Minutes
Oct. 31, 2005
Note that doesn't get a number: Al Franken pitch--everybody please read & make comments this week
I. Email list: Jeff raised concerns about going through a 3rd-party platform like riseup, and pointed out that we don't have to have an actual listserv for just the six of us--we can just set up our own contacts with each other's addresses. [That is, once our Internal Communications Officer has figured out how to use gmail, we can.] Jeff also recommends we use Firefox and get the "customize Google" extension (is that right?), and then check the tab on the end that says "SSL" for the sake of security. If I understand correctly, this will make the screen on which we each read our email secure (https), but not the actual email itself. We decided that the additional layer of security that would make it completely secure is not necessary at this time, since it would mean that we can't check email on campus.
II. Reports:
A. Not yet heard back from Spanish & Portuguese--should we still pursue the office space grievance? Morgan knows someone in the dept. and will ask that person if people would be interested; Adrianne will email Marta (person who originally raised the grievance) to say we're happy to help but need dept. participation.
B. CGEU conference call: No national day of action anymore--other unions have shifted focus to providing material support to NYU (sending people & money to New York). We may publicize their strike (if it happens--strike votes being counted at time of meeting) in conjunction with our own stuff if we're doing something anyway, but won't plan an event just for this.
C. Dental: We have a seat on the committee! Elizabeth will send out an email to members to see who wants to sit on it--we need someone who will come to steering committee meetings and report, so should this person be another steering committee officer at large? (Note also that this committee also determines the health insurance that international students have to buy, so there may be tension between their interests and ours to some extent.)
D. Getting stewards: Sharyn has not heard back from anyone; Kimberly James is gone but passed on an email address that we could use to put stuff on the Voice dept. listserv--but only through someone. Sharyn will talk to the person she knows in the Voice dept. before we try that. Ursula will email the current English dept. Labor committee people and see if they are willing to be stewards. Nothing yet from Math.
E. Nothing yet from BGSA
F. Committee for Fee Review: too late; they already have at least some grad students who have applied, at least.
III. Ed Burmila's request for someone to speak in his Labor Studies class: Morgan will offer to do it but ask Ed to come to the stewards' meeting in exchange
IV. Stewards' meeting: Morgan will compile our ideas for how to talk to folks in departments. High points from this discussion: point out that it's not just about recruitment, but also assessment, which is best done in person; organizing can be a process--moving people a little bit is good too; great article in Chronicle of Higher Ed right now about non-tenure teaching (bigger picture--not just us).
Morgan will bring the FAQ & dental table for stewards. Sharyn & Morgan will do a role-play. Adrianne will bring copies of a handout from the CGEU conference. Morgan will schedule the room and let us know the time.
V. Idea of time logs (documenting the time we spend teaching): Would someone, perhaps in Sociology or Education, be interested in designing a real study for us as a class project--one that the faculty would be unable to discount, as they did with the internal one in English a few years ago? Amy Rubens in English expressed interest in this project, so she should be included in the discussion. I will email Amy, Katie Bucher, and Sociology people to see if someone is interested.
VI. NoSweat! is trying to get letters of support from other organizations for their campaign (the WRC campaign for IU apparel, I take it?); what is the protocol for such requests? Any political endorsement has to be approved by members, so we would really have to vote on it--probably the soonest we could do anything about it would be at a mass meeting next semester.
We postponed dealing with the science recruiting document, so come prepared to work on that next time.