| Queen's University Faculty Association Newsletter |
QUFACTS | |
| PEOPLE | QUFACTS is a service to the Faculty Association of
Queen’s University to promote exchange of ideas, foster debate on issues, and inform
members about current issues related to the purpose of the association. Members are invited to submit letters (approximately 150 words) and news items for publication. Letters will be published unedited. Any modification of articles will be done in consultation with the authors. Items may be sent to the Qufa office, Room 120, Old Medical Building. |
October, 1996 Volume 23, Number 1 |
As so many of you often and graciously acknowledge, the executive, negotiating team, staff, and numerous other volunteers of the Association, including the Council of Representatives and its diligent Chair, are working overtime and with great intensity as part of a comprehensive process of bringing negotiations to a successful close. I have begun visits to units (either individually or grouped) in order to discuss the progress of negotiations, the process of ratification, and issues beyond negotiations which concern the Association's diverse constituency. I am seeking to arrange these visits through the Council of Representatives, so please make sure that your unit has a Councillor and that he or she is able to attend a high percentage of meetings. The Council has been an invaluable addition to the bargaining process and input is particularly crucial as we get into the final and most significant areas of negotiation. (For dates and places of upcoming Council meetings, please call the QUFA office.) Naturally, if a unit is not represented on Council, I will make every effort to schedule a meeting in another way. If you are not sure if your unit has a scheduled meeting and if you would like to assist in setting one up, feel free to contact me at burkef@post.queensu.ca. Also, if you are part of a cross departmental constitutuency (e.g., adjuncts, special appointees) which you feel should have its own meeting with me, by all means get in touch.
Another area of concentration these past few months has been the restructuring of QUFA. In July, a committee appointed by the executive drafted a preliminary constitution which provided models for a restructured Association. The time and energy required to negotiate a first contract made it impossible to bring the restructuring process to completion during the summer or early fall. However, once the first contract is in place, the committee will finalize its work and the membership will be given the opportunity to decide among restructuring alternatives.
A third area of concentration has been the restructuring of OCUFA (the Ontario Confederation of Faculty Associations). As was reported at the Annual General Meeting, the QUFA executive has served notice of the Association's intent to withdraw from OCUFA as of July 1, 1997. Those of us who have been involved with OCUFA have been dissatisfied with the relationship between the cost of belonging and the level of service OCUFA has provided us. We were particularly disappointed by OCUFA's failure to assist during certification. We feel that OCUFA's failure to perform is the result of poor organization and extremely poor communications between faculty associations and a large and heretofore unresponsive central office in Toronto. On the other hand, the executive is strongly committed to an effective province-wide network of faculty associations. We feel that now, more than ever, cooperative action is necessary to improve public relations and strengthen lobbying efforts on behalf of the Ontario professoriate. For this reason, Annette Burfoot and I, along with representatives of several other associations who are troubled by the cost and/or performance of OCUFA, formed a committee to propose significant changes in the structure, operation, and cost of the association. The committee was struck with OCUFA Board approval and will be presenting its final report at the December meeting of the Board. Should the Board commit itself to significant change which will also eventuate in significant savings (albeit requiring a period of transition), the QUFA executive would be willing to reconsider its position.
Naturally the ultimate decision on an issue this large will reside with you, the membership. In the meantime, your feedback on this issue will be greatly appreciated.
There are many other matters which have been occupying the QUFA executive:
 | the advisory panel chaired by David Smith, which has been constituted to make recommendations regarding the provincial government's discussion paper on the future of postsecondary education. QUFA will submit a written response to the panel |
| the administration's request to the five employee groups (QUFA, QUSA, Cupe 229, 254, and 1302) to reconsider allocation of part of the Pension Surplus to offset one-time budget costs |
| the Senate Task Force report on the role of Senate in a unionised environment |
| the decision by the Principal to eliminate the Status of Women's committee and the Office of the Dean of Women |
| a province-wide public relations initiative on behalf of universities and the professoriate which I am seeking to advance, in conjunction with the Principal and the Queen's Department of Communications. |
Many of these are addressed elsewhere in this issue, so I only note them here. Before I conclude, let me close by once again affirming the importance of the Council of Representatives and the importance of each unit having a member actively participating.
Finally, I have to say how much I am enjoying the process of visiting units. It is great to get the chance to meet so many colleagues and to learn so much about the extraordinary and varied work of Queen's faculty.
Frank Burke
Return to index
As negotiations proceed towards their last steps and some of the most difficult articles are discussed, it becomes increasingly important to maintain good communications between the members of the bargaining unit and the Executive and Negotiation team. The best mechanism for this is the Council of Representatives. The Council meets regularly with members of the Executive and of the Negotiation Team to exchange information and views. We encourage you to keep informed of what is happening every week at the negotiation table and to forward your concerns and ideas to the Executive and the Negotiation Team. You can do this by communicating with your representative (see the list below), or the Chair of the Council, Mike Baird (email: bairdmc@chem.queensu.ca, voicemail:x2614).
Return to index Membership
on the Council of Representatives
On 16 July 1996, the Ontario Minister of Education and Training simultaneously released the document Future Goals for Ontario Colleges and Universities: Discussion Paper1 and announced the appointment of a panel "to provide advice on future directions for Ontario's postsecondary education system". The rationale for the panel is that "[t]he government is committed to achieving a ... system based on excellence, accessibility, and accountability."2 Specifically, the panel is to provide advice on three issues:
| the most appropriate sharing of costs among students, the private sector and government |
| ways to promote and support cooperation between colleges and universities, and between them and the secondary school system |
| ways to meet expected levels of demand for postsecondary education, with reference to existing public institutions and existing or proposed private institutions |
Under its chair, David C. Smith, the panel is to consult with the university and college sectors, as well as the public, during the Fall and submit a report to the Minister by December 15. In fact, the panel has scheduled seven "regional consultations" which are taking place between September 25 and October 31. In addition, the panel will receive briefs until the end of October.3
Queen's turn to be "consulted" was on October 10, in Ottawa. QUFA had anticipated making an oral presentation to the panel but was informed by Principal Leggett that "the actual hearings ... are limited to the presentation and discussion of institutional submissions".4 Although the Principal invited QUFA representatives to accompany the University delegation as observers, the QUFA Executive declined the offer in order to use QUFA members' time more productively in preparing a written response to the Ministry's Discussion Paper.
This latter document touches on several issues (e.g. inter-institutional cooperation, student assistance and accessibility, range of programs, accountability, use of technology, etc.) but an underlying theme is that post- secondary education should be more market-driven. This is the issue on which QUFA wishes to focus, for it raises concerns about the nature of the academic enterprise, the pursuit of new knowledge and the role of the scholar and teacher.
The issues of accessibility and affordability are being addressed by the Ontario Coalition for Postsecondary Education5 which released a Statement of Principles for Postsecondary Education in Ontario on October 1.
1
Copies of the discussion paper are available from the QUFA Office, or can be downloaded from the Ministry's Web site.
Last Spring, the Principal announced the elimination of two key positions on campus: the Dean of Women and Faculty Advisor on Employment Equity. He also discontinued the Principal s Advisory Committee on the Status of Women.
This action sparked a vigorous unscheduled debate at the Spring Board of Trustees meeting, at which a QUFA representative expressed the view that the Principal s action had set back the cause of women on campus by at least 10 years. Other equally strong views and concerns were expressed by others at the meeting, including several trustees. A letter expressing QUFA s concerns was sent to the Principal on May 22 1996 and a fruitless open meeting between the Principal and interested groups was held in Dunning Hall on June 14.
Other more recent attempts have been made to resolve the issue. A letter, initiated by Christine Overall and Bev Baines and signed by 31 faculty members, again asked the Principal to reconsider his decisions and to meet with them to discuss the issues; the letter was published in the Journal and the Gazette in September. The Principal agreed to meet with the signatories on October 8 when he listened to concerns and reiterated his views at great length. Many of the women attending the meeting were shocked and offended by the Principal's continuing lack of understanding of their concerns. Frustration was expressed that the community of women at Queen s still do not have the right to determine how its needs can be best met.
A petition on the matter, initiated by Michael Fox and Geoff Smith and including over 100 additional signatures from 15 departments, had been delivered to the Principal before the meeting and this petition has been sent to the Journal, the Gazette and the Whig-Standard for wider publication. A petition by a student group is currently been circulated.
Despite the strong and widely spread disagreement with the Principal s decision, it appears that he has never seriously listened to the objections raised and reconsidered his position. The concerns expressed about the consequences of the decisions for women on campus and the flaws in the process by which the decisions were made have never been seriously taken into account.
The Principal is now selecting a committee to provide advice on the new position of equity advisor.
Several events are organized for the week of October 21st to 27th as protest against the Harris cuts both in Toronto and Kingston, as described below in letters from OCUFA and one of the local organizations. We encourage our members to participate in these events and support them financially.
Planning is now well underway for the Metro Toronto's Days of Action, organized jointly by community groups (including OCUFA) and labour unions. The Days of Action will feature week-long events from October 22 -27, 1996 culminating in a march from Lakeshore Boulevard to Queen's Park and a rally at the Legislature on Saturday, October 26th. Events are also planned leading up to the week of October 22nd.
The education sector is organizing several events for the Days of Action. On Thursday, October 17 the People for Education have planned a public forum on education in the auditorium of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), 252 Bloor St. W at 7:00 p.m. The forum will be set up as a town hall meeting and will have a panel including Gerald Caplan, co-chair of the 1995 Royal Commission on Learning; Ursula Franklin, prominent university educator and scientist, Neil Brooks, Osgood Hall law professor, Thom Walkom, Toronto Star columnist, and others.
On Friday October 25 there will be a march and rally to the Ministry of Education and Training, Bay and Wellesley St. Speakers, music, and other forms of "edutainment" are planned for the rally. A "move-a-thon" of high school students will symbolically link the elementary, secondary and post-secondary education sectors in a march to the rally. A pamphlet covering issues that affect the entire education sector will be ready for distribution next week. Faculty, student, staff and community group coalitions at the University of Toronto, York University and Ryerson have also been busy organizing their campuses for October 22 -27.
Those interested in getting information about the Metro Days of Action can subscribe to a new listserv which will operate for the next five weeks. The listserv will be maintained by the communications team who will send out the twice weekly Metro Days of Action Newsletter, press releases and other special information on billeting and buses.
To Subscribe send a message to: majordomo@list.web.net - leave the subject
line blank
In the body of the message type: subscribe action-days-l
The listserv is a moderated listserv and will only be used to send out communications/information from the Metro Days of Action.
The education community has been strongly encouraged to participate in the Days of Action. Buses are being organized for those out of town to come to Toronto on October 25 and October 26.
The central office coordinator of the education sector events is Geoff Hill who can be reached at (416) 512-6894. Please phone Geoff if you want to help with the organization of education sector events.
The intention is to make the Metro Days of Action the largest public protest to date against the policies of the Conservative government. If you want more information, you can also contact the OCUFA office.
Mark Rosenfeld
Community and Government Relations Officer,
OCUFA - October 1, 1996
Dear Faculty Association Member:
On October 26th Queen s Park will make the history books as the site of the largest political demonstration in Canadian History. The demonstration will be the culmination of a week of action that will see hundreds of events organized by community and labour groups from across Metro Toronto and Ontario. The Metro campaign is the fifth in a series of planned protest and general strike days across the province. Over the past few months, hundreds of thousands of those affected by the Harris government have marched in London, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Peterborough.
Locally, the Kingston Action Network and the Kingston and District Labour Council have begun organizing for the Metro Days of Action. A coalition of community, campus, and labour members has formed to make the links between Queen s campus, organized labour, and the wider Kingston community. Our primary goal is to add campus buses to the already large Kingston contingent. We are also planning education, media and direct action events in Kingston as a lead-up to the October 26th protest. There will be a rally at noon, October 25th outside the JDUC.
As Metro Days of Action co-chair Margaret Nancock explains, the next few weeks are about bridging the gaps between the organized and the unorganized, the employed and unemployed, the haves and the have- nots. We are building a movement and we need your involvement.
We hope that faculty members will raise awareness of the Days of Action and the surrounding issues by setting aside class time for discussion and by urging the university community to participate in events. Your financial support will enable us to rent buses to go to the demonstration in Toronto, publish educational materials, and raise awareness of the threat to postsecondary education posed by the Harris government.
Our organizing meetings are on Monday evenings at 5:30 p.m. in the Graduate Student Society office. Please join us. Phone Gareth Park @ Ext. 2924 or Dan Creighton @ 541-1823.
You can also buy bus tickets to the October 26th demonstration at Queen s Park ($12.00) or send donations through the Queen s Graduate Student Society.
The following text was released to the media on October 1, 1996.
Faculty, staff, and students at Ontario s colleges and universities have formed a coalition in an effort to preserve and enhance post-secondary education in the province.
The Ontario Coalition for Post-Secondary Education is especially concerned about the government s discussion paper, Future Goals for Ontario Colleges and Universities , and the limited consultation process undertaken by the government s appointed advisory panel on post-secondary education.
This government s lack of vision about the importance of accessible and affordable higher education for the citizens of this province is appalling, said Vicky Smallman, Ontario Chair of the Canadian Federation of Students. There is a need for a strong voice in this province to articulate a better vision of post- secondary education in Ontario. We believe our coalition provides that strong voice.
The coalition includes the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, the Confederation of Ontario University Staff Associations, the Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, and the Ontario Coalition for Social Justice.
The focus of the government s discussion paper is almost entirely on economic and labour market concerns. That s not enough. Public discussion on post-secondary education needs to be broadened to include the full range of education, social, cultural, and economic benefits provided by higher education , said Michael Piva, President of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA).
The Coalition is also concerned that not all faculty, staff and student representatives have been invited by their administrations to be part of the consultation process the government has established. The Coalition questions the government s commitment to the consultation process and wonders why two members out of the five-member advisory panel the government put in place to oversee this process have been unable to attend the first two round-table sessions held in Thunder Bay and Sudbury. There are only seven roundtables scheduled.
The Coalition intends to collect and disseminate information about the Advisory Panel s consultation process in an effort to make the process more public and to widen the scope of discussions.
The Coalition also released a Statement of Principles for Post-secondary Education (listed below) today that articulates the Coalition s vision of higher education in the province.
Other individuals and organizations will also be invited to join the Coalition s effort to advocate for better, more accessible higher education.
For further information please contact:
| Vicky Smallman, Chair, Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario @ (416) 925-3825 |
| Iris Shegda, Communications, OCUFA @ (416) 979-2117 Ext. 30 |
The members of the Ontario Coalition for Post-secondary Education are committed to the following principles and goals:
This is an excerpt from a letter by Elizabeth Belfiore, Professor at University of Minnesota, circulated on e-mail in September 96. Should we compare this to the situation in Manitoba (CAUT Bulletin, September 96)?
On September 5, the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota rejected a compromise proposed by the Faculty Senate on revisions of the tenure code and unilaterally proposed a revision that would effectively eliminate tenure. They will vote on this proposal, which has been vigorously opposed by the faculty, on October 10. Our President, Nils Hasselmo, at first encouraged the regents to make our tenure code "more flexible," then with mounting resistance by the University Faculty Alliance, an incipient faculty union, has now taken on the posture of heroic academic freedom. Some key provisions of the Regents' proposal allow for:
A statement issued by the Faculty Consultative Committee summarizes the damage that will be done by the Regents' proposed changes.
"The tenure revision proposal under consideration by the Board of Regents undermines the commonly accepted principles of academic freedom. If adopted, it will quickly and inevitably destroy our reputation, our competitive position, and our ability to serve the citizens of Minnesota. Contrary to the claims of the outside lawyers and consultants engaged by the Regents, the proposed tenure revisions are drastically outside the norms of Big 10 and other leading research universities. The revisions allow for virtually unlimited administrative arbitrariness in layoffs and salary reductions, and effectively demolish the protections to academic freedom afforded by tenure.
Academic freedom is of primary benefit not to professors, but to society. It allows faculty to do the novel research and develop the unconventional ideas that challenge current wisdom, improve our quality of life, and move civilization forward. Tenure, granted only after years of rigorous testing of probationary faculty, embodies the rules that protect academic freedom. Tenure does not protect faculty from sanctions (including removal) if they are seriously derelict in their duty. But it must protect them from arbitrary actions by vindictive or short-sighted administrators, or pressures from external interest groups."
[