Executive BoardCurrent 2023-2024 E-Board Members
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President: Grace Easterly
What does the President do?
The President is responsible for overseeing organizing and the day-to-day administration and management of the local union, which consists of contract enforcement, interfacing with UConn’s Dept. of Labor Relations, the Graduate School, and other administrators and offices at the University, working with other union leaders on campus, collaborating with student, activist and community groups on matters affecting the membership, and more. The President is also the primary contact and representative to UAW Region 9A, and is expected to attend monthly Presidents’ meetings. The President is also responsible for the supervision of all staff, and is empowered to delegate whatever authority is necessary for efficient operation of the local. About Grace
Hi! My name is Grace Easterly and I’m the union president this year. To me, a union is about building community and unleashing the power we have together as workers to make change in our workplace. Poor working conditions can sometimes be normalized for grad students and postdocs, but having a union means that no one ever needs to feel alone or powerless and that we can fight together for the rights we deserve as important workers in the UConn community. To that end, as president I’m so excited to build up our organizing power across all UConn departments, enhance our solidarity efforts with unions in our state and across the country, and work closely with our members to make sure they know their rights and options in difficult situations. We are ALL the union!!! I started organizing with the union my first year as a PhD student because I was so inspired to see what a difference a union could make for us as Grad Assistants and postdocs at UConn. Since then, I’ve been a steward and then staff organizer and am excited to take on the role of president. When I’m not organizing with the union, I’m a PhD student in the History department and mom to orange cat Murphy. |
Vice President: Marie Nour Nakhle
What does the Vice President do?
The VP has the next highest responsibility and time commitment after the president. This position is 10-20hrs of paid work. The VP “assists” the President in their duties, frequently fulfilling similar functions––organizing, timely communication, working with members and the university, representing members and the union in the grievance process, and representing the union at regional events. The Vice President is the acting President in the President’s absence. If the President resigns, the Vice President automatically becomes president and remains so until the next scheduled election or upon their resignation. About Marie Nour
Hello! My name is Marie Nour, and I'm a third-year M.A./Ph.D. student in the English department. I'm an international student coming from Lebanon, a tiny country in the Middle East, on the Mediterranean coast. My research interests are somewhere along the intersection of philosophy and literature; I study Romanticism, the Imagination, Existentialism, and Nihilism. I first became involved with the union as a staff organizer in the Fall of 2022. I am a firm believer in labor unions, worker rights, and community solidarity (with extreme passion sometimes), so when I knew the union was hiring a staff organizer, I went for it, and in Spring of 2023, I ran for and was voted in as Vice President. It has been a wonderful journey--with its ups and downs, of course. My favorite part is being able to help GAs navigate their time at UConn and just meet people from different departments and backgrounds. Working for the union has definitely been fulfilling on multiple levels. |
Financial Secretary: Luis Prieto
What does the Financial Secretary do?
The Financial Secretary also has a high time and responsibility commitment, and comes with a 10 hour GAship. Broadly, it is the Financial Secretary’s job to handle the union’s finances – cutting checks, generating vouchers, paying bills, and keeping records. This position carries a lot of responsibility, because the appropriate handling of union finances carries legal weight for the local union. About Luis
¡Hola! I'm Luis, I'm an MA student and Teaching Assistant in the Literatures, Cultures, and Languages Department (Spanish section). I've been a Union member for over a year. I joined primarily because I recognize the important role played by the Union to ensure workers' rights for graduate employees and postdocs. Having a grass-roots organization among graduate and postdoc student-workers is key to protecting our rights and negotiating better conditions. The Union facilitates this type of organization, transparently and democratically. As a financial secretary, I keep track of our monthly financial records for auditing and transparency purposes. I'm here to help the Union staff and members in their bargaining and organizing operations, so we ensure and demand fair treatment for all graduate employees and postdocs. |
Recording Secretary: Nila Mandal
What does the Recording Secretary do?
The Recording Secretary is responsible for keeping detailed records of official union proceedings, specifically e-board and membership meetings. They take minutes at all Membership Meetings and E-board Meetings. At membership meetings, they also read the minutes from the most recent E-board meeting to the membership. About Nila
My name is Nila and I am the interim Recording Secretary for Summer 2023. I maintain detailed notes on Union meetings so that we can stay organized and on top of all the work we need to do to care for our GA community! I was inspired to get involved in the union because I am a strong believer in the value of mutual aid and strong community bonds, and I believe unions are a powerful avenue for both these things. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you want to chat about getting more involved too! |
Chair of Trustees: Louvins Pierre
What does the Chair of Trustees do?
The e-board has three Trustee positions, and they oversee the functioning of the Union’s finances. This is done primarily through three audits of inventory and financial records each year. About Louvins
Louvins is the Chair of Trustees. In this role, Louvins, along with two other trustees, oversees the semi-annual audit of union finance related documentation for all expenses and income. These audits are critical to making sure all union related income and expenditures are used properly. Since Louvins arrived at UConn in 2018, he was amazed and stunned by the benefits GAs earned through their contract. These benefits made Louvins feel like a valuable member of the UConn community and ultimately led him to volunteer to keep and expand these benefits as an executive board member. |
Trustee: Marcus Harris
What does the Trustee do?
The e-board has three Trustee positions, and they oversee the functioning of the Union’s finances. This is done primarily through three audits of inventory and financial records each year. About Marcus
Hello, I'm Marcus Harris, a second-year PhD student in the University of Connecticut's Research Methods, Measurement, and Evaluation program. Since the first General Membership Meeting (GMM) I attended in the fall of my first year, I have been present and active in the union. It really is a great place to meet other passionate graduate students to collectively fight for worker rights and benefits. I recommend all graduate students join the union! I am also a part of the organizing committee where we strategize on how to recruit and educate graduate students about the benefits of being a part of the union. I also helped start the union’s first Research Committee. Our goal is to leverage union and UConn data along with other systematic means of collecting data to inform the union in its decision-making activities. In my role as interim-trustee I ensure that all expenses and incomes are reported and that Union finances are used appropriately through 3 audits a year. I am also a member of the Executive board and vote on such matters that related to the function of the union. |
Trustee: Nadib Akram
What does the Trustee do?
The e-board has three Trustee positions, and they oversee the functioning of the Union’s finances. This is done primarily through three audits of inventory and financial records each year. About Nadib
I joined Aindow research group in UConn as a PhD student in Spring 2021. Currently I am a third year PhD student in materials science and engineering program. I completed my BSc in materials and metallurgical engineering and MS in materials science at Missouri State University (MSU). When I was in MSU, I was not aware of any union for graduate students. I still have no idea of how the salaries are determined for graduate assistants in MSU. Perhaps being mostly an undergrad focused university and consequently, having a very small number of graduate students is a factor in having weak organization there. As a result, the health insurance benefits for the graduate students were subpar and did not cover enough of your medical cost. The insurance premium per semester was also very high. There was a dramatic change in my health insurance benefits when I came to UConn. The cost for the premium has more than halved and the coverage is quite exceptional. No wonder that such benefit was achieved due to the existence of a strong union. Because I am able to compare the gap in the facilities enjoyed by GA’s in different universities, I fully realized the importance of a strong voice of a union. I felt the need to contribute to this strong voice so that these facilities that we enjoy here are maintained and made even better. |
Guide: Elias Oakes
What does the Guide do?
The Guide is responsible for helping to maintain order at membership meetings, including ensuring the meetings follow proper procedure. The Guide is also responsible for our bi-annual apportionment, which is when the membership rosters are analyzed to ensure each district has the appropriate number of stewards, based on size. About Elias
I'm a PhD student in Physics, studying star formation and space gas. Like gravity holding together a cloud of tiny gas particles against turbulence and pressure, the solidarity of grad workers and the GEPU is what makes UConn shine! (Okay, convoluted metaphor... there's a reason I'm not doing English) In the Union, I'm your Guide - that means I coordinate the stewards who talk directly with members to check in, offer support, and organize our base. You might have met a steward on one of our regular walk-throughs of every department! Becoming a steward is a great, low-stakes way to build solidarity with other GAs and postdocs and support our fight for a strong contract. |
Sergeant-at-Arms: Eric Berg
What does the Sergeant-at-Arms do?
The Sergeant-At-Arms also helps maintain order at membership meetings, by ensuring everyone there is a member, introducing new members to the e-board and existing members, and assisting the president in the running of the meeting. About Eric
My name is Eric and I am going into my 5th year as a Ph.D. candidate in the Philosophy Department. My research uses various philosophical approaches to help describe the processes involved with online radicalization, conspiracism, and extremism with a special focus on how propaganda has adapted to online environments and communicative norms. I also have interests in the philosophy and aesthetics of punk-rock and related sub-cultures, and the history and theory of radical political ideologies – especially anarchism and labor movements. As the Sergeant-at-Arms I attend all the general membership meetings to make sure everyone present is a member, vote during the executive board meetings, and fill in where needed organizing union activities. Before taking up this position I was a Steward in the union, bringing that grass-roots orientation with me to the e-board. When not studying online fascism and conspiracy theories, I can be found cruising on my skateboard, engaged in conversations about Norse Paganism, or playing too many video games. |
GA Unit Representative: Asmita Aassaavari
What does the GA Unit Representative do?
The GA unit rep functions as an e-board member-at-large, representing the best interests and needs of the GA unit. The GA representative is elected by members of the GA unit. About Asmita
My name is Asmita Aasaavari and I am a PhD candidate in the Sociology Department at UConn. My research is on feminist gerontology, social inequalities, and care work. I have been a Graduate Unit Representative and a member of the GEU Executive Board since 2021. I am responsible for attending general membership meetings, participating in decision-making, voting during the executive board meetings, helping with new member orientation, internal member mobilization, and assisting the union in achieving its overall mission. As a member of the organizing and social justice committees, I have been involved in serving the interests and concerns of the membership, especially those who are from historically marginalized groups. I have advocated for the rights and concerns of international students and highlighted the complexities and difficulties related to immigration status that affect them as both students and workers. I believe that to build a participatory labor union and fight for a strong contract, we need to ensure transparency, accountability, and democratic consensus-building. I am a firm believer in forging solidarity across union lines; developing labor-community alliances; and promoting the organizing of immigrant and unorganized workers, especially those who are lowest paid and in a precarious position. |