OCUFA holds first University governance workshop

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On May 6, the OCUFA University Governance Committee held a virtual workshop, entitled “The Erosion of Collegial Governance: Reclaiming Lost Ground.” The workshop was a hands-on, training-focused event aimed at supporting OCUFA member associations and faculty and academic librarian representatives on governing bodies in their advocacy and activism around shared governance.

The workshop was introduced by OCUFA President Sue Wurtele, who reflected on current threats to collegial governance and the importance of advocacy during the provincial election. A stellar set of speakers and panelists contributed throughout the day, including a keynote speech by Dr. Glen Jones, an esteemed higher education scholar with extensive experience in collegial governance research and advocacy.

Watch Dr. Jones’ talk “Strengths, Challenges and Possibilities: Academic Self-Governance and Canadian Universities” here.

Speakers from across Canada presented on numerous aspects of collegial governance, including wins and failures; how crises and emergencies offer threats and opportunities for collegial governance; the things faculty and their associations need to know about university acts; and what member organizing on governance can look like. There were also opportunities for small group discussions where the attendees engaged with each other, discussed local issues, and reflected on what they learned throughout the day. The workshop was a valuable opportunity for conversation on university governance and the role faculty, academic librarians, and their associations must play in order to preserve collegial governance.

Video recognizes hard work of OCUFA’s members

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OCUFA has released a new video that celebrates the energy, commitment, and dedication of faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals across Ontario. The past year has been challenging, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the collapse of Laurentian University, but OCUFA’s members have persevered and shown that they are energized and ready to redouble their efforts to improve Ontario’s universities.

OCUFA releases evaluations of party platforms

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During the Ontario election campaign, OCUFA has been monitoring party platform announcements and asking parties pointed questions about where they stand on important policies that will shape the future of postsecondary education in the province.

OCUFA has now completed a comprehensive analysis of each party’s commitments for postsecondary education and evaluated how they measure up to OCUFA’s priorities.

Read OCUFA’s Party platform review and see which party comes out on top and which party fails to articulate a sustainable vision for Ontario’s universities.

Summary of political party voting records

In addition to the party platform review, OCUFA has conducted an analysis of the positions Ontario’s major political parties took on postsecondary issues during the last four years. The promises that political parties make during an election campaign are not always kept, so it is important to look at their past records to develop a better understanding of how they will engage with the sector in the future.

Review the postsecondary education voting records and positions of Ontario’s main political parties.

Open letter urges Elections Ontario to adopt on-campus polling stations

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The Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC), of which OCUFA is a member, has written an open letter to Elections Ontario highlighting the need for on-campus polling stations. There are major documented successes with on-campus polling stations in both the 2015 and 2019 federal elections cycles, with a 60 per cent increase in campus voter turnout attributed to the on-campus polling stations between the two elections. It is no secret that students and campus workers are active voters and access to on-campus voting provides for higher participation among these groups.

Although the election is fast approaching, any number of on-campus polling stations would be impactful and a commitment to hosting polling stations on campuses in future elections is a step that students and workers will support.

Read the full letter.

New YUFA agreement contains major gains on equity, benefits, and funding support

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After months of negotiations, substantial member engagement, and a strong strike mandate, the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) has ratified a three-year collective agreement that makes major gains for its members and bolsters education quality at York University.

With regard to equity, the new agreement increases hiring for Indigenous and Black faculty, librarians, and archivists while recognizing Indigenous knowledge in the hiring and tenure and promotion processes. In order to address equity concerns in retention, exit interviews will be held for Black and Indigenous members who are leaving the university, and there will be a review of tenure and promotion outcomes for individuals in these groups. A potentially landmark gain is the new $100,000 annual fund for course releases for Black, Indigenous, and racialized members who have high equity, diversity, and inclusion service loads. The university’s Affirmative Action Program has been expanded to increase the threshold for racialized hires and include members who identify as 2SLGBTQ+.

On workload and working conditions, a committee will examine categorization of and release time for administrative positions. As well, new procedures have been agreed upon for determining and avoiding conflicts of interest and bias on the part of academic administrators involved in handling harassment complaints.

Major gains were made on funds to support teaching, research, and professional development, many of which have seen substantial increases. The agreement also contains the results of a grievance settlement that has established two new annual $1,000,000 funds for individual faculty research support and for enhanced research support (infrastructure, research equipment, staff, postdocs, research accounting, etc.)

On governance and tenure and promotion processes, the agreement recognizes the right of YUFA to communicate confidentially with its membership on internal strategic matters, including bargaining and grievances.

Members saw significant improvements to numerous benefits, including an expansion in the list of eligible mental health practitioners, an increase to vision care, and increased annual contributions from the employer to the retiree benefits fund. Additionally, a one-time-only special benefits fund of $447,000 was created and will be administered by YUFA.

Salary and compensation gains include a one per cent per year across-the-board increase to salaries and a three per cent increase to progress through the ranks amounts at the end of year three. The parties also agreed to a Bill 124 Reopener.

Ontario political parties respond to OCUFA’s party platform survey

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In the lead-up to the Ontario election, OCUFA sent a survey to all major political parties in the province. The survey asked questions about party positions on OCUFA’s priority issues in this election.

To-date, all Ontario’s major political parties, except for the Progressive Conservative Party, have responded to the survey.

We hope these responses are helpful for assessing each party’s plans for postsecondary education and positions on issues of importance to the sector, including investment in accessible and high-quality postsecondary education, delivering fairness for contract faculty, supporting faculty renewal, and more.

Further analysis of the party platforms, including analyses of party responses to OCUFA’s survey, will be released in the coming weeks.

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:

Connecting people, ideas, and disciplines at Congress 2022
“In a few short weeks, scholars from nearly 40 different academic disciplines will gather virtually for the 91st annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, this year, centred on the theme of Transitions. For us at the Federation, Congress is the culmination of months…”

Academic freedom can’t be separated from responsibility
“Academic freedom has become a polarizing topic. Recent issues at the University of Ottawa expose ongoing challenges of balancing academic freedom with university community members’ rights to respectful and safe classroom and campus spaces. In October 2021, the university’s Committee on Academic Freedom issued…”

From Ryerson to Toronto Metropolitan University: What can we learn from the renaming?
“Ryerson University has a new name: Toronto Metropolitan University. University president Mohamed Lachemi recommended the name from a list developed by a committee of professors, administrators, students and alumni. The name change process was motivated by the Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win (Standing Strong)…”

Four lessons from online learning that should stick after the pandemic
“One of the many changes COVID-19 brought those in education was an almost immediate switch to online learning. Overnight, institutions scrambled to keep education moving, while bridging the physical distance between teacher and learner. Traditionally trained teachers made valiant efforts to adjust to digital…”

Critical race theory and feminism are not taking over our universities
“Conservative observers everywhere are complaining about a supposed surge in feminist and critical race theories being taught in colleges and universities. In Hungary, the government went even further and banned gender studies master’s degrees country-wide. Their reasoning: to avoid the spread of ideas…”

High school grades matter for postsecondary study, but is pandemic assessment fair?
“As COVID-19 restrictions recede across much of the world, students have navigated changes in modes of learning (from virtual to in-person) and social protocols (for example, no masks). Even as societies gradually return to normal, we are constantly reminded that COVID-19 is…”

Who will call out the misogyny and abuse undermining women’s academic freedom in our universities?
“Threats, intimidation and misogyny have long been a reality for women in public life around the world, and the pandemic appears to have amplified this toxic reality. Aotearoa New Zealand is led by one of the world’s best-known female prime ministers, Jacinda Ardern….”

The 2022 Provocation Ideas Festival has arrived

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The Provocation Ideas Festival is a venue for the public to engage in spirited discussion, debate, and exploration on important contemporary issues. With support from OCUFA, the 2022 festival is bringing together disparate voices working for positive change through engaging dialogue and evocative art.

The festival will feature panel discussions with some of Canada’s most provocative thinkers, art exhibits that provoke new ways of seeing the world, and immersive events that help participants explore their shared connections.

All events are free of charge.

Discover the 2022 Provocation Ideas Festival.

NOSM University Academic and Professional Staff Union extends collective agreement

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The Northern Ontario School of Medicine University Academic and Professional Staff Union (Unit 1, OPSEU 677; NUFSA) has extended their collective agreement for one year. The extension agreement contains a one per cent ATB increase and a Bill 124 wage re-opener, as well as other provisions including additional Scholarship funding for 2022-23. The parties have also committed to discuss and attempt to agree on alternative work arrangements for Professional Staff, Interprofessional Education Lecturers, and Professional Librarians that would go into effect on July 1, 2022.

New resource recommends strategies for enhancing collegial governance

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The OCUFA University Governance Committee has published “Strategies for Enhancing Collegial Governance and Effectiveness in Governance Spaces.” The resource provides concrete and practical strategies and tactics for addressing barriers to collegial governance and faculty engagement in university governing bodies.

As traditional processes of shared collegial governance are becoming increasingly threatened or ignored, this document aims to provide faculty and academic librarians associations and their members with concrete steps to defend against threats to shared governance at Ontario’s universities.

Read Strategies for Enhancing Collegial Governance and Effectiveness in Governance Spaces.

This Sunday, join us at the OFL’s provincial Day of Action

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On Sunday, May 1, International Workers’ Day, the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is holding a province-wide Day of Action to bring together workers and their families from across Ontario to raise awareness about our priorities and demonstrate our commitment to fighting for a more progressive future for the province.

In over 20 different communities, faculty and academic librarians will be participating to call for more university funding, fairness for contract faculty, and increased student financial assistance.

With just one month before the election, we want to make sure postsecondary issues are a central issue in the campaign.

RSVP for a local May 1 action today.

Ontario university faculty and academic librarians give a failing grade to Ford’s election budget

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The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) has given the Ford government a failing grade for its election budget. After four years of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government undermining the foundations of public universities and allowing our postsecondary education system to languish behind every other province, this budget promises no improvement to university education quality, research, or accessibility.

“This budget fails faculty, it fails staff, it fails students, and it fails Ontarians,” said Sue Wurtele, OCUFA President. “We have a university system in desperate need of additional funding and a government that would rather cut public services than invest in the education and research so vital to Ontario’s future and our post-pandemic recovery.”

Today’s budget fails to reverse the Ford government’s wage constraint legislation or the deep real dollar cuts to public services and student financial assistance. In fact, the government admits it is likely to spend $685 million less on postsecondary education in 2021-22 than planned, as the Ford government ignores the needs of the sector and takes a free ride on the back of increased federal transfers. The money the Ford government is “saving” should not be going back into government coffers to be used for the many regressive tax credits included in this budget; it should be supporting faculty and students in the classroom.

Under the Ford administration, Ontario’s public universities now only receive an average of 33 per cent of their operating funding from the provincial government. The rest comes from private sources, including student tuition fees. Freezing funding while costs soar means a real dollar cut to university support at a time when the province should be investing in high-quality education and research as part of its pandemic recovery strategy. The Ford government’s neglect of universities demonstrates a government that is out of step with polls showing that 69 per cent of Ontarians believe that postsecondary education should be a priority and 57 per cent believe the government should increase financial support for universities.

“After four years in power, the Ford government’s track record on postsecondary education is unacceptable,” said Wurtele. “They clearly don’t understand the vital role that Ontario’s universities play in creating a resilient society and economy. This government stood idly by while Laurentian University fell into financial crisis and gutted key programs that supported Indigenous, Francophone, and northern communities.”

On reviewing today’s Ontario Budget, OCUFA President Sue Wurtele had a simple message for university students and their parents and grandparents: “It’s time for a government that values education. It’s time for a government that consults with stakeholders. It’s time for a government that invests in human capital. It’s time to elect a government that invests in public universities.”

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

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

New articles from Academic Matters

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

Are there ever really ‘financial reasons’ to fire faculty? Laurentian University, academic freedom, and the disciplining of the professoriate
“The 2020–21 academic year saw two incidents of Ontario professors being effectively fired: the termination of 116 of the 345 professors at Laurentian University in an unprecedented use of the Companies Creditors’ Arrangement Act (CCAA) at a public institution and the donor interference that…”

Blank stares and black screens: The pitfalls of virtual learning and the challenges of post-pandemic education
“The email that summarized my abysmal teaching experience this past term arrived on the final day. A student contacted me in a panic after I sent the class a reminder of a campus-wide schedule change. Confused because our hybrid mode alternated between virtual and…”

Am I becoming Professor Mindy? A reflection on “Don’t Look Up” and my position in the academy
“Last week I watched the film Don’t Look Up with my daughter, an anthropology student passionate about environmental issues and biodiversity loss. The satirical film by Adam McKay tells the story of a doctoral student, Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), and her advisor, Professor Randall…”

Universities after COVID: as lecture theatres reopen, some pandemic teaching methods should live on
“COVID-19 restrictions required universities to move their classes online. It was a tremendous – although difficult – learning experience for all involved in this shift. As restrictions have been lifted, universities are moving back to in-person teaching. With campuses getting busy again, it may look…”

For a ‘safe return’ to university campuses, listen to students most affected by the pandemic
“As many universities have moved back to in-person learning from online learning, this return to “normal” is reproducing ableism, racism and classism. Learning in person is important. But putting it above the lives of lives of disabled people, those who are immune-compromised, elders…”

Gender bias in student surveys on teaching increased with remote learning. What can unis do to ensure a fair go for female staff?
“Gender bias against female academics increased in student evaluations of teaching during remote learning, particularly among male students, our research published today shows. This bias could have impacts on female academics’ leadership and career opportunities, and on their confidence and well-being. Based on our…”

Why insecure work is finally being recognised as a health hazard for some Australians, including faculty on short-term contracts
“About 3 million Australian workers lack job security. An estimated 2.4 million – 20% to 25% of the total workforce – are casual workers, with no paid leave entitlements. A further 500,000 are on fixed-term contracts. Whether you are labourer engaged by a labour…”

1 in 3 Australian university students have been sexually assaulted. They demand action on their vision of a safer society
“One in three university students (30.6%) have experienced sexual assault at least once in their lifetime. This is one finding from the 2021 National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) report, released today. The survey responses from 43,819 students enrolled in 38 Australian universities, as…”

5 ways university and college instructors can help students take care of their mental health
“A few years ago, a student showed up in my class looking distraught. “I don’t think I can be in class today,” the student told me. No explanation, no elaboration. Yet I knew from our previous conversations that this student suffered from anxiety and…”

Humanities are essential in understanding the Russian war against Ukraine
“I recently moderated a virtual event about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hosted by the Department of Central, Eastern and Northern European Studies at the University of British Columbia. The event had experts give brief presentations about the war’s background and the session was…”

Ukrainian academics face exile, harassment and censorship in ongoing war
“Protests at universities and statements from the International Science Council denouncing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine point to the beginning of a massive refugee crisis — and also raise urgent questions about how the conflict will affect Ukraine’s scholars and research. Following the Feb. 24…”