The Communiqué: Volume 47, No. 3 October 21, 2024
- CUASA GMM Oct. 31 – Advance Registration Required!
- CUASA/CU Awards – Apply Now! Deadline Oct 31st!
- CUASA Bargaining News
- CAUT Fair Employment Event – Oct 30th Coffee and Donuts
- Resources on Academic Freedom
- Workplace harassment, violence, or discrimination – how to report
- Sabbatical Funding – Important Travel and Accommodation Information
- Call for Nominations: Chair, Nominations and Elections
- Get involved! 2SLBGTQIA+ Pride Caucus and Disability Caucus
CUASA GMM
The CUASA Fall General Membership Meeting is October 31st from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Members are required to register in advance to attend.
Only Association members, meaning those who have returned a completed membership form, may participate in the internal administration of CUASA. Staff will be checking GMM registrations against the membership list and will contact any registrants who have not completed a membership form to ask them to do so before their registration will be approved. If you have any questions or wish to verify your membership status, please contact [email protected].
The agenda for the GMM will be released later this week, with additional materials to follow early next week.
CUASA/CU Awards
Members qualify for awards ranging from $5000 to $15000!
The Carleton University Research Achievement Awards are administered by the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International). Established in 1989, the purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding research achievements. They are defined under the CUASA Collective Agreement Article 41.2 and are available to faculty employees only. Each year ten (10) awards are granted to Carleton researchers. Each award is valued at $15,000. The award is intended to enhance the research productivity of the recipients. Completed applications must be submitted to your faculty Dean by October 31 via cuResearch.
The CU-CUASA Special Fund for EDI Research and Pedagogical Innovation supports and enhances research excellence and pedagogical innovation across the institution undertaken by members of equity-seeking groups and/or on topics that hold equity, diversity and inclusion considerations as a dominant focus.
For more information: Acheivements Awards and CU-CUASA Special Fund for EDI Research and Pedagogical Innovation
Bargaining News
CUASA’s Negotiating Team met with the Employer on October 3rd and 8th. The parties exchanged bargaining protocols, which we hope to agree on soon. With those in place, we aim to begin bargaining in earnest at our next bargaining session scheduled for October 30th. Watch your email and the CUASA website for bargaining updates going forward!
The 2021-24 Collective Agreement remains in force until a new agreement is concluded by both parties, or until a lockout or strike. CUASA will continue to regularly inform its members on collective bargaining.
Fair Employment Week (FEW) is taking place from October 21 to 25, 2024.
FEW is CAUT’s annual event designed to raise awareness about precarious employment on campus and to support academic staff associations’ organizing efforts to improve the working conditions of contract academic staff (CAS).
Come out in support of CUPE 4600 on Wednesday October 30th between 10am and 1pm at the Carleton bus stop (near the Nicol Building). This event is a part of the Canadian Association of University Teachers’ (CAUT) Fair Employment week! Have a coffee and a donut and show some solidarity for our teaching colleagues!
Resources on Academic Freedom
CUASA members are free to discuss topics related to their expertise in the classroom and to determine what is pedagogically relevant to the course. They have the freedom to advance their research without institutional censorship or outside influence or pressure, as well as the freedom to comment on internal Carleton policies without interference. Importantly, they also have the freedom to discuss topics of public interest or concern provided they do not speak on behalf of the university (unless specifically authorized to do so). These rights are addressed in the Collective Agreement under Article 4, Article 10.1, and Article 15.7. They are also included in Carleton University’s Human Rights Policies and Procedures section 4.1 and 4.2. The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) also offers a toolkit article on the Four Components of Academic Freedom and a Policy Statement on Academic Freedom.
Workplace harassment, violence, or discrimination – how to report
If you have concerns about workplace harassment, workplace violence, or workplace discrimination, please report your concerns to the university by filing a complaint under the applicable policy: the Workplace Harassment Prevention Policy, the Workplace Violence Prevention Policy, or the Human Rights Policies and Procedures. If you have an immediate safety concern, please contact Campus Safety Services by calling 613-520-4444 or extension 4444 from any campus phone.
Any CUASA member can report harassment, violence, or discrimination under the university’s policies without approval or assistance from CUASA. However, if you require assistance with understanding or using the policies, please send an email to [email protected].
After a complaint has been filed, the university must follow the applicable policy, and if the matter cannot be resolved informally, it must investigate your complaint. If the university does not follow its policy or investigate your complaint, please contact CUASA to discuss filing a grievance.
Sabbatical Plans – Due October 31st
Members submitting Sabbatical Plans should consult the updated Travel and Related Expenses Policy paying particular attention to Section 4.1. Budgeting for Sabbatical travel is crucially affected.
4.1 Living Expenses
No living or personal expenses, such as meals and accommodation, can be reimbursed while on sabbatical or research leave. Personal or living expenses are not reimbursable under BPSAA.
Expenditures incurred during a sabbatical or research leave are subject to additional restrictions by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and applicable law. While travelling expenses are allowable, if a temporary base is established in a location other than the traveler’s home during a sabbatical or research leave, CRA deems this to be temporarily residing in that location, and meals and accommodation would be considered personal and living expenses and are not eligible research expenses.
Travelers should consult with Research Post-Award or Research Financial Services prior to making research-related travel plans during leave.
Carleton has confirmed that they have sought and received the legal opinion that according to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Guidelines stays of 30 days or longer are considered sojourning and thus accommodation and meals are considered personal living expenses and ineligible as research expenses.
CUASA has requested a legal opinion on this matter from Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and will update members accordingly.
Carleton further directs faculty to their Sabbatical Research Grant (SRG) page to determine the eligibility of research expenses.
I you have any questions please reach out to CUASA’s Member Services and Communication Officer, Brittainy Bonnis.
Call for Nominations on CUASA’s Steering Committee: Chair, Nominations and Elections
We are currently accepting nominations for the position of Chair, Nominations and Elections.
The Nominations and Elections Committee duties include managing the process of elections for vacant positions on CUASA bodies and notifying CUASA members of elections in which they are elegible to vote. The Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee is a voting member of the CUASA Steering Committee and an Ex officio voting member of CUASA Council. The term is of two years. They receive the equivalent of 0.5 course release in compensation annually.
Nominations must be made using the form found here. All nomination forms must include the signatures of the nominee and two Association members as nominators. Please send completed forms to [email protected].
Get involved!
CUASA’s 2SLBGTQIA+ Pride Caucus and Disability Caucus are now meeting regularly, and are happy to welcome new members. These caucus groups are intended to be an informal way for people from equity-seeking groups to find community connections, socialize, organize, support one another, and share ideas with each other and with CUASA. Groups usually meet once a month.
If you are interested in participating in these caucus groups, please contact CUASA’s Equity and Member Services Officer, Max López, at [email protected] for more details.
The Communiqué is published by the Carleton University Academic Staff Association. Past issues are archived on our website at CUASA.ca. The Communiqué publishes CUASA-related news and information for our members.
We want to hear from you! Get in touch, by email, social media, phone, or by scheduling a meeting. We read everything you send, and thank all of those who have contributed suggestions.
