On July 28, University of Oregon president Michael Gottfredson announced that the Officers of Administration and unrepresented faculty would be receiving new benefits including extended family leave, second-child tuition and extended sabbatical.

Chair of the OA council Teri Rowe said applying the benefits was partially the result of a deliberate effort to make the group better represented in campus policy. Two years ago, the group released a report that outlined discrepancies in salary increases over the years and included policy recommendations.

“This was a bit of an equalizer to make sure that those who aren’t part of the collective bargaining unit are still able to receive the benefits that are on there,” Rowe said.

[UO faculty, classified staff and GTFs have their own unions to negotiate with the school government about benefits and salary.] The faculty formed its first union, United Academics, and negotiated its first contract last summer. Meanwhile, SEIU Local 503, the union representing classified staff, – custodians, kitchen staff and secretaries, for example – nearly went on strike a week before fall term was officially underway. The Graduate Teaching Fellow Federation, which represents GTFs, is still negotiating a new contract.

Without a union, however, the OA council is the OA’s main form of representation. It consists of eight members from different departments, ranging from the school of journalism to the ASUO women’s center.

Some may be confused as to which employees fall under the category of OA. While faculty and GTFs are distinct, the line between classified staff and officers of administration is somewhat blurred. Rowe said it’s a tricky thing to define.

“An OA is anybody who holds an administrative leadership role,” Rowe said. “It’s extraordinarily broad, we have everything from physicians in the health department to piano tuners in the music department.” Rowe said there are currently between 1,400-1,500 OAs on campus.

Because of the broad nature of the job description, representation and finding ways to unify can be difficult, which is where the OA council comes in.

One of the primary tasks of the council is to help the OA’s network and meet their peers, as well as advocate on their behalf in the administration and ensure that they are known across campus. In addition to holding monthly council and senate meetings, the group organizes socials. Earlier in July the OA council organized an art museum social, and in January they had a tour of Eugene’s famous Ninkasi Brewing Company.

Rowe said on their current achievements, “We’re really happy about it, it was a great opportunity for OAs to be represented … we’ve had great success with the current administration.”

The OA held elections for the council from May 7 through May 21. Rowe was inducted as chair of the OA council on July 1, but had served on the council the two previous years. She is also the Department Manager of Economics.