COVID-19 Impact Bargaining, Testing, Mutual Aid, and more!
Table of Contents:
Announcements
COVID-19 Impact Bargaining Session #10
Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 2:30-4:00 PM CT
Pack the screen for our next COVID-19 Impact Bargaining session with the Administration! The more members we have watching, the more power we have.
We'll be discussing COVID-19 infection rates on campus, vaccine distribution, testing exemption protocol, Proctorio, and summer healthcare coverage. Feel free to come and go as your schedule allows.
Image Description: This flyer has an image of a computer screen and a pointing finger on a green background. The computer screen says “Pack the Screen.” The announcement text is as follows: “COVID-19 Impact Bargaining Session #10. Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 2:30-4:00 pm CT. Important updates regarding COVID-19 regulations for Spring 2021, vaccinations, healthcare, Proctorio, and more!” There is also a QR code that links to the registration at https://tinyurl.com/COVID19IBSession10.
Testing Reminders from the University
The following information is quoted from recent UIUC Massmails.
“All undergraduate and graduate students who are required to participate in the on-campus COVID-19 testing program will be required to receive two negative on-campus test results between Jan. 15-24, no sooner than three days apart. Students should begin testing as soon as they return to campus or the community and participate only in essential activities, such as working and buying groceries, until they receive two negative on-campus test results. View the Spring 2021 Return to Campus page for additional reminders about returning for the new semester.”
“All students living on-campus or residing in Champaign, Urbana, or Savoy are required to test even if they are taking a fully online schedule. In addition, the university’s COVID-19 testing policy requires all students working on-campus, attending in-person classes, or participating in any on-campus activities to participate in the on-campus testing program.
“The university has developed a process for students who are living locally (Urbana, Champaign, and Savoy) and who are not coming to campus during the spring 2021 semester to apply for an exemption from the COVID-19 testing requirement. Exemptions will be granted rarely and only to students who can demonstrate that participating in the testing program is especially burdensome to them. Effective Friday, January 15, students who wish to apply for an exemption should submit their information at go.illinois.edu/CovidExemption. Only students who are living locally and NOT coming to campus are eligible to request an exemption.”
Events
Mutual Aid Books 2 Prisoners Spring Book Drive
Image Description: Cream colored poster with green trim on the top and bottom. GEO Mutual Aid is written in orange, followed by UC Books 2 Prisoners Book Drive in green. The dates Jan. 24th and Feb. 14th, 2021 are also written in orange. At the center of the flyer, there is a yellow book lying open with a red and pink hard floating out of the pages. The words Book Drop Locations are below, written in green, with the following locations listed: GEO office, iSchool, Orchard Downs Main Office, Independent Media Center (official B2P box), Common Group Co-op (official B2P box)
January 24 — February 14, 2021
The GEO Mutual Aid Working Group is hosting a book drive from January 24 to February 14, 2021 to support the Urbana-Champaign Books 2 Prisoners lending library program in the Champaign County jails.
Many community members have been thinking about the needs of incarcerated individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic and recently, due to the suspension of in-person programming, the need for entertainment and ways to pass the time has grown. Books are one way that we can collectively provide mutual aid for the incarcerated individuals of our community.
Our confirmed book drop locations will be the GEO Office (809 S 5th St), the iSchool, the Orchard Downs main office, the Integrated Media Center, and Common Ground.
Be sure to start saving your books from the holidays!
Labor & Organizing Reading Group
Several GEO members have expressed interest in starting a reading group on labor, politics, organizing methods, and the economics of higher education. Monthly meetings will begin in February. If you’re interested in reading with your fellow workers, email Lesley at llesleyowens@gmail.com to get more info and recommend readings.
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org