Congratulations to our new board members, Kirstin Impicciatore, Arlene Lundquist, and Denise Nepveux, who will take office on July 1.

The AAUP-UC Governing Board for 2015-2016 is:

Governing Board Officers:

• President:  Paul J. MacArthur, Associate Professor of Public Relations & Journalism
• Vice President: Adam Pack, Professor of Biology
• Treasurer: Brad Emmons, Associate Professor of Mathematics
• Secretary: Dan Kurtz, Associate Professor of Biology
• Past President: Laurence Zoeckler, Associate Professor of Education

Governing Board Members At Large:

• John Cormican, Professor of English
• Leonore Fleming, Assistant Professor of Philosophy
• Kirstin Impicciatore, Assistant Professor of Therapeutic Recreation
• Tyson Kreiger, Associate Professor of Psychology
• Arlene Lundquist, Associate Professor of Psychology
• Denise Nepveux, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy

We also want to take a moment to thank Lawrence Day, Tom Diana and Tom Fryc, whose terms end on June 30, for their service on the Governing Board. We really appreciate their dedication to the union and their efforts to make our union stronger.

We are seeking active members from the bargaining unit who are interested in serving on the governing board.

Specifically, we are seeking candidates to fill the following positions:

Vice President: The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in the absence of, or at the request of, the President, and be responsible for orientation of new bargaining unit members and recruitment of active, that is, dues-paying members.  In the event the President resigns, cannot fulfill the duties of the office, or complete the term of office, the Vice-President shall become the President for the completion of the term, and a special election will be held to fill the position of Vice-President for the completion of the term.

Secretary: The Secretary shall take, distribute and permanently file the minutes of all board and chapter meetings, keep and organize all records in the AAUP office, carry on correspondence as required, be responsible for maintaining the AAUP bulletin board, maintain mailing lists of bargaining unit members and active, that is, dues-paying members, and be responsible for the newsletter.

Treasurer: The treasurer shall provide a financial report at each regular meeting of the membership, provide a financial report at each meeting of the governing board, collect dues, maintain up to date records of dues-paying members, have authority to make expenditures only for approved operating expenses of the chapter annual budget, and prepare an annual budget for the next fiscal year.

Three At Large Governing Board Members: The Governing Board shall consider all matters of interest to the Chapter and bring them to the attention of the active membership at the Chapter meetings.

Any active, that is, dues paying, member may self-nominate in order to run for a vacancy on the governing board. Other nominations may be made by a petition containing the signatures of at least twelve active members.

If you would like to learn more, please contact any member of the governing board.

If you would like to run for any of these positions, you can self-nominate yourself by sending an email to: Paul J. MacArthur

Please submit your nominations by Friday, May 15 @ 4:30pm.

Please Note: Only dues-paying members of the AAUP-UC may hold the above offices. All terms are for two years, with the exception of the treasurer position, which is for one year.

Each year, the AAUP-UC awards two $1,000 scholarships at our spring luncheon. Members of the bargaining unit are invited to nominate worthy Utica College students in their next-to-last year, that is, juniors or students who are continuing in(to) a graduate program at Utica College.

The Virgil C. Crisafulli Scholarship is awarded each year to a junior for demonstrated outstanding leadership in regard to at least one of AAUP’s core values such as academic freedom, professional responsibility, civic service, humanitarian concern for others, and solidarity with those who share the common goals of equity and voice for all.

The Robert W. Millett Scholarship is awarded for academic excellence reflecting the values of the AAUP: respect for open dialogue and the free exchange of ideas; the right to self-expression; integrity in scholarly endeavors; and support for academic freedom.

While any nominee should have both an outstanding academic record and an interest in service to the community, the emphasis is different, with the Millett scholarship highlighting academics and the Crisafulli scholarship highlighting service. A subcommittee of the governing board reviews the nominations and determines the winners of the scholarships.

To nominate a student, send the nominee’s name and a letter of recommendation to either of the scholarship subcommittee members: Lawrence Day or Brad Emmons.

Please be sure to specify which scholarship you are nominating your student for, and submit your nominations by Thursday, April 23.

See last year’s winners here.

Each year, the AAUP-UC awards two $1,000 scholarships at our spring luncheon. Members of the bargaining unit are invited to nominate worthy Utica College students in their next-to-last year, that is, juniors or students who are continuing in(to) a graduate program at Utica College.

The Virgil C. Crisafulli Scholarship is awarded each year to a junior for demonstrated outstanding leadership in regard to at least one of AAUP’s core values such as academic freedom, professional responsibility, civic service, humanitarian concern for others, and solidarity with those who share the common goals of equity and voice for all.

The Robert W. Millett Scholarship is awarded for academic excellence reflecting the values of the AAUP: respect for open dialogue and the free exchange of ideas; the right to self-expression; integrity in scholarly endeavors; and support for academic freedom.

While any nominee should have both an outstanding academic record and an interest in service to the community, the emphasis is different, with the Millett scholarship highlighting academics and the Crisafulli scholarship highlighting service. A subcommittee of the governing board reviews the nominations and determines the winners of the scholarships.

To nominate a student, send the nominee’s name and a letter of recommendation to either of the scholarship subcommittee members: Lawrence Day or Brad Emmons.

Please be sure to specify which scholarship you are nominating your student for, and submit your nominations by Thursday, April 23.

See last year’s winners here.

You Are Being Asked Questions That Might Lead To Disciplinary Action: What Do You Do?

If you believe that discipline will result from a meeting with management/administration (in legalese, “an investigatory interview”), you can insist that a union representative be present during this interview. This is part of your “Weingarten Rights,” which references the 1975 United States Supreme Court case NLRB vs. Weingarten. Weingarten Rights apply only to members of a collective bargaining unit and are among the many benefits of having a union.

When an investigatory interview occurs, the following rules apply:

Rule 1) – You must make a clear request for effective union representation before or during the interview. Often an employee may not know at the outset that a meeting with management could lead to discipline. If such a meeting is or becomes an “investigatory interview,” you should assert your right to have a union officer of your choosing present. You cannot be punished for making this request. (Note: If the union representative of your choice is not available in a reasonable time period, it may be necessary for an alternative union officer to represent you.)

A typical Weingarten request would be: “If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my union representative be present at this meeting. Until my union representative arrives, I choose not to participate in this discussion.” Or you may simply say, “I want my union representative here.”

Rule 2) – After you make this request, the interviewer has three options:

1. Grant the request and delay the interview until your union representative arrives and has a chance to consult privately with you. (Note: The right to representation is the right to effective representation, which translates in this rule as the right to consult privately with the representative before the interview. The union representative should also know what the meeting is about ahead of time so that he/she can effectively advise you.)
2. Deny the request and end the interview immediately; or
3. Give you a choice of: (I) having the interview continue without representation or (II) ending the interview. (Note: It is not wise to choose the first option.)

Rule 3) – If the interviewer denies your request and continues to ask questions, this is an unfair labor practice. You have the right not to answer any questions until you have union representation. You cannot be disciplined for refusing to answer the questions, but you are required to sit there until the supervisor terminates the interview. Leaving before this happens may constitute punishable insubordination in some cases.

The AAUP-UC represents all members of the bargaining unit, both those who pay dues and those who do not, and is obligated to come to your aid without prejudice. If you are summoned to a meeting with a member of administration and discover that it is an “investigatory interview,” assert your right to have a union representative present.

Download a printable PDF of this information here