Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if we could go on this site and see if our departments have stewards or not? And then click on “make me the steward”? And then click on “wait a minute, what should I do first as the steward?”
Keith Taylor and the rest of the new Comm(unications) Comm(ittee) are working on this for the fall. There will also be a main blog and department blogs, the ability to update your own profile information, and resources for how to talk to people about the GEO. Very cool… stay tuned for updates.

At the AGEL conference, the GEO received one of only three existing binders detailing the secrets of the University of Michigan GEO in their successful fight to secure a fair contract this year. The binder begins with a timeline that breaks down activities from the months prior to settlement, and a list of key points, including the advice that “bargaining can be, and often is, fetishized.”
A flyer entitled “GEO Does the Math: Monthly compounding shortfall in Graduate Employee living expenses based on the University’s own Office of Financial Aid” hits close to home. It presents a graph of debt that a student working at the minimum stipend would be forced to take on in the course of a year: the figures end the academic year only $800 in the red, but by the end of the summer, this shortfall has reached $4400.
As we organize around a living wage this year, these successful communication and action strategies can help us shape our message to the University. Tips for Platform Development, Actions, Bargaining, Member Communications, and Solidarity are organized by topic within the binder.
It’s is available in the GEO office- stop by and have a look anytime.