Nuts & Bolts: Upcoming events, FSU Annual Meeting, Know Your Rights, US Dept of Education dismantling, MTA Annual Meeting of Delegates and MTA Benefits
3/10/2025
FSU Calendar March 10th to 14th
March 12th 12:00-1:00PM FSU lunchtime conversations: Collective Bargaining
Join colleagues on Wednesday, March 12th, 12.00-1.00 in the University Dining Club, CC 2nd floor to hear about bargaining and how our collective bargaining agreement covers such items as academic freedom, workload and financial benefits.
Contract Bargaining Session, Wednesday, March 12th from 9:45AM to 11:45AM
Join your core bargaining team as an expanded team member. We bargain every Wednesday so if you cannot join us this week, there are future Wednesday sessions.
FSU Elections: Candidate Forum, Thursday, March 13th 3:00PM – 4:00PM via Zoom
Meet the candidates for the Faculty Staff Union (FSU) Executive Committee. Come and hear the candidates. Ask them questions. If you are unable to attend, the forum will be recorded and distributed to the FSU membership afterward. Watch your inbox for a Zoom link as the date approaches.
Dear Faculty and Librarians,
This Monday you might be feeling tired, and you can blame it on daylight savings time. Spring forward causes changes in our circadian rhythm which can last for the next week. By the time we recover we will be on spring break!
FSU Annual Meeting, Thursday, April 17th 3:00-5:00PM
Mark your calendars for our 2025 Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting’s purpose is to share information about our activities, adopt a budget, adopt any proposed bylaws, and take actions on any new business items submitted. As is required by FSU policies, an official announcement of the meeting must take place no less than 30 days prior to the meeting date.
This email is the official notification to you, our members, that our annual meeting is taking place on Thursday April 17th at 3:00PM (zoom).
Also, this email is the official notification to call for new business agenda items. New business items must be submitted no less than 21 days prior to the meeting, which is March 27th at 5PM EDT. All new business items are to be submitted in the form of a motion and are to be submitted to the President and FSU Executive Committee via the FSU email account.
All members in good standing are eligible to attend and vote on April 17th.
The Annual Meeting agenda including the proposed 2025-2026 FSU budget will be sent to you no later than April 4th.
MTA Higher Ed Know Your Rights Immigration Tuesday, March 11, 2025, 12:00 PM
Facilitated by Katie D’Urso, MTA Field Rep Organizer, and James Racine, MTA Staff Council
You, your colleagues, and your neighbors have constitutional rights! Whether you are a US citizen or a graduate worker on a visa, everyone should know the ins-and-outs of responding to the presence of ICE and other law enforcement agencies on campus or at home. This workshop will inform you of your rights and empower you to take action. We will share clear and practical guidance to exercising your rights with the understanding that everyone has different degrees of vulnerability. During registration, we will ask you whether you have any specific questions about immigration and non-citizenship issues. These will be shared in advance of the meeting with the presenters.
Come for knowledge! Come to build solidarity with your fellow MTA Higher Education members! [Please note that we will not be able to provide legal advice about specific immigration situations.] Click here to register.
Call to Action: US Department of Education
Did you know the Department of Education provides resources for 7.5 million students with disabilities. Did you know about 1 in 6 college students rely on Pell Grants to pay for college tuition and expenses? Dismantling the Department of Education puts these programs in jeopardy.
Join fellow NEA members in urging your members of Congress to oppose any efforts to cut or dismantle the Department of Education. Click here to go to the NEA action center.
Save the Date! MTA Annual Meeting of Delegates, May 2nd and 3rd, Springfield
The Annual Meeting of Delegates is your opportunity to hear about MTA activities, vote on a budget, and participate in discussions related to policies and strategies. This year you can attend either in person or virtually.
The FSU has been allocated 13 delegates. If you wish to attend as a delegate, please contact us as soon as possible. The deadline for the FSU to submit delegate names is April 4th.
Early Alert System open March 3rd to 21st
Information on the Early Alert System can be found here.
MTA Benefits: Celebrity Series Jazz Festival, March 13th to 16th
Start off your Spring Break by attending one of the four jazz performances running March 13th to March 16th. If you prefer cabaret, discount tickets are available for Meow Meow’s performance.
Our Spring Break takes place during the week of March 17th. We think of the day as Saint Patrick’s Day. Officially the day is Evacuation Day, a holiday that commemorates the day in 1776 when the British army evacuated the city of Boston.
Enjoy Spring Break. Nuts & Bolts will be back March 24th.
Sincerely,
Caroline Coscia
FSU President
Senior Lecturer II
Political Science Department