Election Candidate Statements

vote-for-me
President (Uncontested)

I have been active in the GTFF since my first term at the University of Oregon. I began as a steward for the philosophy department, then served this past year first as VP for Organizing and now as interim president. I am running for president for the next cycle because I feel there is still much more for me to do, and because there remain positive changes for me to help put into effect. Given that next year is a bargaining year, and given that it will be the first year that United Academics (our campus’s faculty union) will be fully in place, having a president who can work with others to achieve the goals of the GTFF is crucial. I believe that I am up to the challenges the coming year will bring, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving an organization, and a community of people, that I care deeply about. Thanks!

David Craig
Interim President
Philosophy

VP Grievances Candidates

I’ve been involved in the GTFF for several years, serving as a department steward and attending the AFT state convention last year. While I’m currently living and studying in Beijing, China, I’m excited to be returning to Eugene in the fall–in particular because of the GTFF. Our union is a pretty unique institution: you don’t have to talk to many grad students at other schools before you start to realize the value of the protections our union provides. Key to those protections is the grievance process; with a labor force as scattered as ours, making sure that contract is respected is vital work. As VP of Grievances, I will serve as a resource for any GTF who has questions about their supervisors or their workplace, and I will work to resolve any issue to their satisfaction. I will make sure that hours are abided by, our workplaces are safe both physically and psychologically, and that our GTFs are getting treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. If that sounds like what you want from your VP of Grievances, then vote for me.

Thanks,
Dylan Brady
Geography
Member

Greetings Sisters and Brothers.  I have decided that it would be better for me to concentrate on one position for the election and have pulled myself from the presidential race.  I have chosen to run only for the VP of grievances.  I have been a part of the GTFF for almost four years now, while actively involved as a steward for the greater part of three years.  I have also been to two of the ATF-Oregon conventions.  At one point I was the parliamentarian for the GMMs, I have the button to prove it.  I volunteered for being the parliamentarian due to my love for knowing rules, understanding them and enforcing them.  I believe that same love will roll into VP of Grievances.  So when you ask yourself who should I vote for VP of Grievances, think “This Guy!”

Herbie Grotewohl
Physics
Steward

VP Political Education Candidates

Hello, fellow members of the GTFF!

My name is Jeff Ewing (which I’m sure many of you know), and I’m running for your VP of Political Education for the next year. This last year I was appointed by former-GTFF President Judith Lechner to the VP Political Education position, starting last Winter term. I have had the privilege of attending AFT-Oregon conventions, as well as talking with local legislators on behalf of the GTFF. I also kept track of ASUO student government goings-on and political issues regarding campus at large. In all honesty, I love serving as your Political Education VP—I really enjoy being able to keep track of and inform about issues that affect us on campus, in the state, and in our parent union (AFT), as well as being able to represent our voices and our interests on campus and with state and local legislators.

This next year, the Graduate Student Advisory Board will be attempting to gather knowledge regarding graduate student perspectives about how well represented we feel in our current relationship with the ASUO student government, and what we, as graduate students, would like our student government experience and structure to be. This follows in the wake of a long history of graduate students feeling disrespected or disenfranchised by the ASUO student government, and in light of our absolute loss of representation on ASUO Senate starting next year. I’ve been involved in these discussions this year, and one priority of mine in the next year (if reelected) will be to find out where our members stand, and make sure our voices are heard and that we stay informed in these dialogues and any changes that happen because of them. Additionally, I hope next year to be able to succeed in building a strong Committee of Political Education. Scheduling and other difficulties kept the COPE from getting off the ground, but if reelected I plan to prioritize building a strong COPE, and hopefully develop with COPE members a structure that can be maintained and serve the membership of the GTFF over time. In addition, I welcome any ideas, plans, projects or feedback that any member of the GTFF wants to pursue to serve the political education or interests of the GTFF and/or its membership. Thanks for taking the time to read my candidate statement, and I hope to be able to serve you again as next year’s VP of Political Education!

In Solidarity,
Jeff Ewing
VP Political Education
Sociology

As a committed member of our dear union, I am excited at the prospect of being your VP of Political Education for the 2013-2014 academic year. I served as a steward for the Anthropology Department last year, as well as working on the 2012-2013 elections committee and serving our union at both the 2012 AGEL and AFT-OR conferences. I believe deeply in the GTFF’s role in communicating information to our members about ways to engage in political process and activism. If I am elected, I look forward to being an effective liaison between the outside community and you, our union members, in regard to the political decisions that effect our lives as students and workers. As a student whose work is rooted in feminist anthropology, I am committed to equality for all peoples in the workplace and in the political realm, and my work for you will reflect that. Thanks for your consideration!

Anna Sloan
Member
Anthropology