<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" id="gmail-m_7234635724627734192gmail-docs-internal-guid-db41d566-7fff-5f73-15a3-650c6738bf4b"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Hello everyone!<br></span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">As you may know, over 11,000 Student Researcher Union (SRU) authorization cards were recently submitted to the California Public Employee Relations Board (PERB). This is a huge step in forming a union of student researchers! The process from here is that UC will send a list of all student researchers to PERB, who will count the cards to verify a majority. Once PERB recognizes the union, the next step will be negotiating a contract with the UC, much like the existing TA union does.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Right now a bargaining survey is being circulated to see what issues are most important to student researchers in advance of contract negotiations. </span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(32,32,32);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Share your thoughts on how to improve student researchers’ working conditions by taking a minute to fill out the </span><a href="https://studentresearchersunited.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a5106e05940cfb3c7e234dac4&id=81b9c69690&e=40191cab4b" style="text-decoration:none" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,124,137);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">SR Bargaining Survey</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">.</span></p></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I
 would also like to announce the new PADGSA officers for the 2021-2022 
academic year.  Congrats to all on the hard-fought victories!  I have 
included their emails in case you ever want / need to reach out to any 
of them with comments, concerns, suggestions, etc.<br></div><div><br></div><div><b>President </b>- Jed Kistner-Morris ( <a href="mailto:jkist001@ucr.edu" style="color:inherit;text-decoration:none" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">jkist001@ucr.edu</a> )</div><div><b>Vice-President</b> - Nakul <span><span>Gangolli ( <span><span><a href="mailto:ngang002@ucr.edu" target="_blank">ngang002@ucr.edu</a> )</span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><b>Secretary </b>- Ming-Feng Ho ( </span></span></span></span><span role="gridcell"><span><a href="mailto:mho026@ucr.edu" target="_blank">mho026@ucr.edu</a><span aria-hidden="true"></span></span></span><span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span> )</div><div><b>Treasurer</b> - Jarred <span><span>Gillette ( <span><span><a href="mailto:jgill016@ucr.edu" target="_blank">jgill016@ucr.edu</a> )</span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><b>Public Relations </b>- Brian Francisco ( <span><span><a href="mailto:bfran005@ucr.edu" target="_blank">bfran005@ucr.edu</a> )</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><span><span><br></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><span><span>And as always, you can feel free to reach out to me as well at <a href="mailto:timothy.gburek@email.ucr.edu" target="_blank">timothy.gburek@email.ucr.edu</a> .</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><span><span><br></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><span><span>The
 PADGSA is an organization and resource meant to help and be there for 
you all as you navigate grad school, the Physics & Astronomy 
department, and UCR.  I would encourage anyone who has not already done so to join the PADGSA at <a href="https://highlanderlink.ucr.edu/organization/padgsa">https://highlanderlink.ucr.edu/organization/padgsa</a> (a couple simple steps; no further action required).  This<b> </b><u>free</u> membership builds strength in numbers and allows funding for the PADGSA to host meetings and events for you all.  <br></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><span><span><br></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><span><span>I am excited about the incoming group of officers and look forward to seeing what the PADGSA will do and how 
it will grow in the future!</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><span><span><br></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><span><span>All the best,</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><span><span><br></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div>Tim Gburek</div><div><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>PhD Candidate in Astronomy</div><div>Department of Physics & Astronomy</div><div>University of California, Riverside</div><div>Riverside, CA, 92521 USA<div class="gmail-adL"><br><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>