In my role as Chapter President, during the last six months, I have served as a confidant to those who’ve been subject to treatment by others that requires me to remind folks of our commitment to excellence, solidarity, and mindfulness.
SUNY Cortland is one of the finest institutions in public higher education, and it pains me to hear that folks are requiring their colleagues to do things that are not a part of their professional obligation, such as being told to fetch mail, pour coffee, or run personal errands.
UUP is an inclusive environment where, as Dr. Seuss puts it, “Every Who down in Who-Ville, the tall and the small….” are represented and deserving of fair and equal treatment. We all deserve the right to work without fear of being asked to do things that are outside our professional obligations, especially by our fellow members and supervisors. No one wants his or her work degraded by unnecessary requests for “favors” of a servile nature, and no one wants his or her commitment questioned for pointing out these unfair and even outrageous requests.
All UUP members work with special protections and a special imperative: a voice with which they must expose injustice that occurs in their work environments. No one should be considered “too soft” to work at SUNY Cortland, especially when they’re brave enough to stand up for themselves and others. Such an accusation has no place in an institution such as ours: it smacks of hazing and makes the mind reel with its implications, especially considering our country’s profound support and progressive participation in recent #MeToo Movements. We all deserve the right to work without fear of punishment or reprisal for declaring, “NO, this is not what I have to do to get where I want to be.”
I say this not to chastise any fellow member who has made such a request of a fellow employee or of a supervisee. We have all, including me, asked at one time or another for a small favor of a colleague that is gladly done. However, we should be mindful of inclusivity and the dignity our colleagues deserve in performing their work for this institution. We have all made requests that may seem minor or trivial, and we may have made these requests many times without thinking of how the request makes the other person feel. I ask us now to think about it, to empathize with our fellow employees, to consider times we’ve imposed unfairly upon one another.
UUP is a muscle of change. We work for change in our terms and conditions of employment. We demand change in our environment. We progress beyond acceding to the ways that things have always been done. We are not a group to sit idly by while others endure ill treatment, lack of care, or retaliation for speaking out. We reach beyond the old and champion the new.
UUP members have specific obligations to themselves and our colleagues in the workplace. I hope, and I’m sure my fellow members would find it reasonable, that my colleagues will be able to view the experience of working with me in a positive way, filled with useful interactions, even on occasions when we may disagree. I want to continue to work toward this goal in the coming year, and I hope we can all do the same. Every human being on this campus – UUP Members or Non-Members, CSEA, PEF, CWA, student, administrator, guest, or visitor, Full-Time or Part-Time, Permanent or Temporary Appointee, new hire or long-serving senior member, supervisor or supervisee – deserves the respect of all colleagues and must be able to perform their obligation with dignity.
