This February, six of our chapter members stepped up and completed the Organize Every Campus: Skills to Win training, hosted by national AAUP and AFT. Over six sessions, we built practical skills in recruitment, organizing, and mobilization.
Because of their effort, our chapter may qualify for a 10% dues rebate. This money could be used for food, shirts, buttons, and other resources for local organizing.
The Skills to Win program is part of AAUP’s broader Organize Every Campus campaign launched this year. As national AAUP put it:
As we’ve seen increasing attacks against our right to teach, research, and advocate for higher education as a public good, we also know what we have to do in response: organize with even greater purpose.
The training focused on practical tools for building a chapter that can win: finding natural leaders, holding organizing conversations, mapping out the campus, and taking simple, effective actions to build momentum. Most of all, it emphasized that organizing person to person is how we win.
We’re proud of the six members who gave their time and energy to strengthen our chapter. Here’s what they had to say:
I am grateful to AAUP … for the tools they shared for engaging all campus members with openness and concrete action. One major takeaway for me was: Organizing expands the universe of potential members… and every person’s perspective is vital—not just for union work, but for basic academic operations too.
— Audrey Cooper
Your silence won’t save you.
— Chris Heuer
The most important message … was learning how to use the right words to make non-members feel welcome … It’s key for creating an inviting atmosphere.
— Ricky Cornish
I learned so much … The biggest takeaway? You, me, and our colleagues ARE AAUP. Our success depends on all of us stepping up together.
— Dani Hunt, Chapter Vice President
You can’t fight alone, but when you and your colleagues … act as a community, you create a united front far stronger than any individual voice.
— Marina Dzougoutov
The skills they gained are now part of our chapter, ready to be put to work to defend higher education and to shape a stronger and better Gallaudet that serves our students.
Gallaudet AAUP 