Categories
News

Virtual Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Clinics – February 11th and 25th

Dear Colleagues, 

Over 12 million people in the United States are struggling to make their monthly student loan payments, and millions more see economic and personal opportunities pass as they prioritize paying down their debt. Does this sound like you or someone you know? 

Many of these people may qualify for free federal programs that can help reduce their monthly payments and eventually lead to student loan forgiveness, but these lifeline programs are significantly under-enrolled. In an effort to help our members get access to these programs, United University Professions and the American Federation of Teachers are proud to host a Student Debt Clinic which will provide information on how to enroll in Income-Driven Repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.  

We will be offering virtual Members Only Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Clinics on the following dates:

Wednesday, February 11, 2026 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM via Zoom

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 from 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM via Zoom

To attend one of the virtual Members Only Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Clinics, you must pre-register here: http://go.aft.org/StudentDebtClinicRSVP.

From the “student debt clinic” drop down menu, please select the UUP clinic that you are interested in attending – they are labeled “UUP [Virtual Student Debt Clinic] [date] [time].” In the affiliate field, type in the full name of our local (United University Professions), and it will autofill after a few keystrokes. 

Registration is first-come, first-serve, and we must cap attendance for a single clinic at 125 participants to ensure that we are able to provide maximum assistance to attendees. Registration will close 48 hours prior to the virtual clinic. Webinar login information will be provided prior to the clinic to all who register. [If you can’t make one of these virtual clinics, don’t worry – we’re planning on offering them every payday. If you want to help host a chapter-specific virtual clinic, please let us know!] 

Managing your student loan debt is the first step in taking on the inequities which plague our system of higher education, and we look forward to seeing you at the virtual Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Clinic and working together to find a collective solution to the problems of student debt and college affordability! 

Register now!

Jeri

She / Her / Hers

[My work day may look different than yours. Please do not feel obligated to respond to my emails beyond your work hours.]

Jeri O’Bryan-Losee, MA, MS, MSEd

United University Professions

Statewide Secretary-Treasurer

NYSUT Board of Directors, ED41

AFT PPC Member

jobryan@uupmail.org

www.uupinfo.org

All those in UUP are eligible to receive Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Click here to register for an upcoming PSLF clinic: https://uupinfo.org/calendar/  

Categories
News

UUP- Beyond Med Webinar on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 12:00pm.

Dear Chapter Members:

Please join me in spreading the word regarding our Beyond Med webinar.

Join us to learn more about an exclusive UUP Members only benefit regarding Beyond Med on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 12:00pm. There will be a chance to win gift cards!

As a UUP member you have discounts on elective and cosmetic services that other health plans leave out.  You have access to a premier network of providers and virtual care or concierge at home available.

Services include, but are not limited to : Weight Loss + Rx, Fertility, Massage, Nutrition, wellness devices, holistic medicine and so much more  

Register using this link:   https://forms.gle/gzRrPkyYLXnnvWXDA

Thank you,

Doreen

Doreen Bango

Director of Member Benefits/Fund Administrator

518-640-6610

Categories
News

UUP-January 2026 Pre-Retirement Workshops

Please distribute widely to your membership regarding the January 2026 Pre-Retirement Workshops.

Dear Chapter Leadership and Members:

UUP’s popular monthly Pre-Retirement Workshops are scheduled for January 20th and January 22, 2026. The part 1 workshop will take place on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 12:00 pm which will cover Healthcare/Medicare.

The part 2 workshop will take place on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 12:00 pm which will cover union benefits (dental & vision)

You may take these workshops as many times as you like as the information is rather complex especially with Medicare and feel free to have your spouse/partner attend with you.  Also, you can take these two workshops in any order as they don’t depend on each other. For this and other UUP programing information go to the UUP Events Calendar  https://uupinfo.org/calendar/

You will need to register for the workshops, and a Zoom link is sent the day before the workshop to the email address that you register under.

We do not record these workshops because of privacy concerns and because the information does change, and we want to make sure you have the most current information.

To register for the January pre-retirement workshop’s, use this linkhttps://forms.gle/oYe1ucdnpPRLu3QW6 

In Solidarity,

Patrick Romain

UUP Membership Development Officer

518-640-6639

promain@uupmail.org

Categories
Featured News

UUP opens 2026 SUNY scholarship application process

SUNY students are invited to apply for annual scholarships of $3,000 offered by United University Professions, the union that represents academic and professional faculty at the State University of New York.

The deadline to apply for the UUP College Scholarship Fund Undergraduate Scholarship application is March 1, 2026. Applications and an award fact sheet are on UUP’s website.

The UUP College Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to a maximum of four SUNY undergraduates who excel academically and are dedicated to the goals and ideals of the labor movement.

Applicants must be full-time students enrolled at SUNY state-operated schools and have a minimum grade point average of 3.75. Applicants must have 18 credits at any SUNY college or university to be eligible for a scholarship.

Full-time SUNY graduate students can apply for UUP’s William Scheuerman Post-baccalaureate Scholarship. The award was created in 2010 to honor Scheuerman, who served as UUP president from 1993 through 2007. Applications and an award fact sheet are on UUP’s website.

To apply, students must have at least 9 credits and hold a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.95. Applicants must show dedication to the labor movement’s goals and ideals.

Applicants for both scholarships must demonstrate personal and academic achievement and display a strong record of community service. UUP awards the scholarships to students on a one-time basis, but there is no limit on the number of times a student may apply. The scholarships are funded by contributions from UUP members and their families.

“UUP’s Scholarship Fund is a wonderful example of how UUP supports our students as they work toward their degrees,” said UUP President Fred Kowal. “In addition to their academic achievements, the students we honor have made significant contributions in their communities and on their campuses.” UUP has awarded more than 100 scholarships since the scholarship program began in 1987.

Three of the undergraduate scholarships are given in honor of former UUP members and their families who generously supported the Scholarship Fund. Those members are the late Eugene Link of SUNY Plattsburgh; the late Robert Carter of SUNY Oswego and his wife, Katherine; and the late Gertrude Butera of SUNY Alfred.

For more information, contact UUP’s Administrative Office at (800) 342-4206.


UUP is the nation’s largest higher education union, with more than 42,000 academic and professional faculty and retirees. UUP members work at 29 New York state-operated campuses, including SUNY’s public teaching hospitals and health science centers in Brooklyn, Long Island and Syracuse. It is an affiliate of NYSUT, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and the AFL-CIO.

Categories
News

UUP’s Know Your Benefits Webinar is Scheduled for Monday, November 10 2025, at 12:00 PM

“Harvest Your Union Benefits”  UUP’s Know Your Negotiated Benefits webinar is scheduled for Monday, November 10 2025, at 12 PM. Learn all about UUP’s extensive benefits package and other discounted services.

Please use the link to registerhttps://forms.gle/NrLCMpVnZJMAbnSQ7

Doreen Bango
Director of Member Benefits/Fund Administrator
518-640-6610

Categories
Rapid Response

Stand for Education and Against the Federal Higher Education Compact

Dear UUP activists,

You have likely heard about the Federal administration’s offer of a “compact” with nine Research universities that would, if agreed to, effectively abolish academic freedom and institutional autonomy at those campuses. It is critical that our union join the chorus of Higher Ed voices speaking out against this proposal. See a message below from our national affiliate, the AFT, and click to sign on to a letter calling upon university leaders to reject this compact.

In solidarity,

Frederick E. Kowal, Ph.D.
President
United University Professions


Under the Trump compact, a successful childhood cancer research project could be cut off because the university allows trans athletes to play on a team. A lab focused on ensuring a clean water supply could be shut down because the university’s mission includes promoting diversity in the student body. A nursing school could lose critical funding because professors are teaching about women’s history.

This policy is a clumsy attempt at thought-policing that will have repercussions for all of society. It risks America’s world leadership in science, technology, innovation and healthcare, creating opportunities for our competitors and our enemies to take the lead. It sets us backward toward an era of less innovation, fewer cures for diseases and a shrinking economy.

Add your name to our public sign-on letter, and call on university leaders to reject this compact.

Read more about the implications of Trump’s so-called compact with colleges in Erwin Chemerinsky’s op-ed in the New York Times.

Read the AFT and the American Association of University Professors’ press release slamming the Trump administration’s ideological litmus test for higher education. 

Categories
Featured News

Know Your Rights – Immigration

If you are stopped in the airport, on campus, or in the community by immigration enforcement and need assistance, know your rights!

Guidance from UUP Statewide

“As word circulates around the country about threats by the federal government against international students and faculty on U.S. campuses, it’s good to be prepared and to know how to respond if you encounter federal immigration officials, or if you are asked by a student or colleague on how to respond. See the links below for valuable information. If ICE agents appear on your campus: Call campus security.”

Guidance from AFT

Guidance from New York State

Visit: https://dos.ny.gov/know-your-rights

Rights of Green Card Holders in the U.S.

https://www.visaverge.com/greencard/what-rights-do-green-card-holders-and-foreign-students-have-in-the-u-s/

Searchable Directory of Immigration Lawyers

https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/nonprofit/legaldirectory

Know Your Rights at U.S. Airports and Ports of Entry

What Are My Rights As An Immigrant Worker?

Further Resources

Categories
News

UUP Waiver of Holiday Compensation

Between April 1, 2025 and May 15, 2025, employees eligible to receive holiday compensation may choose between earning holiday pay for time worked or compensatory leave credits instead of pay. No action is required if employees want to stay with their current option. The waiver covers Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s only. Complete the Waiver of Compensatory Time for Holiday Work Form and submit it by May 15, 2025 to payroll@oneonta.edu or 214 Netzer Administration Building. Additional information available on the bulletin website.