GEU StaffCurrent 2023-2024 Staff Employees
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President: Grace Easterly
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
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. |
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Financial Secretary: Luis Prieto
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. |
Organizing Coordinator: Urvi Kaul
About Urvi
I'm one of the new Organizing Coordinators of the Union, this role includes focusing on organizing events that are meant to recruit and educate graduate and postdoc employees here at UConn. I'm excited to be working with GAs, and other unions on campus to help facilitate a better workplace for us all. |
Organizing Coordinator: Alex Kueny
About Alex
I am a first-year History PhD student and I'm thrilled to be an Organizing Coordinator for the GEU here at UConn. I was inspired to take on this position because I believe in the strength and resiliency of organized workplaces. I look forward to meeting as many GA's and postdocs as I can from all departments. Let's work together to make our union strong and our campus an incredible place to work and learn! |
Staff Organizer: Asadul Tanvir
About Asad
Hi, I'm Asad, a PhD student in the Civil & Environmental Engineering department. My research primarily revolves around travel behavior modeling, optimizing public transit systems, and transportation network analysis. My introduction to GEU traces back to my early PhD days at UCONN. There was a huge student rally held campus-wide in response to state legislature's proposal to make substantial budget cuts to UConn's funding over two years. This budget cut could lead to various harmful consequences including closed campuses, higher tuition and fees etc. GEU took the lead on that protest and eventually succeeded in preventing the budget cuts. Since then I always wanted to be a part of the Union, and make a contribution to the enhancement of graduate workers' quality of life at UCONN. This fall, I have started working as a staff organizer at GEU. In this role, I will be assisting in organizing and coordinating events, engaging with members, supporting the elected officers, helping with grievance cases, and carrying out other day-to-day tasks as required. I'm truly thrilled to have become a part of this wonderful group of people! |
Communications Coordinator: Sage Montana
About Sage
Hi! My name is Sage Montana, and I am pursuing my PhD in chemistry. My research is in the polymer division with an emphasis on double-network hydrogels. I was raised in Colorado and recently graduated from the University of Wyoming with a bachelor of science in chemistry and a bachelor of science in communication with a minor in writing. Having chosen to continue my chemistry education, I am excited to work in the realm of my other degree at the union as the communication coordinator. Outside of school, I enjoy reading, crocheting, and spending time with my friends. |
Operations Coordinator: Darlis Juvino
About Darlis
I'm Darlis, a third year graduate student in Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) specializing in Diversity and Culture. I'm broadly interested in parental ethnotheories, multicultural/multiracial socialization and identity, in addition to cultural adaptations of family interventions. In the summer of 2023, I joined the GEU staff. In this role my responsibilities are to support our union with administration and organizing activities. Beyond graduate and union work, I enjoy traveling especially to visit friends and family. |