Weekly Update – November 26, 2021
November 26, 2021
Weekly Update – November 26, 2021
CUASA Fall GMM Next Week
CUASA’s Fall 2021 General Membership Meeting will be held this coming Tuesday, November 30, from 2:00-4:00pm.
The GMM will take place online over Zoom. Members can find the Zoom details and links to relevant documents in their emails. Please do not share the Zoom details or the links to the GMM documents.
If you can’t find the Zoom details or document links, please contact [email protected].
Course Delivery for Winter 2022
As we wrote last week, CUASA has been actively monitoring recent reports regarding changes to course delivery options for the Winter 2022 term. In particular, students have been reporting a dramatic increase in courses being switched from a planned in-person delivery to online instead. Despite these reports, the University has been quoted as planning to increase in-person course sections in order to meet demand.
The Association is very concerned about any plans to increase in-person course sections without the proper consultation of all necessary bodies, including CUASA and the University Senate. Our members are still reporting mixed messaging about HyFlex and in-person teaching assignments, where some instances are voluntary, and others suggested as mandatory. It is essential that any decisions regarding course delivery be made in consultation with the faculty and instructors who will be teaching those courses.
CUASA agrees with students about the need for more transparency from Carleton. We will be raising these concerns with the University when the Joint Committee for the Administration of the Agreement (JCAA) meets next week.
New Issue of Provocative Practice
The CUASA Anti-Racism Working Group (ARWG) has released its second issue of Provocative Practice, a new intersectional, multi-disciplinary project dedicated to anti-oppression work in the community. This issue continues with the theme of “Movement” and includes an interview with Ariel Troster from Rainbow Haven in Ottawa. All issues can be found here: https://www.cuasa.ca/pp.
ARWG Drop-In Session
Members from CUASA’s Anti-Racism Working Group (ARWG) will host a drop-in session on Thursday January 13th, 2022, from 1-4pm (via Zoom) for BIPOC and Jewish-identified members to have an open discussion about the results of the BIPOC Experience Survey that was circulated last year. The last hour of this session will be more informal and we invite members to stay on, with a drink of your choice, so we can get to know each other better. If you are interested in attending, please contact [email protected] to RSVP to receive the Zoom details.
Support for Scholars at Risk
Giving Tuesday will take place this year on November 30. CUASA hopes its members will consider supporting Scholars at Risk at Carleton University. The Scholars at Risk program protects scholars suffering grave threats to their lives and liberty by arranging temporary research and teaching positions and providing advisory services.
On November 30, gifts made through FutureFunder.ca will be matched dollar-for-dollar on a first come, first-served basis. This year the SAR committee is giving priority to two Afghani scholars at risk, given the present situation in Afghanistan. We need your financial support in order to help them establish themselves and their research here, at Carleton.
You can donate on Giving Tuesday here. To learn more about the SAR program at Carleton, click here.
Faculty Consultations on Sexual Violence Policy Review
The University is reviewing its Sexual Violence Policy throughout the 2021-2022 academic year. As part of this process, it will be offering information and feedback sessions to solicit input from the campus community.
The objective of these sessions is to host a supportive, creative space wherein members of the community can provide their feedback on the Sexual Violence Policy.
There are faculty sessions scheduled for the following dates and times:
- Wednesday January 12, 10am-11am
- Tuesday January 18, 1pm-2pm
Participants are recommended to read the policy ahead of the sessions and review the considerations outlined in the Sexual Violence Review Work Plan. For more information or to register for one of the faculty sessions, click here.
University of Manitoba Faculty Association strike gets nationwide support
The University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) strike is nearing the end of its fourth week.
From CAUT: “UMFA is pushing back against government interference in collective bargaining and is fighting for a fair contract that prioritizes academic staff recruitment and retention.
Academic staff and students from coast to coast to coast have rallied to support the working conditions of UMFA members, joining rallies and mobilizing the academic labour movement across social media.
In the first week of the strike, CAUT Vice-President Peter McInnis joined UMFA members on the picket line and called for the University of Manitoba administration and the Premier of Manitoba, Heather Stefanson, to negotiate in good faith and support a fair deal.
According to UMFA—the certified bargaining agent for 1,240 full-time professors, librarians, lecturers, and instructors at the University of Manitoba— ‘the university has the ability to fairly compensate UMFA members but has chosen to allow the provincial government to continue interfering in negotiations.’”
UMFA is back at the bargaining table with the university administration, but the need for pressure, support, and solidarity remains strong. Contact University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch at 204-474-9345 and [email protected] and tell him to give UMFA a fair deal.
