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Queens faculty working towards escalated job action

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Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA) members are getting ready to step up their job action as the bargaining team has been frustrated with slow progress at the table. Highlighting the disrespect members are feeling from Queen’s University administration, particularly on equity issues, job security for adjuncts, intellectual property and research funding, the theme is “Disrespected.”

Members are optimistic this show of solidarity will encourage the bargaining team and ensure administration comes to the table ready to talk and engage on these important issues. For Fair Employment Week, adjunct QUFA members hosted an information table on campus to draw the Queen’s community’s attention to these important issues.

Contract faculty at Nipissing University demand a fair and equitable agreement

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Nipissing University Faculty Association (NUFA) contract academic staff bargaining unit (CASBU) members have voted 83 per cent in favour of a strike if negotiations with the university reach an impasse. CASBU members sent a clear message to the university administration that it is time to negotiate reasonable improvements to compensation and job security.

NUFA is the third faculty association in Ontario this fall to receive an overwhelming strike mandate from their members, joining WLUFA and UWOFA in their push for better working conditions.

Support contract academic staff during Fair Employment Week!

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October 17-21 is Fair Employment Week, an annual campaign led by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) to raise awareness and improve the working conditions of precariously employed contract faculty and academic staff.

On Ontario campuses, OCUFA member organizations are hosting events, tabling on campus, and participating in social media campaigns. See more on the OCUFA Twitter account.

Wednesday, October 19 is the Fair Employment Week Social Media Day of Action! Get graphics and content ideas here and share your support for contract academic faculty!

Check out the hashtags #FairEmploymentWeek and #Fairness4CF on social media or follow your local faculty association to learn more about how to support the cause, and find all of CAUT’s resources for Fair Employment Week on their website.

New issue of Academic Matters investigates the pandemic and the future of the university

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What will the future of the academy look like? It’s a big question with infinite answers. The latest issue of Academic Matters, published in Summer 2022, focused on the long arc of the COVID-19 pandemic and what it means for teaching, learning, and research. This issue was also the last for outgoing editor-in-chief Ben Lewis. Thank you for all your work, Ben!

Editorial Matters: Pandemic Learning
By Ben Lewis, Editor-in-Chief
“The legacy of the past two years will play out for decades and the consequences will be felt disparately in different communities—potentially marking a paradigm shift in postsecondary education…”

Glimpsing the future, thanks to a pandemic
By Ken Steele
“If the pandemic has a silver lining (however thin), it is that the unequal circumstances and invisible challenges faced by many of our colleagues and students—both before and during the pandemic—have become strikingly evident…”

Let’s normalize kindness in post-pandemic learning
By Yvonne Su, York University
“In the post-pandemic university, it is more important than ever for us to be kind and build a culture of care. This culture is vital—for students and educators—as the pre-pandemic levels of stress and burnout in both populations cannot be tolerated…”

Blank stares and black screens: The pitfalls of virtual learning and the challenges of post-pandemic education
By Ari Gandsman, University of Ottawa
“We cannot forget that this has all been a grand social experiment. None of this would have been possible a decade ago, when broadband internet and videoconferencing platforms were far less accessible. While we bemoan the effects of technology on our lives, we have now allowed it to hijack our education systems…”

The future of internationalization in the wake of COVID
By Elizabeth Buckner, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
“Our postsecondary institutions do an impressive job creating ways for people from around the world to communicate with each other, whether on physical campuses or in virtual spaces. However, fostering deep and meaningful human connections among these individuals, who have different backgrounds and worldviews, is a much more difficult challenge…”

Inside the mental health crisis facing college and university students
By Simon Lewsen with photography by Chloë Ellingson
“Over the last decade, reports of postsecondary students trying and failing to secure psychological services have become ubiquitous. Pundits and psychiatrists now talk about a mental health crisis on campus, and it isn’t hard to see why…”

Faculty members from Wilfrid Laurier to Western give bargaining teams strong strike mandates

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Members of the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA) and Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) part-time unit have given their bargaining teams resounding strike mandates. UWOFA members voted 91 per cent in favour and WLUFA contract faculty voted 95.4 per cent in favour of authorizing their respective bargaining and Executive teams to call for strike action if negotiations at the universities reach an impasse.

UWOFA has been bargaining since the summer and is now in conciliation trying to reach a fair deal that rewards and recognizes faculty effort, provides equitable workloads, enhanced health and wellness, and improves job security for contract faculty. The WLUFA team is seeking to improve job security, compensation, and benefits for precariously employed faculty this round.

Three OCUFA member organizations ratify new agreements, gain benefits

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Three OCUFA member organizations ratified new agreements in recent months:

Lakehead University

The Lakehead University Faculty Association (LUFA) ratified a new agreement at the end of July. Still under the shadow of the compensation restraint imposed by Bill 124, the negotiating team focused on bargaining for a one-year deal and made some significant gains on the priorities identified through a member survey.

On the longstanding priority of pension reforms, the parties agreed to switch to CAAT for future service beginning January 1st, 2023. Benefits improvements include a removal in the inequity in retiree benefits and an increase in the number of compassionate leave days from three to five. Professional Expenses Reimbursement amounts have been increased for Faculty, Librarians, Continuing Lecturers, and Levels 2 and 3 Contract Lecturers. Under Bill 124 restraint, all available compensation has been increased by one per cent.

In other changes, several Letters of Understanding have been moved into the relevant sections of the agreement, including language related to Teaching-Focused Faculty. Progress-Through-the-Ranks (PTR) requirements for Teaching-Focused Faculty have been updated to match PTR language for tenure-stream appointments. The eligibility for Right of First Refusal for Contract Lecturers has been lowered from three to two years.

The agreement also saw equity-related language changes, incorporating new equity, diversity, and inclusion language and changing some existing language to be more inclusive.

Algoma University

In mid-August, Part-Time Contract Faculty at Algoma University, represented by OPSEU Local 685, reached a new three-year agreement after a process that took several months.

Negotiating after the end of the moderation period imposed by Bill 124, members gained Across-The-Board (ATB) increases of three per cent effective July 1st, 2022, 2.5 per cent effective September 1st, 2023, and 2.5 per cent effective September 1st, 2024. In addition, a one-time wage increase of seven per cent will be applied to instructors’ wage grid salary rates on January 1st, 2023 to coincide with changes to Marking and Grading and Distance Education compensation.

Effective January 1st, 2023, there will be an increase in the marking and grading assistance from the current rate of $250 for classes of over 42 students plus $10 per student over 50 to $95 per student over 40; this will apply to every mode of delivery, including Distance Education, (with the exception of reading courses) and will replace the current distance education stipend. For classes of 100 or more students, the University reserves the right to assign paid marking/grading assistance.

Other gains include an increase in the tuition fee waiver from one three-credit course to two three-credit courses for every three-credit course taught; an increase to $36 per hour (previously $34) inclusive of vacation pay for Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) responsibilities and mandatory work assignments (prorated in 15 min. increments); and increased time to file grievances. The preamble to the collective agreement will now contain a land acknowledgement.

Osgoode Hall

At the end of August, members of the Osgoode Hall Faculty Association (OHFA) ratified a new three-year collective agreement with gains on several fronts.

Under restraint imposed by Bill 124, the agreement contains ATB and stipend increases of one per cent per year. It also contains a commitment to a Bill 124 reopener. The salary anomalies exercise will continue, with a one per cent increase per year to the $16,000 anomaly fund available annually.

Members will see several increases in benefits: inclusion of psychotherapists, psychoanalysts and social workers under psychological services; coverage of medical marijuana of up to $1,500 per year; and an increase in the caps for vision care, vaccine coverage, global paramedical services, dental care, hearing aids, and prosthetics.

Members will also receive increases in the conference travel fund, the computer renewal program, and professional expense reimbursement as part of professional and work-related benefits. Effective July 1st, 2023, the number of faculty awarded one (1) high enrollment teaching credit hour annually will increase from 12 to 14. The number of research release fellowships (granting tenured faculty a semester free of teaching) was increased from four to five.

The agreement includes a program for Equity-Focused Appointments under which one candidate who self-identifies as Indigenous or as a Black person of African descent will be recruited for a tenure-stream position. The appointment will be part of the regular annual appointments exercise, with the potential for additional incentive funding to be provided by the Provost & Vice-President Academic at their discretion.

The agreement contains a commitment to complement reporting under which the Dean will continue to provide timely reporting on an annual basis to Faculty Council on the current number of tenure stream faculty, authorizations for new appointments, updates on recruitment, pending arrivals, and the aggregate of any pending departures known to the University.

Under a Voluntary Retirement Plan, faculty may take a 12-month sabbatical at 100 per cent of academic base salary, immediately following which they will retire from the University, provided they do so: (a) (i) within five years of reaching their normal retirement date, and (ii) have accrued at least five years of sabbatical credit; OR (b) (i) up to ten years past their normal retirement date, and (ii) have accrued at least four years of sabbatical credit.

In addition, as part of a voluntary separation agreement, faculty will be given the opportunity to receive a lump sum retiring allowance or a lump sum retiring allowance and one-time senior scholar research and scholarly activity fund on their retirement.

OCUFA supports Laurentian faculty decision to move forward with repayment plan

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SUDBURY/TORONTO, September 14, 2022 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) supports the decision by creditors, including the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) and the Laurentian University Staff Union (LUSU), to move forward with the negotiated Plan of Arrangement under the Companies Creditor Arrangement Act (CCAA). The implementation of the plan will be essential to secure a future for Laurentian University in Sudbury.

“While this does not dampen the hurt and suffering at Laurentian, approving the Plan of Arrangement is a necessary step for Laurentian to continue serving the campus and Sudbury communities after 20 months of unnecessary challenges and immense loss,” said Sue Wurtele, OCUFA President. “Ontario’s academic community supports Laurentian’s faculty, staff, and students as they enter this phase of the rebuilding process and continue to call for accountability, transparency, and collegial governance from the university administration and the Ford government.”

In addition to debt repayment conditions, the plan includes a commitment to LUFA and their faculty  members’ input on the future of university governance and priority payment for vacation pay claims over and above what is required by the CCAA, as well as ensures the continuation of the pension plan and security for about 600 full-time jobs. Outside of the plan, LUFA was also able to negotiate provisions for three new faculty appointments, and will continue to advocate for increased faculty complement.

OCUFA was part of a coalition that called for accountability from the government and university administrators after Laurentian declared insolvency in February 2021. A preliminary report from the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario found that Laurentian’s CCAA filing was inappropriate and could have been avoided. The report also detailed poor management decisions and financial choices by administration officials, limited transparency, and a lack of action from the provincial government, resulting in the loss of almost 200 faculty and staff positions and the elimination of 69 academic programs. Following campaigns by LUFA, LUSU, OCUFA, and their allies, university President Robert Haché and Vice-President Academic and Provost Marie-Josée Berger—who had led the CCAA process—announced their retirements in July.

“The leadership change at Laurentian is a positive development, but the new leaders must work with university faculty to ensure a robust future for the institution,” said Wurtele. “Questions remain about why the Ford government didn’t step in earlier to prevent this catastrophe, and the Laurentian community—and all Ontarians—deserve answers and assurance that this will never happen again in Ontario.”

Laurentian will seek final approval from the Superior Court of Justice on October 5 and can start implementing the plan.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member organizations 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:
Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or manishaas@ocufa.on.ca

Faculty welcome the departure of Laurentian University administrators but call for faculty and governance renewal

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SUDBURY/TORONTO/OTTAWA, July 22, 2022 – The Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA), Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) applauded the departure of two of Laurentian University’s most senior administrators but warned that the university’s “plan of arrangement” must be accompanied by faculty and governance renewal.

“Whether you call it a firing or a retiring, Laurentian’s faculty welcome the departure of the senior administrators who are responsible for plunging the university into crisis, but we need a commitment that the University will correct the mistakes of the past,” said LUFA President Fabrice Colin. “The fallout from the CCAA process has been devastating and it can’t be reversed without a strong faculty complement and a demonstrated commitment to collaborative governance that includes representation from campus unions.”

“We hope this signals the beginning of the end of a very sad and disturbing chapter in the history of Ontario’s universities,” said Susan Wurtele, President of OCUFA. “The Auditor General’s preliminary report made it clear that this crisis was manufactured by bad management from Laurentian’s administration and lack of action from the Ontario Government. This disaster could have been avoided had university faculty been properly included in a transparent and collegial model of governance.”

In February 2020, Laurentian University engaged a Companies Creditor Arrangement Act (CCAA) process that triggered the largest cuts ever experienced at a Canadian university, including the cancellation of 69 programs and the loss of nearly 200 faculty and staff positions. The “Plan of Arrangement” filed by Laurentian University to the Superior Court of Justice on Thursday would seek to bring the CCAA process to a close, with a meeting of creditors to be held on September 14, 2022.  The announcement came alongside news of the retirement of Laurentian President Robert Haché and Provost Marie-Josée Berger, to be effective prior to the university’s emergence from CCAA.

“The news that some of the senior administrators responsible for creating the mess at Laurentian will be departing is a welcomed step in the right direction,” said David Robinson, Executive Director of CAUT. “Under new leadership, the University will need to chart a new course to ensure it operates in a manner that is open, transparent, and accountable to its academic staff, employees, students, and the community of Sudbury. The shocking failures that led Laurentian to the brink cannot be allowed to happen again.”

The announcement of administrative renewal follows a campaign calling on Laurentian Board of Governors Chair Jeff Bangs to terminate the President, Provost, and Rector, along with a series of demands designed to support Laurentian’s successful emergence from the CCAA process: https://lufappul.ca/wp/?page_id=2857

 

LUFA was founded in 1979 and, prior to CCAA proceedings, represented over 400 full-time and 300 part-time professors at Laurentian University, the University of Sudbury, Huntington University, and Thorneloe University. Today, LUFA represents roughly 250 full-time and 200 part-time professors at Laurentian University. For more information about LUFA, visit www.lufappul.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 information about OCUFA, visit www.ocufa.on.ca.

Founded in 1951, CAUT is the national voice for academic staff representing 72,000 teachers, librarians, researchers, general staff, and other academic professionals at some 125 universities and colleges across the country. CAUT is an outspoken defender of academic freedom and works actively in the public interest to improve the quality and accessibility of post-secondary education in Canada. For information about CAUT, visit www.CAUT.ca

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For more information, contact:
Joel Duff, Associate Executive Director at 416-306-6046 or jduff@ocufa.on.ca

Cliquer ici pour télécharger la version française.

 

Laurentian faculty, staff, and provincial association demand accountability and transparency to rebuild after CCAA

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SUDBURY, July 18, 2022 – As a new academic year approaches, the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA), Laurentian University Staff Union (LUSU), and Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) are demanding accountability and transparency from the Laurentian Senior administration and the Government of Ontario. Faculty, staff, and students at Laurentian University have experienced a terrible eighteen months of court-ordered restructuring caused by the mismanagement of successive Laurentian administrations and a provincial government that was absent during their time of crisis.

In order to rebuild together as a university community, LUFA, LUSU, OCUFA and their members are calling for the termination of the Senior administrators who forced the campus community into the Companies Creditor Arrangement Act (CCAA) process: President Robert Haché, Vice-President Academic and Provost Marie-Josée Berger, and Registrar Serge Demers.

“Our entire membership has lost confidence in these individuals,” said LUFA President Fabrice Colin. “For them to continue would jeopardize the credibility of the institution. There need to be consequences for usurping our collective agreement and collegial process.”

“The Auditor General’s preliminary report on Laurentian was clear, it was not faculty who caused the crisis, it was bad management decisions,” said OCUFA President Sue Wurtele. “The provincial government also has to answer for its part in this crisis. They could have stopped this process from going forward but intervened too late after nearly 200 faculty and staff positions were lost, 69 programs cancelled, and countless lives ruined. The community deserves an explanation for why they allowed this to happen.”

LUFA, LUSU, and OCUFA support a change in culture at Laurentian and welcome the repeated commitment of Board of Governors Chair Jeff Bangs to work collaboratively to re-establish trust, and to never allow mistakes of the past to be repeated. The university leadership must once again demonstrate their commitment to open and transparent decision-making in partnership with faculty, staff, students, and the Sudbury community by adhering to the new collective agreement and maintaining its faculty complement.

“We are ready to move forward, and we hope we can rely on a new, Senior leadership team to demonstrate their commitment to open and transparent decision-making in partnership with faculty, staff, students, and the Sudbury community,” said LUSU President Tom Fenske.

“Our goal has always been to emerge from the CCAA process with a plan that rebuilds the teaching and research capacity of Laurentian University through a robust faculty and staff complement and provides the foundation for a healthy working and learning environment for faculty, staff, and students,” said Colin. “To create a strong community and strong campus, we must ensure students are getting the high-quality education they deserve which faculty and staff can provide, but not if they are exhausted and overworked. The plan of arrangement provides that opportunity.”

When released, Laurentian’s draft plan of arrangement should outline how the institution will emerge from the restructuring undertaken through the CCAA process and repay its creditors. It must be approved through a vote by the creditors.

 

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 about OCUFA, visit www.ocufa.on.ca.

LUFA was founded in 1979 and, prior to CCAA proceedings, represented over 400 full-time and 300 part-time professors at Laurentian University, the University of Sudbury, Huntington University, and Thorneloe University. Today, LUFA represents roughly 250 full-time and 200 part-time professors at Laurentian University. For more information about LUFA, visit www.lufappul.ca.

LUSU represents approximately 210 staff members at Laurentian University. They include clerical and secretarial employees, technologists, technicians, computer staff, maintenance personnel, library staff including library technicians and assistants, operating engineers, printing services employees and security. For more information about LUSU, visit: www.lusu-seul.ca

                       

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For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Joel Duff, OCUFA Associate Executive Director 416-306-6046 or jduff@ocufa.on.ca

Cliquer ici pour télécharger la version française.

 

 

 

 

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:

Gender pay gap: It’s roughly half-a-million dollars for women professors across a lifetime
“There are substantial, long-term impacts from the gender pay gap for faculty at Canadian universities. Recent research from our multidisciplinary team, which includes expertise in equity policy, political science and cognitive science with mathematical modelling, shows that over the course of a career and…”

Online and in-person exams both have problems – that’s now clear. Unis have a window of opportunity to do better
“The pandemic pushed universities to launch or accelerate plans for delivering examinations online. These forced transitions have often been painful, involving stress and burnout. Exams have been a big pain point. There are many accounts from the pandemic of widespread cheating in online exams. These…”

Where has the joy of working in universities gone?
“As universities engage in the current round of enterprise bargaining, it is timely to remember the importance of joy at work. It seems everywhere you turn workers are walking away from their jobs. Industries like hospitality and health have been hit particularly hard. But no…”

What is Québec’s Bill 32 on academic freedom, and why does it matter?
“In the wake of the controversy over the suspension of a professor at the University of Ottawa for using the n-word in a 2020 lecture, the Québec government hopes to pass Bill 32, a proposed act “respecting academic freedom in the university sector…”

Why big university surpluses in Australia underscore the need to reform how they are funded and governed
“The election of a new Labor federal government probably drew sighs of relief across the higher education sector. University staff and students will be hoping for a more sympathetic approach than they received from the Coalition government. Tertiary education lobby groups have already put forward…”

OCUFA fellowship recipients win awards for reporting on student mental health, international student recruitment

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OCUFA is proud to announce that writer Simon Lewsen and photographer Chloë Ellingson have won the Mindset Award for Reporting on the Mental Health of Young People at the Canadian Association of Journalists Awards. Their article, Inside the Mental Health Crisis Facing College and University Students, was financially supported by OCUFA’s Mark Rosenfeld Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism and published in the November 2021 issue of The Walrus. The Mindset Awards celebrate journalism that challenges wrong and outdated assumptions about mental illness, provides factual information, and probes unfairness and systemic flaws.

Additional accolades are also in order for 2019 fellowship recipient Nicholas Hune-Brown, who has won a Canadian Association of Journalists Award in the Written Feature category, a National Magazine Award Gold in the Investigative Journalism category, and National Magazine Award Honourable Mention in the Long-Form Feature Writing category for his article, The Shadowy Business of International Education, which was financially supported by the fellowship. His article previously won the Canadian Hillman Prize for Journalism.

Welcome to Nigmendra Narain, OCUFA’s new Vice-President

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OCUFA is proud to announce that Nigmendra Narain has been elected as the organization’s new Vice-President. Since 2000, Nigmendra has been a Lecturer in Political Science at Western University, teaching first-year students and courses in International Relations and TV & Politics. He has been involved with the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association in many roles, most recently as the association’s President. His term will officially start July 1, 2022.

Provincial election top of mind at May OCUFA Board Meeting

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On the weekend of May 14–15, the OCUFA Board met for its first hybrid meeting since the beginning of the pandemic and the final meeting of the 2021-22 academic year. Members attended in person and joined virtually from across Ontario to discuss the provincial election, political advocacy, on-campus action, and new postsecondary education developments in Ontario. In addition, new members of the Executive were elected for the 2022-23 academic year.

2022 Ontario provincial election

With the provincial election in full swing, members were presented with updates on where the major parties stood on OCUFA’s election priorities, what announcements they had made as part of their platforms, and the ridings that would be key to determining the next provincial government. In addition, the meeting provided an opportunity to highlight member events and actions in ridings across the province, including those associated with the Ontario Federation of Labour’s May 1 Day of Action, as faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals sought to pressure their local candidates into supporting Ontario’s public universities.

Now that a Progressive Conservative government has been re-elected, OCUFA’s advocacy work will refocus on pushing this government to consider a new approach to postsecondary education while working with faculty to build a university system that receives strong support from the provincial government.

Laurentian University

Laurentian University is now into its second year struggling to rebuild following the university administration’s unprecedented decision to use the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) to gut the university by closing dozens of programs and cutting hundreds of jobs. OCUFA has long called for the university’s senior administration to resign and for the provincial government to step in with immediate and long-term financial support.

In the wake of scathing reports from the Auditor General of Ontario and the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario, the OCUFA Board passed a formal motion reaffirming OCUFA’s demand that Laurentian President Robert Haché, Provost Marie-Josée Berger, and Associate Vice-President Serge Demers resign from their positions immediately.

New Equity Toolkit

Meeting participants were presented with OCUFA’s new Employment Equity Toolkit, which is intended to provide a wide variety of examples of how to imagine and incorporate an equity lens into faculty and academic librarianship association work. The toolkit was developed by a special working group, which reviewed equity policies at universities across Ontario and developed a primer and comprehensive checklist to guide associations in their efforts to improve equity at their institutions and within their own structures.

Additional governance resources

Representatives for OCUFA’s University Governance Committee reviewed the most recent resources developed by the group, noting the important work involved in bolstering shared collegial governance at Ontario’s universities—especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in an erosion of collegial governance practices at many Ontario universities.

Bargaining

This has been a busy year for university bargaining, with many faculty associations currently at the table. Part of the Board meeting focused on OCUFA’s Countdown to Strong program, which is meant to support member associations in leveraging their power at the bargaining table. Bill 124 and the re-election of the Ford government mean strong campus unions have become even more important for ensuring that the interests of faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals are defended.

Presentation on the University Pension Plan

The Board meeting featured a special presentation from representatives of the University Pension Plan (UPP). Barbara Zvan (President and Chief Executive Officer), Gale Rubenstein (Chair of the Board of Trustees), Joanna Lohrenz (Chief Pension Services Officer), Faisal Siddiqi (Managing Director, Actuarial), and Cynthia Messenger (Employee Sponsor’s representative) provided a comprehensive overview of the UPP. They described its shared governance structure, provided updates on its development, showed how it compares to other pension plans, and gave some details on the process involved in moving to the UPP from another pension plan for those who may be interested.

This was part of an ongoing series of workshops and educationals designed to assist member associations in considering the best pension options for their members.

Health and safety

On Ontario’s university campuses, many masking and vaccination mandates are being rolled back as we head into the summer. OCUFA members discussed the safeguards in place on their campuses and the role OCUFA might play in ensuring proper provincial guidance is in place for the fall term.

Election of 2022-23 OCUFA Executive

Congratulations to the newly elected OCUFA Executive who will take office on July 1, 2022.

Chair of Board: Associate Professor Gyllian Phillips, Nipissing University Faculty Association

Members-at-large:

  • Associate Professor Daniel Paré, Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa
  • Contract Faculty Instructor Kimberly Ellis-Hale, Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association
  • Associate Professor Kate Lawson, Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo

They will join President Sue Wurtele (Trent University Faculty Association), Past-President Rahul Sapra (X/Ryerson Faculty Association), and Treasurer Mike Eklund (University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty Association) whose term was extended for another year by a vote of the Board.

In addition, it was announced that an election for Vice-President would be held at a special meeting on June 17, following the resignation of Vice-President Jennifer Sutton, effective June 30, 2022.

The next regularly scheduled OCUFA Board of Directors meeting will be held in October 2022.

Nipissing University Faculty Association agrees to extension of collective agreement for full-time members

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The Nipissing University Faculty Association Full-Time Academic Staff Bargaining Unit (NUFA, FASBU) has ratified a one-year rollover of their collective agreement, with a few improvements.

In addition to the existing course releases provided to the association, a three-credit course release, or equivalent, for the position of “Indigenous Faculty Representative to the Association Executive” will be provided during each academic year.

Salary scales will increase by one per cent. The Professional Expense Reimbursement (PER) amount will increase for members who are tenure-track, tenured, full-time instructors, permanent academic librarians and archivists, or on limited-term appointments of at least 12 months.

A Memorandum of Agreement has also established a Retirement Incentive Program that will commence on July 1, 2022 and be available to full-time active tenured faculty members who are 60 years or older and have a minimum of 20 years of service at Nipissing University as of December 31, 2022.

Announcing the 2022 recipients of the Mark Rosenfeld Fellowship in Higher Education

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OCUFA is pleased to announce that Tahmeed Shafiq and Jadine Ngan are the recipients of the 2022 Mark Rosenfeld Fellowship in Higher Education. Tahmeed and Jadine will be investigating the causes of student suicide and their impacts on campus and in the broader community. Their investigative research will take on a national scope. By consulting with experts, digging into the data, and interviewing the friends and families of students who have died, Tahmeed and Jadine aim to create a compelling story that brings increased transparency and focus to this mental and public health crisis.

Tahmeed Shafiq

Tahmeed Shafiq is an aspiring data journalist interested in stories that are both complicated and deeply human. Most recently, he was the managing editor of the University of Toronto’s student newspaper, The Varsity. Find him on Twitter @tryingtotype.

Jadine Ngan

Jadine Ngan (@jadinengan) is a National Magazine Award-nominated writer and photojournalist who examines how lived experiences intersect with broader systems. Her bylines include The Walrus, Toronto Life, and Maisonneuve. At the University of Toronto, where she is finishing her undergraduate degree, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Varsity.