It has been another challenging year and, like many of you, I’m looking forward to the sunshine and more relaxed pace of summer work. The longer days give us time for recreation and reconnecting with family and friends.
I am happy to announce two summer-time events for UAOSU members to connect and strengthen the bonds of our growing community. We will have more details about each of these events coming soon, so be on the lookout for more info to come.
First, nothing says summer like baseball! We are currently working with the Corvallis Knights to schedule a UAOSU night in July or August. Stay tuned for more info.
Second, after a two year hiatus, I’m excited to announce the return of our annual UAOSU picnic! No summer would be complete without a BBQ, and to kick off the new academic year in September, we are throwing one at the Thompson Shelter in Avery Park on Sunday September 11th. We’ll have more details for both events in the coming weeks but for now be sure to save the dates for these upcoming community events. If you’re interested in joining the planning committee for our solidarity events, please reach out to us at info@uaosu.org. I hope to see you at one or both events!
I’d also like to take a moment to remind you of an upcoming change to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. If you have educational debt, you are not alone, and the Biden administration has created a limited Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) waiver to help more educators like yourself qualify. The waiver will be available until October 31, 2022.
This came about as a direct result of a lawsuit brought against Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education by one of our parent unions, the American Federation of Teachers. Because you are a UAOSU member, you can get free help signing up for PSLF through Summer, one of your AFT member benefits.
Whether you are resting, working, or a mix of both this summer, I hope you follow the advice typically shared in high school yearbooks: stay cool, and have a great summer!
In solidarity,
Steve Shay, UAOSU Organizing & Membership Chair