RAAS Report
Friday, April 28, 2023
Ann Dennis, Editor
PRESIDENT’S UPDATE
Thanks to all of you who attended our AGM on April 11. For those who were not there, we passed a budget that gives the executive the resources needed to cover regular ‘business’ needs and to move ahead on various goals and priorities. Our legal defense reserves continue to grow as well, which will put us in a good position if we ever face expensive arbitration or need to take job action. We passed a motion to have RAAS join the Waterloo District Labour Council, which will connect us more closely with our local labour allies. And we spent some time discussing an Equity Statement for use in guiding RAAS’s work. Reactions to the Equity Statement have been recorded for further consideration by the Equity Committee.
In the outside world, the past few months has been an unusually tumultuous time in terms of labour relations in our sector (as in other sectors). So far, in 2023, there have been faculty strikes at Cape Breton University, Memorial, Laval, and University of PEI. Faculty at Dalhousie arrived at a new collective agreement with their employer following voting 93.7% in favour of a strike. At several institutions in Ontario, Bill 124 ‘re-opener’ increases have been awarded or are being negotiated.
A strong theme in discussions among faculty associations these days -- revitalized by the findings of the Auditor General’s Special Report on Laurentian University and by contentious trends in university management – is about the increasing need to assert and protect collegial governance. Much of CAUT President Peter McInnis’s recent message about collegial governance in the April 2023 CAUT Bulletin sounded alarmingly familiar to me, and his call for re-invigorating collegial governance as a “constructive approach to mutually address the varied challenges confronting post-secondary education in Canada” ring true as well. As institutions like ours creep steadily towards bottom-line focused managerial approaches borrowed from the for-profit private sector, it becomes ever more important for us to exercise our collective voice towards preserving the university’s public role.
If you have not already done so, take a look at Peter McInnis’s short essay and at CAUT’s Policy Statement on Collegial Governance.
Rob Case
RAAS President
NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
We met for a 9th negotiating session on Wednesday this week. We have agreement, now, that our workload distribution will not change from its current 40-40-20 (or 80-20) and that the idea of “service leadership” (vs. service “support”) will be recognized but not be added as a requirement in our CA. We have agreed to some clarifying language regarding non-teaching terms for Lecturers, and we have worked out together some improved provisions for how on-line course development will be compensated.
We are continuing to negotiate a new tenure and promotion process. Neither side is happy with the current two-level approach involving the “VPAD-TPC”, but we are struggling to get agreement on whether we should use a one-committee model (like St. Jerome’s and many smaller institutions) or a different two-committee model (like many larger institutions including UW). We are also debating the appropriate role and voting rights in tenure/promotion assessment of a Dean who is also a VP.
Agreement remains elusive, also, on new language introduced by the administration limiting the role of AC in determining the criteria for awarding Renison Research Grants and on language governing the consequences of over-spending a grant. This week we responded to new language proposed by the administration concerning sabbatical applications and sabbatical credits.
The administration team appears to be most concerned in these negotiations with clarifying language, adding ‘rigour’ through new process details and requirements, and clawing back provisions and benefits that they see as inequities (which, coincidentally, also often have financial implications). Our priorities remain to clarify ambiguous language, to stream-line bureaucratic process (like Tenure & Promotion) without sacrificing rigour, to resist new work without compensation, to improve conditions for DTLs in particular, and to hold the line on compensation, working conditions, and benefits.
At this point, RAAS has submitted all of our proposals other than those involving compensation. We will still need to work through a Promotion and Tenure process, once we agree on a committee(s) model, we expect that our proposal on Lecturer hiring and appointments will take some negotiating before we reach agreement, and we are expecting a proposal from the administration on teaching supports.
For more information on any of this, please talk to any of your Negotiating Team members (Edwin, Susan, Arshi, Rob, and Crystena). We welcome any observations or comments you might have.
Rob Case
Lead Negotiator
GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE UPDATE
Grievances
Two grievances have arisen during the past month and are currently being addressed.
Ongoing Training
A RAAS member will be attending “Bill 26: Sexual Misconduct on University Campuses,” a webinar this Friday. The webinar will feature two panels:
Panel 1: Farrah Khan (Executive Director, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights) and Britney De Costa (Associate, Possibility Seeds)
Farrah and Britney will examine Bill 26 from a student and trauma-informed perspective. This panel will speak on the need for procedural fairness and trauma-informed, survivor-centered procedures, and the role of education and training in preventing sexual and gender-based violence on university campuses.
Panel 2: Emma Phillips (Partner, Goldblatt Partners) and Leslie Jermyn (Executive Director, Queen’s University Faculty Association).
With a focus on collective agreement language and workplace policies, Emma will speak on the legal implications of Bill 26 for OCUFA member organizations. Possible policy language will be offered, as well as strategic approaches to addressing the challenges imposed by Bill 26, such as stronger procedural fairness protections for investigations where allegations have been made that a member has engaged in sexual misconduct against a student, for example.
The Grievance Committee thanks RAAS members for their continuing support!
Colleen McMillan
Grievance Committee Representative
EQUITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE UPDATE
The RAAS equity committee is grateful for the discussion that happened at the AGM about the Equity Statement that we have been developing. Thank you for your comments and reflections, we are currently massaging the statement to reflect the thoughts that came forward.
We are also preparing to create a plan with regards to engaging in an equity assessment of RAAS, including its processes, protocols, norms, and conduct. We will keep the membership updated about this work. Our hope is that the guidance that can be offered with a collective equity statement, along with the results of the equity assessment, will create a direction for our next CA re-negotiation process, as well as shape more equitable ways of being together in our RAAS community.
With gratitude,
Trish Van Katwyk
RAAS Representative
BOARD UPDATE
The Board of Governors met on Wednesday, April 26th, 2023. The meeting was held in-person, and highlights include:
Finance Update. Jill Pauls presented a Cash Flow forecast and projections are on track with prior reporting. Of note, we are receiving approximately $400,000 from UW to meet our debt service covenant.
Farewell. Manfred Conrad’s term as Chancellor will end this month. He was honoured for his service and contributions by the Board.
Strategic Planning. Working with UW’s Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism, the hiring process is underway for a Consultant, who will support Renison’s efforts on EDI-R.
Bill 26. Renison is required to have policies in place in relation to sexual misconduct toward students by employees by July 1, 2023. The school will work and finalize its policies after reviewing UW’s draft policies.
Our next board meeting takes place in-person on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at 6:00 PM at the Dunker Family Lounge.
Respectfully submitted,
Edwin Ng and Tracy Peressini
Faculty Board Representatives
SATIRE
First Canadian to orbit moon in attempt to find affordable housing
April 3, 2023, Tristan Bradley, The Beaverton
Astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a colonel in the RCAF, will become the first Canadian to orbit the moon in an effort to find affordable housing.
NOT SATIRE
Doug Ford has plunged colleges and universities into crisis with historic funding cuts- and not plan for their futures
April 25, 2023, Martin Regg Cohn, The Toronto Star
Ford’s education policies are working against him and are causing post-secondary plans to unravel.
CAUT NEWS
Please find a copy of the latest CAUT Bulletin here.
OCUFA NEWS
RAAS is a member of the Ontario Confederation of University CAUT Associations (OCUFA), a province-wide association of our peers.
The creeping privatization of university education in Canada
April 13, 2023, Jed Anderson, Rabble.ca
Public universities are becoming increasingly privatized in Canada. BC provides some of the most startling examples of this trend.
Carleton teaching assistants’ union vows to fight for pay lost during 11-day strike
April 13, 2023, Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Sun
The union representing Carleton’s contract instructors and TAs is pursuing grievances on the “clawback” of pay during the term of the 11-day strike.
‘Don’t just publish another paper. Let’s do something.’ says scholar-advocate Cindy Blackstock
April 5, 2023, Becky Ryner, University Affairs
Dr. Blackstock reflects on the merits of blending academia and activism.
Why art and design programs are investing in mindfulness training for students
April 1, 2023, Sharon Aschaiek, University Affairs
Backed by $4 million in federal funding, OCAD University is helping to roll out Mindful Campus at four other postsecondary institutions this fall.
PSAC 901 continues rallying for tuition abolition
April 1, 2023, Asbah Ahmad, The Queen’s Journal
A rally was held at Queen’s University last week, advocating for Queen’s to stop lobbying efforts to increase tuition on campus.
Service to RAAS
After a successful voting process that featured 3 strong candidates, Amir Al-Azraki was recently announced as the new RAAS Secretary-Treasurer. Amir is the first CLS member to sit on the RAAS Executive and we look forward to his term starting on July 1st. Congratulations Amir!
Member Spotlight
By Denise Marigold
Hello RAAS members!
I am an Associate Professor and Chair of the Social Development Studies Department. I did a BSc majoring in Psychology at York University, then came to the Psychology Department at the University of Waterloo for graduate studies in Social Psychology. I completed my PhD in 2008 and was fortunate to get a job “across the creek” in Social Development Studies starting in 2009.
I have loved being part of the warm and welcoming community that is Renison, and part of an interdisciplinary department dedicated to social justice and human flourishing – with some amazing colleagues. It is a huge privilege for me to be able to share my passion for fostering individual and relational well-being with students through courses like Positive Psychology and Close Relationships.
My research focuses on social support in close relationships. We know people do better when they are well-supported, but what does that look like exactly? Support comes in many different forms – what is the right kind of support to give to whom, and in what context? Why do people with low self-esteem continually feel they are not well-supported? Why is it sometimes hard to give people the kind of emotional support we know they want and instead dole out unwanted advice (parenting, anyone)?
I am grateful for the support and advocacy that RAAS provides for faculty at Renison! Having clear policies, procedures, and timelines certainly makes my job easier as Chair.
When not working, I enjoy spending time with my family – my husband, three kids (ages 11, 14, and 16), and two absurdly fluffy cats. I like to keep active, cook and bake, watch crime shows, and read historical fiction. This spring I’m singing and (sort of) dancing in KW Glee’s new adult pop vocal group.
Denise
ONE FINAL THOUGHT
