*Dear CGE Members and Community,* *Quick Little Reminders* - *CGE hosted ICE response training* If you are interested being more informed and empowered to respond to ICE, you can attend a training by experts, hosted by CGE. Reach out to vp_ organizing@cge6069.org <organizer@cge6069.org>. - *Late winter appointment letters* Late appointment letters can be frustrating, destabilizing, and frightening. Therefore, OSU owes grads 50$ for late appointment letters. If your received your appointment letter for Winter after November 16th please reach out to vp_grievances@cge6069.org in the coming weeks. - *Bargaining Committee (meets Wednesday 11-1pm @WestM):* *Like everything else CGE does, the impact bargaining team is made up of members - that’s you! *If you are interested in learning more about or even joining the Bargaining Committee please email vp_bargaining@cge6069.org with a non-OSU email indicating your interest. Anyone can attend bargaining committee meetings, even if you are not a member of the team. *We are especially interested in making **sure that we have representation from masters students, international **students, humanities students, queer students, students of color, and **any other group of students who face challenges that can be addressed **through contract negotiations.* No prior experience in research/negotiations is expected or required. Announcements - *Thank you to everyone participating in the ICE Out National Day of Action!* Today people across the country went on strike, walked out of schools, and refrained from shopping— choosing to take action instead of going about normal life while ICE commits widespread violence. This afternoon grads brought our collective power to this movement through a walkout and rally, and I'm sure many more participated in other ways. I am proud of all of you. Before the rally we took some time to imagine the world we would like to see and the things we would have to do to get there. In a time when it can be hard to hope, it was refreshing to wildly imagine. I found myself sharing things I normally wouldn't even let myself hope for. Our VP for Solidarity Kaelan Weiss reminded us that a better world is possible, but it won't fall onto our doorsteps. We were invited to think about a sacrifice we would be willing to make in order to see our hopes come true. The history of labor unions shows us that when people come together, make sacrifices, and take risks, we can achieve change that benefits everyone. - *CGE Hardship Fund closing today!* The Hardship Fund is open to all CGE members and associate members. There are no strings attached to the hardship fund and you will never be asked to pay back any funds you receive. Information about the Hardship Fund and the link to apply can be found here <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cge6069.org%2Fconnect%2Fhardship%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cweisskae%40oregonstate.edu%7Ce0207329ea584b53f59308dd3cc59fb6%7Cce6d05e13c5e4d6287a84c4a2713c113%7C0%7C0%7C638733541680344836%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0n1AjJC%2FdnQZ5W7IewipWU2A6OrNm0WN7GxgKap20So%3D&reserved=0>. Keep in mind that the hardship fund is powered entirely by associate member and legacy member dues. OSU’s Hardship fund has more resources but is much less transparent. If you want assistance applying to OSU’s fund, email solidarity@cge6069.org. - *Fight for our Future: protect public education and public workers* Due to federal tax changes, Oregon's budget is in a dire state and in order to balance the books, there is the potential of severe layoffs if we do not act. Lawmakers need to hear from the people that could be impacted by these cuts, including educators like many of us. There will be opportunities to mobilize and testify February 3rd in-person or virtually against a “cuts budget” and a February 5th mass rally in Salem. Also *please **Email Your Lawmaker ASAP <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XsgVjW7QA7OSmjnMmxCgbqnLWhDoJGsyAfYM1bngW20/edit?usp=drive_link>.* Upcoming Events - Provide testimony for Fight for our Future: Feb 3rd 5-8pm *RSVP <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScq_baqi0jl-iAT-zm98_cXlmBySrOuCjYeN_opxnaIddOvzg/viewform>* and *Testimony Toolkit <https://secure.ngpvan.com/QvgilOzUVUWqeFY8GcGU_A2>*. *Only 1-2 minutes, we need to pack the hearing to outspeak business interests!* - Associated rally: Feb 5th 12-2pm *RSVP <https://actionnetwork.org/events/fight-for-our-future-3/>* and *Resources <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1k53bR79dnvoPdlWoQD_Nloi0HNI8jsJw?usp=drive_link>* . *Committees and Caucuses that need your help* Grad workers are capable and passionate people who can together exercise great power. One of the ways we do that is through caucuses and committees. All meetings are at WestM unless otherwise stated. *Disability Justice and Mental Health Super Caucus*: Wednesday 2-3pm on zoom. Reach out to vp_membership@cge6069.org for the zoom link. *Grievance Committee: *A great opportunity for people to learn more about the contract and how we defend it. Meets Fridays at 4pm. Email vp_grievances@cge6069.org for more information. *International Caucus: *The CGE International Caucus is open to all graduate students regardless of CGE membership status and serves to represent the concerns of all international students at Oregon State University. The International Graduate Caucus recognizes that international graduate students attending OSU have unique needs and difficulties in comparison to US students. Reach out to president@cge6069.org. *Environmental Justice Caucus:* Every other Monday (not next Monday!), 1pm at the Biere Library. Reach out to vp_politics@cge6069.org. In solidarity, Serena Frazee (she/her) VP for Communications, Coalition of Graduate Employees, AFT Local 6069 PhD Student in Integrative Biology, Oregon State University