Once Labor Day comes and goes, September brings to mind a return to school. All over Oregon families and students look forward to new challenges and the opportunity to learn more about our history, improve our local communities and make plans for our place in the wider global community. SEIU Local 503, OPEU members play a special part in education in Oregon and this is a good time for every member to take a moment to appreciate your work.

In this issue of President Joe's Journal, Higher Ed members get ready to welcome 81,000 university students to a new academic year and the University System celebrates a proud history stretching back more than 150 years. Members also send their picks for best films about labor issues.

In this issue: On the Job with Higher Ed    OUS: Older than Oregon   Labor Movie Favorites

On the Job with Higher Ed

On September 24, more than 3500 SEIU Local 503, OPEU represented workers on seven university campuses and off-site locations will be ready to begin a new academic year. As part of a larger community of more than 100,000 staff, faculty and students, Oregon University System (OUS) SEIU members work to maintain a safe quality environment where students can work to build a better future for themselves and every Oregonian. SEIU’s OUS members play a major role in the continued effort to build a world-class system of higher education for Oregonians.

Sophia Smolen is an Administrative Program Assistant with the Art Department at Southern Oregon University and has worked there for seven years. Sophia says, "Before fall term starts next week, I need to make sure classrooms are in order. I also work with students to help find classes that are still open. By now most classes have been filled and it's a challenge to find the classes students still need to fulfill their degree requirements. It's a busy time."

Merrill Frink has worked at Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) in Klamath Falls for over 20 years. As a Development Engineer, Merrill keeps technology assets at OIT up and running. He says the dedication last week of a brand new Oregon Center for Health Professions (OCHP) building marks a very exciting addition to OIT's education resources.

Merrill's been working with technology companies like GE and Toshiba to make sure everything is installed properly. Once the installation is complete, Merrill will maintain the x-ray, ultrasound, vascular ultrasound and other hi-tech medical tools. Students use this equipment as part of their coursework.

Every medical professional uses these tools to help make informed health decisions. Merrill says, "Historically OIT has a 93% placement rate for graduating students in x-ray technician programs. It's great to be part of such a success story. Next week we'll break ground for a second wing that will include MRI and CT as well as dental hygiene and nursing programs."

Melody Williamson has worked at Western Oregon University (WOU) for 21 years. Melody says, "During this time of year, we are all trying to do three things at the same time, but that's normal for the start of classes."

Melody is an Accounting Specialist who works directly with the food service manager and supervising cook. She says, "We have brand new cash registers this year and returning student cashiers need to be trained on the new equipment and also need to be trained in every aspect of their positions. This year for the first time we'll begin accepting VISA and MasterCard so that's a whole new system that is designed to help students. At the same time, I'm helping implement all the changes in our new Cashier Manual. It's always interesting because of the unpredictability of each new academic year."

Great job Sophia, Merrill, Melody and everyone at OUS. Your work makes our university system the pride of every Oregonian.

OUS: Older than Oregon

Today, Oregon University System (OUS) institutions of higher education enroll about 81,000 students. More than 16,000 degrees are awarded each year and students can select from hundreds of academic disciplines. OUS has one of the nation's most comprehensive ranges of scholarship, service and research excellence.

Oregon joined the Union of the United States of America as the 33rd state in February, 1859. However, many Oregonians may not know that our Oregon system of higher education began three years earlier when Monmouth College became the first chartered higher education campus in 1856. Now known as Western Oregon University, WOU in Monmouth has grown over the years and has become a nationally recognized leader in teacher preparation.

When federal funds became available in 1859, the Legislature established the first state-supported Oregon institution of higher education in Corvallis. Originally known as the “Agricultural College of Oregon,” Oregon State University (OSU) now boasts more than 200 undergraduate and 80 graduate degree programs that reach well beyond its historic base of agriculture. OSU also maintains an award-winning library, exceptional research facilities, internships and a number of study abroad opportunities.

The University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene was added in 1876 and its first class graduated two years later. Now a world-class teaching and research university, the UO offers a broad spectrum of liberal arts and professional programs in architecture, arts, business, education, journalism, law, music and dance. Students have easy access to the Willamette River right on campus and many UO students are known for the creative energy they bring to the struggle for political, social and economic change.

Three state "normal" schools were funded by the Legislature in 1882. Eastern Oregon University (EOU) is an educational, cultural and scholarly center located in the beautiful Blue Mountains in La Grande. This campus strives to connect rural regions of Oregon to the wider community with high quality liberal arts and professional programs. Southern Oregon University (SOU) is set in the foothills near the base of Mount Ashland right at the Oregon - California border and specializes in a strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum with 37 majors and more than 100 areas of study.

The smaller class sizes and individual attention from faculty means students "won't be a number at SOU." Western Oregon University (WOU) in the mid-Willamette Valley continues to emerge as a leading comprehensive public liberal arts institution. WOU is located in a very quiet valley setting and is committed to "changing lives, strengthening communities and transforming our world."

Oregon's population boomed after WW II with returning war veterans and emigrants from other parts of the country. With that boom came demands for greater access to public higher education. The former Vanport Extension Center in Portland and the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) in Klamath Falls were created in 1946 to address post-war higher education needs.

The Vanport Center grew quickly and eventually became Portland State University (PSU) in 1955. Today, PSU is the largest, the most diverse and the only urban university in Oregon. A major goal of PSU's mission is to build a strong metropolitan environment and draw on that strength with high quality research, teaching and outreach programs.

While not the largest of Oregon's universities, members at PSU play an important role in a major cultural and higher education anchor set at the south end of Portland's historic "Park Blocks." Oregon's new trolley route was designed to provide innovative alternate transit to this university in a city.

In 1959, the governance of OIT was also transferred to the higher education system. From the beginning, OIT has focused on a mission to deliver technology education statewide. OIT provides degree programs in engineering and health technologies, management, communications and applied sciences. It is the only public institute of technology in the Pacific Northwest.

The seven very diverse and high quality Oregon institutions of higher education contribute every day to a strong community. On every campus, opportunities are open to all Oregonians. On every campus, SEIU Local 503, OPEU members work to build a better life for our generation and for future generations. Thank you OUS!

Labor Movie Favorites

Last December, I asked everyone to pass along their favorite movies about labor, organizing or building community coalitions. Here are a few films members asked me to share with you:

Bread and Roses: Filmed in 2000, this movie tells the story of a janitors' strike in Los Angeles. Maya is an undocumented worker from Mexico. She finds her way to Los Angeles and the home of her older sister, Rosa. They both get jobs as janitors with a non-union janitorial service and have to contend with an abusive supervisor.

Union organizer Sam Shapiro brings a "justice for janitors" campaign to the building and the workers begin to organize. They try to build a campaign for public support while management works to intimidate them. Reviewer Roger Ebert praised the film for making the janitors' fight for justice visible to a wider audience. As Mr. Ebert said, "Will the union get its contract? Will Maya and Sam live happily ever after? Will the national minimum wage ever be a living wage? Will this movie change anything? Probably not...but when you come in tomorrow morning, someone will have emptied your wastebasket."

Roger and Me: Michael Moore's 1989 film about the closure of the General Motors plant at Flint, Michigan. Moore relentlessly pursued GM CEO Roger Smith to confront him about the harm he did to the community with his massive downsizing. Roger and Me won the 1989 New York Film Critics Award for best documentary.

The Molly McGuires: A gritty portrait of life in the Pennsylvania coal mines with an outstanding performance by Sean Connery. A secret group of Irish emigrant miners (the Molly McGuires) fight against cruel mining company bosses. When an Irish emigrant detective is hired to infiltrate the group, his loyalties are tested. This 1970 film was directed by Martin Ritt, who also directed another film about a classic labor struggle, Norma Rae.

Do you have a favorite movie about labor, organizing or building community coalitions? Let me know and I'll pass your recommendation along.