governance

Rising to the challenge, building an anti-racist campuses, and a message in an old Science treasure box – New articles from Academic Matters

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Rising to the challenge: Reflections on a round of pandemic bargaining By Larry Savage, Brock University “When the Brock University Faculty Association entered its most recent round of bargaining in April 2020, the Ontario government had already declared a state of emergency in response to the spread of COVID-19 and Brock University had suspended face-to-face classes…” Building an anti-racist campus means fundamentally rethinking institutional structures and practices By Siobhan Stevenson, University of Toronto “Two weeks after police […]

OCUFA policy brief highlights impact COVID-19 has had on PSE

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In response to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities seeking input on the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on different sectors of Ontario society, OCUFA has submitted a detailed overview of the pandemic’s implications for faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals at the province’s universities. The policy brief is designed to provide context […]

OCUFA Board discusses impact of COVID-19

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On Friday, May 8, OCUFA held its final Board of Directors meeting of the 2019-20 academic year, and the organization’s first ever virtual Board Meeting. The meeting took place in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has upended every aspect of academic life, including the learning and teaching process . Throughout the day, board members discussed the pandemic’s impact on […]

Unions and Joint Health and Safety Committees must be involved in planning for return to campus

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Today, OCUFA, along with other members of the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition, sent the following letter to Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano and Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton. Dear Ministers Romano and McNaughton, First and foremost, we hope that you and your families are doing well during these […]

Save English-Language Theatre and Motion Picture Arts at Laurentian

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The Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) and supporters of the arts in the Greater Sudbury Area have launched a campaign to save English-Language Theatre and Motion Picture Arts at Laurentian. You can sign the letter of support here. The announced closure of the two programs will leave currently enroled students stranded, strip Northern Ontario’s vibrant arts community of an important resource, cut distinctive […]

OCUFA urges university administrations to respect collegial governance structures when addressing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic

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OCUFA is concerned about the erosion of democratic, transparent, and accountable collegial governance practices at Ontario’s universities as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.  With it becoming abundantly clear that universities will not be able to return to their usual operations in the foreseeable future, some administrations are foregoing their responsibility to respect the shared […]

Ontario universities must respect the autonomy of democratically governed students’ unions

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At universities and colleges across Ontario, democratically elected students’ unions are a vital part of the campus community. They provide numerous services to their members, including access to vibrant student clubs, inclusive spaces, event programming, and important resources that support marginalized students on campus. Students’ unions also engage in advocacy work that gives their members […]

New issue of Academic Matters examines the distribution of funding within the academy

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The latest issue of Academic Matters considers the economic and equity impacts of how university funding is allocated. How does this affect students, faculty, and staff at Ontario’s postsecondary institutions? Read the issue for free online. Editorial Matters: Economics and inequality By Ben Lewis, Editor-in-Chief “It is commonly understood that postsecondary education ought to focus on fostering curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, and vigorous debate, with the […]

OCUFA adopts official policy on university governance

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At OCUFA’s May Board Meeting, members adopted an official policy on collegial university governance. The policy statement, developed by OCUFA’s University Governance Committee, puts forward a set of principles to guide collegial governance at Ontario universities. The guidelines are informed by a comprehensive review of relevant research and the 2018 OCUFA university governance survey completed […]

OCUFA submission warns about government interference in collective bargaining and its consequences for contract faculty and equity

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Ontario faculty are concerned that the Ford government intends to interfere in collective bargaining relationships throughout the public sector, including at universities across the province. In a written submission to the Treasury Board Secretariat regarding its consultations on public sector compensation, OCUFA detailed its concerns about the consultation process and the government’s motives. Ontario’s faculty […]

New issue of Academic Matters: Decolonizing the university in an era of Truth and Reconciliation

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The latest issue of Academic Matters asks whether universities are doing enough to respond to colonization in higher education. An insightful group of scholars contribute their perspectives. It’s a must read and available online for free. Bringing Indigenous viewpoints to higher education By Tanya Talaga and Victoria McMurchy Ojibway author and journalist Tanya Talaga sits down with Victoria McMurchy to discuss how Canadian postsecondary institutions have responded to the Truth […]

OCUFA expresses concerns about “consultations” on public sector compensation

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OCUFA is concerned about the motives behind the Ministry of Finance’s “consultations” on compensation for workers in the broader public sector. It has become increasingly clear that these consultations are not being conducted in good faith and are, instead, part of the Ford government’s political agenda to undermine the rights of workers and unions in […]

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. Healthy research ecosystem – healthy researchers? The researcher as an organism of focus within a ‘research ecosystem’ By Michelle L.A. Nelson and Ross Upshur “The academic research environment is changing and researchers report struggling to adapt in order to be successful. Funding shortfalls are perennial, but what systemic shifts […]

OCUFA publishes research findings on university governance in Ontario

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In early 2018, OCUFA formed an ad hoc committee on university governance with a mandate to collect data on the current governance practices of Ontario universities and articulate a vision for collegial governance. This initiative resulted from an increasing concern among faculty associations about the erosion of collegial governance at Ontario’s universities. The committee’s research […]

Latest issue of Academic Matters explores campus speech debate

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Over the past few years, the debate about freedom of speech on university campuses has intensified. Often sparked by high profile and provocative speakers from outside the academy, this debate has focused on expression rights, whether some groups have more privileged rights than others, how exercising these rights can harm certain individuals or groups, and […]