Take Action!

Joining GAU and becoming a dues-paying member goes a long way towards helping you and your fellow graduate employees win rights and benefits. But in order to take full advantage of our membership’s strength, GAU needs you to get involved!

​Getting involved can mean as little as forwarding e-mails to your department, sharing posts on social media, or as much as becoming an elected officer, it’s up to you! Here are some ways you can get involved:

Getting Involved

An “activist” is just a catch-all term for anyone who takes action on GAU’s behalf. We are an entirely volunteer-run union, and we rely on members donating whatever time they can. Some things that activists do include:

• Tabling
  GAU occasionally tables across campus or at events in the Gainesville community. These are opportunities for non-members stop by to sign up, and members or those interested in the community to stop by to learn more about what we do. If you like having casual conversations and want to enjoy some fresh air for a little while, joining a tabling session might be ideal for you!
• Office Visits
  Office visits are part of the core work of GAU. Through office visits, we recruit new members and activists, hear directly from our members about their issues and concerns, and communicate current events and campaigns directly to our members. Many graduate employees unfortunately don’t really know about GAU or what we do, so office visits are also crucial in informing people about their union!
• Stewards
  Another way to easily get involved is to become a department steward. Stewards are essentially a department’s liaison with GAU and are important to GAU’s communications with graduate employees around campus. GAU uses the steward structure as a way to keep track of problems that arise in departments. Many of our activists are also stewards, though further activism is not required in order to be a steward!
• Officers, Committees, and Caucuses
  If you would like to take a more active leadership role in GAU, there are a number of elected officer positions: Co-Presidents, Grievance Officer, Treasurer, and Coordinator. Additionally, there are several appointed positions that lead our various committees. If you have a specific interest or skill set that you would like to use in GAU, contact us about joining one of our committees or caucuses!
• Undergraduate Solidarity ​
  If you are an undergraduate student and wish to show your support for graduate assistants in our struggle for a livable wage, please click here to send an email to Provost Glover! Your support will help to strengthen our bargaining position as we fight to increase the unlivable $21,333 minimum stipend. ​

You may also subscribe to our volunteer mailing list by clicking this link and entering a personal, non ".edu" email address.