As the Fall Semester draws to a close, so does the first semester of the IFO grassroots organizing campaign. The first of many.

A few highlights:

The basic IFO grassroots organizing infrastructure is in place. This includes the IFO Statewide Action Committee, comprised of one member from each campus. The IFO Statewide Action Committee is one of the main opportunities for collaboration between the campuses on matters related to grassroots organizing. The first meeting took place in October and the group enthusiastically shared ideas and best practices regarding the formation of local grassroots organizing teams.

At least 27 IFO members have stepped up across the system to become Volunteer Faculty Organizers. These individuals meet with their colleagues to promote membership and engagement in the union. Six out of seven campuses have a full team of volunteer faculty organizers in place, and five out of seven local teams have completed a grassroots organizing training workshop. As such, five out of seven campuses are ready to complete a semester-long membership recruitment drive beginning in January, and others are likely to follow.

At the start of Spring Semester, teams will continue to solidify a long-term, sustainable grassroots organizing model across the seven state universities. There will be an opportunity to continue recruiting and training new Volunteer Faculty Organizers, however, the main objective is to complete a ten-week membership drive in order to recruit as many new members to the union as possible. The IFO has not officially conducted a membership drive before, so Spring Semester is an opportunity to welcome and include more new union members than ever before.

In order to support the achievement of a successful membership campaign, the Director of Organizing (that’s me!) will conduct a Spring Semester kickoff tour in January. I hope to see you on campus soon. In the meantime, have an enjoyable winter break.