We cannot tell how long or how severe this disruption will be, but there is no question that COVID-19 has already deeply dislocated our personal and professional lives and caused much uncertainty in our daily decision making and long-term plans.
With few if any TAUP members left working on campus, we face the challenges of working from home and teaching online, tending to research projects, and caring for ourselves and our families.
As a union we need a way to hear about the experiences you are having that TAUP might be able to help with.
What challenges have you been facing in performing your job responsibilities? What questions do you have that have yet to be answered by the university? What have you learned that has been helpful? What student struggles are you seeing? Are there things that your college/school or department is doing that have been especially useful and supportive?
The union is interested in creating a space that allows us all to be in dialog during these extraordinary times. To do this, we will be hosting an
Online Town Hall on Friday, 3/27 from 2-3pm.
-RSVP-
Look for a link in your email early next week.
We would like to:
-
Share the steps TAUP has taken to advocate for our members
-
Hear how the pandemic is affecting you, your family and your co-workers
-
Learn how the union can support you as we go through this trying time together
-
Hear how members feel Temple and higher ed in general may change in the future based on what they are seeing
-
Discuss where the union has power to act, and how we can work together to defend our rights.
We are considering hosting weekly virtual get-togethers to discuss the challenges we face and how to collectively address them.
Please feel free to reach out with any immediate questions or concerns at: taupaft@gmail.com.
We also want to direct you to the new COVID-19 page on our website. Though it’s still under construction, we’ve posted it in order to offer resources as quickly as possible. In addition to links to multiple Temple University sites, we’ve included connections to resources from the City of Philadelphia and the state, emergency resources for students and members of the North Philadelphia community, and more. It also includes the recommendations and questions we have sent to the administration, and we will be posting responses as soon as we receive them.
We look forward to seeing and hearing from you–if remotely–on the 27th from 2-3. In the meantime, please email us your questions and concerns, and stay safe in this challenging time!
In Solidarity,
Steve Newman, President
Leanne Finnigan, Vice President
Norma Corrales-Martin, Treasurer