New IFO Logo!

We are excited to announce the IFO has a new logo! While our previous logo clearly showed that we are located in Minnesota, it didn’t tell audiences what distinguishes the important work of our members, who we are, or what we do. A subcommittee of the Board set out to develop an image that shows people that we are a union of educators as well as symbolizes the strengths and mission of our membership. After numerous revisions, we have adopted a new logo that portrays these important aspects of our organization.       

Our new logo is more than just a visual change; it reflects our commitment to the expansion of knowledge through solidarity. We believe the image better identifies our core mission, vision, and values.

Here are a few key elements of the new logo:

1. Open Book: The open book represents the sharing of knowledge. 

2. Raised Fist: The raised fist is a long-standing symbol of solidarity used by unions and the labor movement for over 100 years. The fist also has a long history as a symbol of defiance, solidarity, and fighting oppression.  The fist makes clear that our pursuit of equity will ensure that our collective voice is an inclusive voice.

3. Flame: The flame or torch are well-known symbols of knowledge and education and represent our commitment to the expansion of knowledge. 

4. Color Scheme: The color scheme is meant to be distinct from any of the MinnState universities, create some continuity with our old logo and materials, but also feel fresh and new. 

Our new logo will help us stand out among other Minnesota statewide organizations and clearly demonstrate who we are and what we do. It will be gradually integrated into all our communications, documents, and platforms in the coming weeks. FA Presidents will bring the first rounds of pins, stickers, and signs with the new logo to your campuses in the coming weeks! 

Your feedback and thoughts are essential to us, and we would love to hear your opinions on this exciting change. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to the IFO. 

If you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at advocacy@ifo.org. 

IFO Membership Ratifies 2023-2025 Contract

I am thrilled to announce that IFO members overwhelmingly voted to approve the 2023-2025 IFO/MinnState contract settlement. 98% of the votes cast were in favor of the settlement terms!

This is a historic contract settlement and we got a historic vote turnout to go with it! The previous contract ratification vote in 2021 was, at the time, the highest percentage of votes cast in recent memory of ratification elections (71%). This year we beat that record with 74% of members casting a ballot! Thank you to everyone who took the time to cast a vote.

Now that the IFO membership has accepted the tentative agreement, the MinnState Board of Trustees is expected to vote to agree to the settlement next week. At that point, our new contract will go into effect. 

In the past, you may remember that there were legislative steps that had to take place for our ratified contract to take effect, but those steps were eliminated in the most recent legislative session through the efforts of a coalition of public employee unions, including the IFO. 

Once again, thank your negotiators for their tireless work this summer and a special thank you to Pat Arseneault and Tiffany Maris for providing the staff support for the Negotiations Team. Thank you to each of you who voted! 

We're Thankful for Our Members

Happy Thanksgiving! On behalf of the IFO, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you. Our union consists of an incredibly committed and talented group of educators, coaches, and counselors. Our students are fortunate to have you as an educator, coach, counselor, library faculty, and/or all the other roles you play in their lives. I am constantly driven, humbled, and honored to do my best to lead this organization to advocate for your needs and interests. 

The past two years have presented unthinkable challenges. Your work during a time of consistent adversity is commendable. I know many have had to deal with both personal and professional struggles and an immense amount of stress. Please know how much the IFO staff, our leaders, and I care about each one of you and wish you and your family safety, health, and joy during this holiday season.

I have found an important article that was published by Indian Country Today outlining six common myths and the story from the perspective of the Wampanoag about the true history of Thanksgiving when 90 Wampanoag shared provisions with the Pilgrims in 1621. I encourage you to take a moment to read this and consider the modern and historical impacts of this Thanksgiving tradition on our indigenous community members. 

We look forward to talking with you all in the near future once campus presentations begin.

In solidarity, 

Brent Jeffers

IFO President

Welcome Back - Important COVID & IFO Updates

Welcome back, faculty. I am compelled to begin this message with some comments related to the events that transpired at the U.S. Capitol last week. At a time when our democracy was validating the Presidential election and we are preparing for a peaceful transfer of power, it was horrifying to observe sedition and the insurrection that followed. I am sure many of you have spent time this week helping our students understand the actions of these extremists and the profound impact they will have in defining our history. Our collective response as a society will also have a defining effect on our nation; violence can never be tolerated and as a union of university faculty we strongly condemn the images, motives, incitement, and conduct of the actions of January 6.

The IFO has made an unwavering commitment to equity and inclusion, promoting a high-quality liberal arts education, and developing our students into active and engaged members of society. Now more than ever, we need higher education to address the issues that divide us. The role of faculty and systems of higher education is essential in helping our country deal with the normalization of rampant misinformation, the need to continue to teach students critical thinking skills as they engage with current events and how to navigate complicated historical contexts, including how to engage our national history of structural racism and white supremacy has never been more urgent. We are uniquely positioned and qualified to find the strategies to move our communities forward.

Faculty have worked harder than ever in the face of compounding tragedies and challenges. We understand this has taken a toll and have worked hard to address the mental health issues that have arisen since March. I am so proud of the work faculty, coaches, and counselors do every day and the profound role our institutions have in making our communities better.

COVID Vaccine Update
On January 7, the IFO sent a letter urging for the inclusion of higher education faculty and staff to Gov. Walz and the Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Advisory Group. This group provides recommendations to Gov. Walz. You can read the letter here. In addition, IFO Leaders are meeting with Gov. Walz on Friday, January 22 to discuss campus budgets and other legislative objectives.

COVID Higher Education Financial Support
The federal government passed a COVID relief package in December 2020. The package included funding for higher education institutions. There are still many questions to be answered for how these resources may be rolled out on our campuses, we’re incredibly thankful for the support and hope it helps our campus communities through these challenging times. Click here to read an FAQ sheet with more information about the financial support guidelines.

Estimates for COVID relief, by campus (click here to check other campuses):

• Bemidji State - $5M

• Metro State - $10.3M

• MSU-Moorhead - $5.9M

• MSU, Mankato - $14.6M

• Southwest MN State - $3.6M

• St. Cloud State - $13.8M

• Winona State - $8.9M

MinnState Total: $185M

We will continue to advocate our federal lawmakers for additional funding to help protect access, affordability, and quality. President-Elect Biden has made it clear he intends to push for a robust COVID relief package after being sworn in next week.

COVID Leave Policy Update
Starting January 1 and continuing until the end of the Governor’s Peacetime Emergency Order ends, MinnState employees continue to be eligible for up to 80 hours of paid Health, Care, and School Leave for full-time appointments, and a pro-rated amount for those in part-time appointments, when teleworking is not possible.

In addition to the 80 hours of paid COVID leave, MinnState employees may take up to 10 weeks of partially paid Extended School Leave to care for a child whose school or place of care is closed or whose childcare provider is unavailable due to COVID-19, if the employee is not able to telework. Click here for more information on the new COVID Leave Policy.

IFO Delegate Assembly Scheduled
The 2020 IFO Delegate Assembly has been rescheduled and will be held using a virtual format on April 16-17, 2021. More details will be released soon.

Conclusion
Thank you for your trust and support over the last few years, and especially the last 9 months. I’m proud and thankful for all the work our faculty, coaches, and counselors have done to help students. I’m also proud of our team for the work they have done to navigate the really important decisions being made to address the pandemic, structural racism, political division, and the many other challenges we’ve encountered.