Weekly Update – October 30

October 30, 2020

Weekly Update – October 30

CBC COVID-19 Survey

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered our personal and professional lives, and the CUASA Collective Bargaining Committee (CBC) wishes to seek additional input from the membership.

On October 23, the CBC launched a new survey to learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on CUASA members and to determine priorities for bargaining. The survey will run until Sunday, November 15.

Members can find the link to the survey in their email. Please note that this survey is meant only for CUASA bargaining unit members. We kindly ask that you please not share the link to the survey.

This survey follows the one that ran from January 30 to March 31, 2020. Members can find a link to the report on that survey in their email. Please do not share the link to this report.

Note: if you can’t find the link to the report or the survey in your email, please contact [email protected].

“Doing My Best”

On October 15 CUASA launched its “Doing My Best” campaign to share the challenges our members have been facing due to the increased workload caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you want to be part of the campaign, please send videos, photos, or stories to Dawn by emailing [email protected]. Each week, we’ll feature a different CUASA member and let them explain how they’re doing their best.

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

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 Volunteers

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].

We are also seeking CUASA members to serve on the Association’s internal Equity Committee. Please send an email to [email protected] if you are interested.

Labour Community Updates

OCUFA Statement Opposing Bill 168

OCUFA recently released a statement opposing the Ford government’s handling of Bill 168, the Combating Antisemitism Act, and its potential to compromise academic freedom. Read the full statement here.

Raj Singh, CUASA’s External Relations Officer, also recently made submissions to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario criticizing Bill 168 and asking Ontario MPPs to oppose the Bill and to seek out a more responsible approach to prevent antisemitism.

CAUT Statement on the Murder of Samuel Paty

CAUT has released a statement condemning the murder of a teacher in France and supporting academic freedom. Read the full statement here.

Academic Community Updates

Reminder to participate in OCUFA survey on impacts of COVID-19

On October 23 we invited all CUASA members to participate in OCUFA’s survey of faculty members, academic librarians, and other academic professionals at Ontario’s universities regarding the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their work, including teaching, research, relationships with students, and other key areas of responsibility. We would like to remind you to complete the survey if you have not already.

Findings from the survey will be used to inform policies and practices that can ameliorate any adverse impacts of operational or administrative changes arising from COVID-19 to help universities, faculty, staff, and students adjust to a post-pandemic environment. The aggregated survey results will play a vital role in supporting political and public advocacy work on behalf of faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals at your institution and across Ontario.

Your feedback regarding your personal work-related experiences during the pandemic is enormously valuable and will be used to identify strategies that can optimize the ability of faculty, staff, and students to flourish within circumstances that constitute a “new normal.” The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete and the privacy and confidentiality of your responses are completely assured.

Please click on the link below to begin:

https://www.research.net/r/63LLCVD

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.