RAAS Report
RAAS REPORT
A weekly newsletter from your
Association of Academic Staff
Friday, November 30, 2018
RAAS General Meeting — December 5, 2018
The new RAAS general meeting date is Wednesday, December 5 at 12:30-2:30pm in the Dunker Family Lounge. Refreshments will be provided. Please attend if at all possible, as we will discuss some extremely important matters. Please see the attached Meeting Agenda for details. Please note that the agenda has changed slightly from the initial distribution. Members recommended we change the word 'demanding' to 'requesting' in the letter to the Board. We have made that change to the draft motion language.
If you cannot attend the RAAS general meeting, please contact Kristina Llewellyn so that she can set up a time to talk with you. An updated Outlook invitation has been sent.
What is Shared Governance?
“If our post-secondary institutions are to fulfill their promise of providing high-quality education and research, then faculty — those with the expertise and training on academic matters — must be centrally involved in academic decisions,” says CAUT Executive director David Robinson.
https://www.caut.ca/bulletin/2018/10/shared-governance-matters
Shared Governance – often referred to as Collegial Governance – is at the heart of university life. It means those who fulfill the academic mission of the university must play a key role in its decision-making processes.
For example, at the University of Waterloo, FAUW is actively involved in creating and overseeing the implementation of University policies that concern exclusively the terms and conditions of employment of faculty members, including, but not limited to, tenure and promotion, discipline, leaves, workload, and remuneration.
UW Senate has ultimate decision-making authority on all academic curriculum and programming, with membership comprised of 50% +1 faculty.
Faculty account for 1/3 of the membership of the UW Board of Governors and come fully interested as faculty in their participation on the Board.
Renison does not have structures for shared governance in decision-making processes akin to those at other post-secondary institutions.
As the representative of faculty at Renison, RAAS supports shared governance among faculty, staff, students, and administrators in the work of our institution. We are Renison.
Show your support for Shared Governance
No doubt you have seen the latest ‘I Support RAAS’ posters adorning office doors across our beautiful campus. Please consider downloading a copy [attached] and posting it on your office door. Posters will also be distributed at the next RAAS meeting. Show your support for our Association and for SHARED GOVERNANCE. Buttons will be arriving soon.
Three new members join RAAS in November
We are delighted to announce that our membership has increased by three this month. Welcome aboard, colleagues! Our membership now stands at 40 (and counting).
Service Agreement with FAUW Approved
Members of the Renison Association of Academic Staff voted earlier this month on a service agreement between RAAS and FAUW, which outlines the membership dues that RAAS will pay to FAUW and the services and supports that RAAS and its members will receive in return. We had a 70% voter turnout, and 100% of the votes were in favour of the agreement! That is some incredible turnout and agreement among us. FAUW members will vote on the service agreement at their general meeting on December 4.
FAUW News
Ontario University Pension Plan
On November 16, from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. in MC 4020, Mary Hardy gave a preview on a multi-employer jointly sponsored pension plan that Guelph, Queen’s, and Toronto are developing. Mary outlined some of the benefits and risks of this type of plan in general, and her concerns about this plan in particular. See What you should know about the Ontario University Pension Plan for details.
Dental benefits are increasing
Starting in January, you’ll be reimbursed for 95% of basic dental care costs instead of 80%.
Read more about the dental plan changes.
Bryan Tolson will be FAUW president for two more years
Bryan Tolson has been acclaimed as FAUW president for another two years.
Free Speech Policy
The University of Waterloo is developing a G-class policy to meet the provincial mandate for a free speech policy. The draft policy is published on the website of the UW Secretariat.