Lucas Williams has been hired as UUP webmaster/technology associate assigned to the Communications Department. He will maintain the union’s websites, assist chapters and committees with their websites, and provide backup support for UUP’s information technology needs. Williams is a former System Administration Chapter member and program development team leader at SUNY Nylink, where he built and supported database-driven web applications and designed the organization’s website. More recently, Williams was an information technology specialist for the Office of Disability and Temporary Assistance. Before that he was director of information technology at True Serials-Hosted Software Service. “Luke comes to UUP with 10 years of technology experience,” said UUP?President Phil Smith. “That’s good news for UUP because we’re committed to under-standing and using newer technologies in our communications with UUP members, the public and the education community at large.” Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in financial economics from Binghamton University and his master’s degree in business administration, with a concentration in management of information systems, from the University at Albany. — Karen L. Mattison
The union’s Globalization and Corporatization Committee is hosting a conference on “Academic Labor in a Global Economy,” and is urging members to submit papers. The conference is scheduled for April 21-22 at The Desmond in Albany. Paper proposals consisting of title and an abstract of no more than 150 words are due by Nov. 1. Members should include their campus name. “The aim of this conference is to begin rethinking the implications of the globalizing context of knowledge and teaching for academic labor,” said committee Chair Steve Rosow of Oswego. Rosow said the committee is seeking papers on relevant issues, such as global governance of higher education; comparative studies of conditions of academic labor in different countries; intellectual property as it applies to the ownership of work and non-proprietary models of intellectual property; and the shifting boundaries of higher education. Conference participation is open to all SUNY academic and professional faculty who are members of UUP. Submissions should be mailed to Rosow’s attention at UUP, P.O. Box 15143, Albany, NY 12212-5143 or by email to srosow@verizon.net. — Karen L. Mattison
United University Professions is committed to determining the effects of distance and online education on union members and their workloads. To that end, UUP is conducting a web survey to examine distance and online learning on SUNY campuses. The link to the Technology Issues Survey can be found on the left-hand side of the UUP home page at www.uupinfo.org. “We want members to take the survey on distance learning so that we can get an accurate and comprehensive picture of this issue and its effect on our membership,” said UUP?President Phil Smith. “Be assured that all information is confidential; no ISP addresses will be collected; and no identifying information will appear in any public document or be shared.” The five-page, online survey—which includes drop-down menus to make it easier to complete—asks for demographic information from respondents, as well as specific information about the type and availability of distance learning courses. Respondents are asked if participation in distance learning or online teaching on their campus is optional and/or based on seniority, and how members may benefit academically from its use. Other questions deal with copyright laws, intellectual property rights, workload, tech and other support, compensation, and course content. — Karen L. Mattison
Did Hurricane Irene wreak havoc on your home or other property and leave you wondering where to turn for help? Or were you among the lucky ones to escape the devastating winds and torrential rains, but want to help others who weren’t as fortunate? Either way, NYSUT is there for you. The NYSUT Disaster Relief and Scholarship Fund was established in October 2005 to assist NYSUT members throughout the United States who are in need because of the occurrence of a natural or manmade disaster. UUP?members who have suffered property or other personal damage as a result of the storm should go to http://bit.ly/nlAudd and download a PDF of the General NYSUT Disaster Relief Application. If extenuating or emergency circumstances exist that require immediate processing, contact Jeff Lockwood in the NYSUT?Accounting Department at (800) 342-9810 or (518) 213-6090. UUPers are also encouraged to donate online using PayPal at http://bit.ly/nlAudd or to send a check payable to “NYSUT Disaster Relief Fund” to NYSUT Head-quarters, Attn: Jeff Lockwood, Accounting Department, 800 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110. Donations are tax deductible. — Karen L. Mattison
The divide between how Democrats and Republicans view organized labor has grown to historic proportions, according to a Gallup Poll. The poll, released Aug. 31, says 78 percent of Democrats approve of labor unions, up from 66 percent just two years ago. But just 26 percent of Republicans feel that way; that’s a difference of 52 percentage points, the biggest margin since 1999. Overall, labor still has a public image problem. The poll said 52 percent of Americans approve of unions. That figure is unchanged from last year, but it’s up from a record low of 48 percent in 2009. Labor’s battles in states with newly elected GOP majorities did much to increase the gap between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to unions. Labor was front and center this year in Wisconsin, Ohio, Idaho and a number of other states where Republicans took aim at public labor unions by cutting benefits and limiting the union’s bargaining power. Unions fought back, succeeding in bringing recall elections in Wisconsin, Michigan and Idaho. Two Republicans were voted out of office in Wisconsin in August, shaving the GOP’s majority there to one vote in the Senate. Recall efforts in Idaho, Michigan and New Jersey fell short. Gains were also made in several other labor battleground states. In Ohio, union leaders and Democrats calling themselves We Are Ohio collected more than 900,000 signatures to challenge a GOP-backed law that limits the rights of public workers to bargain collectively in a Nov. 8 statewide referendum for repeal. Union leaders have rebuffed Republican Gov. John R. Kasich’s calls for a compromise. In Idaho, three laws that restrict collective bargaining provisions and change how teachers are paid and evaluated could be repealed in a statewide referendum in November 2012. The results of the Gallup Poll are based on the Princeton, N.J.-based pollster’s annual Work and Education poll, conducted Aug. 11-14. The survey consisted of telephone interviews with 1,008 adults aged 18 or older in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The poll’s margin of sampling error is plus/minus 4 percentage points. For more on the poll, go to http://bit.ly/qk9M3i. — Michael Lisi
Unionists used solidarity and public pressure to push Verizon to restart talks for a new labor pact with more than 45,000 courageous members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), who returned to work in late August after a two-week nation-wide strike. More than 35,000 CWA and 10,000 IBEW members went back to work Aug. 23 after a two-week strike backed by unions across America and many middle-class workers who sympathized with the Verizon employees. The strike action was the largest U.S. walkout since 73,000 autoworkers struck General Motors in 2007. CWA and IBEW members walked out Aug. 7 to protest Verizon’s demands for $1 billion in workers’ concessions, including a pension freeze, fewer sick days, jacked-up health costs and an increase in outsourced jobs overseas, according to information on the AFL-CIO’s website, www.aflcio.org. In returning to the table, Verizon also promised to indefinitely extend terms of its expired contract with the unions; the company had threatened to allow heath care benefits to expire Aug. 31 for workers on strike at the time. UUP showed its support for the striking unionists; members from several chapters, including UAlbany and Cortland, joined Verizon picket lines. UUP members and several UUP staffers who are CWA Local 1141 members walked Verizon picket lines in Albany during the strike. CWA, on its website (www.cwa.org), said that public pressure played a major role in forcing Verizon back to the table. CWA said the strike caused huge backlogs and delays in FiOS service installations and that Verizon took out full-page advertisement in The Washington Post and other newspapers to apologize to customers. In August, The New York Times reported that the work stoppage caused “significant” installation and repair delays for its landline phone and FiOS service for a number of New York City customers. — Michael Lisi
Each year, hundreds of UUP members publish books and articles, and are recognized for accomplishments on campus and in their communities. The Voice is pleased to recognize three members in this issue. Shawn Brislin, manager of client support services at SUNY?Delhi, recently earned a Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service. During the last 13 years, Brislin has led a number of college initiatives in areas ranging from technical support and support hours, to cost-saving measures and technology implementation. Brislin has served on dozens of campus committees, and is an active member of the SUNY?Educational Technology Officers Association and the SUNY Computer Officers Association. Michael?Miller, a professor of computer-aided drafting and design (CADD) at SUNY?Delhi, recently received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is responsible for all three CADD offerings and serves as co-advisor of the student American Design Drafting Association. Miller is no stranger to achievements. He received the college’s Academic Advisor of the Year Award for 2007, and an Outstanding Advising Certificate of Merit from the National Academic Advising Association in 2008. MaryNell Morgan, a professor of cultural and historical studies, and social theory at Empire State College, was invited to participate at an NEH Summer Institute, “The Role of Place in African American Biography,” at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The four-week institute examined African Americans in New England from Colonial days to the early 20th century through explorations of individual biographies. Morgan is a W.E.B. Du Bois scholar who has studied and presented research on Du Bois in various forums. — Karen L. Mattison
When SUNY Potsdam psychology professor Bill Herman got the call from the U.S. Department of State to serve in Southeast Asia, it brought back a lot of memories. “It was the summer of 1970 and I was finishing my bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University,” recalled Herman. “I drew a vulnerable draft lottery number and was soon drafted as the Vietnam War raged on. I had heard the horror stories of jungle warfare from recently returned Vietnam veterans. Luckily, I was assigned to a unit near Giessen, Germany.” Fast forward 40 years to the summer of 2010, when Uncle Sam again called on Herman to serve—this time in a more welcome role as a Fulbright Specialist in Bangkok, Thailand, this past January. “My recent Fulbright experience was to be in a different time and place in Southeast Asia, but it also wasn’t a time for r-and-r,” Herman said. The focus of his two-week visit was to offer professional development and consultation services for the College of Education at Pranakhon Rajabhat University in Bangkok. His specific duties included leading a seminar and helping Thai graduate students and professors improve their English skills to publish articles in various academic journals. Herman knew he would need a little help in preparing to teach the Thai people the nuances of the English language. He also knew the best person to help him out. His son. “My son, Bryan, had training and experience teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Russia and he helped me prepare my seminar materials,” Herman said. “He became my highly valued assistant.” Bryan Herman is a former UUP member at Potsdam who is currently a doctoral student in Russian history and a teaching assistant at UAlbany. His ESL experience proved so valuable, he was invited to accompany his father as a guest of the university. The seminar for Thai scholars was designed to offer an overview of philosophical, disciplinary, and various approaches to research, as well as ESL issues related to professional writing. “In order to promote learning at deeper conceptual levels, we tried to show our Thai participants how in many ways scholars are ‘word merchants’ in that they ‘sell’ ideas, theories, research findings, and the whole idea of the scientific method,” Herman said. The duo used a portion of the 1932 Buster Keaton/Jimmy Durante comedy “Speak Easily” to illustrate the subtle differences in the English language, and how speaking a language doesn’t necessarily mean a person can properly communicate his meaning. “The title is Keaton’s misunderstanding of the slang word for an illegal bar,” Herman said. “The non-verbal slapstick comedy promotes understanding even with a limited knowledge of English.” The father/son team then read the Thai participants’ research proposals and reports, and offered critiques on how to make their English more widely understood. Reaching out The Hermans presented a paper on their Thailand experiences at the Association for Psychological Science (APS) Convention in Washington, D.C., in May. “What we have learned from our Thai colleagues could be useful for those who teach scholarly research writing to native-English speakers and to non-native English speakers alike,” Herman said. Teaching abroad is nothing new for the older Herman. Since 1989, he has served as a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Russia, taught summer graduate educational leadership courses in Taiwan, and taught a graduate seminar in motivation at the University of Potsdam in Germany. “My international education experiences have led to new insights into different cultures, as well as new perspectives on my own culture,” Herman said. “I have learned something new about myself on each trip. “I am pleased and proud that these types of experiences are supported by SUNY Potsdam and across the SUNY system.” — Karen L. Mattison
UUP again this year is awarding scholarships to outstanding SUNY?undergraduate and, for the first time, to a post baccalaureate student. All have received UUP?College Scholarship Fund one-time scholarships of $2,000. Earning undergraduate awards are Sarah Caputi, a junior majoring in urban and regional planning and philosophy at Buffalo State; Sara Cooper, a sophomore majoring in communications at SUNY?Oswego; Allaire DaleyKeyser, a senior majoring in biology and chemistry at SUNY?Plattsburgh; and Annmarie McGonagle, a senior majoring in math and secondary ed at SUNY?Plattsburgh. Selected for the inaugural William E. Scheuerman Post Baccalaureate Scholarship is Daniel Pitcher, who is working toward a master’s degree in sports management at SUNY?Cortland.
Sarah Caputi isn’t sure what she’ll do after college, except for one thing: It will benefit others. After her first-hand experience traveling to the Dominican Republic, Caputi uncovered a deep-rooted desire to help disadvantaged women and children in Third World countries. It was her dad—a former bargaining committee chair at Bryant & Stratton—who taught her how one person can have a considerable impact on the lives of others, and how injustices can happen when people in power try to stifle those less fortunate. “Sarah is deeply compassionate and committed to the ideal of fairness. She is greatly troubled by injustices, vast disparities of wealth, and other social challenges,” said UUPer Jason Grinnell, an assistant professor of philosophy. “She is precisely the sort of person UUP?expects its own members to be.” Caputi has a 3.95 GPA. Sara Cooper believes unionism and volunteerism go hand-in-hand. That’s why she’s actively involved in the Jewish Student Union, on the Peer Judicial Board and Student Conduct Committee, as a tutor and with the Adopt-A-Grandparent program. It’s also why she understands a union’s role in American workplaces, and why she aspires to be a social worker. In Cooper’s words, unionists and volunteers are there to help others, without gender, race or religious bias. “Sara is a compassionate person, and she always displays concern and courtesy toward her classmates,” sad UUPer and English instructor Charles Itzin. Cooper has a 3.83 GPA. Allaire “AJay” DaleyKeyser learned from an early age to “be ever mindful of the needs of others.” Both of her parents have ties to UUP, and have taught DaleyKeyser to respect the dignity of others—and she has taken their words to heart. DaleyKeyser volunteers as a campus tour guide, on student panels and at the local hospital. But it’s DaleyKeyser’s scientific research and subsequent presentation of her findings at national conferences that set her apart from most undergraduates, and reinforced her desire to work in the health care profession. “AJay can make a difference in many lives,” said UUPer and chemistry professor Linda Luck. “Her dynamic personality will help her go far in the medical field.” DaleyKeyser has a 3.8 GPA. Annmarie McGonagle has two passions in life: mathematics and helping others. So it seems only natural that she wants to teach high school math. McGonagle is enrolled in the combined BA/MST program in adolescent math education, and has presented a research poster at a National Science Foundation conference. She is a member of the Math Club, a tutor and co-chair of the Student Committee on Teaching Excellence. “Annmarie is a truly exceptional young woman,” said UUPer and math professor David Kenoyer. “She is completely devoted to teaching young people.” She has a 4.0 GPA. Daniel Pitcher has SUNY in his blood. His father is a UUPer and adjunct lecturer at Cortland—where Pitcher and a sibling are students—and both of his parents earned their degrees from SUNY?Geneseo. Perhaps that’s why Pitcher has a keen understanding of UUP and why he wants to help young people. As Cortland’s star quarterback, Pitcher plans to use his leadership ability to coach football. To Pitcher, coaching is one of the best ways to impact the athletic, social and academic lives of others. Like union leaders, coaches teach fairness, dedication and the power of working together, he said. Pitcher has underscored these tenets in inspirational speeches to high school and college students around the country. “Dan is a genuine, consummate student athlete and a super ambassador for family, team and University,” said UUPer and head football coach Dan MacNeill. Pitcher has a 4.0 GPA.
Former UUP president Tim Reilly affectionately referred to Ed Alfonsin as “the 1,000-year-old man” because of the depth and breadth of his union knowledge. Let’s face it, if there’s something you need to know about UUP, parliamentary procedures or the American labor movement, just ask Ed. His retirement from SUNY Potsdam in 1997 didn’t slow him down one bit, and led to his being named the Outstanding Active Retiree of the Year during the 2011 Winter Delegate Assembly. He was expected to formally receive his award at the Fall DA in September. Alfonsin’s work as an active member began in 1975, and included elected terms as statewide secretary, membership development officer, and Executive Board member, and as an appointee to eight Negotiations Teams. Alfonsin has been dubbed “the consummate union man” by many of his colleagues, who never doubted he would remain a valuable asset to UUP. They spelled out their hopes in a resolution read during the 1997 Spring DA: “As we express our gratitude to Ed and congratulate him on his retirement, we do so with the knowledge that he will continue to serve UUP … and that we will continue to benefit from his intelligence and his dedication to UUP and academic unionism.” How right they were. Since his retirement, Alfonsin continues to serve as a chapter delegate and as a member of the SUNY?Retiree Service Corps Advisory Board. He also lends his expertise to the Franklin-St. Lawrence Educators’ Council, and the Franklin, St. Lawrence and Lewis Counties Central Trades and Labor Council. His union service extended to the Public Employees Federation and NYSUT, where he served as a parliamentarian and on several committees, respectively. He is also visible in his community as a volunteer with the Seaway Valley Prevention Council, the United Church of Christ, and the Norwood Model Railway Club. “Amazingly, even in retirement, Ed continued his record of never missing a DA,” said retiree colleague Judy Wishnia of Stony Brook. “He ran UUP elections (‘Fold your ballots; go down the center aisle’) and we can always count on his historical knowledge and his ability to go to the mic and tell us what constitutional provision we were negating!” — Karen L. Mattison
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