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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:

Indigenization through collective bargaining: Lessons and ideas for academic staff associations
By Spy Dénommé-Welch and Larry Savage, Brock University
“In June 2020, members of the Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA) ratified a new collective agreement that contained important contract provisions designed to advance measures aimed at restoring and renewing Indigenous practices and knowledge systems. The union’s bargaining breakthrough on Indigenization was rooted in…”

University of Windsor’s Delta Chi fraternity under investigation for racism in student chat rooms
By Chantelle Cruzat-Whervin
“The University of Windsor has come under increased scrutiny as it has been revealed that student members of the Delta Chi fraternity, which was active on campus, engaged in racist behaviour within private Facebook chat rooms. The Facebook messages involved racist jokes such as…”

Students facing challenges coping with online education during the pandemic
By Chantelle Cruzat-Whervin
“For those attending and teaching post-secondary education, there has been significant adaptation required during the pandemic. With classes over videoconference being the new normal and student-professor meetings happening via email or through the screen, it has been challenging for all those involved. Students…”

Academic freedom entails both individual and social responsibility
By Stuart Chambers, University of Ottawa
“Periodically, professors drop their commitment to objective truth to pursue political agendas. When this occurs, they become prisoners of their own ideologies. In a publication by Professors Ole Wæver and Barry Buzan, the authors reveal that some scholars within critical studies deliberately mislead readers by…”

“And some, I assume, are good people”: US international student recruitment and neo-racist nativism
By Dale Kirby, Memorial University of Newfoundland
“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of international students enrolled at Canadian colleges and universities had steadily increased in recent years. At Canadian universities, international student enrolment more than tripled between 2008 and 2019, and over the past decade Canada has become one…”

Four reasons to deny university status to Canada Christian College
By David Seljak, St. Jerome’s University
“Ontarians have opposed the Ford government’s legislation to give Canada Christian College university status and the ability to offer Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) degrees due to college president Charles McVety’s cozy relationship with Premier Doug Ford and…”

Online exam monitoring can invade privacy and erode trust at universities
By Bonnie Stewart, University of Windsor
“The health risks posed by COVID-19 mean most Canadian university classes are online this year. As a result, some students will write exams online via remote proctoring platforms that surveil their activities. These tools go by names like ProctorU, Examity, Respondus and Proctorio…”

What’s the purpose of university? Your answer may depend on how much it costs you
By Achala Gupta, University of Surrey
“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the university sector under greater scrutiny. In some cases, this has prompted new conversations about the purpose of higher education. These have included the extent to which universities are upholding their commitment to public service, and whether the current…”

Half of Ontario’s medical schools are now named after wealthy donors
By Najib Safieddine, University of Toronto
“With the September announcement of a record $250-million donation to the University of Toronto’s medical school, renamed the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, three of the six medical schools in Ontario are now named after wealthy donors. Should we simply celebrate philanthropic donations to…”

Outdoor education at universities can be a positive legacy of COVID-19
By Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet, Université de Sherbrooke
“Universities have faced major planning challenges due to COVID-19. While there has been significant media coverage about universities offering students online learning, what has been less discussed is how some activities have continued in face-to-face settings. My research is concerned with outdoor…”

$10,000 Fellowship for Higher Education Journalism accepting applications

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The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations is excited to announce the third annual $10,000 OCUFA Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism.

The Fellowship is intended to address the shortage of informed investigative reporting on Canadian higher education issues and support those wishing to pursue in-depth journalism on higher education.

The Fellowship is open to full-time, part-time, and freelance journalists (including students) who wish to pursue an investigative research project in the area of Canadian higher education. Applications focusing on any topic within this area are welcomed, including public policy, labour relations, the academic labour market, governance, financing, teaching, research, librarianship and information management, demographics, education quality, free speech and academic freedom, equity and diversity, Indigeneity, and reconciliation.

The deadline for applications is March 21, 2021. The Fellowship is valued at $10,000 and administered by OCUFA, with the first half payable at the start of the project and the second half upon completion. The winner will have to complete and publish and/or broadcast the project within a year of being granted the Fellowship. OCUFA will not exercise any editorial control or judgment over the work produced.

To learn more about the fellowship and to apply, please visit: https://ocufa.on.ca/awards/journalismfellowship

Ontario university and college faculty, staff, and students give Ford government failing grade on plans for postsecondary education

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The Ford government recently announced its plans to steamroll ahead with a reckless “performance” based funding plan. Postsecondary faculty, academic librarians, staff, and students are opposed to this flawed funding experiment and give the government a failing grade for its approach.

The government, which already provides the lowest postsecondary per-student funding in Canada, has now announced that it will allow per-student funding to drop by more than 10 per cent. This negligence will starve Ontario universities and colleges of vital resources required to ensure students receive a high-quality education. The plan will almost certainly lead to larger class sizes.

Further, the government is accelerating its plan to implement the reckless new funding model, which will now be phased in over just three years, instead of five.

The performance-based funding model is a solution in search of a problem. Instead of helping colleges and universities, the new funding plan will immobilize Ontario’s institutions of postsecondary education by wrapping them in unnecessary red tape.

Ontario’s universities and colleges should play a vital role in the province’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a time of unprecedented instability, why is the Ford government so intent on wasting money on a funding experiment that will further destabilize Ontario’s postsecondary education system?

Now is the time for predictable, stable funding, not a reckless and destabilizing funding experiment.

If the government meaningfully consulted with college and university faculty, staff, and students, they would know that this is the wrong funding model at the worst possible time. Unfortunately, this government has spent more than two years intentionally ignoring faculty, academic librarians, staff, and student voices.

The Ford government has stood on the sidelines and watched universities and colleges struggle during this pandemic. If our postsecondary education system is going to improve, this government needs to start listening to students, staff and faculty. It is time for the government to step up and invest in the province’s universities and colleges.

For more information: https://www.campuscoalition.org/post/ontario-faculty-staff-and-students-oppose-ford-government-s-performance-funding-for-postsecondary-institutions/

  • Janice Folk-Dawson, Executive Vice President – Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL)
  • Rahul Sapra, President – Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)
  • David Simao, Chair – Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)- Ontario University Sector
  • Harvey Bischof, President – Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF)
  • Craig Reynold, Regional Executive Vice-President – Public Service Alliance of Canada (Ontario Region)
  • Alex Silas, Regional Executive Vice President, PSAC-NCR
  • Sébastien Lalonde, Chairperson – Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario (CFS-O)
  • RM Kennedy, Chair – Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU) – College Faculty Divisional Executive

OCUFA condemns the Ford government for granting McVety’s Canada Christian College university-status

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Toronto, ON, December 7, 2020 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), which represents 17,000 faculty and academic librarians across the province, is alarmed at the Ford government’s passing of Bill 213 which includes schedule 2 that gives the Canada Christian College, a private institution, university status and degree-granting privileges for Bachelor of Arts and Science degrees.

“The Ontario government has ignored and undermined the quality assessment process it said it would follow before conferring university status to Canada Christian College. The Ford government is putting its seal of approval on an institution that degrades the meaning and integrity of Bachelor of Arts and Science degrees,” said Rahul Sapra, President of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. “Giving private institutions degree-awarding privileges undermines postsecondary education in Ontario as private institutions do not follow the rigorous standards of public postsecondary institutions, which ensure the accessibility and quality of the institutions and their educational programs.”

Charles McVety, the president of the college, openly displays deeply rooted Islamophobic, transphobic, and homophobic views. Mr. McVety has been embroiled in several controversies resulting from his discriminatory beliefs. These include multiples instances of homophobic and hateful comments, transphobic endeavours to remove gender identity from the sex education curriculum in Ontario schools, advocating for the teaching of creationism in Ontario schools, and hosting known Islamophobic figures and calling Islam a danger to Canadian society. Mr. McVety plays a central role in representing, running, and directing the college. It is alarming that his discriminatory and hateful views also inform the teaching and pedagogy at this private institution.

“The Ford government’s granting Canada Christian College university status and the ability to call its diplomas Bachelors of Arts and Science seriously harms students and misleads them about the quality of education and the value of the degrees it provides,” said David Seljak, Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at St. Jerome’s University- University of Waterloo. “Its instructors are not qualified; only a handful have graduate degrees from recognized universities and its curriculum is harmful and inadequate. As someone who has been involved in numerous university program reviews, I can state without qualification that the curriculum at Canada Christian College would not meet the minimum standards at any Ontario university.”

In 1983, the Ontario government took away degree-granting privileges from the Canada Christian College through the Degree Granting Act to restrict the ability of private institutions to offer bachelor’s degrees that were misleading or did not have the necessary credentials recognized by other institutions.

“Granting Canada Christian College university status and the ability to offer Bachelor of Arts and Science degrees sends Ontarians exactly the wrong message about education, religious diversity, and multiculturalism,” said David Seljak. “It tells the people of Ontario that it is perfectly acceptable to publicly promote extremist views that target minority populations.”

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 professors and academic librarians in 30 faculty 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 or to arrange an interview, contact:
Hind Eideh, OCUFA Policy Analyst at 416-306-6034 or heideh@ocufa.on.ca

Nominations now open for OCUFA Mandelbaum Graduate Student Fellowships

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Nominations are now open for the Henry Mandelbaum Graduate Fellowships for Excellence in Social Sciences, Humanities, or Arts. The fellowships are awarded annually to two full-time graduate students who are exceptional leaders, engaged community members, and promising academics.

One Fellowship worth $2,500 is awarded at the master’s level and one at $5,000 is awarded for those pursuing a PhD.

We encourage you to share this award with your graduate students. The deadline to apply is March 5th, 2021.

More information about the award, past recipients, and application guidelines can be found here: https://ocufa.on.ca/awards/the-henry-mandelbaum-graduate-fellowship/

Ontario faculty hold advocacy week virtually

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From November 9-13, faculty from across the province held virtual meetings with their elected Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to advocate for stronger public funding for postsecondary education, fairness for contract faculty, faculty renewal, and against the threats to academic freedom and human rights in Bill 213 and the Order in Council on the definition of antisemitism.

Faculty met with more than 30 MPPs representing all political parties, many of whom have universities in or adjacent to their ridings.

This year’s advocacy week provided important opportunities for MPPs to learn about faculty priorities, including:

  • the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the learning and teaching process
  • protecting and expanding public funding for postsecondary education in Ontario to promote quality and accessibility;
  • delivering fairness for contract faculty and committing to supporting good jobs on university campuses;
  • moving away from punitive university funding models based on performance metrics and urging greater consultation with faculty about university funding frameworks; and
  • respecting academic freedom and democratic processes by withdrawing the IHRA definition of antisemitism and list of illustrative examples, as presented in Bill 168 and the Order in Council, and denying the Canada Christian College the ability to grant bachelors of arts and science degrees.

OCUFA representatives also had a strong social media presence throughout the week, reporting on their meetings with MPPs and the issues they discussed.

Despite COVID-19, advocacy week facilitated many important conversations with MPPs, which we hope will continue.

OCUFA board meeting focuses on priorities for 2020-21

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On October 31, OCUFA held its first Board of Directors Meeting of the 2020-21 academic year. The virtual meeting focused on the numerous challenges faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Identifying priorities for 2020-21

With most academic staff and students still working and learning from home, the pandemic has fundamentally reshaped how postsecondary education is delivered in Ontario. OCUFA board meetings have also had to adapt, and this fall saw several new initiatives to engage board members in conversation virtually.

In advance of the board meeting, directors were invited to participate in special roundtable discussions about areas of concern for OCUFA, including: equity, working conditions, capacity building, funding, and contract faculty. A survey was also circulated to gather feedback on how the shift to emergency online teaching has impacted collective bargaining, member engagement, grievance trends, governance, and institutional budgets and operations.

At the meeting, the board confirmed OCUFA’s priorities for the 2020-21 academic year. This will see the organization continuing to focus on good jobs, funding, and capacity building among members. A further motion has committed OCUFA to reviewing its structures, priorities, and work with the goal of enhancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within the organization.

Taking action and showing solidarity

Inspired by the incredible work of the Black Lives Matter movement and #scholarstrikecanada, the meeting saw OCUFA strike a working group to examine policing on Ontario campuses. Board members spoke about their concerns with how policing threatens the safety of faculty, staff, and students who are Black, Indigenous, or people of colour.

A motion supporting the 1492 Land Back Lane Land Defenders currently protesting the development of Haudenosaunee land near Caledonia, Ontario was passed unanimously. The motion expressed OCUFA’s solidarity with the Six Nations Land Defenders and included a donation of $5,000 to their legal defense fund.

Bill 168, a new piece of legislation introduced by the Ford government, was a major topic of conversation at the meeting, with many board members expressing concern. The legislation, through the illustrative examples attached to the IHRA definition of antisemitism, conflates antisemitism with legitimate criticism of the State of Israel and, in doing so, threatens academic freedom at Ontario’s universities. As a result, members passed a motion expressing OCUFA’s support for academic freedom and condemning antisemitism and all forms of racism.

The discussions and motions at the OCUFA board meeting emphasized that professors and academic librarians have a responsibility to address issues arising in our communities, including colonization, racism, growing social and economic inequality, and threats to free political speech and dissent.

Celebrating excellence in teaching

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

The 2019-2020 Teaching Award recipients are:

  • William Cluett, Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto
  • Joel Faflak, Professor in the Department of English and Writing Studies at Western University
  • Kim Hellemans, Instructor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University
  • Shoshanah Jacobs, Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph
  • Aaron Langille, Master Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Laurentian University

The video can be viewed here.

Election of next OCUFA President

Congratulations are in order for Trent Professor Sue Wurtele, who was elected as the next President of OCUFA at the meeting. Her term will begin on July 1, 2021.

The next OCUFA Board of Directors meeting will be held on February 20, 2020.

Pandemic has caused decline in education quality according to new poll of university students and faculty

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TORONTO, Nov 24, 2020 — University students, faculty, and academic librarians are struggling with social isolation, stress, and a lack of institutional support according to the results of a new poll which finds that those working and studying at Ontario’s universities believe the shift to online education has negatively impacted quality. Without immediate action from universities and the Ontario government to address these concerns, it is likely that quality will degrade even further.

“These results demonstrate that meaningful engagement between students and faculty is fundamental to the learning process,” said Rahul Sapra, President of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. “As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the scramble to move courses online, we have lost that human connection and educational quality has suffered.”

The poll of 2,700 Ontario students, faculty, and academic librarians was commissioned by OCUFA and conducted by Navigator Inc. It reveals that 62 per cent of students and 76 per cent of faculty and academic librarians believe that the adjustments universities made to move teaching online have had a negative impact on education quality.

Financial security, care demands, and work-life balance are significant stress points for both groups. A third of students and two thirds of faculty and academic librarians revealed that they have care-giving responsibilities that they are struggling to balance while working or studying.

When asked about the impacts of the pandemic, a majority of students said they are concerned about their education quality and academic performance, their financial security as a result of high tuition fees and fewer opportunities to earn income, their mental health, and their ability to manage non-academic responsibilities, including caregiving, while studying.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic students have raised concerns about the quality and affordability of their education,” said Kayla Weiler, Ontario Representative of the Canadian Federation of Students. “These results further indicate that universities and the Ontario government must take action to improve learning and working conditions.”

Faculty and academic librarians, who have been working harder than ever during the past eight months to deliver the best education possible online, feel they are still falling short of their own expectations. With many universities making unilateral decisions about course delivery, a majority of faculty and academic librarians said they are concerned about their ability to teach and support students, their professional development, their mental health, and their ability to manage non-academic responsibilities, including caregiving, while working.

Financial security, mental health, and the challenges of balancing work and care responsibilities are of significantly higher concern to contract faculty. Most of these faculty work contract-to-contract with little job security, while receiving much lower pay than their securely-employed colleagues.

“Since this pandemic began, we have been hearing heart-wrenching stories from contract faculty across Ontario.” said Kimberly Ellis-Hale, a contract faculty member at Wilfrid Laurier University. “As dedicated instructors, we are committed to providing our students with exceptional educational experiences, but the reality is that, because we are contract faculty, we are not getting paid for the enormous amount of work it has taken to put these courses online and deliver them remotely, or to provide the additional support our students need and deserve. All this extra work and overtime is taking a heavy toll.”

The results of the poll also make it very clear that, even once the pandemic has ended, online education will not see the enthusiastic adoption that many have claimed. On the whole, neither students nor faculty view online learning as a desirable approach to a university education.

It is clear that most students, faculty, and academic librarians will not be returning to campus any time soon. However, there are still important actions Ontario’s universities can take to address these concerns. Reducing class sizes by hiring additional, securely employed faculty, will ensure students receive more one-on-one support and a better educational experience. Lowering tuition fees will help students struggling to make ends meet, now and after the pandemic. Finally, investments in better resources for students, faculty, and academic librarians—especially technology supports—would improve educational outcomes and address the mental and emotional burn-out many are feeling.

However, Ontario’s universities will have difficulty making these changes without additional support from the provincial government, which made substantial cuts to postsecondary education funding prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ford government has displayed a pattern of behaviour by consistently ignoring those working on the frontlines of Ontario’s public education system. It is not too late to change course.

“Throughout the pandemic, the Ford government has stood on the sidelines and watched as university students, faculty, and academic librarians struggle,” said Sapra. “Even in the middle of the pandemic, the top concerns for students and faculty are fees and funding. It is time for the provincial government to step up, set an example, and invest in Ontario’s underfunded universities so that they can improve the educational experience and help students and faculty succeed.”

Reversing cuts to education by investing in smaller classes, good jobs, and lower tuition fees will not just help Ontario’s universities during the pandemic, but will lay the foundations for students, faculty, and academic librarians to effectively pivot back to the in-person educational experience they say is most effective.

For a copy of the poll, click here.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 professors and academic librarians in 30 faculty 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 or to arrange an interview, contact:
Ben Lewis, OCUFA Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca
Kayla Weiler, CFS-Ontario National Executive Representative at 519-901-0273 or k.weiler@cfsontario.ca

Collective strength in precarious times – New issue of Academic Matters

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The latest issue of Academic Matters explores how collective negotiation has helped to ensure that the principles of the university are upheld and that academic staff are treated and compensated fairly. In the shadow of COVID-19, it is through this process that faculty associations are working to protect their members so that they can effectively carry on teaching, research, and librarianship during the pandemic. Read the issue for free online.

Editorial Matters: The collective challenges of COVID-19
By Ben Lewis, Editor-in-Chief
“This has been a challenging year. We were just putting the final touches on this issue of Academic Matters when the COVID-19 pandemic swept through Canada. A few final tweaks and the journal would have been on its way to campus. Except that, suddenly…”

Courage, strength, and resolve: How the King’s University College Faculty Association unionized in the middle of a pandemic
By Stephanie Bangarth, King’s University College Faculty Association
Facing a global health pandemic and an uncooperative administration, the King’s University College Faculty Association decided it was time to unionize. Now they’re stronger than ever.

Rising to the challenge: Reflections on a round of pandemic bargaining
By Larry Savage, Brock University
Bargaining is an intensive and complex process during the best of times, but what happened when the Brock University Faculty Association found itself bargaining a new collective agreement in the middle of a pandemic?

The parties agree that… The role of collective bargaining in advancing university goals
By Michelle Webber and Linda Rose-Krasnor, Brock University
Universities play a vital role in society and the principles of academic freedom, tenure, equity, and institutional autonomy are foundational to their success. How are these principles defended and strengthened? Through collective bargaining.

How the government restricts free and fair collective bargaining: An examination of faculty bargaining history as constrained by the Ontario Labour Relations Act
By Donna Gray
Looking back over half a century of bargaining by university faculty and librarians, it is clear that not all academics have seen the same benefits. Is the Ontario Labour Relations Act to blame and how can the scales be rebalanced?

Advancing equity and fairness through collective bargaining
By Geoffrey L. Hudson, Northern Ontario School of Medecine
Building more equitable and diverse universities is vital, but it can be challenging. By integrating equity into their bargaining process and prioritizing it in their negotiations, the faculty, librarians, and professional staff at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine have made remarkable progress on these issues.

Pushing ahead: Advancing collective bargaining rights in the library
By Jennifer Dekker, University of Ottawa
Well-resourced libraries are core to advancing the goals of the academy and the work of faculty and students. Often overlooked due to their small numbers, what challenges do librarians and archivists face in the workplace and how can we ensure they are supported?

Bargaining in the shadow of BC’s Public Sector Employers’ Council
By Annabree Fairweather, CUFA-BC
For three decades, the wages, benefits, and language British Columbia’s faculty associations are able to negotiate have been restricted by the government. How do workers mobilize and challenge the PSEC regime and its iron grip on the province’s public-sector bargaining?

Remote education is rife with threats to student privacy
By Nir Kshetri, University of North Carolina – Greensboro
“An online “proctor” who can survey a student’s home and manipulate the mouse on their computer as the student takes an exam. A remote-learning platform that takes face scans and voiceprints of students. Virtual classrooms where strangers can pop up out of the…”

Universities enrich communities, as well as educating students – new research
By Elaine Unterhalter, UCL
“Education helps us share knowledge, develop understanding, and supports our connection with each other. As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued, governments have been preoccupied with how to re-open schools. However, there has been more doubt about universities. Discussions about the rise in COVID-19…”

How wage theft and casual work are built into Australian university business models
By Damien Cahill, University of Sydney
“The COVID crisis has exposed the destructive consequences of an over-reliance on casual labour across the economy. Australian universities provide one of the clearest examples of this. For the past two decades, universities have leaned into international student fees on the revenue side and…”

Call for nominations for the Equity and Social Justice Committee Award of Distinction

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Nominations for the OCUFA Equity and Social Justice Committee Award of Distinction are open. The deadline is fast approaching (November 27th, 2020) and we encourage you to nominate someone whose work has contributed meaningfully to the advancement of professors, academic librarians, and/or academic staff who are Indigenous, women, racialized, LGBTQ2S+, living with disabilities, and/or belong to other historically marginalized groups. The award is open to all gender identities.

Additional information and nomination forms can be found here. Any questions about the award should be directed to Cheryl Athersych at cathersych@ocufa.on.ca.

Video of Worldviews Lecture on the myth of meritocracy now available online

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The 2020 Worldviews Lecture brought together over 180 academics, students, higher education leaders, communications professionals, and journalists from around the globe for a virtual discussion on the lecture’s theme: The myth of meritocracy.

Jo Littler from City, University of London, opened the event with a historical and contemporary analysis of the ways by which meritocracy permeates social institutions, including the academy. Professor Littler’s lecture was followed by a panel discussion featuring scholars from across Ontario, which was facilitated by Trish Hennessy from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Ryerson University professor Rupa Banerjee spoke to the ways meritocracy informs discrimination within Canada’s immigration system; York University professor Carl James spoke to the ways in which meritocracy disadvantages Black, Indigenous, and racialized students and educators at every stage of their educational journeys; and McMaster University professor emeritus Wayne Lewchuk highlighted the myth of meritocracy as it relates to climbing the economic ladder, and who benefits from this myth.

After their remarks, the panelists discussed the ways that COVID-19 has illuminated the myth of meritocracy and how the pandemic may dislodge the myth or potentially entrench it further. The panelists also discussed the ways that higher education might be upholding and legitimizing the notion of meritocracy within the neoliberal context, and answered other questions regarding the harmful pervasiveness of meritocracy within our social institutions.

We invite you to view the entire Worldviews lecture for yourself. Below you will find specific portions of the event timestamped for ease of access.

  • Professor Littler’s lecture begins at 6:10
  • The panelists’ are introduced at 27:45
  • Rupa Banerjee remarks begin at 30:20
  • Carl James’ remarks begin at 36:00
  • Wayne Lewchuk’s remarks begin at 45:20
  • The question-and-answer portion begins at 51:00

For a full written overview of Professor Littler’s lecture, please read the Time to make the myth of meritocracy satire again by University World News reporter Nic Mitchell.

Future health of Ontario universities uncertain as government refuses to change course on funding

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TORONTO, Nov, 5, 2020—The future health of Ontario universities remains uncertain as the Ford government continues to erode university funding and refuses to change course on their reckless performance-based funding scheme. Instead, the 2020 Ontario Budget promises to squander $60 million dollars on ineffective micro-credentials, which are a solution in search of a problem. With ongoing attempts to further privatize the province’s postsecondary education system by awarding university status to controversial private colleges like the Canada Christian College, this government’s proposals represent a real threat to the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of the province’s universities.

While Ontario’s university faculty and academic librarians welcome more funding for campus infrastructure and mental health, the budget continues to move the province’s postsecondary education system in the wrong direction. Even though the government says it’s cutting red tape, it intends to bury Ontario’s universities in even more administrative bureaucracy by moving ahead with a complex framework that puts approximately $3 billion dollars in postsecondary funding at risk.

“In a time of heightened anxiety and instability, why is the Ford government so obsessed with wasting money on funding schemes that have repeatedly proven to be ineffective and harmful,” said Rahul Sapra, President of OCUFA. “Research shows that performance-based funding is likely to have negative consequences and will slowly but certainly undermine the quality and accessibility of education at Ontario’s universities. Further, newly announced funding for micro-credentials will do little, if anything, to help those hoping for good jobs. Instead, it will further commercialize the province’s education system and squander public money to pay for training that should be provided by employers.”

Over many decades, Ontario’s universities have developed a reputation for providing students with the support, opportunity, and inspiration to push forward in the quest for knowledge and understanding, while consistently producing innovative and ground-breaking research and solutions to society’s most pressing problems—including those we have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ineffective performance-based funding measures and micro-credential programs undermine these benefits and the very purpose of postsecondary education.

The government’s obsession with training students with specific skills for the workforce ignores the reality of today’s dynamic job market and the fundamental benefits of a university education and, in effect, de-skills Ontario’s work force. Higher education should foster creative, curious, and critical minds, while providing students with transferrable skills. Those are the attributes that today’s employers are looking for.

“Under the Ford government’s plans, students will graduate with less knowledge, fewer skills, more limited job prospects, and be less adaptable to Ontario’s dynamically changing workforce,” said Sapra. “This government has spent more than two years intentionally ignoring faculty and student voices. In fact, it has repeatedly tried to silence those voices. This budget shows the poor decisions made by policy makers who don’t understand Ontario’s postsecondary education system.”

No one knows how to advance Ontario’s exceptional postsecondary education system better than the faculty and academic librarians working on its front lines. Instead of introducing ineffective and damaging market-based schemes to fund education, the government should be actively consulting university faculty and academic librarians to chart a path forward that builds on our strengths, supports students, and effectively contributes to Ontario’s economic recovery for years to come.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 professors and academic librarians in 30 faculty 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 or to arrange an interview, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

Canada Christian College should be denied university status

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In a letter to Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano, the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition, of which OCUFA is a member, has raised concerns about the privatization of postsecondary education in Ontario and the government’s efforts to grant university status to the controversial Canada Christian College.

Hon. Ross Romano
Minister of Colleges and Universities
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
5th Floor, 438 University Ave
Toronto, ON M7A 2A5
ross.romano@pc.ola.org

November 2, 2020

Dear Minister Romano,

We write as representatives of the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC)—which represents over 435,000 faculty, staff, and students from every public postsecondary institution in Ontario.

We are very concerned that your government is tabling legislation to permit the Canada Christian College to call itself a university and to award degrees in arts and sciences, and we urge you to reconsider.

Charles McVety, who runs the college, holds long-standing discriminatory islamophobic, homophobic and transphobic views. As he is a close ally to Premier Ford, we are additionally concerned that the government is handing out political favours and disregarding the college and its founder’s troubling record of advocating for discrimination. We are also concerned about growing efforts to privatize postsecondary education in Ontario. Privatization and giving private institutions degree-granting privileges will undermine the quality and accessibility of postsecondary education in Ontario.

We deeply value Ontario’s postsecondary education system and its contribution to our communities and society. This is why we are extremely concerned that the government would consider granting degree-granting privileges to institutions that promote discrimination.

Allowing the Canada Christian College to call itself a university and to grant degrees in the fields of arts and sciences would undermine the integrity of postsecondary education in Ontario. In addition, it would threaten the safety and standing of equity-seeking communities in Ontario.

Degree-granting institutions recognized by the government must meet the anti-hate and anti-discrimination standards of the Ontario Human Rights Code at a minimum. This is essential to ensure that our postsecondary system is accessible and equitable and that students, faculty and staff of religious and other equity-seeking groups feel safe and valued within our system.

We urge you to act to ensure the safety and respect of all those in the postsecondary sector, including members of equity-seeking communities. Therefore, we ask that you withdraw the provision in Bill 213 regarding the change in the status of the Canada Christian College and awarding it the power to grant degrees.

Sincerely,

The Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition

  • Janice Folk-Dawson, Executive Vice President – Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL)
  • RM Kennedy, Chair – Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU) – College Faculty Divisional Executive
  • Rahul Sapra, President – Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)
  • David Simao, Chair – Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)- Ontario University Sector
  • Harvey Bischof, President – Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF)
  • Craig Reynold, Regional Executive Vice-President – Public Service Alliance of Canada (Ontario Region)
  • Sébastien Lalonde, Chairperson – Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario (CFS-O)
  • Jerry Dias, National President of Unifor

CC: Laura Mae Lindo (Kitchener Centre), the Official Opposition’s Anti-Racism critic. LLindo-QP@ndp.on.ca
Chris Glover (Spadina—Fort York), the Official Opposition’s Colleges and Universities critic. CGlover-CO@ndp.on.ca
Kathleen O. Wynne (Don Valley West), Liberal Party’s Colleges and Universities critic. kwynne.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
Mike Shreiner, Green Party of Ontario. Mschreiner@ola.org

New video celebrates teaching award recipients

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In a special new video, OCUFA celebrates this year’s Teaching and Academic Librarianship Award recipients.

Watch the video below to learn more about the five individuals whose teaching exemplifies the passion, dedication, and spirit of innovation that defines Ontario’s professors and librarians.

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:

“Mind the gap”: Critical insights on the urgent transition to online learning in a time of crisis
By Dianne Conrad
In this three-part series, Dianne Conrad draws on her many years of experience in online learning and on research in the field to critically consider the wide range—and depth—of issues that shape a transition as large as the current one. She considers not only the logistics of making the shift, but also issues of culture, language, and pedagogy. As she details, pedagogical positioning is often more important for success in online teaching and learning than the learning management systems and other technologies used.
Part one / Part two / Part three

Low funding for universities puts students at risk for cycles of poverty, especially in the wake of COVID-19
By Tracy Smith-Carrier, Western University
“Postsecondary education has consistently been linked to the promise of a better life. Graduating from postsecondary study has been identified as the single most important factor affecting intergenerational mobility. Yet, several factors at play today show how this function of postsecondary education is in crisis in Canada…”

Online learning during COVID-19: 8 ways universities can improve equity and access
By Nadia Naffi, Université Laval; Ann-Louise Davidson, Concordia University; Azeneth Patino, Université Laval; Brian Beatty, San Francisco State University; Edem Gbetoglo, Université Laval, and Nathalie Duponsel, Concordia University
“This summer, universities around the world planned for an unprecedented back-to-school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In most universities, centres of teaching and learning are responsible for supporting faculty members’ teaching for more effective student learning and a high quality…”

Stop telling students to study STEM instead of humanities for the post-coronavirus world
By Alan Sears, University of New Brunswick and Penney Clark, University of British Columbia
“Finally, someone has figured out how to put an end to students wasting their lives in the quixotic pursuit of knowledge associated with the humanities. The government of Australia announced in June a reform package that would lower fees for what are considered “job-relevant” university courses…”

COVID-19 outbreaks at universities: Students need safe places to socialize, not partying bans
By Leo Erlikhman, Queen’s University, Ontario
“As universities have reopened in various ways this fall after spring COVID-19 closures and a rapid move to online learning, new challenges are emerging. Beyond navigating a “new normal” of both virtual and in-person academic learning, universities must confront questions about student life…”

Gaining knowledge is what makes a degree valuable, not graduate salaries or transferable skills
By Paul Ashwin, Lancaster University
“The unexpected social and economic challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic have given increased urgency to questions about the purposes of a university education and the kinds of graduates that society needs. Much of this debate has focused on the extent to which university degrees…”

Renowned educator Paulo Freire would have questioned how we are schooling our kids in the age of COVID-19
By Antonia Darder, Loyola Marymount University and James D. Kirylo, University of South Carolina
“Schools across the globe are struggling to provide online academic alternatives during the coronavirus, especially for students from racially and economically marginalized groups. While online education is not new, its mass proliferation amid the pandemic is, and it’s radically changing the face of education…”

How COVID is widening the academic gender divide in Australia
By Kirsty Duncanson, La Trobe University; Natasha Weir, La Trobe University; Pavithra Siriwardhane, RMIT University, and Tehmina Khan, RMIT University
“From the first rumblings of its spread, COVID-19’s impact on women academics was immediate. In a sign of the gendered nature of the pandemic’s impacts, men’s research submissions to academic journals almost instantly increased by 50%, single-author articles by women dropped…”