Robert Compton

Oneonta

Candidate for Vice President for Academics
Robert Compton

Comrades, the feelings of powerlessness and fear coupled with disillusionment haunt both our union and our campuses. It should not be this way.

I am running for statewide Vice President for Academics based on a 23-year record of service to our members, thirteen as Oneonta Chapter Vice President for Academics. Currently, I am the President of UUP Oneonta, a proud, independent and tenacious chapter.

Our chapter gains are many and many have set the ceiling for statewide-UUP negotiations and include: UUP members running for and being able to be elected to our campus Tenure and Promotion and Renewal Committees. We made real gains with commensurate pay increases and titles for our adjuncts way before statewide commenced moving in this direction. Now, we are doubling down on tackling issues of administrative bloat and management fiat by empowering members through assertive Labor-Management agendas and by strategically tackling issues such the arcane excused absence policy at Oneonta.

At Oneonta, we believe that a change in UUP culture and methods are needed as UUP chapters should not have to engage in a simultaneous two-front battle with the Statewide organization and the campus administration. There are striking parallels between the two that threaten the well-being of our members and the health of chapters. The increased bureaucratization, lack of transparency, and member disempowerment follows when rank-and-file members are not allowed to vote. Statewide officials must have term limits, be elected by a truly democratic process, and be much more transparent. Power must also flow up from the laboratories of experimentation that we call chapters and not from a staff run organization. The present approach diminishes your voice by engaging in voter suppression, political shenanigans, or the improper allocation of member dues based on ill-conceived priorities designed in a way that does not optimize chapter building.

I encourage you to have the courage to think about the future of UUP as a genuine vehicle for social justice, to speak up about important social issues in the US and abroad, and directly link chapters to issues affecting our members and communities. To do this, we must not mutate into an organization that muffles the freedom of speech, stifles direct voting, and turns towards an ever-increasing cadre of professional staff supported by elected officials who lack a strong democratic mandate. We can and must do better. The winds of change are in the air and UUP must rise to the clarion call.

Alissa Karl

Brockport

Alissa Karl, 2024 Statewide Elections Candidate Statement

I am seeking reelection as Vice President for Academics and I would appreciate your vote.

I’m an Associate Professor of English at SUNY Brockport and unionism has always been a part of my life. Even before I really knew what a union was, I knew it mattered: when I was growing up, we only ever visited Disneyland on union discount days. I come from a single-parent, union home in California and am the first in my family to attend higher education. I spent my time as a PhD student on the organizing committee for the teaching and research assistants at the University of Washington; we built a new union which is now UAW 4121, and I worked as a UAW staff organizer on various campaigns. I came to SUNY in 2007 and served as Brockport’s chapter president before my first term as statewide VPA.

As statewide VPA, I’ve learned from UUP members about an incredible array of workplace matters. I’ve worked to turn that new knowledge into member education and organizing around topics including program cuts and reorganization, Student Evaluations of Teaching, workload and intellectual property. As officer liaison to several chapters, I strategize with leaders on the issues at their campuses; currently, I’m working closely with leadership at Fredonia on UUP’s responses to 13 program deactivations.

In my role overseeing our Organizing and Outreach Department I have worked hard to elevate organizing within UUP; collaborated with chapters to customize approaches to organizing; foregrounded the work of member-organizers and supported initiatives to grow their ranks; initiated the Regional Membership Specialist pilot program to reach newly-hired non-members; and worked with NYSUT and the AFT to garner more organizing resources and finetune affiliate organizing programs (like the Member Organizing Institute) to suit UUP’s needs. At the Fall 2023 DA, I announced our “Proud to Be UUP” campaign to reach 90% overall membership by October 2025, and with the hard work of so many member-organizers across the state we are pressing ahead toward this goal: we are growing our membership numbers to recover from Covid and strengthen our union in a post-Janus world.

If reelected, I will continue to prioritize organizing by growing our member activist base, expanding successful initiatives, and incorporating the best ideas from members into our work. With an increasingly malevolent upper management at SUNY, we must be more mobilized than ever, and I’m eager to expand our activist playbook to meet this moment. I am also committed to enhancing our education and effectiveness on workplace issues. We must find ever-more creative ways to contest excessive workload, the exploitation of contingents, and management’s diminishment of our work, autonomy and expertise.

First, foremost and always, I believe that worker power is the foundation for social and economic justice. I believe we grow that power by being steadfast and mobilized. I hope I can continue working with you to realize that power.

Carolyn Kube

Stony Brook HSC

I am asking you to support my candidacy for UUP Vice President for Professionals. In recent years as the world emerged from the pandemic, UUP has been undergoing an organizational change. UUP is changing from a servicing model to an organizing model union to increase our power. Throughout my UUP leadership, I have come to understand that every union action is an organizing effort. From knocking on doors, administrating a wide variety of benefits, to ensuring our members’ dues are spent appropriately. Most importantly, ensuring their voices are heard by speaking truth to power. Keeping to this principle, I have contributed to facilitating our organizational change through the departments and projects under my purview in the following ways.

Working with our professional members, I have visited many campuses and held open talking sessions to identify issues that are important to our professionals. I have toured with Alissa Karl, and solo to talk about ways professionals can mitigate workload and receive compensation for extra duties. Telecommuting and career advancement are still hot-button topics for professionals. Career advancement remains the most contentious topic for long-serving professionals that became stagnant in the same title or salary level for years. If elected, I hope to tackle this issue head-on through the Advisory Committee, established under Appendix A32 that will finally create meaningful job families to facilitate career advancement for our professionals.

I have spearheaded the revitalization of VOTE-COPE. VOTE-COPE took a huge hit during the pandemic. Absent from view and rarely spoken about, our contributions remained static. Our approach to VOTE-COPE has been revamped, with a goal of increasing our overall contributions by $50,000 in honor of UUP’s 50th Anniversary! The creation of our own PAC, the Higher Education Action Fund, has elevated UUP’s political profile and increased our VOTE-COPE donations.

The WDI/CBT Initiative has engaged 88 mostly newly activated members and identified that DEI is a priority for our membership. The WDI grant awarded UUP $50,000 to fund a 14-week capacity building training, which spawned several new UUP DEI initiatives. A logo was developed, two working groups have been formed - the Capacity Building Workgroup and the Communications Working Group - which work on the UUP Social Justice website. An ad-hoc committee of all the chairs and co-chairs of other human and civil rights standing committees will gather to coordinate efforts across committees and promote and celebrate the work of each other. I have partnered with NYSUT to bring the Sticks and Stones Implicit bias workshop to our members.

I have not even touched on the vital work I have done with chapter Presidents at the Potsdam and Downstate Chapters, who are facing the threat of closure and downsizing. I have served as Vice President for Professionals the last 3 years applying all my skills to help make our union more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and relevant to the members. It has been a privilege. I ask you for your vote to continue to do this work alongside all of you.

Lisa Marie Anselmi

Buffalo State

Candidate Statement – Lisa Marie Anselmi, Ph.D., R.P.A.

I request your support for my reelection as a statewide Executive Board Member. Growing up in a union household, I learned the value of solidarity and our collective strength. With the current challenges in higher education, we must stand together now more than ever. Our colleagues on the front lines of the pandemic, particularly as Downstate faces closure, need our unwavering support. The faculty and staff at comprehensive campuses, including my home campus at Buffalo State, are not expendable. All SUNY faculty and staff deserve recognition for their innovative work at specialty campuses, ag/techs, comprehensive, or research campuses.

As an anthropological archaeologist, I bring a unique perspective, focusing on long-term solutions and a detail-oriented approach to problem solving. Since 2014, I have served as the Buffalo State Chapter Vice President for Academics, demonstrating my commitment and dedication to our cause. In addition, I co-chair the state-wide committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, further showcasing my leadership skills and commitment to inclusivity. I also serve on the Board of Managers of the Buffalo History Museum and the Board of Trustees of Native American Community Services in Western New York, further expanding my experience and understanding of our community's needs.

As part of the Executive Board, I worked to bring a land acknowledgment to UUP events and represented UUP at the UALE Women's Labor Summer School held at Rutgers University.

My commitment to our union and its cause is unwavering, and I am dedicated to ensuring that we continue to stand together in solidarity. Your support is crucial in enabling us to make a significant difference in the lives of our colleagues and the communities we serve. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to your support.

Rob Compton

Oneonta

Robert Compton

Candidate for the Statewide Executive Board

Greetings to my fellow comrades. I am running for the UUP-Statewide Executive Board to halt the decline of UUP’s relevance on campuses and to advance the role of chapters as laboratories of experimentation. For too long, the Statewide Executive Board and its leadership have failed to envision an alternative to a closed shop union model elected and run by a small number of delegates which is akin to the Electoral College. A truly democratic union allows for rank-and-file voting and relies on chapters to build the union movement rather than electors from a small and privileged group of delegates. Currently, power in UUP resides in a core of elected officers and delegates and staff, many with limited interest in advancing the interest of chapters beyond the maximization of dues. This is antithetical to the movement for direct elections that can improve our conditions of labor and provide better contracts.

Our contract and salaries pale in comparison to benchmarks in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. We need to follow the approach that the United Auto Workers, for example, used and other public unions in New York and throughout the country practice and endorse. We have become more ossified and anachronistic.

UUP needs direct voting now! The choice is stark: you can be staff-run and top-heavy union or the alternative: one that empowers the rank-and-file membership. You can have an openly democratic union with an Executive Board that engages in constructive criticism rather than remain a moribund choir to be preached to. An openly democratic union should support chapters, encourage the sharing of information between them, and work to strengthen chapters rather than hamstring their operations. This is the Oneonta tradition and way. Please join me in this adventure.

Kathleen "Kat" Kielar

Buffalo Center

Brothers and Sisters,

I am asking for your support to serve as your representative on UUP’s Executive Board. The decisions the Board will make will determine our future and I’m up for the challenges we face.

For those that know me, they will tell you that I’m not the silent meeting attendee by any means. I like to be engaged, informed, and provoke questions that challenge perspectives at the table. I’m active and ready to work for you.

Experience matters and I have earned it through service and leadership to my community and the organizations I belong to. Not only have I served as a volunteer firefighter and Company President in my community fire department, I have over 30 years in higher education participating in various governance groups at institutions ranging from community colleges to Division I Research institutions both within and outside of SUNY. I can easily relate to adjunct faculty needs, as well as to the needs of full-time professionals – because I currently serve in both capacities at two separate institutions.

At present I serve as Buffalo Center Chapter’s Vice President of Professionals, UUP Delegate, and Chapter Board member. Further, I meet regularly with our brother and sister unions by being involved with the WNY Area Labor Federation. Previously, I have served as our Chapter’s Secretary and served as a Senator on the SUNY Faculty Senate. My background is an advantage to resolving future challenges we all face and I can bring it to the Board if you cast your vote for me.

I’m a “Let’s get to work” person and don’t mind putting in the sweat to complete a job! If it’s MC’ing the rally for a fair contract at SUNY Buffalo State, delivering masks and food to hospitals during COVID, or pounding on doors to advocate for a political candidate that supports SUNY---I’m in!! I’m committed and engaged for UUP!

Let me put my leadership, experience, and values to work for you, our members, and UUP by casting a vote for Kathleen Kielar!

In solidarity,
Kathleen “Kat” Kielar

Thomas Melendy

Buffalo HSC

I’m Thomas Melendy, an Associate Professor of Microbiology at Buffalo HSC; I’m a teaching faculty, a biomedical scientist, a devout union member, and I’m running for reelection as an academic representative to the UUP Statewide Executive Board (EB).

I come from a family with deep union roots. I understand the vital role unions have had in the creation of the middle class and the roles they have played in providing safe working environments. Unions are more important now than they have been in decades, and I am committed to the fight.

I bring important experience to the Executive Board. I helped with early revisions of the current statewide UUP NEO slide decks, authored past UUP Federal Legislative Agenda items, provided insights and advice to UUP leadership during the pandemic – I was the first EB member to call for remote DAs and the first EB member to call for moving back to in-person DAs. As EB liaison to the Future of Public Higher Education committee, I saw its unrealized potential and brought it to the attention of the officers, who jumpstarted the reactivation of this important and now highly active committee. On the EB I am often a vocal counterpoint to ‘groupthink’, providing thoughtful alternative perspectives – always focused on representing ALL UUP members.

As a new Chapter President (after several terms as chapter VP Academics) I continue to learn more about UUP. As President of a chapter with one of the highest percentages of Contingents, I redoubled my efforts to work on behalf of UUP’s most vulnerable members. We initiated a program to recruit new members that calls on our EB to take a personal role in this effort – I personally recruited several of our chapter’s longest-tenured non-members to UUP. I recruited the ‘next generation’ of Chapter leaders, including both our current VPs, as well as other officers and EB members. I am active in DEI and community outreach, I initiated organizing the UUP’s first Sticks & Stones Implicit Bias training event at our chapter, organized a chapter clothing & toy drive for new immigrants placed in our area, chaired the Faculty Senate committee that revised UB’s Tenure & Promotion criteria to enhance both recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty and to enhance community outreach by all faculty. I have been active in advocating to NYS legislators for the financially stressed campuses and against the closing of Downstate Hospital.

During my career, I’ve lived in many parts of New York state, helping me understand perspectives of UUP members statewide. My experience as an instructor, a researcher, and years of listening to, learning from and helping clinical faculty, contingents, professionals, and retirees, provide me with the understanding I need to represent ALL UUP members on the EB. I have served UUP in many ways, and if you reelect me, I will continue to serve UUP and all its members across the state. Thank you for your support, and I look forward to serving you all for another term on the EB.

In Solidarity,
- Tom

Stephanie Petkovsek

Canton

My name is Stephanie Petkovsek and I have been the Chapter President for SUNY Canton for the past three years. Previous to that, I was VP for Academics for two years and Chapter Secretary for two years. Currently, I am a Senior Lecturer teaching U.S. History survey courses as well as African American History and U.S. Immigration History.

I am running to be the new Contingent Academic on the Statewide Executive Board for several reasons. Firstly, union work and representation is extremely important to me. Before working at SUNY Canton, I was a middle and high school teacher for 14 years and quite active in my unions (NYSUT and the Colorado Teachers Association). Working with other educators to mobilize against the rise of charter schools and privatization of education (and now to fix Tier 6 and end APPR) creates a feeling of solidarity that makes our work vital. One of the best feelings about union work is the feeling that we are all in it together. Since I have been a member of the executive board on my campus, I have seen first-hand how much union representation assists our members. As a contingent academic myself, I know the risks that come with speaking out, however, I feel that if we don’t advocate for ourselves, no one else is going to. Some of my proudest moments have been working to protect members’ rights, advocating for lecturers and adjuncts, making sure professional staff is treated professionally and continuing to push to make my campus a place where everyone is respected, and the contract is followed. I want all our members to feel that they can come to their union officers for help with contract issues and to provide a voice they don’t always feel they have as an individual. I am proud to be that voice for them when they don’t feel they have one.

The statewide Executive Board is a representative body of UUP and I am happy that there will be a specific role for Contingent Academics. I also think it is important to have representation from the tech campuses like SUNY Canton. The challenges facing the colleges of technology within the system allow a perspective that can bridge differences between our campuses and the comprehensives and university centers. I look forward to answering any questions people may have and to working together with my union brothers and sisters.

Jaclyn Pittsley

Cortland

My name is Jaclyn Pittsley, and I am running for a seat on the Statewide Executive Board. I am a contingent academic, and I hope to fill that provision of the UUP Constitution, but I am not a single-issue candidate. I advocate for all UUP members. I served as a member of the 2022-2026 Contract Negotiations Team, which resulted in historic, structural gains for all our members. I attended contract negotiations rallies at Cortland and SUNY Albany, attended the town halls and was at both SUNY Morrisville and SUNY Delhi’s Contract Information sessions. I want to continue that work by assisting UUP in JLMC conversations.

I believe that what affects one affects all, so I have attended rallies in Brooklyn to save SUNY Downstate. I featured photos in our chapter newsletter supporting SUNY Potsdam and Downstate. I stood with SUNY Empire in campaigns for fair terms and conditions and stand with SUNY Fredonia to preserve jobs. At SUNY Farmingdale, I represented UUP with Jamie Dangler at the SUNY Council on Writing.

I want to be of service and lead. I am in my third term as Chapter President at Cortland. I served for 10 years as chapter VP for Contingents. I know the terms and conditions of professionals and academics on my campus. I co-wrote, as Fred Kowal’s designee, the 2019 revision of the landmark Memorandum of Understanding for Full-Time Lecturers at Cortland between UUP and the State of New York. I have constituted A-28 committees on campus and advised them. I have implemented a Chats & Snacks program to meet with professionals and academics to bring concerns to UUP in a safe space. I conducted elections for the Full-Time Lecturers’ Review Committee, chaired and advised the committee. I implemented the annual Part-Time Service Award Luncheon and Scholarship Showcase for Campus Equity Week. I’ve advocated to get DSI awards across-the-board for part-time members.

I speak truth to power, and hold campus management to their policies, including encouraging professionals to use their vacation time during/after covid and getting the tenure clock stoppage MOU opt-out instead of opt-in. I’ve worked with librarians to preserve research time. I’ve helped outline problems with student feedback collection and made recommendations for change. I’ve fought to protect intellectual property rights, fair workload, and academic freedom.

I serve as Co-Chair of the Statewide Contingent Employment Committee. As co-chair, I wrote two recent amendments approved by the CEC and the Delegate Assembly to the UUP Constitution regarding contingent representation on the Executive Board, and requirements of non-members to pay dues equivalents for UUP representation. I wrote the strategic plan of the CEC, approved in 2023. I helped design the 2017-18 UUP survey of contingent faculty. I advocated for and wrote the language approved by the CEC for the Anne Wiegard Award for Courageous Service by Full-Time Contingent Academic and Professional Faculty. I am a member of the Women’s Rights and Concerns Committee.

I work hard to share progressive ideas, propose reasonable solutions, and fight for inclusive advocacy across UUP, and I ask for your support.

Kevin Ragland

Buffalo Center

Kevin Ragland - University at Buffalo

Hello, my name is Kevin Ragland, and I'm incredibly honored to present myself as a candidate for the professional position on the UUP Executive Board. As a first-generation EOP graduate deeply rooted in the SUNY system, alongside my wife and children who are also SUNY graduates from University at Buffalo, University at Albany, and Empire State University. I bring a personal connection and a wealth of experience to this role.

Over my 25+ years at the University at Buffalo, I have served in various capacities, from Assistant Dean for Resource Management in the Graduate School of Education to my current role as Senior Staff Associate in Financial Management. Throughout my tenure, I have cultivated a skill set characterized by efficiency, strong communication, and problem-solving abilities, essential for navigating the complexities of our educational landscape.

My dedication to our union is evident through my extensive involvement at both the chapter and statewide levels. Currently in my third term as treasurer of the Buffalo Center Chapter, I contribute actively to various vital Statewide committees, including the Ethics Hearing Panel, Finance Committee, Compliance/Audit Committee, and the Black and Latino Faculty/Staff Legislative Committee. Furthermore, my participation in professional development initiatives such as being a graduate of the NYSUT Leadership Institute has equipped me with the necessary knowledge and expertise to confront the challenges confronting our members.

If elected, I pledge to be an independent advocate for educational excellence and improved communication within our union. My involvement on the chapter level in recruiting new members, facilitating NEO presentations for new employees, providing ongoing support for current members and participating in outreach initiatives underscores my commitment to our collective growth and success.

I firmly believe that our strength lies in unity, and I am dedicated to building upon our collective influence to benefit not only our members but also their families and communities. By prioritizing outreach and communication, I aim to foster a Union-wide outlook that supports initiatives contributing to our collective success.

At the core of my candidacy is a commitment to transparency, integrity, and accountability. I will always act in the best interests of our entire membership, ensuring that our union remains steadfast in its mission to improve the terms and conditions of employment, promote mutual assistance and cooperation, advance education, and defend the rights of those we represent.

In this post-Janus era, the challenges we face as a union are significant, particularly during these times of financial constraints at several SUNY campuses.

In closing, I humbly ask for your support and your vote. Together, let us continue to strengthen our union and advocate for the rights and well-being of all our members.

In solidarity,
Kevin Ragland

Idalia Torres

Fredonia

My name is Idalia Torres and I am asking for your vote of support by electing me to the UUP statewide Executive Board.

I have been working at SUNY Fredonia for the past 33 years in the Information Technology Services Department. I became involved with the local UUP chapter in 1999 and became the Vice President for Professionals that same year and continued in that position for 16 years. I have served in various local and state-wide committees like the local College Review Panel and College Committee on Professional Evaluations, the Statewide Membership Committee, co-chaired the Black/Latinx Faculty/Staff Concerns Committee, the Professional Issues Committee, Women’s Rights and Concerns and have served in the Negotiations Committee, and the previous two Negotiations Teams.

I am a current member of the statewide UUP Executive Board and have served in various subcommittees, like the Strike Authorization and Implementation Committee, AAUP Ad Hoc Committee, the A-32 Advisory Committee, and the Constitution Study Group Subcommittee. I also serve in the NYS UUP JLMC Professional Development Committee and have represented UUP at many conferences, meetings, and training sessions.

During all these years that I have been active, but especially during this past few years, I have been in awe of the resourcefulness, the drive, the commitment, the fight that our leaders and members have demonstrated to get what our members and our families need and deserve, to keep us safer, healthier and able to enjoy a higher quality of life. I have celebrated the victories, big and small, and have learned from the losses and have rededicated myself to the fight for our members.

I love and I am so proud of the work our union does and I want to continue to work with and for you, to defend our members and our Union and to make UUP the strongest Higher Education union while engaging and activating ALL our members to help face the challenges that lie ahead for unions in general, but more importantly, for our country.

Thank you and I would be very humbled if you give me your support to continue working for you.