RAAS Report
RAAS REPORT
A biweekly newsletter from your
Association of Academic Staff
Friday, November 22, 2019
RAAS MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Mark your calendars! Our our next RAAS membership meeting will take place in the Dunker Family Lounge onWednesday, December 4th from 10:00 AM until noon. Among other things, we will be having a dedicated discussion on negotiations.
RAAS PRESIDENT'S UPDATE
(forwarding an important message from CAUT, with thanks)
Since its founding in 1951, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has been a passionate advocate for academic freedom and the integrity of academic work.
Promoting Academic Freedom — We investigate violations, monitor institutional practices, and intervene to ensure our members have the freedom to teach, research, and express their views inside and outside of the institution.
Protecting Shared Governance — If our post-secondary institutions are to fulfill their promise of providing high quality education and research, faculty must be involved in academic decisions. CAUT seeks to maintain and extend the role of academic staff in the governance of their institutions.
Advancing Professional Rights — CAUT actively advances the social and economic interests of its members. We offer workshops, forums and conferences, and provide collective bargaining, legal and expert support to our member organizations [including RAAS]. The national office undertakes extensive research, prepares reports and lobbies to help shape federal policy on research and post-secondary education. We work internationally to assist academics in need and to influence policies at UNESCO, the ILO and the OECD.
Defending Civil Liberties — Academic freedom rests on the foundations of freedom of expression and civil liberties. CAUT actively works with allies to protect and expand human rights and civil liberties in Canada and internationally.
NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
As noted at the top of this page, our our next RAAS membership meeting will take place in the Dunker Family Lounge on Wednesday, December 4th from 10:00 AM until noon. Among other things, we will be having a dedicated discussion on negotiations. Please plan to attend this meeting for important negotiations updates.
SATIRE
Ryan Weber, McSweeney’s (September 6, 2019) [Warning: Contains vulgar language]
NOT SATIRE
Court quashes Ontario government’s ‘student choice initiative’
Nick Westoll, Global News (November 21, 2019)
Ontario’s Divisional Court has struck down the provincial government’s so-called “student choice initiative,” according to a newly released decision posted on the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) website.
OCUFA NEWS
RAAS is a member of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), a province-wide association of our peers.
OCUFA President’s Report
These are turbulent times for universities in Ontario. The universities experienced everything, from the Ford government’s introduction of needless directives on free speech, to drastic OSAP cuts, the 10 per cent tuition fee reduction without matching provincial funds that will cut over $350 million from postsecondary operating budgets, and most recently, tying 60 per cent of core operating funds to so called performance-based funding. Ontario’s universities seem to be a central target for this government’s austerity measures…
[See full report — PDF attached]
Talks continue as UNBC professors walk the picket line for 12th straight day
Betsy Trumpener, CBC News (November 18, 2019)
Professors at the University of Northern British Columbia are still on the picket line as a faculty strike stretched into a 12th day Monday. University administrators and the faculty association remain at the bargaining table. The strike affects about 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
UNBC’s chief negotiator talked of plans to shut down UNBC
Amanda Follett Hosgood, The Tyee (November 29, 2019)
In an address to peers last year, a senior administrator involved with the ongoing faculty strike at the University of Northern British Columbia described the challenges of running a university in the north as “pretty scary stuff” and alluded to a 10-year plan to shut down the institution. […] The talk was recorded and posted online.
University of Calgary to axe 250 jobs after provincial budget funding cuts
Brennan Doherty and Rosa Saba, Toronto Star (November 18, 2019) [may require subscription]
The University of Calgary is eliminating 250 positions as a result of cuts in the United Conservative government’s most recent budget. University officials made the announcement at a town hall meeting on Monday about the impact of a 5 per cent cut to operational spending for advanced education in October’s provincial budget.
MacEwan University students rally against provincial funding cuts
Thandiwe Konguavi, CBC News (November 18, 2019)
About 200 students from MacEwan University and the University of Alberta chanted "No ifs, no buts, no education cuts," as they descended on the Alberta Legislature grounds Monday afternoon. MacEwan was one of the schools hit hardest by the provincial government's budget last month, which saw a 7.9 per cent decrease to its operational grant.
McMaster University, union representing teaching assistants reach tentative agreement
Hamilton Spectator (November 20, 2019)
McMaster University and the union representing its teaching assistants have reached a tentative collective agreement. The tentative agreement, which was announced late Tuesday, has to be ratified by both parties. If a deal had not been reached, CUPE Local 3906 would have been in a legal strike position Nov. 25.
Ontario universities see dramatic increase in international enrolment, tuition
Lauren Alexander, The Varsity (November 17, 2019)
The University of Toronto is one of the many colleges and universities in Ontario that, according to a recent survey by the Toronto Star and the St. Catharines Standard, are experiencing a boom in international student enrolment.
US draws fewer new foreign students for 3rd straight year
Collin Binkley, Washington Post (November 18, 2019)
The number of foreign students coming to U.S. colleges and universities continued to fall last year, according to a new report, but the Trump administration says the drop should be blamed on high tuition costs and not students’ concerns over the nation’s political atmosphere.
CAUT NEWS
RAAS is a member of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), a nation-wide association of our peers.
CAUT Survey of Academic Staff at Canadian Universities
Please help CAUT spread the word about an important survey in the field until December 6th, 2019. The survey will provide an overview of career experiences and barriers to career advancement for academic staff working at Canadian universities, colleges and polytechnics. CAUT, the Tri-Council granting agencies, the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), Statistics Canada, and other post-secondary education sector stakeholders jointly sponsor this survey. The survey will provide invaluable information on barriers facing researchers and academic staff, helping inform policy and practice to improve equity, diversity and inclusion in research.
More information about the survey can be found online here: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/survey/household/5299
For further information, please contact Andrea Stuart, Policy & Government Relations Officer, at stuart@caut.ca
REPORT: ACADEMIC FREEDOM BREACHED AT THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY
Lisa Keller, CAUT News (November 19, 2019)
An investigation into the suspension of Dr. Derek Pyne by Thompson Rivers University (TRU) has concluded that the administration’s actions breached academic freedom. The committee of investigation, established by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), found that TRU “appears to suffer a broad institutional weakness when it comes to understanding academic freedom.”
FAUW NEWS
RAAS has a service agreement with the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW), a campus-wide association of our peers.
Dan Brown acclaimed as FAUW president
The FAUW elections committee solicited nominations for FAUW president from October 17 to November 13, 2019. The committee received only one nomination during this period, so FAUW is pleased to announce that Dan Brown will be the next FAUW president, starting July 1, 2020. Congratulations Dan!
FAUW Workshops
November 28: Lunch & Learn on disconnecting from work
At this lunch & learn on Thursday, November 28, hear how other faculty members set boundaries between work and the rest of their lives on weekends, evenings, and vacations.
November 29: Indigenization reading circle
Learn about Indigenization and reconciliation in the university context. Everyone is welcome.