AFT says Just Ask!

The American Federation of Teachers is expanding its programs that help parents and students make informed choices about college.

One such effort is the AFT's "Just Ask!" campaign, which supports the increase in the number of tenure-track, full-time faculty, while also advocating for better working conditions for part-time faculty.

"Just Ask!" offers guidelines for parents on what questions to ask about faculty-student ratios as their child considers a college.

The program is part of a larger AFT campaign known as Faculty and College Excellence (FACE). The goal of FACE is to achieve equity for nonpermanent faculty and to advocate for more full-time permanent faculty.

Celebrate education

New creative materials for American Education Week (Nov. 15-21) are available online from the National Education Association.

They include:

• AEW bookmarks in black-and-white and color;
• Seven different versions of certificates that can be co-branded with state affiliate logos; and
• Black-and-white and color posters to help celebrate Education Support Professionals Day, Wednesday, Nov. 18.

You can download the materials at www.nea.org/aew.

RFK awards open

The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights is accepting high school and college submissions for its 2010 journalism awards recognizing outstanding achievement in print and broadcasting.

Entries should focus on issues that reflect Robert F. Kennedy's concerns, including human rights, social justice and the power of individual action.

The entry deadline is Feb. 1. Entry forms can be downloaded at www.rfkcenter.org/2010printandjournalismawards.

Labor reception set

The American Labor Studies Center will hold its annual recognition reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 3 at NYSUT headquarters, 800 Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham.

Since 2002, the all-volunteer, non-profit labor studies center in Troy has provided teachers nationwide with high-quality teaching materials and resources to help them integrate labor history and labor studies into the K-12 curriculum through its Web site, presentations, workshops, and a labor film and music festival.

For further information, go to www.labor-studies.org.

United Way gains

NYSUT employees raised $92,419 for the 2010 United Way Campaign, far surpassing its goal of $70,000.

The monies raised also exceeded the $83,594 raised last year.

The 2010 campaign total includes all pledges received from staff at headquarters and regional offices, retirees and proceeds of $294 from a United Way bake sale held at headquarters Oct. 29.