News

The University of Maine System on Feb. 20 announced appointment of the Human Resources administrator who will concentrate on equal opportunity and Title IX programs. Sarah E. Harebo now serves as director of equal opportunity for both the System office and the University of Maine.

Here is part of the news release from Mark Schmelz, interim chief Human Resources officer for the System:

“… In her new capacity as Director of Equal Opportunity for the System, [Harebo] provides leadership and management in administering UMS Equal Employment Opportunity (EOO) and Title IX programs while working to

Michele Cheung, longtime PATFA member and grievance officer, just returned from the April 11-13 American Federation of Teachers’ higher education conference in Baltimore. Here are her observations:

I attended the AFT's national conference on higher education to learn how our union affiliation can serve adjuncts’ needs here in Maine. Briefly, the wider view of where our activism sits compared to other units in which adjuncts participate across the nation is less than optimal. The academic unions that fare best have the power of acting as one: they embrace full and part-time faculty, academic

Every person who teaches part-time in the University of Maine System is on a "service list" that helps keep track of seniority and rank. The System is required to compile the lists once a year, but the 2013 list disappeared from the UMS website a few months ago after it underwent a redesign.

As of March 27, 2014, the 2013 service lists are back, published by university. Check them out at:

http://www.maine.edu/about-the-system/system-office/human-resources/labor-relations/

The Part­-time Faculty Association of Maine (PATFA) is a Local of the American Federation of Teachers, which is planning its every­-two­-years Convention for July 20­14 in Los Angeles. AFT rules and federal law require PATFA to give its members reasonable opportunity to be nominated as delegates.

As Local 4593, PATFA is entitled to three delegates. It is not necessary for PATFA to nominate or elect delegates. But each member “shall be given notice of the right to make nominations, either individually or through a notice placed in the local publication or on work bulletin boards,” according to

Members of the Part­-time Faculty Association of Maine (PATFA) voted overwhelmingly to change the way the PATFA constitution can be amended. Using secret ballot, members voted 72­-14 in favor of the proposed change.

Essentially, the change allows a majority vote of those members present at the Annual Meeting to adopt changes to the PATFA constitution. Under existing language, such changes had to be made via secret ballot and snail mail.

The PATFA constitution now reads:

“Article XV, Section 1. This constitution may be amended as follows:

a) Proposed amendment is submitted to the Executive Council

The University of Maine at Augusta, which has campuses in Augusta and Bangor and controls the nine University College sites around the state, has clarified its reimbursement policies for courses taught via videoconferencing.

UMA uses a brand of videoconferencing called Polycom. In such courses, a teacher in, say, Augusta can see and hear students in various other classrooms around the state. Under UMA’s revised policy, all courses offered through videoconference must include a minimum of four sites.

UMA adjuncts are eligible for reimbursement when they travel to the various sites where students

May 10, 2013

Contact: Michael Burke, mdburke@maine.edu

AUGUSTA – The union that represents nearly 1,900 part-time faculty members in the University of Maine System is marking its 25th anniversary this May.

The Part-time Faculty Association (PATFA) was founded on May 1, 1988. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, wrote in a congratulatory letter to the association that “Your strength and perseverance over the past 25 years are a source of great pride and inspiration to all of us.”

Efforts by part-time faculty to achieve recognition as a bargaining unit by the