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OCUFA offers solidarity and support to striking Ontario Tech faculty

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The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) extends its solidarity and support to faculty at Ontario Tech University, who are on strike for the first time in their union’s history. Members of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty Association (UOITFA) have been working hard to negotiate a fair collective agreement. To end this strike, the university administration needs to return to the bargaining table with proposals that address faculty members’ concerns about workload, education quality, and equity.

In response to the pandemic, faculty at Ontario Tech have done exemplary work to transition courses online, continue research, and maintain a high-quality educational experience for students. Major concerns around workload (Ontario Tech faculty have the second highest student-to-faculty ratio in Canada), education quality, and equity existed before the pandemic and have become more acute in the past two years. It is time for the university administration to show some leadership by committing to supporting faculty in their efforts to deliver high-quality education.

“OCUFA and the 17,000 faculty, contract faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals we represent are united in solidarity with the brave members of the UOITFA,” said Sue Wurtele, President of OCUFA. “We will do whatever it takes to support the UOITFA’s efforts to secure the fair collective agreement Ontario Tech faculty deserve.”

This strike is occurring because the Ontario Tech administration has repeatedly refused to meaningfully engage with any of the UOITFA’s priorities and even refused to send outstanding items to binding arbitration.

“Throughout the pandemic, Ontario Tech faculty have demonstrated their dedication to the university,” said Wurtele. “Now it is time for the Ontario Tech administration to show that they will be there for faculty when additional support is needed. This is not a question of limited finances—Ontario Tech has reported repeated surpluses over the past decade.”

OCUFA urges the Ontario Tech administration to sit down with faculty and negotiate a fair collective agreement that addresses their concerns around workload, education quality, and equity. That is the only way to bring this strike to an end.

Those wishing to show their support for Ontario Tech faculty should send an email to the university’s president at: uoitfa.ca/take-action/

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic librarians in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

Strong, stable funding for Ontario’s Universities is an investment in Ontario’s future

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OCUFA has set out its priorities for the 2022 Ontario Budget in a written submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs and in a presentation to the committee on January 20, 2022.

OCUFA’s budget recommendations aim to preserve the quality and sustainability of postsecondary education in Ontario through stable, consistent, and adequate funding as well as improved working conditions for university faculty. Public funding for universities in Ontario is at record low levels, while tuition fees are high, and academic work is becoming increasingly precarious. Ontario university faculty are extremely concerned about the impact of these alarming trends on the accessibility and quality of postsecondary education. OCUFA’s recommendations are to:

  1. Increase per-student public investment in Ontario’s universities to improve Ontario’s rank by one spot among other provinces by 2026-2027.
  2. Reverse the unstable and inequitable performance-based university funding model and restore the enrolment-based funding model.
  3. Implement meaningful increases to the Northern and Bilingual Grants, special purpose funding (particularly for Indigenous programming and supports), and research funding.
  4. Launch a multi-year faculty renewal strategy that supports meaningful long-term change to improve Ontario’s student-to-faculty ratio by one spot among other provinces by 2026-2027. This strategy should encourage universities to undertake additional full-time tenure-stream hiring over and above their current planned growth, and direct funds towards transitioning existing contract faculty into secure full-time positions.
  5. Increase OSAP funding and convert student loans into grants.

This year’s budget is an opportunity to start Ontario on a path that prioritizes quality education for students, innovative research, and fairness for the province’s contract faculty. The knowledge our universities produce and the good jobs they provide support our local communities, fuel the provincial economy, and address the most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges facing our province. By investing in accessible postsecondary education, we are investing in Ontario’s future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can read the full submission here.

Laurentian’s collapse driven by Ford government’s agenda of austerity and privatization

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The Ford government’s obsession with austerity and privatization was a major driver of Laurentian University’s insolvency and collapse. This was the message OCUFA Board Chair Gyllian Phillips delivered to participants in “Our Movement, Our Fight, Our Future,” a webinar series focused on reclaiming power through labour organizing in Northern Ontario.

“Universities, especially northern universities, have been underfunded for decades,” said Phillips. “The funding models currently in place are not focused on improving education quality or research capacity. Instead, they have been linked to external economic factors, over which universities have little to no control.”

Ford’s “Open for Business” agenda has continued the ongoing erosion of funding for Ontario’s public services, which are so vital for those living in Northern Ontario. In North Bay and other health regions, the effects of Public-Private Partnerships—where public services are partially privatized—have been devastating, often costing more than if they have been funded entirely by the government.

This regressive approach to public services extends to Ontario’s postsecondary institutions, where increasingly corporatized governance structures serve interests that conflict with the central mission of province’s universities. Instead of focusing on high-quality education and generating new knowledge, universities are being twisted into institutions that exploit precariously employed contract faculty to train students for only short-term career prospects.

Years of chronic underfunding incentivized Ontario universities to seek other forms of financial support, including alarmingly high tuition fees and private funding with strings attached. This approach drove Laurentian to the brink and Ford’s apparent refusal to support the university in that moment of need pushed it over the edge.

“Northern universities like Laurentian are vital for northern communities,” said Sue Wurtele, President of OCUFA. “Ford’s failure to step in and save Laurentian was a betrayal of northern, Francophone, and Indigenous communities.”

The resulting damage is well known. Dozens of programs were cancelled, over 100 jobs were eliminated, invaluable research lost, and countless lives turned upside down.

“Who really benefits from Ontario being ‘Open for Business’?” Phillips asked. “Certainly not the staff at hospitals and Laurentian university—those who have been laid off and those who remain to do twice the work—and certainly not the students, patients, or community members affected by the continued neglect of these public institutions.”

Northern Ontario deserves better. The Ontario government must recognize the important mandate of northern and bilingual institutions and increase special purpose grants for those institutions while also making additional investments in universities that serve Indigenous communities.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

OCUFA united in solidarity with the Acadia University Faculty Association

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The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) stands in solidarity with the members of the Acadia University Faculty Association (AUFA) on strike for greater stability for precarious academic staff, increased hiring of Indigenous academics, stronger equity and diversity initiatives, and improved wages and working conditions to help recruit and retrain academics at their university.

“Fairness for contract faculty, protecting tenure faculty complement, and employment equity are key advocacy and bargaining issues for OCUFA and our members,” said OCUFA President Sue Wurtele. “On behalf of OCUFA and our 31 member associations representing 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals across Ontario, I would like to express our solidarity and support for our colleagues at Acadia.”

OCUFA encourages the Acadia University administration to negotiate a fair collective agreement, which improves faculty working conditions and student learning conditions. To support AUFA, send an email to the university’s president at: makeitfair.caut.ca/acadia

More information on the strike can be found here: www.acadiafaculty.ca

Students and workers demand safer return to campus

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The Ontario University and Colleges Coalition echoes the concerns of students and workers across the province about unsafe and rushed plans to return to campus. With notice of returning back to in-person learning for some institutions as soon as January 31, students are nervous about inadequate safety plans, the accessibility of continuing with online learning and academic penalties for those who do not feel safe being back on campus. Without access to critical PPE such as N95 masks, uncertainties about ventilation, lack of routine reporting of COVID-19 case counts, and no physical distancing practices, students and workers know that such an abrupt plan to return to campus is not conducive to learning, and it seriously jeopardizes the safety of all campus community members.

Due to college and university administrations lobbying the Ontario government for campuses to have an exemption from capacity limits and physical distancing requirements, students and workers have been apprehensive of the rationale to allow overcrowded classrooms such as 500 person lecture halls with no restrictions being deemed as safe. Students and workers have witnessed the detrimental consequences of disregarding scientific evidence and loosening restrictions too soon. Additionally, many ventilation systems on campuses have not been properly updated or improved to help stop the spread of COVID-19, nor have standardized ventilation improvements been adequately reported.

It is vital that the decision to return to campus respects individual comfort, safety and wellbeing. Although there are students and faculty who are looking forward to returning to campus, others are not confident due to a lack of strong health and safety measures and are nervous and do not feel safe returning to in-person learning. Many students and faculty who are immunocompromised or live in a household with immunocompromised individuals, are not reflected in their administration’s plans to return to campus. Many workers who have continued to be on campus throughout the pandemic also have health and safety concerns that have not yet been addressed, and these must be addressed before campuses are opened to in-person learning.

With little notice, those who do not currently live in the same region or close to their college or university now have to scramble to find adequate and affordable housing, which was challenging before the pandemic. International students are amongst the worst affected as they continue to face barriers like sporadically changing travel advisories and bans, and difficulties in finding housing in the city or regions of their institutions.

Students, faculty and workers demand action from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and the Minister Jill Dunlop to address the numerous health and safety concerns of the plans to return to campus. The numerous health and safety concerns on campuses need to be addressed, and alternative plans must be made available. The following demands should be met before resuming in-person learning on campuses across the province

  • The Ministry and institutions need to ensure equitable access to personal protective equipment, vaccines, and COVID testing
  • Institutions should ensure consistent reporting of COVID-19 case counts, ventilation reports, and all public health guidelines
  • Workers and students should have the right to refuse mandatory in-person classes and have the option of attending online classes without any penalty or wage loss
  • A safer return to campus means students should have longer, more flexible deadlines to drop courses without academic penalty.
  • Institutions are to ensure sick days without academic penalty, mental health accommodations without a medical diagnosis requirement, and flexibility between in-person and virtual classes
  • Institutions must communicate a clear plan and threshold for a switch to remote-learning or a campus closure plan that is informed by public health guidelines
  • Institutions must ensure faculty, staff, and students have access to all the resources to ensure high-quality education for both in-person and online learning.
  • The provincial government must increase public funding for more teaching assistants and lower class sizes

In solidarity,

  • Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario (CFS-O)
  • Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
  • Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)
  • Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU) – College Faculty, Support Staff, and University Sector
  • Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF)
  • Public Service Alliance of Canada Ontario (PSAC Ontario)
  • Unifor
  • United Steelworkers Local 1998
  • Ontario Federation of Labour

New issue of Academic Matters explores mental health challenges faced by faculty and students at Ontario’s universities

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Universities are designed as spaces where minds are nurtured—where expertise develops and new knowledge is generated. However, under academic, financial, and social pressures, faculty and students are more frequently reporting poor mental health—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest issue of Academic Matters explores the mental health dilemma in the academy. In a space that is supposed to cultivate knowledge and nourish the mind, what does it mean that the mental health of faculty, staff, and students has reached a crisis point? How do we address the causes of poor mental health in our university communities?

Editoral Matters: Stress and anxiety in higher education
By Ben Lewis, Editor-in-Chief of Academic Matters
“Universities are designed as spaces where minds are nurtured—where expertise develops and new knowledge is generated. However, not all is well within the walls of the academy. Under academic, financial, and social pressures, faculty and students are more frequently reporting poor mental health. Even…”

Mental health in academia: The challenges faculty face predate the pandemic and require systemic solutions
By Ivy Bourgeault, University of Ottawa; Janet Mantler, Carleton University; & Nicole Power, Memorial University
“The pandemic has intensified many stress points for faculty and academic librarians while highlighting existing issues with how academic work is structured. This has left many feeling that they must choose between productivity and their own mental health. Mental health in academia has never been…”

Alarming trends in student mental health: What can postsecondary education institutions do?
By Michael Butler, Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario
“The data on student mental health is concerning, but there are clear steps postsecondary institutions can take to address the systemic causes of this growing crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply exacerbated pre-existing issues within postsecondary education (PSE) in Ontario. Students have struggled…”

Creating a culture of care: Addressing student feelings of isolation, stress, and hopelessness
By Jesmen Mendoza, X (Ryerson) University
“Sometimes, faculty are the first people students turn to for help when their mental health is suffering. How can faculty and academic librarians help build a more compassionate campus and assist these students in accessing existing campus supports? The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed and…”

How unions defend their members from psychological hazards
By Miriam Edelson
“As poor mental health has become a greater concern in workplaces, unions have been evolving how they support their members and advance new and better mental health protections in collective agreements. Unions have occasionally been given a bad reputation for how they handle the mental…”

Mental health, grief, loss, and bereavement through COVID-19
By Ameil Joseph and Shaila Kumbhare, McMaster University
“COVID-19 has caused unexpected loss and interrupted the ways we cope and grieve. These experiences, compounded by physical distancing measures that intensify feelings of isolation, have negatively impacted our wellbeing. Grief can refer to any kind of loss, including the loss of financial security…”

The shadowy business of international education
By Nicholas Hune-Brown
“Foreign students are lied to and exploited on every front. They’re also propping up higher education as we know it. The Singh Family home is a one-storey building of brick and cement on one of the main streets in Bibipur, a village of…”

Should university instructors disclose mental health conditions? It’s complicated
By Jenn Bergen, University of Saskatchewan; Ana Carolina de Barros, University of Saskatchewan; Jan M Gelech, University of Saskatchewan; Shannon Forrester, University of Saskatchewan; Simonne Horwitz, University of Saskatchewan, and Vicki Squires, University of Saskatchewan
“The onset of what some psychologists suggest is a mental health “parallel pandemic” during COVID-19 has created new questions about how post-secondary instructors address mental health in their classrooms. The negative impact of the pandemic on mental health in Canada is clear: significant…”

‘You have to suffer for your PhD’: poor mental health among doctoral researchers – new research
By Cassie M Hazell, University of Westminster
“PhD students are the future of research, innovation and teaching at universities and beyond – but this future is at risk. There are already indications from previous research that there is a mental health crisis brewing among PhD researchers. My colleagues and I studied the mental health of PhD researchers ….”

In efforts to avoid a strike, UOITFA organizes social media day of action

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In ongoing efforts to put more pressure on the Ontario Tech administration to avoid a strike, the UOITFA organized an impressive social media day of action on January 18, which saw faculty members and labour allies from across the province take to Twitter to voice their support for faculty at Ontario Tech.

The UOITFA is attempting to negotiate a fair deal before a strike deadline of January 31. As a result of the action, hundreds of emails were sent to the Ontario Tech administration demanding they make a fair offer that prioritizes high-quality education and research at Ontario Tech.

The action was followed a few days later by a press conference where OCUFA President Sue Wurtele (clip) joined the UOITFA’s Interim President Kimberly Nugent (clip) and representatives of PSAC and OPSEU to talk about the challenges faced by faculty at Ontario Tech and Durham College.

Add your voice and show your support. Send the Ontario Tech administration an email demanding that they take action to avert a strike. It’s time for the university administration to meaningfully address overwhelming workloads, provide increased teaching and research support, and improve job security for contract faculty at the institution.

If you’ve already sent an email, keep up the pressure this week by showing your support on social media using the UOITFA’s social media action resources.

OCUFA joins with unions across Ontario to demand Ford government take action in response to the Omicron variant

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OCUFA has joined with the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) and unions across Ontario to call on the Ford government to take action to address the crisis caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

A joint statement endorsed by over 30 organizations, including OCUFA, outlines six demands that frontline workers in health care, long-term care, education, and other sectors urgently need. The demands include:

  • Recall the legislature for an emergency session
  • Repeal Bills 124 and 195
  • Legislate a minimum of 10 permanent, employer-paid sick days
  • Hold an emergency summit of all stakeholders in the health care system
  • Require health care and educational institutions to provide airborne precautions
  • Launch an emergency public health campaign

Read the joint statement.

Faculty and academic librarian voices ignored as universities rush return to in-person learning

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TORONTO, January 24, 2022 – The voices of Ontario university faculty and academic librarians continue to be ignored by university administrations as postsecondary institutions rush back to in-person learning—even as COVID-19 cases across the province remain high. Outbreaks at universities and in university communities are inevitable if university administrations withhold information about campus health and safety and refuse to work collaboratively with faculty to make decisions about the return to in-person learning.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, university administrations have developed the bad habit of making decisions about campus health and safety behind closed doors and circumventing existing shared governance bodies that include the voices of campus unions,” said Sue Wurtele, President of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. “Given the increased danger of campus outbreaks with the Omicron variant, it should be obvious that this cycle can’t continue. It’s time to take the safer path, which requires full transparency about campus health and safety issues and accountable governing bodies that include experts from campus unions.”

At universities across Ontario, there is concern about what the rest of the winter term will look like. Many universities have signaled their intention to return to in-person learning by the beginning of February. However, faculty and academic librarians are concerned that they have not been adequately informed or meaningfully consulted about what this return should look like. Since the Ford government partially exempted postsecondary institutions from capacity and distancing requirements last year, postsecondary faculty, staff, and students have been left to wonder why they are being required to gather in spaces that do not meet broader provincial health guidelines.

When university campuses are in operation, thousands of individuals physically interact on a daily basis. This increases the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak on campus, but also in the larger community. In the midst of the Omicron surge, access to third doses, testing, and adequate personal protective must be a prerequisite for a return to in-person learning.

“COVID-19 represents a real and substantial threat to those working and studying at Ontario’s universities,” said Wurtele. “University administrations should only be proceeding with a return to in-person learning if campus unions and health and safety committees are part of developing these plans. Faculty and academic librarians are tired of having their health and safety taken for granted and ignored. They are tired of shortsighted government and university plans that ignore the reality of this pandemic. The constant pivoting is exhausting.”

As much as faculty, staff, and students might like to return to normal, this pandemic is not over. University administrations must work with faculty and other campus unions to plot a cautious and safe path forward. This path should be based on facts and science and, where reasonable, exceed local public health guidelines. It should be determined through existing shared governance structures and not be undermined by reckless exemptions haphazardly introduced by the Ford government.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

OCUFA disappointed Laurentian still resisting accountability for CCAA devastation

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TORONTO, January, 13, 2022 – OCUFA is disappointed that the Superior Court of Justice has denied the Ontario Auditor General’s request for documents that Laurentian University claims are privileged. Laurentian’s sudden insolvency and unprecedented implosion as a result of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) process has devastated the Greater Sudbury community, raised concerns at other universities, and alarmed the people of Ontario. It is vital that Laurentian University show some accountability and release these documents to the Auditor General.

“We need to understand what happened at Laurentian to make sure it doesn’t happen at any other university,” said Sue Wurtele, President of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. “These documents are important records that will shine a light on how things got so bad.”

Laurentian filed for CCAA protection on February 1, 2021. That unprecedented decision resulted in 69 university programs being eliminated, more than 100 faculty and staff losing their jobs, and student enrolment collapsing. Although the Ford government had advanced warning of Laurentian’s financial situation, they chose to sit on their hands and do nothing to help. The province’s December announcement of additional funding came as too little too late and is little consolation to the hundreds of families devastated by job losses or a community that has lived in a state of anxiety, fear, and frustration for almost a year.

Following the Superior Court of Justice’s ruling, the Auditor General announced she would appeal the decision. The Ontario Legislature has also issued a rare Speaker’s warrant demanding the release of similar documents by February 1. OCUFA is pleased that the Auditor General is seeking an appeal and calls on the university to come clean and comply with the Speaker’s warrant.

“Laurentian University has an obligation to the Greater Sudbury community and the people of Ontario to do the right thing and make these documents available to the Auditor General and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario,” said Wurtele. “Universities should be transparent, accountable, and democratic institutions. Laurentian’s behaviour on this front continues to be unacceptable.”

Almost a year after Laurentian declared insolvency, the people of Ontario still don’t have a good understanding of how the university’s finances were allowed to reach such an acute state of decay nor why Premier Doug Ford refused to step in to provide funding for the university when faculty, staff, and students most needed the government’s support. Full transparency is needed to discover what went so wrong and that is why it is so crucial that these documents are released.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

OCUFA stands in solidarity with striking faculty at the Concordia University of Edmonton

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TORONTO, January 6, 2022 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) stands in solidarity with striking faculty at the Concordia University of Edmonton Faculty Association (CUEFA). Members of the CUEFA are currently braving cold winter weather and walking the picket lines as they increase pressure on the university administration to address their concerns about workload and pay.

Members of the faculty association have some of the highest workloads and lowest pay amongst Canadian faculty. Workload, recruitment, and retention challenges mean that faculty at the university have less time to spend with students and research. Through bargaining and mediation, the university administration has still not addressed these serious issues.

“On behalf of OCUFA and our 31 member associations representing 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals across Ontario, I would like to express our solidarity and support for our colleagues at the CUEFA,” said Sue Wurtele, President of OCUFA. “Across Ontario and Canada, we see faculty struggling with high workloads and we understand the negative impacts this has on both the health of faculty and the educational experiences of their students. It’s incumbent upon the Concordia University of Edmonton administration to take these issues seriously and negotiate a fair contract that sees classes resume at the university.”

The CUEFA had been trying to address these issues through bargaining and avoid a strike, but, despite record surpluses in recent years, the university administration has refused to adequately address these serious issues.

OCUFA encourages the Concordia University of Edmonton administration to sit down with faculty and negotiate a fair collective agreement that treats the university’s faculty with the respect they deserve. Those wishing to add their voices in support of the university’s faculty, should send an email to the university’s president at: https://makeitfair.caut.ca/cuefa. More information on the strike can be found here: https://www.cuefa.ca.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

As Omicron surges, Ontario faculty and academic librarians concerned for their physical and mental health

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TORONTO, January 5, 2022 – With COVID-19 cases spiking across Ontario and universities planning to return to in-person learning at the end of January, university faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals are concerned for their physical and mental health. Further, they believe the provincial government’s most recent advice to universities is completely inadequate and shows that Premier Ford and Minister Dunlop are not making the health and safety of postsecondary faculty, staff, and students a priority.

“The sudden surge of the Omicron variant demonstrates the need for us to proceed with caution,” said Sue Wurtele, President of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). “Ontario’s university faculty and academic librarians, like students and their parents, are eager to see a return to the classroom. However, health and safety must remain the top priority as we navigate the winter term.”

In mid-December, as cases began to rise, many Ontario universities delayed the beginning of the winter term until the second week of January and pushed back a return to in-person learning until the end of January. Without clear guidance or support from the provincial government in Monday’s announcement, it is incumbent on university administrations to work with faculty, staff, and students to ensure no one’s health is put in jeopardy in a rush to return to in-person learning.

“Preparing for classes takes time, whether online or in-person, and each requires a different approach,” said Wurtele. “Educators and students should not be expected to switch delivery methods with only a few days’ notice. This only increases the stress and anxiety they already feel as a result of the pandemic.”

This is the latest in a pattern of reckless decision-making that has been of longstanding concern to OCUFA. The government has consistently failed to establish clear health and safety guidelines for postsecondary institutions that acknowledge the airborne nature of COVID-19. This past fall, without consulting faculty or students, the government exempted postsecondary institutions from capacity and distancing limits only a few days before classes resumed.

In the absence of provincial leadership, university administrations need to work collaboratively with faculty and staff to develop appropriate plans for the rest of the winter term that chart a clear path forward and address the acute stress and uncertainty many faculty and students are feeling. The provincial government must be pressed to introduce consistent health and safety measures across Ontario’s universities and to grant ten permanent paid sick days to all workers, with an additional fourteen paid sick days during public health outbreaks, in order to protect the health of every Ontarian.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

New articles from Academic Matters

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There is more to Academic Matters than just the print issue. New articles are being added to the Academic Matters website every week. Here are some recent articles you might find interesting:

Banning large university parties won’t work — students need to be empowered to propose change
By Wendy Craig, Queen’s University, Ontario and Klodiana Kolomitro, Queen’s University, Ontario
“Every year instructors carefully plan what they’re going to teach during the semester. Then something significant happens that makes us pause and we have to resist the temptation to teach what was planned for the next day. The perfect storm was created over the…”

Working from home made women academics feel worse than ever about juggling roles
By Cyrill Walters, Stellenbosch University and Armand Bam, Stellenbosch University
“Academic guilt is well-established in literature on the work of women scholars who are simultaneously mothers and lecturers, homemakers and researchers, nurturers and administrators. It’s a sense of not being able to cope with conflicting demands on one’s time and is often…”

The climate crisis gives science a new role. Here’s how research ethics must change too
By Alexandre Wadih Raffoul, Uppsala University; David Fopp, Stockholm University; Emma Elfversson, Uppsala University; Helen Avery, Lund University, and Ryan Carolan, Swinburne University of Technology
“Young people across the world have taken to the streets again, demanding decision-makers at COP26 listen to the science. But if science is to live up to these expectations, a fundamental rethinking of research ethics in light of the climate and ecological crises is…”

Students are told not to use Wikipedia for research. But it’s a trustworthy source
By Rachel Cunneen, University of Canberra and Mathieu O’Neil, University of Canberra
“At the start of each university year, we ask first-year students a question: how many have been told by their secondary teachers not to use Wikipedia? Without fail, nearly every hand shoots up. Wikipedia offers free and reliable information instantly. So why do teachers…”

Fair access to university depends on much more than making students ‘job-ready’
By Sally Patfield, University of Newcastle
“Today is World Access to Higher Education Day, but Australia is still a long way off fair access for students from all backgrounds. The enrolment share of students from low socio-economic, regional and non-English-speaking backgrounds fell in 2019. And that was before…”

Windsor University Faculty Association agreement makes significant equity gains

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Faculty at the Windsor University have ratified a new collective agreement that includes improvements for equity, Indigenization, and workload. A new LOU will allow for the reduction of Black, Indigenous, and racialized members’ workloads in recognition of their ongoing service contributions. Political leaves for members elected to public positions in Indigenous governance bodies will now be treated equally to political leaves for other public bodies. New funds worth $50,000 per year have been established for the explicit advancement of scholarship supporting anti-oppression and anti-Black racism and for the advancement of scholarship supporting Indigeneity and decolonization. In addition, Indigenous Knowledge Systems will now be appropriately recognized and Indigenous members may be accompanied by an Indigenous Elder or Traditional Knowledge Carrier/Keeper in promotion and tenure processes.

The faculty association will have full participation in an equity, diversity, and inclusion review on campus. Further, all members of departmental committees and renewal, promotion, and tenure committees must now have a comprehensive understanding of the principles and values that strengthen equity, diversity, and inclusion. Additionally, equal employment protections have been expanded to include those who identify with sexual orientations and/or gender identities that do not conform to heteronormative and cisgendered binary representations.

A new teaching intensive faculty stream has been created where members have 80 per cent teaching and 20 per cent service workloads and will enjoy all the rights, privileges, and compensation benefits of the existing faculty complement. The complement for this stream shall not exceed 20 per cent of the faculty complement in any individual faculty. As a result of the creation of this new stream, workload for regular faculty positions will be standardized as 40 per cent teaching, 40 per cent research, and 20 per cent service across campus by 2024, with a four-course load across all faculties. Sessional lecturer contracts have been increased from eight to nine months to allow for additional preparation time, and an affordance now exists for lecturers to convert to a twelve-month appointment at their discretion. Meanwhile, sessional instructors will have rights to teaching intensive positions prior to an external search.

Members of the faculty association elected to the Board of Governors by Senate will now retain all association membership rights for the duration of their term, and their service to the association will be recognized as warranting additional workload release.

Mental healthcare benefits now cover 100 per cent of up to 24 visits to a registered mental health professional (up from 50 per cent for up to 20 visits). In-home nursing and supportive care improvements will allow for more service providers and an increase in benefits to $40,000 per year. Medically-related hair replacement (e.g. wigs and similar supports) and medically-necessary prosthesis coverage has also increased. The four-year agreement will see across-the-board salary increases of one per cent for the first three years and two per cent in the fourth. Finally, professional development funds will increase by 20 per cent by 2024 with funds for sessional instructors increasing by 25 per cent.

OCUFA sets priorities for year of provincial election

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Meeting and resolutions

The pandemic may continue, but at its Board Meeting on October 23 OCUFA set its sights on the 2022 provincial election and the goal of electing a government committed to supporting high-quality, public postsecondary education in Ontario.

Good jobs for all

Since the last election, the Ford government has repealed large parts of the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act and introduced wage restraint legislation under Bill 124. Combined with various other anti-worker policies, this government has demonstrated that it is not interested in protecting or bolstering good jobs. As a result, it is incumbent on OCUFA to double our efforts to make the sector a more equitable place to work and study for faculty and academic librarians in tenured, tenure-stream, and contract positions—especially given the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public universities for all

OCUFA believes that the value of public university is far-reaching. Universities produce cutting edge research that impacts every aspect of our daily lives, including public health and safety, public policy, and addressing the structural barriers that drive inequality. It is imperative to promote the value of universities widely and protect the public nature of Ontario’s university system. This includes advocating for equitable access to university education, speaking out against performance-based funding, opposing privatization and the growth of private universities and degree granting institutions (including the Canada Christian College), and maintaining adequate funding to ensure that the financial crisis that unfolded at Laurentian University does not repeat itself anywhere else.

Re-engage, build capacity, and mobilize

With a provincial election on the horizon, it is important that we work together to build stronger campus communities capable of shaping the higher education platforms of Ontario’s political parties. The success of academic staff associations is grounded in the strength we bring as a collective force, a form of strength we see exercised across the labour movement. History demonstrates that working together we can solve the biggest problems facing the sector, such as precarious work, chronic underfunding, non-transparent and non-accountable governance structures, and the inequitable treatment of faculty, students, and staff.

Meeting highlights

Creation of standing Contract Faculty Committee

In recognition of the ongoing insecurities and inequities faced by contract faculty and academic librarians, OCUFA members voted to establish a Contract Faculty Committee, which will replace the former ad-hoc Contract Faculty and Faculty Complement Committee. This committee will be charged with providing direction on ideas and initiatives to: promote good terms and conditions of work for contract faculty and all faculty members; address issues including precarious work, job security, workload, and the balance between teaching and research; build solidarity between tenure-stream and contract faculty.

Presentation from the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario

The meeting featured a presentation by the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. The presentation highlighted the election priorities that students will be putting forward in the upcoming election, including advocating for increased postsecondary education funding and lower tuition fees.

COVID-19 and the fall 2021 term

OCUFA members discussed the challenges they have been facing in the latest phase of the pandemic. While many campuses continued to offer classes remotely, others started to bring more classes and students onto campus. Over the summer, the provincial government introduced the requirement for vaccine mandates and recklessly removed requirements for capacity limits and physical distancing on campuses. These issues and their implication for faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals were discussed with great interest.

Support for UOITFA

In a moment of solidarity, OCUFA members from across Ontario took a moment to show their support for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty Association, which represents faculty at Ontario Tech who are in bargaining and recently voted 90 per cent in favour of striking as part of their efforts to get a fair deal. This is a crucial moment for the UOITFA. You can show your support by sending an email to the Ontario Tech administration that asks them to negotiate a fair deal that prioritizes high-quality education and helps avoid a strike at Ontario Tech: https://www.uoitfa.ca/take-action/

Celebrating excellence in teaching

During a special lunchtime ceremony, meeting participants were treated to a video celebrating the recipients of this year’s Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards. Since 1973, these awards have recognized the exceptional contributions professors and academic librarians have made to the quality of higher education in Ontario. You can watch the video here.

The next OCUFA Board of Directors meeting will be held on February 26, 2022.