I write to express support for the following members of the Oregon state legislature, representing the Eugene-Springfield area, all of whom are running for reelection and will be on the ballot in the May 19 primary election: Oregon House Speaker Julie Fahey (District 14), Rep. Lisa Fragala (District 8), Rep. Nancy Nathanson (District 13), Sen. James Manning III (District 7) and Sen. Floyd Prozanski (District 4). 

As a faculty member at the University of Oregon, and a proud member of United Academics, the UO faculty union, I have been fortunate to interact with these elected officials and personally witness the hard work they put in every day to serving their constituents and Oregonians as a whole.

They particularly showed up last summer, when UO administrators, in unprecedented fashion and without conducting any real consultation, moved to enact extreme cuts, fire dozens of faculty members (both untenured and tenured) and shutter whole programs, all while students and faculty were away from campus for the summer. The impact on the university and the Eugene-Springfield community as a whole would have been devastating. 

Fahey, Fragala, Nathanson, Manning and Prozanski all took calls from members of the university community, joined meetings to learn more and quickly released a public letter that, even while acknowledging the financial stresses that many public institutions are facing, called on UO administrators to slow down and work with students, faculty, staff and members of the public to chart a more sustainable path forward. The university subsequently backed away from the most extreme version of its plan (though many people sadly still lost their jobs). 

The responsiveness of these legislators and the actions they took, as well as the careful, community-oriented approach they advocated, all exemplified their commitment to advancing the good of all Oregonians. With the political and fiscal challenges Oregon will continue to face, we will need that commitment moving forward.

That is why the United Academics faculty union has now officially endorsed these legislators. And it is why I personally urge everybody to support Fahey, Fragala, Nathanson, Manning and Prozanski in the upcoming election. 

Luke Habberstad
Eugene