CUASA Update – July 22, 2022
July 22, 2022
CUASA Update – July 22, 2022
CUASA Office Closure
Please note the virtual CUASA Office will be closed for the Civic Holiday long weekend as of 12:00pm next Friday, July 29, and will reopen on Tuesday, August 2, at 9:00am.
EDI Research Fund Info Sessions
As previously mentioned, the University has solicited feedback from CUASA on an upcoming Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Research Fund, which we shared with the membership to gain additional insights on how we can improve it. We would like to hear from eligible members who might be interested in applying for such a fund once released.
The document, as proposed by the University, can be found at this link: Carleton University Proposal – Creation of a Special Research Fund. CUASA is in the process of creating a response and will share that document with the membership for feedback once it is ready for distribution. We welcome your input and have provided a webform for feedback which can be found here: Feedback Form: EDI Research Fund.
CUASA will be hosting informational sessions to share our proposed edits to the document and gain additional feedback. The info sessions will be held Thursday, July 28th from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm and Friday, August 5thfrom 10:00 am – 11:00 am. Please follow the embedded links above to register in advance.
IHRA Working Definition Facilitated Conversations
Originally adopted by the 2015 Plenary assembly of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), the IHRA “Working definition of antisemitism” has been the subject of considerable controversy and strong opposition despite having been endorsed by a wide spectrum of governments and organizations, including the government of Ontario, which endorsed it in 2019. A motion urging CUASA to “oppose the [government] move to enshrine the current IHRA definition” on the grounds that it is contrary in some respects to academic freedom was to be considered by Council but was opposed by some Carleton faculty members as well as some external organizations including B’nai Brith. The motion was withdrawn in early 2021, with the intention of taking the time needed to revise it. With that in mind, David Graham, principal at Xenops Consulting, will be hosting a series of facilitated conversations for us aimed at reaching a consensus on whether such revision is feasible, and if it is, what form it should take.
The first session will be a one-hour introductory session with the goal of discussing the process itself and setting expectations. The facilitation will be held Thursday, August 25th from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm. Advanced registration is required.
Humanitarian appeal to CUASA community: One-year accommodation for Ukrainian Scholar at Risk
Russia’s war on Ukraine is impacting the lives of millions of people all over the world. Carleton’s academic community reacted immediately with several important initiatives and many individual and collective efforts.
Carleton’s chapter of Scholars at Risk has sponsored and is preparing to welcome a Ukrainian scholar and his wife (a prominent journalist) fleeing the warzone in Donbas, Eastern Ukraine. They are scheduled to arrive in Ottawa in the next few weeks. We are appealing to the CUASA community to assist us in finding a year-long accommodation for them. This Ukrainian family of two are in their late fifties-early sixties, they are non-smokers, they have no pets, they have conversational English, and they will be able to cover utility bills and/or compensate some modest sum for provided accommodation.
Additionally, we have extended an invitation to a scholar at risk fleeing from Russia for her outspokenness against the war. If we are successful in securing her the needed paperwork, she will be arriving (alone) in Ottawa sometime in mid-fall.
Carleton is also currently hosting scholars at risk from Afghanistan and Syria, and has recently hosted scholars from a number of other countries. We are also currently getting many further requests for support from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and elsewhere. Faculty can support our efforts by donating to the Scholars At Risk FutureFunder page.
If you are willing to help, please contact Dana Dragunoiu at [email protected].
Academic Community Updates
Laurentian faculty, staff, and provincial association demand accountability and transparency to rebuild after CCAA
As a new academic year approaches, the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA), Laurentian University Staff Union (LUSU), and Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) are demanding accountability and transparency from the Laurentian Senior administration and the Government of Ontario. Faculty, staff, and students at Laurentian University have experienced a terrible eighteen months of court-ordered restructuring caused by the mismanagement of successive Laurentian administrations and a provincial government that was absent during their time of crisis.
Send an email to call on Laurentian’s Board of Governors Chair Jeff Bangs to bring in accountability, transparency, and a new administration.
