RAAS Report
RAAS REPORT
A biweekly newsletter from your
Association of Academic Staff
Friday, May 17, 2019
RAAS PRESIDENT’S UPDATE
2019 FAUW Appreciation Award
FAUW will present its 2019 Volunteer Appreciation Award to the Renison Association of Academic Staff. Formed in February 2018, RAAS has been working tirelessly to provide faculty at Renison with the support and protection that FAUW members have enjoyed for decades. Their work will have a significant, positive impact on the lives of faculty at Renison for years to come and reminds us how vital Faculty Associations are. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating RAAS!
SAVE THE DATE: May 21, 2019, 2:00-3:00 PM in MC 5501
LEAD NEGOTIATOR’S UPDATE
The negotiating teams have met twice since the last Report, and will be meeting again this afternoon (May 17), once next week, and twice in the week of June 10. Recent negotiations have been tough as we get into the nitty gritty of proposals, like Workload and Tenure, that have both important philosophical and significant material consequences.
We have reached agreement on language concerning Academic Freedom (May 3). We are getting closer to agreement on details concerning Workload, Tenure & Promotion Procedures, and Tenure & Promotion Committees. We hope to reach agreement on these items in our May 17 negotiation session.
A sticking point for Tenure & Promotion matters has been disagreement about the relationship between discipline/academic misconduct and the assessment of applications for tenure and promotion. RAAS has taken the position that discipline and academic assessment should be treated separately. In an effort to get past this area of disagreement, we will be introducing some ideas about how/where academic misconduct can be appropriately addressed in the MoA. There is also a counter-proposal for a Discipline Process on the table, which we expect the administration team will respond to in an upcoming negotiation session.
The administration team has re-opened negotiations on proposals concerning association Fees Remittance and Pension & Benefits, two proposals around which negotiations previously came to an impasse. The sides agree about the need to deduct and remit association fees and agree that we will continue with the UW Pension & Benefits program. There are some differences, however, between what the RAAS negotiating team expects and what the Admin negotiating team is willing to commit to in terms of our Employer's role in facilitating fees deductions and ensuring pension & benefits coverage. We think we have now found language that will work for both parties, and we will be tabling counter-proposals on these items at our May 17 session.
For more details on any of this, please contact Rob Case (RAAS Lead Negotiator).
BOARD UPDATE
There will be three vacancies to fill on Renison's Board of Governors the next Annual General Meeting, which takes place in October. Apparently, the board nominations committee already has a slate of candidates to bring to the AGM, but additional candidates can be considered and nominations can also be made from the floor at the AGM.
This is an opportunity for us, Renison's Academic Staff, to bring diverse and talented prospects from our network into the governance of our institution. New members are elected to our board by the existing members of the board, in their capacity as members of Renison University College.
If you know of anyone in your academic or community networks who might be a good candidate, please let your Faculty Board rep (Rob Case) know.
CAUT NEWS
RAAS is a member of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), a nationwide association of our peers. CAUT fees are included in RAAS dues each month.
STATEMENT ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WINNIPEG GENERAL STRIKE
May 15, 2019
Today marks 100 years since the commencement of the Winnipeg general strike, when most of the city’s workers — about 30,000 private and public sector employees — walked off the job in an organized but unprecedented protest over dismal working conditions, low wages and the lack of a right to a collective voice.
SATIRE
The Onion (May 13, 2019)
Revealing a profound transformation of American socioeconomic attitudes, a new Gallup poll published Tuesday found that millennials were far more likely to politically identify as feudalists than previous generations.
OCUFA News
RAAS is a member of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), a province-wide association of our peers. OCUFA fees are included in RAAS dues each month.
Doug Ford’s War on Universities
Sandford Borins (May 13, 2019)
If you look at the Ford Government’s policies towards Ontario universities and connect the dots, the inescapable conclusion is that it has declared war.
New proposal from Doug Ford government would force senior professors to work for no salary
Joe Friesen, Globe and Mail (May 13, 2019)
Ontario faculty associations say they’re consulting with lawyers after being stonewalled in their attempts to meet with the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities about proposed legislation they say threatens to cut the salaries of elderly university and colleges professors to zero.
Still too few Black female academics hold professorshipsNicola Rollock, University World News (May 11, 2019)
When, many years ago, I first attended the American Educational Research Association annual meeting, I was struck and amazed by what appeared to be the sheer number of African American graduate students and professors and how this compared to the paucity of similar groups in the United Kingdom.
Canada wants more international students — but getting a visa isn’t easy for some
Andy Blatchford, Global News (May 11, 2019)
At a time when Canada is attracting more students from around the world, there are concerns qualified applicants from certain countries are getting turned away because of its visa process.
FEATURE
RAAS Member Profiles
In this issue, we are very pleased to feature ARSHI SHAIKH, Associate Professor, Social Development Studies (SDS)
What brought you to Renison?
My deep interest and commitment to interdisciplinary teaching, learning, and scholarship made me gravitate towards Social Development Studies and accept the job offer at Renison University College.
What do you like about Renison?
I like the fact that Renison is a relatively small institution nestled within the larger institute (i.e., University of Waterloo). I have the advantage of having smaller class sizes at Renison while receiving enormous research support from the main campus.
What do you like about RAAS?
RAAS has built a sense of community, and solidarity among colleagues across different units. It has created a shared purpose for all of us.
What are you passionate about in your work?
I am passionate about my work itself!
Could you tell us a 'fun fact' about yourself?
I am a good dancer, painter, writer, singer, and ventriloquist with a “wacky” sense of humour. And I would like to add that I learned judo as a child.
Do you have any pets?
I do not have any pets, but I conduct research about the phenomenon of animal hoarding!!