2022 Candidates Slate- Revised March 1 2022

Candidates for FSU Executive Committee, Spring 2022 Election

The following individuals have submitted the required paperwork to be a candidate for a position on the FSU Executive Committee. Below is each candidate, their title, and a 150-word statement.

President – Vote for one

Caroline L. Coscia, Senior Lecturer II, Political Science

I have had the privilege of serving FSU members for six years: three years as an NTT Grievance Officer and the past 3 years as your Vice President. As VP I have been at the table to make our union more transparent by informing you of our interactions with administration, providing timely member emails, hosting forums to obtain your feedback, and by reaching out to administration to address your concerns. Working alongside Steve Striffler, we have made great strides. Great strides shouldn’t mean complacency. It means we continue the work of creating pathways for member engagement and the sharing of ideas. It means supporting graduate students (we have all been there!) and campus staff. It means keeping careful watch that the bargaining agreement is honored. We are stronger together. I ask for your vote and the privilege of continuing my service to all FSU members.

Tenured Faculty –Vote for two

Steven Ackerman, Associate Professor, Honors College

This is my 39^th year at UMBV and I have held multiple administrative positions (Director Biochemistry (14 years), Chair FC Academic Affairs Committee (18 years), Chair CLA/CSM Academic Affairs Committee (5 years), Chair Institutional Biosafety Committee & UMB Biosafety Officer (25 years), FC Exec. Comm, chaired numerous ad hoc committees and I was a member of the team that bargained the last parking rate agreement. I followed the recent negotiations for the FSU contract as a silent viewer and a participant in the caucus. With all my experience and institutional knowledge, I feel I can contribute to the FSU Exec. Committee. There are numerous issues the Exec. Comm has been pursuing and I agree with their positions and many of their items are issues that I have advocated for decades (NTT rights, pre-tenure support, better teaching resources, library funding improvement, funds for faculty research in specialties unlikely to receive grant support).

Sana Haroon, Associate Professor, History/Asian Studies (incumbent, running for re- election)

I joined UMass Boston in 2012 and I am an associate professor in the History and Asian Studies departments. I have completed a one-year term as tenured faculty rep to Ex- Comm, advocating for equity and recognition of the contributions of all faculty and librarians. At this time all faculty are shouldering unprecedented responsibilities for

revitalizing campus life and working remotely. International faculty face complex immigration and settlement challenges of their own. I seek to foster awareness, conversations and collaborations in addressing these issues.

Mary Oleskiewicz, Professor, Performing Arts/Core faculty Honors College

The FSU must advocate for all faculty, regardless of rank or seniority. I bring 20 years of UMB experience to the table and have previously served on the executive committees for both the FSU and the CLA senate. I have also served on the faculty council and have participated in mediation cases witnessing the impact the FSU has in enforcing governance that supports our faculty success and well-being. In addition, my courses in Latin American and Caribbean topics bring me into regular contact with a diverse range of students, immigrants, and minorities, where I listen to their experiences and aspirations. As an active researcher and teacher in two UMB colleges, and as someone familiar with our community's wide-ranging interests and the university's inner workings, I interests pledge to be a strong and unwavering voice for our faculty's and students' best and to serve the university's urban mission.

Brian White, Associate Professor, Biology

Since 1997, I have taught large and small classes to a wide range of levels. From my students, I have learned about their lives, their aspirations, and the daily struggles they go through to pursue an education. I have worked with colleagues to develop their skills as teachers; through this, I have seen their outstanding commitment to educating our students and the wide range of environments where they teach. On sabbatical, I have seen how different universities are structured and experienced the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches. I have also served as Associate Provost for two years where I came to understand how and why the university administration operates as it does. I am now back in the classroom and I hope to use what I have learned to help faculty and staff do our best for our students and to thrive at UMass Boston.

Non-Tenure Track Faculty – Vote for two

Monique Fuguet, Senior Lecturer, Mathematics (incumbent, running for re-election)

The pandemic has wrecked havoc in our world, but FSU didn’t let abrupt shifts to remote teaching (and back) stop our advocacy for faculty/librarians. I am proud of our union’s progress over the past two years, especially our contract bargaining with UMB (expanded bargaining, larger/more diverse bargaining team, shining light on how the administration responds to our proposals), and increased fairness/openness regarding matters of internal governance. Both are hard won improvements enhance the lower- case “d”-democratic nature of our union (changing the norm to facilitate sharing information/power with members, emphasizing equity/access within FSU and across campus, etc.).