Weekly Update – October 9

October 9, 2020

Weekly Update – October 9

Office Closure

Please note the virtual CUASA Office will be closed on Monday, October 12 as part of the Thanksgiving long weekend. The virtual office will reopen at 9:00am on Tuesday, October 13.

COVID-19 Screening

The University has announced that, effective immediately, all employees (including faculty, contract instructors, staff and teaching/research assistants) must complete a short COVID-19 Screening Form prior to coming to campus and entering a building, including for restricted access buildings. The form, which you can find here, must be completed every day you come to campus. For more information, click here.

CUASA Member wins OCUFA Teaching Award

CUASA extends sincere congratulations to Kim Hellemans, Instructor III and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, on receiving a 2019-2020 OCUFA Teaching Award.

The OCUFA Teaching Awards recognize individuals with exceptional contributions to the higher education community. Individuals are nominated on the basis of outstanding performance in teaching.

You can read OCUFA’s announcement of Kim’s award here, and Carleton’s announcement here.

Casual Vacancy on CAUT Librarians’ and Archivists’ Committee

CAUT is seeking to fill a casual vacancy on the Librarians’ and Archivists’ Committee arising from the resignation of a member whose term expires in May 2021. When a casual vacancy arises, our procedures call for the Executive Committee to appoint a replacement after consulting with member associations. The recommended replacement will be presented for ratification at the next meeting of CAUT Council. The replacement is appointed to fill the remainder of the term.

Members of the Librarians’ and Archivists’ Committee should have considerable experience and knowledge of the professional interests and academic concerns of librarians and archivists at Canadian post-secondary institutions. They ought to be aware of policy matters pertaining to academic rights and working conditions of academic librarians and archivists.  Members should be willing and available to dedicate significant time between meetings to the work of the Committee, including the conference planning, drafting or editing documents, responding to enquiries and other related activities.

If any CUASA Librarians are interested in filling this vacancy, please complete the nomination form and submit it no later than October 16, 2020.

CUASA Business and Events

Nominations for Steering Positions

We are still accepting nominations for the following Steering positions:

• Communications Officer
• Chair, Nominations and Elections
• Chair, Internal Affairs
• Instructor Representative

Information on the nominations process can be found on our How to Volunteer page. The work of the Association continues, despite the current environment we find ourselves in. Remember that our Association is only as strong as its membership, so we count on the time and commitment of our members to achieve our goals. Some of these positions come with a course release subject to the availability of funds.

Call for Volunteer: JCEE

We are seeking one CUASA member to serve on the Joint Committee on Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JCEE). Details on the mandate of this important committee can be found here. If you are interested in serving on the JCEE, please email [email protected].

Working from Home: Virtual Health & Safety Information Series

The Ottawa and District Labour Council (ODLC) and the Workers Health & Safety Centre are offering a free virtual information series on working from home. It will take place on Tuesday, October 27 at 7:00pm. Advance registration is required, which you can do here. For more information, contact [email protected].

2021 Achievement Award Competition

The competition for the Carleton University 2021 Achievement Awards is now open. Here are the awards available to CUASA members and the due dates for applications:

• Five $15,000 Teaching Achievement Awards(applications are due Oct. 31).
• Ten $15,000 Research Achievement Awards(applications are due Oct. 31).
• Five $10,000 Professional Achievement Awards(instructor applications are due Nov. 20).
• Two $10,000 Professional Achievement Awards(for professional librarians). Nominations must be made to the Peer Evaluation Committee, which must submit its selections to the University Librarian by Nov. 20. For details, please consult with the University Librarian.

Here is some information on the support available for applications:

• Contact the Carleton Office for Research Initiatives and Services at [email protected] or the Office of the Dean of your Faculty if you have questions about the Research Achievement Awards.
• Contact Faculty Affairs at [email protected] if you need assistance with Teaching Achievement Award, Professional Achievement Award applications.
• More information is available in the CUASA Collective Agreement. Click here to read Article 41.