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Category Archives: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
GEO Bargaining: “The University Works When We Do”
The research assistants (RAs) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have officially joined GEO, the Graduate Educators Organization (GEO Local 6300 IFT/AFT AFL-CIO) at UIUC. The organization now represents teaching assistants (TAs), graduate assistants (GAs), pre-professional graduate assistants (PGAs), and … Continue reading
472 total views, 2 views today
Posted in labor, Labor/Economics, union soldarity, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tagged campus labor, GEO, labor organizing, UIUC, union solidarity
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UIUC Engineering Open House
This year the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Engineering Open House 2025 was expecting 40,000 visitors April 4 and 5. Designed to showcase the talents and research of students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields, the theme this year … Continue reading
559 total views, 1 views today
Posted in AI, Big Tech, Gaza, Israel/Palestine, Middle East, military, Music, Section, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tagged academia and the military, AI, Big Tech, IDF, Israel/Palestine, STEM, UIUC, university-industrial complex
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Nuclear Power in the Trumpian Deregulatory Era
With the Trump-era onslaught and so many problematic circumstances to deal with in the power-production and -distribution system, the nuclear-power issue perhaps seems not necessarily top of many people’s and organizations’ concerns. Both at the national and the local level, … Continue reading
534 total views, 2 views today
Posted in Climate crisis, Environment, Environment, Nuclear Power, Section, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tagged climate crisis, energy, environment, nuclear power, UIUC
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A Belden Fields Memory
It’s February 8, 1990. The U of I Board of Trustees are meeting. The Coalition Against State Sponsored Terrorism (CASST) is protesting against CIA recruitment on campus. We have members inside the meeting planning to disrupt, but not get arrested. … Continue reading
577 total views, 1 views today
Posted in In Memoriam, Section, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tagged Belden Fields, campus activism, In Memoriam
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Belden’s Work in the Union of Professional Employees and Campus Faculty Association
I worked closely with Belden in the Union of Professional Employees (UPE) and later in the Campus Faculty Association (CFA). UPE voted to change its name to CFA in 2007. This article is an attempt to reconstruct Belden’s work in … Continue reading
514 total views, 2 views today
Posted in Academy on Capitalism and Limited Government, In Memoriam, labor, Labor/Economics, Section, union soldarity, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tagged Belden Fields, Campus organizing, CFA, In Memoriam, labor organizing, UPE
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ACLU Warns U of I to Respect Free Speech
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois recently sent an open letter to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign warning administrators that new guidelines surrounding “expressive activities” are having a chilling effect on student expressions of free speech. Despite UIUC’s … Continue reading
730 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Censorship, Climate Activism, Environment, Gaza, Section, Students, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Voices
Tagged ACLU, civil liberties, free speech on campus, Gaza protest, student activism, University of Illinois
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Popular University for Gaza at UIUC
From Friday, April 26 through Friday, May 10, we established a branch of the Popular University for Gaza at UIUC, joining the national student movement for Palestine. This encampment was just one small piece in the long movement for Palestinian … Continue reading
920 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Israel/Palestine, Middle East, Section, Students, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Voices
Tagged campus activism, divestment, Israel/Palestine, student protest, University of Illinois
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The Kingfisher is Flying to Illinois
In 2007 the UIUC Board of Trustees acknowledged the opposition of faculty, student organizations, and NCAA guidelines prohibiting the use of race-based mascots in intercollegiate athletics, and voted to eliminate “Chief Illiniwek” as the campus mascot. Tired of waiting for … Continue reading
1,910 total views, 2 views today
Posted in Section, Students, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Voices
Tagged campus activism, mascot, UIUC
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Academic Freedom Cases at the U of I, Part 2
In the October/November issue of the Public i, I discussed two cases in which the University faced pressure to dismiss professors because of their speech or extramural writing. These cases go back to the 1960s but have recently been resurrected … Continue reading
1,091 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Academic freedom, Censorship, Free Speech, Israel/Palestine, Public Universities, Section, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tagged academic freedom, censorship, free speech, University of Illinois history
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GEO at UIUC 10 Months into Contract Negotiations
As I write this, the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) Local 6300 is 10 months into the contract negotiating process with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign administration. So far there have been 19 bargaining sessions. The GEO presented its proposal … Continue reading
1,459 total views, 1 views today
Posted in labor, Labor/Economics, Section, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tagged Campus organizing, GEO, graduate students, Labor, UIUC, unions
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Two Academic Freedom Cases at the U of I Revisited
Late last year, the University of Illinois Press published Dangerous Ideas on Campus by Matthew Ehrlich. It is an excellent book on two professors at the U of I, one of whom was fired, while the other was not. The … Continue reading
2,292 total views, 2 views today
Posted in Academic freedom, Censorship, Free Speech, Public Universities, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tagged academic freedom, free speech, University of Illinois history
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I Love My Job, But . . .
The University of Illinois is part of the US land-grant university system. Each state has a land-grant university that operates a Cooperative Extension Service, which provides non-formal education to agricultural producers and communities in each county in Illinois. I work … Continue reading
1,614 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Labor, Labor/Economics, Section, social services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tagged Labor, UIUC
Comments Off on I Love My Job, But . . .
The U of I’s Micro-Modular Reactor Should Be in Another Location
The University of Illinois wants to install a test nuclear reactor (“micro-modular reactor”) at the Abbott Power Plant on the UIUC campus. It has submitted a letter of intent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) advising that it intends to … Continue reading
1,255 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Nuclear Power, Section, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tagged nuclear power, UIUC
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How the Campus Becomes the Border
In August, 2020, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) opted for a hybrid in-person/online semester. The decision to partially reopen was made possible by the innovative SHIELD: Target, Test, Tell initiative. A crucial part of this program was … Continue reading
2,214 total views, 2 views today
Posted in COVID-19, Immigrants, Students, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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The University and its Workers during the Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has affected universities all over the country and the world. Different institutions have chosen different approaches, from keeping all courses online and discouraging students from returning (Smith College, Harvard University, etc.) to a full opening of residential … Continue reading
Posted in COVID pandemic, health, Labor, Labor/Economics, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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COVID-19: Local Responses and Lessons for the Future
The Public i asked Professor Weissman, in light of his involvement with helping doctors with statistics, for his thoughts on the local response to COVID-19 and any lessons learned from it for the future. First, I think it’s more important … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, pandemic, Public Health, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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The Decline of African Languages at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois used to be one of the best universities for learning African languages. Emeritus professor of Linguistics Eyamba Bokamba would always say, “here in Illinois we offer African languages from A to Z, Arabic to Zulu.” Unfortunately, … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, African Americans, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Disruptive Shift Changes for UIUC Custodial Staff
Jenni Walkup is a public anthropology MA student at American University who lives in Champaign. She works in education and writes about movements and social change. She’s very good at Bananagrams. In August, 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, labor, Labor/Economics, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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SEIU Statement Regarding the Changes in the Building Services Department at UIUC
The University decided in mid-spring that it would reopen for the 2020 fall semester, a decision that would require drastic, “emergency” changes in our department and to the working conditions of SEIU members. Management didn’t notify union leadership until July … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, labor, Labor/Economics, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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