RAAS Report
Friday, February 25, 2022
Ann Dennis, Editor
PRESIDENT’S UPDATE
Canadian post-secondary education is in a time of turmoil. Issues range from the chronic underfunding of universities to the erosion of collegial governance by administrations. Faculty associations across the country find themselves in untenable bargaining. Many associations have been on strike, are on strike, or are in a strike position. These include, but are not limited to, Concordia University of Edmonton Faculty Association (agreement reached but recent faculty vote of non-confidence in the President), University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty Association (strike ended with tentative agreement reached), Acadia University Faculty Association (fourth week on strike), and the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (third week on strike). We often think strikes are only about wages, but faculty associations are bargaining for the rights of contract faculty, the right to a reasonable workload, the right for faculty to make academic decisions, and more.
Solidarity among faculty associations
RAAS stands in solidarity with our fellow faculty associations across the country. They are striking to protect the working conditions and, thus, learning conditions in Canadian post-secondary education. What they accomplish through these strike and bargaining rounds sets a clear precedent for faculty associations in other parts of the country. The RAAS Executive has donated $250 to Acadia (AUFA) and also to Lethbridge (ULFA) in support of their current strike efforts and in keeping with similar donations we have recently provided. We ask you to consider attending a virtual rally TODAY February 25th from 2-2:30pm. You can register for the rally in support of AUFA and ULFA at the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvdOiqrzooGtZrZd1GU7NnYCgpnBR6Bj_-
Collegial governance and Renison By-laws: some unexpected changes
Collegial governance is at the heart of faculty association concerns. To understand why collegial governance is critical, please read OCUFA’s statement on principles of collegial governance here https://ocufa.on.ca/assets/OCUFA-statement-on-principles-of-collegial-governance_Final.pdf.
As a faculty community we have made important strides in ensuring collegial governance, particularly with the revision of Academic Council by-laws. RAAS was discouraged to discover that the by-laws approved by Academic Council were changed by the Governance Committee of the Renison Board of Governors. Some of these changes are significant, including the expansion of votes for administrators on AC and the removal of budget oversight. For reference, the AC approved by-laws included that AC shall “Consider and make recommendations concerning Renison's Strategic Plan and its implementation as well as the Annual Operating Budget and its implementation (emphasis mine).” The Board of Governors approved version reads “Consider and make recommendations to the President concerning Renison's Strategic Plan and its implementation.” RAAS only discovered this difference after requesting the final AC by-laws and finding that we were sent two different versions.
It is RAAS’ position that substantive changes to the AC by-laws should have gone back to AC for approval. It is also RAAS’ position that collegial governance, as noted in the OCUFA principles, requires that “faculty should be meaningfully included in the budgetary and financial discussions and decisions of the institution, all of which bear upon its academic mission.” It is our understanding that President Fletcher still intends to bring the budget forward, with explanation of the new accountability model, to AC on March 11th. We once again encourage all faculty to attend AC. To do so, simply request a link from Ally (ally.vonk@uwaterloo.ca). RAAS will be considering ways in which the right to collegial governance regarding budgets can be solidified in the structures of Renison. We encourage faculty who are AC representatives to raise these concerns about the by-law changes.
Transparency and engagement in institutional finance
RAAS continues to advocate for transparency and accountability regarding the financial future of Renison. Those members in attendance at the January 27 meeting heard from OCUFA about the need for faculty engagement in budget processes and the importance of faculty readiness for financial challenges. If you missed the meeting, we encourage you to read the powerful statement provided by OCUFA President Sue Wurtele (attached), and to review the presentation and financial analysis provided by Senior Analyst Russell Janzen through this link Renison share. We all continue to await word from the administration as to how we will avoid breaking our debt covenant with the bank for this fiscal year (ending April 30th), which would potentially trigger financial exigency. We have assurances from President Fletcher that the Board is not seeking the path of financial exigency. It is our sincere hope that an announcement will be coming soon regarding a financial arrangement in the short term with the University of Waterloo.
Support during the pandemic
RAAS is continuing to explore ways to support faculty in the face of the pandemic. As you know, we have signed two Memoranda of Understanding, one regarding the Annual Activity Review and the other on Family Status/Medical Accommodations in response to the return-to-work plan. We have been actively supporting members in addressing some challenges to the implementation of these agreements. To date, we have successfully engaged with the administration in support of members regarding these agreements. We encourage members to reach out to any member of the Executive or the Grievance Committee should you need support. We are engaged in further discussions with the administration about an extension of the tenure clock and pandemic considerations for tenure and promotion assessments.
RAAS Elections: call for nominations
Most importantly, RAAS is in an election period. Members will have received an email from FAUW’s Communication Officer Laura McDonald about the election process for a new Executive. If you did not receive that email, please notify any member of the Executive, or contact Laura directly, to ensure you are on the voting list. Nominations for the position of President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer are open now until March 7th. You can find election details with the nomination form here https://uwaterloo.ca/faculty-association/2022-renison-elections. Online polls will open March 14th until March 19th. I cannot stress enough the importance of having a strong and committed Executive to support not only your colleagues with equitable working conditions but also to support structures that allow for our academic programs to flourish. Service to RAAS is recognized as service to Renison. I encourage all RAAS members to consider how they may put their service workload towards the efforts of the association. Please nominate yourself and someone else for the RAAS Executive!
Kristina Llewellyn
RAAS President
BRASS TACKS AND RAAS FAQs
Grievance Officer Training Workshop
Unfortunately, the online GO Training Workshop scheduled for Thursday, February 17 this year was cancelled due to low registration numbers. At least two members of our Grievance Committee were registered and keen to attend in lieu of a RAAS monthly GC meeting. Thankfully, most members of our Grievance Committee have attended the Grievance Officer Training Workshop at least once in the past. One member who enjoys catered events has attended three to date (and counting). The next Grievance Officer Training Workshop will take place in person at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto -- possibly in September but more likely in December. Please stay tuned for further details.
OCUFA GC Meetings
The OCUFA Grievance Committee is made up of Grievance Officers and Grievance Committee members from across the province. Though it was virtual and uncatered, a Grievance Committee member who prefers catered events attended the OCUFA GC meetings this term on Friday, February 18, 2022, and Friday, February 25, 2022.
RAAS Grievance Committee
Members of our Grievance Committee include Amir Al-Azraki (CLS), Colleen Macmillan (SSW), and Jason Blokhuis (SDS), alongside Kristina Llewellyn (as RAAS President and Acting GO) and Rob Case (as RAAS VP). As ever, Members who have concerns or informal inquiries may reach out in confidence to any member of the Grievance Committee.
Jason Blokhuis
Prefers catered events
Grievance Committee Member
BOARD UPDATE
The Board of Governors met on Wednesday, February 16th. Here are some of the highlights:
The Board decided to resume hybrid meetings in March, with both face-to-face and remote participation options available. Due to budgetary restraints, only light snacks will be provided.
As part of her update on Strategic Planning, President Fletcher reported that, inter alia,
(a) all academic units need more regular faculty to offer their programs;
(b) regular sabbatical, course relief, leave and vacation entitlements continue to be honoured;
(c) financial support for faculty research and for the TRC and antiracism work continues; and
(d) the process of updating Renison's agreements with UW has begun.
President Fletcher reported that there are currently 134 students in residence. Applications for on-campus Renison programs are up 15% overall. UW continues to outperform provincial averages for domestic student enrolment. Undergraduate W22 enrolments are lower, while graduate and non-degree enrolments are higher than last year. Total enrolment in degree programs at Renison (W22) is 4176 compared to 4532 (W21). Finance is forecasting an overall deficit of $1.425m for the current budget year.
Three MoUs are to be signed by the presidents of Renison and RAAS.
A good deal of discussion took place on the development of an investment policy for Renison ahead of the issuance of an RFP for the management of its endowment. UW will no longer manage our endowment after this fiscal year. The Board supported the development of an environmentally responsible investment policy that would exclude fossil fuels (like SJU and many other universities).
Edwin Ng and Jason Blokhuis
Faculty Board Representatives
EQUITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE
It is the goal of the RAAS Equity & Inclusion committee to support the efforts of our members to create an equitable and inclusive postsecondary environment. In 2021, a working group was formed to re-evaluate the work of the equity seeking committees that exist at RUC, particularly the committees where staff, faculty, and administration have come together to address racism and the calls to action that have been put out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The working group is constituted of RAAS members and one staff member, and includes Trish Van Katwyk, interim chair of the RAAS Equity & Inclusion committee. After significant consultation across RUC and uWaterloo, the working group developed a proposal for a collaborative, grassroots approach to equity and decolonization work that will facilitate effective connections within RUC, across uWaterloo and into the larger community. We have proposed an approach to equity and inclusion that we believe will be meaningful, supporting real change at personal and institutional levels. At the moment, President Wendy Fletcher is considering this proposal. RAAS’ Equity and Inclusion committee will support the efforts of this working group and the ways in which their proposal will get operationalized. As the Equity & Inclusion committee of RAAS, we want to be sure that our efforts are aligned with the attendant aspirations of its members.
In response to the support provided in a RAAS membership meeting, we have rerouted the RAAS funding that had been set aside for an anti-racism consultant to the Equity and Inclusion Committee, so that it will be available to support the anti-racism and equity work of this committee. We anticipate that our work will be informed by the ways in which the working group’s proposal gets put into practice.
The Equity and Inclusion committee is still being strengthened after some departures and interruptions, and we hope that the fund will activate some of the committee's important goals.
Trish Van Katwyk
RAAS Representative
FAUW COUNCIL UPDATE
The FAUW council of representatives met on February 14, 2022. The following agenda items were discussed.
i) FAUW has some ongoing concerns about the ways in which the newly reformulated student perception surveys are being used. Since these are still new, they should not be used as settled, established measures in annual performance reviews, tenure, etc.
ii) The discussion of negotiations on Policy 76/77 were brief because there is nothing that can currently be reported about these discussions. This lack of progress is frustrating for many.
iii) U Waterloo has funding for a Six Nations Scholarship of $10,000 for 5 years for all students from the Six Nations of the Grand River who attend. This is great news!
iv) The return to campus was a primary source of concern for many faculty. The recent Town Hall discussion was well-attended, and FAUW has sent consolidated questions from the Town Hall to the administration. There has been no response at this time. There were a couple of updates/ clarifications. First, if any faculty have questions about accommodations with the return to campus (or at any time), they can contact aftc@uwaterloo.ca. Further, there is now a possibility of applying for family status accommodations. The process is to speak to your dean -- and contact FAUW with any further questions or concerns.
v) The bulk of the meeting addressed questions about collegial governance: where is it happening well, where is it not happening well, what should FAUW's role be? This conversation had a wide range of viewpoints, but many people seemed to find that collegial governance is sometimes working well on smaller scale committees (e.g. departmental or search committees). There was a great deal of concern about a lack of effective collegial governance at the larger levels of the university, as seen in the decision-making around pandemic policies and resulting concerns from faculty. In response to the question about FAUW's role, a large number of representatives indicated that it would be worth considering a certification process. This was simply an opinion poll format (on Mentimeter) but the frustration and pessimism of the group was quite evident.
vi) Finally, the council encourages all faculty to do whatever employee surveys are sent around to share their opinions with the administration.
Meg Gibson
RAAS Representative
RAAS LECTURERS COMMITTEE (LC) UPDATE
1. Preparations for the Next Round of Collective Agreement Negotiations
At the beginning of February, RAAS LC held a meeting to initiate discussions about the next round of CA negotiations. The members shared their thoughts about what the RUC lecturers’ priorities should be and why. Then LC welcomed a guest—Robert Case—who explained the process of selecting members of the RAAS Negotiation Team as well as the predicted timelines and time commitment for the next round of bargaining. The members posed questions and expressed a few main concerns, which will be further discussed with the new Negotiation Team.
LC has a volunteer ready to represent the RUC lecturers during the next round of CA negotiations.
FAUW LECTURERS COMMITTEE (LC) UPDATE
1. Lecturers Emergency Town Hall on January 27, 2022
On January 27th, 2022 the FAUW Lecturers Committee (LC) organized a Lecturers Emergency Town Hall whose focus was safe return to in-person activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee compiled a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ), solicited prior to the town hall, and the corresponding suggestions and/or comments retrieved from University-, faculty-, department-, and unit-level websites and e-communications. LC also conducted an environmental scan of the approaches taken by different universities in Ontario to ensure safe return to campus.
After the initial presentation of the most common questions and answers/comments related to these questions, an extended question and answer session followed. Subsequently, a summary of the re-occurring questions and responses to them has been prepared and is available at Lecturer's Committee: COVID frequently asked questions. The meeting slides are available at Emergency Town Hall, Slides.
2. Elections to FAUW Council of Representatives
The LC chair encouraged the members to run for the elections to the FAUW Council of Representatives, acting in an advisory capacity to the FAUW Board.
3. Collegial Government Model at UW
As a result of various experiences in the last few years, including the return to the in-person activities and negotiations over the Policy 76-77 revisions, FAUW prepared this blog: Is UW's collegial governance model still working?
OCUFA CONTRACT FACULTY COMMITTEE (CFC) UPDATE
1. Preparations for Bargaining
Fifteen out of the thirty faculty associations within OCUFA are preparing for their next round of bargaining. Nine of these will be bargaining for contract faculty (sessionals, definite-term lecturers, and adjunct professors).
2. SJU News
In their previous round of negotiation in 2018, SJU Administration agreed that if UW reduces the workload for their full-time lecturers, SJU will do the same. Now that UW has agreed to reduce the workload of such lecturers to six per year, SJU will follow the suit.
3. Annual Social Media Day of Action in March
OCUFA CFC has started preparing for this day in order to advocate for fairness for contract faculty.
Aga Wolczuk
RAAS Lecturers Committee Co-Chair
Renison Representative on FAUW Lecturers Committee
OCUFA CFC Member
SATIRE
Beijing's claims 1st Omicron case 'arrived through the mail' refuted by anyone who has ever used Canada Post
The Beaverton, Gary Lim February 15, 2022
Claims that the first case of the Omicron variant reported in Beijing ‘arrived on a parcel sent from Canada’ are being met with heavy skepticism by the scientific community as well as anyone who has ever tried mailing anything using Canada Post.
NOT SATIRE
It's time to end Canada's obsession with research quantity
Academic Affairs, Alexander Clark & Bailey Sousa February 14, 2022
Canada's preoccupation with research quantity must end because it damages researchers, infrastructure, knowledge, and society.
CAUT NEWS
RAAS is a member of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), a nation-wide association of our peers.
CAUT Dedicated Service Award
The CAUT Dedicated Service Award was established to recognize exceptional service provided by individuals at the local or provincial level. This award is granted by CAUT upon receipt of a recommendation from a local, provincial, or federated association.
Decisions about recipients, including the criteria for receiving the award, are made by the member association. The expectation is that individuals who are recommended for the award will be those who have been particularly dedicated members of the association and have served it with distinction.
Recipients of the award will:
a) Receive a certificate of recognition from CAUT, which will be provided to the association for presentation to the recipient; and
b) Have their name listed in the CAUT Bulletin, put on the CAUT website, and announced at the next CAUT Council meeting.
If your association would like to recommend one or more members to receive the CAUT Dedicated Service Award, please complete the Dedicated Service Award nomination form available on the CAUT website.
For further information regarding the award, please direct inquiries to Margaret McGovern-Potié, Executive Assistant to the Executive Director at cautawards-prixacppu@caut.ca or 613-726-5199.
OCUFA NEWS
RAAS is a member of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), a province-wide association of our peers.
Tentative deal reached in Ontario Tech faculty strike
Toronto Star, Jillian Follert, February 22, 2022
A tentative deal has been reached in a strike by Ontario Tech University faculty in Oshawa.
Faculty strikes take on deteriorating conditions at universities
Rank and File, Jeremy Appel, February 22, 2022
A wave of post-secondary job action is sweeping across the country, with the faculty at Acadia University, University of Lethbridge and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology striking for improved working conditions.
Frustration mounts among faculty amid return to in-person learning
University Affairs, Hannah Liddle February 18, 2022
While there is mixed reaction to returning to campus among faculty, staff and students, frustration about a perceived lack of consultation between faculty specifically and administration is playing out at many universities across the country.
OCUFA award nominations now OPEN
OCUFA News, February 15, 2022
OCUFA is now accepting nominations for the Teaching and Academic Librarians Awards and Status of Women and Equity Award of Distinction. They are also accepting applications for the Henry Mandelbaum Graduate Fellowship and Mark Rosenfeld Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism.
MRU and faculty association reach agreement in principle in contract negotiations
CBC News, Lucie Edwardson, February 14, 2022
After more than 22 months of contract negotiations between Mount Royal University and its faculty association, bargaining teams announced Monday they have reached an agreement in principle.
Black scientists won't stay in Canada without equitable research funding
CBC News, Kate Bueckert February 13, 2022
The system for granting federal research funding in Canada fails to give Black scientists the support they need to optimize their work, professors and researchers say.
Brock University, Niagara College come together in weeklong remembrance missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls
Welland Tribune, Victoria Nicolaou February 13, 2022
Niagara’s two post-secondary institutions are coming together this week in honour of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit LGBTQ people.
Satellite hubs help bring university to First Nations
Welland Tribune, Maggie Macintosh February 9, 2022
The University of Manitoba is collaborating with First Nations to launch satellite post-secondary campus sites in the north that will be staffed by educators and equipped with technology so Indigenous students can study closer to home.
Member Spotlight - Why Sabbaticals Matter
by Trish Van Katwyk
This has become a most necessary opportunity to 1) wrap up research, 2) pull out data and finally begin doing some deep dive reflection and writing, and also 3) absorb myself in learning about post secondary spaces that are collaborative, equitable, and inclusive. Leadership, equity audits, collaborative decision making, decolonizing practices, White spaces, critical pedagogies of care: these are just a few of the areas of learning I am engaged in.
A photovoice research about Personal Support Worker (PSW) work through the pandemic is moving along well. The PSWs' stories speak to the need for change, so our knowledge mobilization work is also activist/advocacy work. The PSWs' stories are also revealing the experiences of those receiving their intensive care, which may open up another area of consideration. I am so grateful to be working with such an amazing team on this project. Submissions have been made, and I await a response from several journals. I have been able to put more time into the community/partnership building I have been doing in Regent Park, TO, with a community-generated focus on food sovereignty. And, finally, next month I go to den Hague to learn more about how it is that a European homeland might still have a place within the Two Row Wampum, a nation to nation commitment to everlasting peace, friendship, and respect.
Sabbatical affords me the headspace and focus to grow and complete the essential knowledge mobilization that strengthens my community connections and my scholarship, as well as the contributions I am able to make to the RUC community.