Nuts & Bolts: April 8th Defending Public Higher Education event, Commission on Higher Education Quality and Affordability Data, Summer Session Deadlines, Embedding Racial Literacy Event, upcoming events and MTA Benefits
4/7/2025
FSU Calendar April 7th to 11th
Tuesday, April 8th 12:00-1:00 UMB: Uniting to Defend Public Higher Education Teach In
Join fellow members of FSU, and CSU, GEO, and PSU for a discussion on what we can do to fight back. The event begins with a 20-minute panel (zoom) followed by group breakouts examining impacts of federal actions and developing strategies for action. This is a hybrid event. Registration information is on the attached flyer.
Friday, March 11th 3:30 -5:00PM: FSU Executive Committee meeting
Dear Faculty and Librarians,
April is a busy time as we head into the final home stretch of the semester. For your unions (NEA, MTA and UMB unions), we too are busy being laser focused on fighting back against federal government actions on funding, student success programs, academic freedom and our international community members.
April 8 National Day of Action: Uniting to Defend Public Higher Education
Across the country, unions are holding events to defend public higher education. Join us from 12PM to 1PM in the University Dining Club Campus Center for a teach-in (20 minutes) followed by small table discussions on what actions we can take to fight back. To register, use the QR code on the attached flyer.
Kill the Cuts Boston rally JFK Federal Building (15 Sudbury St) at 5:00PM
Boston area students, academics, and healthcare workers are rallying at the JFK Federal Building (adjacent to City Hall Plaza) demanding an end to attacks on universities, educators, research, and healthcare. Click here for more information.
Commission on Higher Education Quality and Affordability (CHEQA): Survey Results
The State Legislature created CHEQA to examine public higher education funding, student success, and the recruitment and retention of faculty. Their April 1st public hearing focused on recruitment and retention. MTA presented data on where our salaries stand compared to colleagues in other states. In addition, MTA showed survey results illustrating the impact of our low wages on faculty quality of life and that many faculty must take on second jobs to be self-sufficient.
To learn more about what took place at the hearing, go to https://www.mass.edu/strategic/cheqa.asp and go to Meeting Materials, Meeting 4 to see more details. Attached are files from the MTA. One is the Wage Equity Study and the other Wage and Living Condition Survey. The results are eye-popping!
(This is an FSU Anti Racism Grant recipient event)
Racial literacy comprises a set of skills and practices that position individuals to investigate the detrimental effects of racism - structural, ideological, environmental, and interpersonal - on students’, staff’s, and faculty’s lives. Moreover, a key goal of racial literacy is to foster anti-racism and racial justice. Embedding Racial Literacy in Our Practices aims to bring collectivized awareness to the need to enact more critical, race-conscious literacies among everyone at UMass Boston and beyond.
Before and after the workshop with Dr. Sealey-Ruiz, participants will examine and rehearse strategies to incorporate critical racial literacy as a core component in their educational practices. Refreshments will be available.
This is a hybrid event, and you must pre-register if you plan on attending virtually at: https://umassboston.zoom.us/meeting/register/aFEIWbS9T8eE3Hie4YfN3w#/registration
Summer Session Classes: Registration Deadlines
Registration for Summer Session One (May 27th to July 10th) opened on March 3rd and will close on May 1st.
Summer Session Two classes take place July 14th to August 21st. Registration opened on March 3rd and will close on May 1st. Registration will re-open on June 2nd and close on June 23rd.
Upcoming Events: April 15th Palestine 1492: A Report Back, A conversation with Dr. Linda Quiquixox
2:00PM in Ballroom C.
(This is an FSU Anti Racism Grant recipient event)
An intimate conversation with Dr. Linda Quiquivix as she shares insights on her new book Palestine 1492: A Report Back which blends storytelling, radical geography and decolonial theory she traces the connections between settler colonialism in the Americas and Palestine and what this means.
Upcoming Events: April 17th Resisting the New McCarthyism and Complicity from UMass to Palestine with Professor Rabab Abdulhadi, 3:30PM in UHall room 3350
(This is an FSU Anti Racism Grant recipient event)
Part of the April 17th National Day of Action for Higher Education,
MTA Benefits: BJ’s Wholesale Club Membership
MTA members can join BJ’s at a discounted rate. The Club Card Membership is $20 for New Members and $50 for Renewing Members. The Club Plus Card Membership is $60 New Members and $100 for Renewing Members. To receive these rates requires a specific sign-up process. Sign into your MTA Benefits account.
Reminder: Wear your FSU shirt or FSU button. Need one? Email us. Looking for red cards with information on immigration rights, etc.? We have them. Email us to coordinate delivery.
Sincerely,
Caroline Coscia
FSU President
Senior Lecturer II
Political Science Department
