Meet your union representatives!
Sloan Oakrest – President
VP of communications, Sloan Oakrest (they/them) is a third year Ph.D. student in Chemistry. They are focusing on the development of solar fuel to replace fossil fuels and mitigate climate change. Sloan is a parent of a young child and is very passionate about fighting for the equitable, healthy future that they know humanity is capable of. They feel the responsibility of being an activist in all aspects and are honored to be a part of the fight for the liberation of all peoples and the planet. They have a partner and two dogs and was a muralist in their KY hometown before they went back to school for chemistry. Reach them at president@pdxgeu.org
What does the President do for GEU?
While the President does not have any specific duties, they are the head and face of GEU both internally and externally and can shape their involvement to suit their interests. The president presides over GEU meetings, and coordinates with the VP of Communications to report major executive board decisions and the status of the union to membership. They are a default member of all GEU committees and co-signatory with treasurer on all investments and accounts controlled by GEU. The President acts as the first point of contact for internal review of board members, and provides backup support for grievance processes and proceedings.
The President acts as the official GEU representative at university and community events. In the case of an emergency, the president has the authority to act on behalf of the GEU. For more information about the President, check out this quick reference!
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org
Kieran Gallagher – Treasurer
Kieran Gallagher (they/them) is a graduate assistant in the chemistry department, studying art conservation science. Kieran became interested in Graduate Union efforts by going to organizing meetings and making fliers for events. This next year, Kieran is making sure our Union stays financially stable, as well as allocating our funds to best support you! Outside of PSU, Kieran loves to sew, run, and picnic with friends 🙂
What does the Treasurer do for GEU?
The Treasurer oversees management of all financial aspects of the GEU. The treasurer serves as co-signatory on our bank account with the President, and keep our financial records secure, accurate, and up-to-date. The Treasurer creates and maintains quarterly budgets and keeps the Executive Board informed of our financial information. The Treasurer creates and maintains a Treasury Committee to ensure all auto-payments and invoices are paid and are they are responsible for receipt and disbursement of all GEU funds and tracking of purchases and reimbursements, including the tracking and management of member dues and the payment of per capita dues to affiliates and coordinating the pooling of GEU funds for other forms of payment or donation. For more information about the Treasurer, check out this quick reference!
Interested in joining the Treasury Committee? Reach out to treasurer@pdxgeu.org
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org
Doug Van Anda – Vice President for Social Engagement
Doug (they/he) is a GTA in the Psychology Department
Being in a union should be standard and the default. I joined the GEU to help turn our culture towards one of care, liberation, and confrontation with power. The GEU is a unique form of union, we know that each of us has a limited time in it. We can understand the GEU as an incubator for future rebellious action; what can we do during our time at PSU that improves the lives of those that come after us? And, when we advocate for ourselves, what lessons can we each learn and internalize as we continue our lives as workers outside of this university?
I’ve always been a party planner: with my friends and in time as an activist with LSPPDX, mutual aid groups, and volunteer organizations throughout my life. I’ve always focused on bringing our human experience into the necessary work. I enjoy turning meetings into potlucks, organizing into supportive spaces, and administration into opportunities for understanding. I’m people centered and emotion oriented and I hope that we can turn our GMM’s, union activities, and organizing meetings into spaces of reprieve from the fight with the administration, reminding ourselves why we deserve the respect that we’re demanding.
What does the Vice President for Social Engagement do for GEU?
The VP of Social Engagement is in charge of scheduling and planning GEU’s social meet-ups, meetings, and our General Membership Meetings once a term to bolster union culture and engagement. For more information about the VP of Social Engagement check out this quick reference!
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org
Seth Moriarty – Vice President of Operations
Hello! My name is Seth Moriarty (they/them) I’m currently a Masters student in the Physics department, and a GTA.
I joined the GEU because I think it’s important that we work together to be paid fairly for our labor, and that currently we are barely paid enough to survive. I think fostering a strong and mutually helpful community amongst ourselves as graduate employees is crucial. I’ve been sitting in on our union’s bargaining sessions with the university and it has been frustrating and also motivating to see how dismissive they are of the struggles of their own student workers. I want to do what I can to make our union as strong as it can be.
So far during my time in the union I have seen some confusion surrounding the accuracy of our current lists of graduate employees. It seems that keeping up correct lists of incoming, current, and graduated students in each department is difficult due to inconsistent communication from the college. I for one really like when things are neat and tidy and organized. I would love to work on establishing more regular communication standards with the department graduate heads about incoming/outgoing students, and make sure our lists are up to date and tidy throughout the upcoming school year!
What does the Vice President of Operations do for GEU?
The VP of Operations is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the GEU. The VP of Operations keeps minutes at meetings or arranges for another attendee to do so. They issue notices and handle correspondence at the direction of the President, keep accurate membership records, and are custodian of the GEU seal, charter, and constitution and bylaws. The VP of Operations ensures that internal GEU paperwork and membership rolls are up-to-date, and assemble the Voting Committee yearly. For more information about the VP of Operations, check out this quick reference!
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org
Joe Ewers – Vice President of Organizing
My name is Joe Ewers (he/him) and I am a 3rd year Chemistry PhD student studying photochemistry and electrochemistry in the McCormick lab. I originally joined the union as a rank in file member, but was encouraged by other members to take on a leadership role. I am happy to have taken the position of VP of Organizing because I believe the GEU is integral to ensuring equity for the grad students at PSU. My goals for this year are to get health insurance provided by PSU and increase the financial compensation for all GTAs to an amount that is comparable to the rest of the Oregon research institutions. Outside of school and work I enjoy being active in the PNW wilderness, playing soccer, and hanging out with my cats.
What does the Vice President of Organizing do for the GEU?
The Vice President of Organizing supports our Stewards and organizing efforts for the GEU. The VP of Organizing creates and maintains an Organizing Committee in order to plan organizing actions and events, and maintains and trains a strong community of Stewards. For more information about the VP of Organizing, check out this quick reference!
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org
Mehil Agarwal – Vice President for Collective Bargaining
Mehil Agarwal (he/him) – I am a PhD student in the Computer Science department with a focus on Quantum Computing and Complexity Theory. I started working with GEU to improve pay and health-care for graduate students proportional to the contribution they bring to the University. I love making origami and have made 2k+ paper cranes.
What does the Vice president for Collective Bargaining do for the GEU?
The Vice President for Collective Bargaining is responsible for leading the bargaining process and serving as Chair of the Bargaining Team and delegate or chair the Labor Management Committee. As part of bargaining they oversee and coordinate the monitoring, investigation, and research on relevant issues for bargaining sessions. The VP for Collective Bargaining works with partners and affiliates to support bargaining as needed, including cooperation with AFT and other union affiliates. They are the liaison between the Bargaining Team and the Executive Board, and they coordinate and facilitate updates to the general membership on bargaining proceedings. For more information about the VP of Collective Bargaining, check out this quick reference!
Want to join the bargaining team or have an ideas or questions about our next Collective Bargaining Agreement? Contact bargaining@pdxgeu.org
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org
Rachael Mayhew, Courtney Murphy, Sarah Abdo – Co-Vice Presidents for Communciations
Rachael Mayhew, Courtney Murphy, and Sarah Abdo are graduate research assistants in the Chemistry department.We joined the union because we want things to be better for us and for the future students here at PSU. We deserve better from our school and organized work like this is the way that we can get there. As labmates, we took up the VP of communications role together to help split the workload. Together, we want to improve communications about what happens behind the scenes to both GEU members and members of the public. As future educators, teaching has always been something that we enjoy, especially trying to find the most effective and clear way to help someone understand a topic.
What does the Vice president of Communications do for the GEU?
The VP of Communications oversees all internal communications including the newsletter and social media. The VP of Communications coordinates and approves official external communications such as press releases, media statements, and official reactions/statements to ensure that they are consistent with GEU messaging and comply with GEU communication policies/priorities. The VP of Communications is the creates and chairs the Communications Committee. They serve as the “voice” of GEU, acting as the official spokesperson and the main contact for official communications. This position is vital to ensuring open and thorough communication between rank and file and the executive board. For more information about the VP of Communications, check out this quick reference!
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org
Dalton Martin (he/him) – Grievance Officer
Dalton Martin (he/him) is a graduate teaching assistant in the social work department, studying how natural disasters impact psychological resilience and social mobility in children and families. Well, hopefully, he is only a first-year doctoral student. He has to get through some course work first! This ambitious transplant from Colorado joined the union because social work as a discipline has connections with union work. Plus, while he lived in NYC for six years, working as a hospital social worker, he was part of one, and was he ever appreciative for his union! When not studying, teaching, or doing union work, Dalton is exploring his new city, finding out Portland is not short of amazing food, as well as being outside running on the trails in the mountains.
What does the Grievance officer do for the GEU?
The Grievance Officer creates and oversees the Grievance Committee in order to ensure a safe, confidential, and accessible grievance process. They oversee all grievances and maintain an understanding of our current contract in order to ensure that proper steps are taken to resolve issues of breach of contract or unfair labor practices from PSU. The Grievance Officer is a vital part of GEU’s fight to support our membership and see that your rights are respected. For more information about the Grievance Officer, check out this quick reference!
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org
Shane Drew – Vice President of Politics
What does the Vice President of Politics do for GEU?
The Vice President of Politics monitors political developments relevant to the GEU, and engages and encourages member engagement in political action. The VP of Politics serves as the GEU delegate for local political matters and is the point of contact for local, state, and national endorsement requests and leads the endorsement process.
The VP of Politics serves as Chair the Political Action Committee and coordinates the Committee’s monitoring and research of local, state, and federal-level political and legal developments relevant to GEU, higher education, and labor rights in general. For more information about the VP of Politics, check out this quick reference!
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org
Emily Otte – Vice President of External Relations
Emily Otte (she/her) I am a first year masters student in the physics department. I joined GEU because worker power is a requirement to live a life with dignity. As VP of External Relations I plan to deepen our solidarity with the Student Workers Union here at PSU, the graduate workers unions at PCC and OHSU, and our parent organizations. I believe that whether it’s between workers in the same union, or unions in the same field, we depend on each other to defend our rights together.
What does the Vice President for External Relations do for the GEU?
The VP of External Relations creates and chairs the External Relations (Solidarity) Committee and coordinates with other local unions, including PSU-AAUP, PSUFA, SEIU, GTFF, and CGE. They coordinate with the President to foster correspondence between the GEU and its affiliate organizations or other external organizations (not including the University or its agents). They coordinate with the VP of Organizing to support other graduate employee unions around the country, and they assist the VP of Politics in establishing and maintaining contact with external political organizations. For more information about the VP of External Relations, check out this quick reference!
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role for next year, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org
Gatlin Newhouse – Vice President of Membership
Gatlin Newhouse (he/him). I am a Computer Science PhD working on mesh radio networking. My goals as VP of Membership are to increase involvement in the union and coordinate more with our affiliated unions. I love to play board games, Magic the Gathering, and work on pottery.
What does the Vice President of Membership do for GEU?
The Vice President of Membership manages all aspects of new membership. They work closely with the VP of Organizing to coordinate outreach to potential members, organize attendance at PSU orientations, and generally encourage membership signups from the wider graduate employee bargaining unit. The VP of Membership supports the VP of Organizing in training and maintaining Steward relationships. For more information about the VP of Membership, check out this quick reference!
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org
Omotola Oladapo – Vice President of Equity & Inclusion
Omatola Oladapo (she/her). I am a PhD student studying Public Affairs and Policy and a Graduate Administrative Assistant at the Hatfield School of Government. I love nature and take pictures at every given chance, the beach is my happy place!
I joined the GEU to understand how graduate assistants are supported and what the union stands for. My goal is to ensure fair representation for graduate student workers and, most importantly, to encourage more international graduate student workers to participate and advocate for themselves.
With my background and course of study, I will bring expertise in advocacy, policy analysis, community engagement, and outreach to raise awareness of what the GEU is and what it stands for. By doing so, we can bring more graduate student workers into the union and empower them to lend their voices to the issues that matter most.
Wat does the Vice President of Equity and Inclusion do for GEU?
The Vice President of Equity and Inclusion coordinates financial support for GEU members in need, oversees hiring of paid GEU support, and creates and oversees the Equity and Inclusion Committee. They research, create, and implement programs and projects to expand our equity and inclusion practices. For more information about the VP of Equity and Inclusion, check out this quick reference!
To nominate someone or yourself for this board role, ask questions or learn more contact info@pdxgeu.org