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On April 27, the Center for the Study of Women in Society (CSWS) and United Academics (UA) will host “Balancing Work and Caregiving: A Best Practices Teach-In.”

Both CSWS and UA have been advocating for caregivers in the University of Oregon community since the start of the pandemic. CSWS launched the Caregiver Campaignspecial project, advocating for greater flexibility and support in administrative policies, while UA has developed a Caregiving article for collective bargaining this year. This teach-in is designed to complement those efforts.

The event will draw upon faculty experiences during the pandemic to suggest best practices for being a care ally, drawing on creative solutions that come from the bottom up—often at the department, program, or unit level. Through providing real-life examples, event organizers aim to help UO community members who are caregivers themselves and/or want to be care allies to come up with concrete plans and at least two practices they may implement with others in their unit. By the end of the session, attendees will have a better idea of how to navigate common caregiving challenges in the academic setting, advocate for their needs, and support their caregiving colleagues.

In addition, the teach-in will allow caregivers and caregiving allies to identify other colleagues in different schools and departments who share an interest in issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion at UO. ​​Because engagement with caregiving issues has become so critical during the pandemic, a time when social isolation was the norm, many individual efforts have largely grown in isolation. This teach-in provides an opportunity to identify a caregiving and caregiver-ally community in our institution.

Event panelists include Maria Fernanda Escallón, Anthropology; Lynn Fujiwara, Indigenous, Race and Ethnic Studies; Melissa Graboyes, History; Deborah Green, Religious Studies; and Lynn Stephen, Anthropology.

The teach-in will be held Wednesday, April 27, from 12-2 p.m. on Zoom. The meeting link is https://uoregon.zoom.us/j/95457778614?pwd=Z2pqSGo5TXhFY3ZrTXpadndjOU4xQT09.