Month: September 2017

Fighting for DACA and the Dreamers 

Wednesday, TAUP jointly released a letter with Temple Student Government, voicing our opposition to President Trump’s unconscionable decision to phase out Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).  There, we urged all of us to contact our elected officials to make DACA permanent and to call on people to attend a meeting today from 3:00-4:45 at the Howard Gittis Student Center 200C to discuss how to respond most effectively to this assault on 800,000 people brought to our country—which is now their country, too—as children.  (We also urge anybody interested to attend “Creating a Welcoming Campus Community” at Paley Library on Wednesday, September 20th, at noon.)

Our national union, the American Federation of Teachers, has also released a statement.  We were heartened, too, by the letter yesterday from The Faculty Senate, which outlines some concrete steps faculty and librarians can take to support their students, both in and out of the classroom.

TAUP additionally recommends that concerned members consult the following resources assembled by The Stephen and Sandra Sheller Center for Social Justice at Temple’s Law School.  It offers trustworthy and current information about this issue as well as contact information for local agencies that provide assistance to immigrants.

Finally, we call on Temple’s Administration to express their support for DACA.  President Englert signed on to a letter defending DACA back in November, but it is imperative that Temple raise its voice again, as Penn State, Pitt, and many, many other universities have already done to speak forcefully against this recent decision and to outline steps the Temple community can take to protect Dreamers.

 

Note:  Earlier this week we promised to post photos documenting our students honoring their teachers at graduation last Spring.  Because of the urgency of this and other matters we have had to postpone that message until next week.

DACA: TAUP and TSG Stand Together

To the Temple University Community,

 

Temple University was built upon the foundation of excellence, affordability, and accessibility, as founder Dr. Russell Conwell intended. In the spirit of these values, it is essential that our university consistently create inclusive and accessible pathways for all students.

 

Yesterday, President Donald Trump rescinded support for the policy known as DACA, (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Not only does it have the potential to upend the lives of 800,000 people across our nation–it also hits home, directly inhibiting current and future students from having access to Temple University.

 

During times such as this, we must stand in solidarity to relentlessly combat intolerance, injustice, and ignorance. It is imperative that we respect these students’ existence and dignity as human beings. To marginalize, uproot, and disrupt the lives of these students is to disregard the value that their presence, experience, and culture bring to our campus. At our own institution, it is not enough to simply appreciate diversity; we must also consistently fight for accessibility and inclusion of all students, including the dreamers, immigrants, documented, and undocumented students within our campus community.

 

We urge the members of our campus community–including students, faculty, staff, and community members–to call on members of Congress and other elected officials to maintain and uphold DACA protections in an effort to safeguard the many individuals supported by this policy.

 

As representatives of the Temple University community, we will continue to elevate the voices and concerns of those directly impacted by this decision. However, we can not do this alone. It is more important now than ever that we stand in solidarity.

 

This Friday, September 8th, in the Howard Gittis Student Center, Room 200C from 3:00pm-4:45pm, we will be holding a Town Hall event to discuss the implications of this decision and brainstorm necessary action steps moving forward. All are welcome to attend.

 

In Solidarity,

 

Tyrell Mann-Barnes

President, Temple Student Government

 

Steve Newman

President, Temple Association of University Professionals (AFT #4531)

Ratifying the Tentative Agreement: What You Need to Know

Now that the Executive Committee has approved the Tentative Agreement between TAUP and Temple, it needs to be ratified by our membership to take effect.   The ratification vote will take place electronically between September 25th and 29th.

 

As our Constitution and Bylaws set forth, the following groups are eligible to vote:

1)      All dues-paying full-time faculty, librarians, and academic professionals.

2)     All adjuncts who have signed a membership card AND who have taught at least one semester since Spring 2017, including this semester.  In other words, adjuncts who have signed cards and are teaching this term OR who taught Summer 17 OR Spring 17.

By September 13th, we will be sending emails to those eligible to vote, confirming their eleigiblity.  (If we have a non-Temple email, we will be using that one.)   If you believe you are eligible to vote but do not receive an email by this date, please let TAUP know (taupaft@gmail.com).  

We will also be reaching out over email and over the phone to our members in order to inform them of the details of this agreement and to listen to their questions and concerns.  We have compiled a FAQ for adjuncts, informed in part by questions they have already asked us.

 We will be holding Town Halls for members and non-members to answer any questions you have about the Tentative Agreement:

–T 9/12 11:30-1:30     Anderson 821 (Women’s Studies Lounge)

–W 9/13 12:00-2:00   Paley Library Lecture Hall, 021 (Ground Floor)

–R 9/14  11:30-1:30    Weigley Room, Gladfelter 914

–F 9/15  12:00-2:00    Paley Library Lecture Hall, 021 (Ground Floor)

 

 

–M 9/18 3:00-5:00      Anderson 005

–T 9/19 2:30-4:30        Paley Library Lecture Hall, 021 (Ground Floor)

–W 9/20 8:30-10:30   Weigley Room, Gladfelter 914

–R 9/21 4:30-6:30        Paley Library Lecture Hall, 021 (Ground Floor)

 

 

We have chosen these times to reach as broad a group as we can, and we hope to see you there.  Please contact TAUP with any questions at taupaft@gmail.com.

 

Steve Newman, ​President

Jennie Shanker, Vice President 

Norma Corrales-Martin, Treasurer

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