Graduate Employees' Organization at UIUC
GEO Local 6300 IFT/AFT AFL-CIO at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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News and GEO-L

Member Communications

GMM on Nov 29, Reading Day Tutor-in and More!

Table of Contents:

  • ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS

    • Next GMM(s) on November 29th

    • Reading Day Tutor In on December 13th!

    • Public Charge Comment Workshop

    • Finance Survey Update

  • GEO COMMITTEES NEED YOUR HELP!

    • Constitutional Committee

    • Healthcare Working Group

    • Stewards’ Council

    • Solidarity Committee

    • Finance Committee

    • Grievance Committee

    • Communications Committee

  • CONNECT WITH GEO!


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ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS


Next General Membership Meetings on November 29th, 12:00 pm and 6:30 pm

The next General Membership Meetings will be held at 12 PM and 6:30 PM on November 29th @ the Channing-Murray Foundation (1209 W Oregon St). At the GMM you will have a chance to provide feedback to the Solidarity Committee -- the committee that connects the GEO to other movements and social justice projects through financial endorsements, statements of support, collaborations, and more -- during the SolComm Open House. The Issue Campaigns Working Group will also be introduced at this meeting, along with important announcements about the annual Tutor In.

If you have any feedback about previous GMMs or any suggestions for upcoming GMMs, please take a moment to complete our GMM Survey. Your feedback and suggestions will help us make the General Membership Meetings as effective and beneficial as possible for all of our members.


Reading Day Tutor In on December 13th!

As you may remember, we ended the Fall 2017 semester with an exciting event aimed at our undergraduate students, and we’re excited to be doing it again this year. On Reading Day (12/13), we’ll be offering twelve hours of free tutoring for students preparing for their exams and final papers. This is an excellent opportunity for us to make our graduate labor visible and show our students how committed we are to their education. We’ll be in the lobby of the Illini Union from noon until midnight, providing tutoring for a number of large lecture courses and open office hours for others. Come work in solidarity with your graduate peers and strengthen the UIUC community!

Please sign up early and make sure to tell your students! Even if you’re not teaching this term, or hold a research appointment this semester, we would love to have you there. Here’s the sign up form!

Public Charge Comment Workshop

Stop by the University YMCA (1001 S Wright St, Champaign) on Tuesday, November 27 any time between 5pm-7pm to get step-by-step guidance on how submit a comment through the Federal Register to fight against a harsh new immigration policy proposal from the Department of Homeland Security on the determination of who is a “public charge.” A public charge is someone who is likely to depend or currently depends on the US government for subsistence. If someone is found to be a public charge, their green card/visa application will be denied. This proposal seeks to broaden the categories of aid that determine if someone is a public charge, which will significantly expand their ability to deny applications and refuse entry.

A short presentation on the proposed rule change, along with instructions for submitting comments, will be provided by New American Welcome Center staff every half hour. We will have laptops ready for you to submit your comment online, as well as writing materials if you prefer to mail your comment to the Department of Homeland Security.

Please RSVP to make sure there is enough food for everyone. For more information on the event, please click here. For more information on the public charge rule, click here.

Finance Survey Update

Thank you to everyone who submitted feedback on the Finance Survey! In accordance with your responses, we’ve restricted the scope of the survey to gathering member data for upcoming issues campaigns and contract bargaining. We’ll also be focusing more sharply on time-sensitive information but retaining the original privacy policy and terms of use. Finally, we’ve pushed the survey to Thursday, December 13th, and we’ll be encouraging members to take the survey at our Reading Day Tutor-In.


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GEO COMMITTEES NEED YOUR HELP!


We are a member-run union; we depend on the commitment of our members to stay as strong as possible. Below you’ll find details about what each committee does and how to contact them. No special knowledge is required. You can follow the calendar of events on our website for the date and time of upcoming meetings: http://uiucgeo.org/events/. Meetings are open to membership, and coming to a meeting does not commit you to joining a committee.

NEW! Constitutional Committee
Interested in structure and community values? Like clarifying procedures and logistics? Just want to know more about GEO? Join the newly formed Constitutional Committee to work on updating our Constitution and By-Laws! The Constitutional Committee needs members who are interested in developing a proposal to present to our general membership in the fall for review and ratification. Contact cc@uigeo.org if you’re interested in getting involved.

Questions About Healthcare? Email the Healthcare Working Group!

We know you have questions about what healthcare options are offered by our current contract, and we remain committed to guaranteed accessible and affordable healthcare for all graduate students. Our Healthcare Working Group is a member-led caucus that works towards informing members and organizing around our healthcare. If you have any questions about your healthcare or are interested in working towards improving it, you can contact the Healthcare Working Group at health@uigeo.org!

Stewards’ Council

The Stewards’ Council (SC) is the primary organizing and planning body of GEO. This is where representatives from across campus come together to discuss the needs of our membership. Right now, stewards are doing office visits to sign up new members and organizing events such as department meetings and the upcoming Reading Day Tutor-in. If you are interested in becoming a Steward, email sc@uigeo.org or just come to the next meeting at 5:30 pm on November 27th in the GEO Office!

Solidarity Committee

The Solidarity Committee (SolComm) builds connections between the GEO and other movements and local social justice projects through financial endorsements, statements of support, collaborations, and more. SolComm supports several local organizations and movements that work towards economic, racial, gender, disability, prison, and environmental justice. In addition to graduate employees, we welcome undergraduate students and C-U community members to participate. If you are interested in joining the Solidarity Committee, please email solcomm@uigeo.org or attend our next meeting on December 10th in the GEO Office.

Finance Committee

The newly formed Finance Committee is tasked with accounting, reporting to members on how dues are spent, fundraising, and connecting members to emergency financial support. Email treasurer@uigeo.org if you would like to pitch in!

Grievance Committee

Whether it's late wages, a missing tuition waiver, or retaliation in the workplace, the Grievance Committee helps GEO members take on the UIUC administration. The months after a new contract is signed are the busiest time for the Grievance Committee. They are working hard defending members who are already experiencing violations of the new contract. As one of our smallest committees, they could use your help doing this essential work! If you are interested in joining the Grievance Committee, email grievance@uigeo.org or attend our next meeting on Thursday, November 22nd at 4:00 PM in the GEO Office.

Communications Committee

The Communications Committee produces GEO-Ls and flyers, manages GEO’s social media, responds to interview requests, designs and orders swag, and more. They need people with a variety of skills, and they’d love to have you. The next Communications Committee meeting is on Monday the 26th of November at 4pm in the GEO Office, but make sure to check the calendar for up to date information. If you are interested in joining the Communications Committee, email commcomm@uigeo.org or just come to a meeting!


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CONNECT WITH GEO!


Have feedback for us? Comments about the GMM? Reply to this email or use our anonymous google form.

Website: www.uiucgeo.org

Twitter: @geo_uiuc

Facebook: @uigeo  @geosolcomm

Instagram: @geo_uiuc


Sign up for text updates! Text updates are the fastest, best way to get crucial GEO information. Text the word “GEO” to 69238 to receive periodic updates and other urgent information. Msg & data rates may apply. Text STOP to 69238 to stop receiving messages. Text HELP to 69238 for more information. Terms & Conditions.


In Solidarity,

Graduate Employees’ Organization

809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room

Champaign, IL 61820

Email: geo@uigeo.org

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