people over and over in the local papers. We know that, even though some OU-AAUP are as guilty as anyone. So why not make your own thoughts known? You don’t need to be nasty and polemical. You don’t need to cover every aspect of an issue. But letting other people know they’re not alone is an invaluable service. Sometimes it even feels good.
You can send your letters simultaneously to the different local papers by email.
Athens News: news@athensnews.com
Athens Messenger c/o Ann Kamody: akamody@athensmessenger.com
Current editors (08/09) at The Post: rr125405@ohiou.edu, nf131905@ohiou.edu, nd208604@ohiou.edu
