RRUFA December Monthly Meeting Minutes
December 8, 2015 Centre for Dialogue, LIC
Present:
| Niels Agger-Gupta | ✔ | Geoff Archer | Jo Axe | Brian Belcher | |||
| Geoffrey Bird | David Black | ✔ | Judith Blanchette | Tony Boydell | |||
| Elizabeth Childs | ✔ | Kenneth Christie | ✔ | Robin Cox | Ann Dale | ||
| Audrey Dallimore | Matt Dodd | Juana Du | Catherine Etmanski | ||||
| Lois Fearon | ✔ | Doug Hamilton | Brigitte Harris | ✔ | Jaigris Hodson | ✔ | |
| Julia Jahanzoosi | Ingrid Kajzer-Mitchell | ✔ | Shelley Jones | ✔ | Frances Jorgensen | ||
| Leslie King | Richard Kool | ✔ | Charles Krusekopf | Zhenyi Li | |||
| Chris Ling | ✔ | Will Low | Eva Malisius | ✔ | Kathleen Manion | ||
| Virginia McKendry | ✔ | Will Meredith | Robert Mittelman | ✔ | Jonathan Moran | ✔ | |
| Terry Mughan | Mickie Noble | Eileen Piggot-Irvine | |||||
| Terry Power | Siomonn Pulla | ✔ | Michael Real | Carolin Rekar Munro | |||
| Chaseten Remillard | Wendy Rowe | ✔ | Erich Schellhammer | ✔ | Bernard Schissel | ||
| Jean Slick | Marilyn Taylor | Eugene Thomlinson | ✔ | Mike Thompson | |||
| Phillip Vannini | George Veletsianos | Hassan Wafai | Jennifer Walinga | ||||
| Brian White | Rebecca Wilson Mah | ✔ | Michael Young | ✔ | Amy Zidulka | ✔ |
(Present: 10 of 60 total Active Members)
CONTENTS:
- December Monthly Meeting called to order at 12: 10pm (President Kenneth Christie)… 2
- Approval of September, October, & November minutes:……………………………………………. 2
- New Business:………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
3.1 Introduction of new Faculty members: Jaigris Hodson, & Shelley Jones……………… 2
Ken introduced Jaigris Hodson, PhD: Assistant Professor & Program Head, Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, and Shelley Jones, PhD: Associate Professor in the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies……. 2
- Previous Business:…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
4.1 Syrian Refugee Sponsorship – Lois/Amy/Rebecca/Hassan…………………………………… 2
4.2 Buttedahl & Skene Learning & Teaching Innovation Fund Proposal – Amy/Rebecca 2
- Regular Reports:……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3
5.1 Bargaining / JCOAA: (Ken)………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
5.2 Board of Governors: (Charles)……………………………………………………………………………… 3
5.3 Academic Council: (Rick)……………………………………………………………………………………… 3
5.4 CUFA-BC: (Rick)………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
5.5 Website: (Will)………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
5.6 Social: (Ken)………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
5.7 Grievance Report: (David)……………………………………………………………………………………. 4
5.8 Health & Safety: (Rick)…………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
- Other Business:………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
6.1 Special Guest: Paul Allison, RRU CUPE local President: Bargaining results for CUPE 4
- Adjournment at 1:35 pm:………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
1. December Monthly Meeting called to order at 12: 10pm (President Kenneth Christie)
2. Approval of September, October, & November minutes:
Motion to approve all three sets of minutes
Moved By Niels; Second: Virginia
All approved.
3. New Business:
3.1 Introduction of new Faculty members: Jaigris Hodson, & Shelley Jones.
Ken introduced Jaigris Hodson, PhD: Assistant Professor & Program Head, Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, and
Shelley Jones, PhD: Associate Professor in the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies
4. Previous Business:
4.1 Syrian Refugee Sponsorship – Lois/Amy/Rebecca/Hassan
Lois – There has been a meeting with Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria – the central point for refugees coming to Victoria. Sabine Lehr, Manager of Settlement Services – could come to Jan meeting – number of people in sponsorship group already… Do we want to support a family – or do something on ground elsewhere? Lets get on with it! One group is starting a website: Victoria Sponsorship Group
Rick: have a meeting coming up with ICA. Next month will have a set of motions and recommendations for RRUFA. Kudos to Lois for going to the meetings…
Ken: There is a CAUT form for contribution to Syrian refugee effort being developed – a lot of work involved… Perhaps helping another organization might be way to go.
RIck: UVic History department working on this.
Amy – Sabine Lehr (ICA person) is a graduate of RRU – and is an Associate Faculty in MA-Global Leadership Program – We should invite Sabine Lehr to come to next meeting…
Brian: separate event – to raise funds for refugees – fund-raiser…. consider as well! Capilano was seriously strapped for cash – need separate funding…
Ken: it might make more sense to support another organization.
Lois: at meeting there were new organizations – and established organizations…
4.2 Buttedahl & Skene Learning & Teaching Innovation Fund Proposal – Amy/Rebecca
Amy: We have no systemic way of facilitation of learning for teaching – We would like to develop a base of resources; currently this is not all together in one place.
Virginia – BJ Ib has been moved into a different part of CTET;
Ken: David Black has also worked with BJ –
Wendy: we have terrific faculty – eg. Elizabeth Childs – who have all been doing this off the sides of their desks. The Buttedahl/Skene Fund should focus on projects that help the faculty as a whole…
5. Regular Reports:
5.1 Bargaining / JCOAA: (Ken)
Ken: We recently had a JCOAA meeting – Wendy, Lyn, Matt, Ken.
Wendy: Topics: faculty appointments and Admin wanting to offer continuing status on initial appointment – FA position is that there may be people who are so good, and come from a tenured position and university wishes to offer them direct continuing status to attract them. But this is partly a faculty issue – There is no current language in CA to cover this. Faculty appointment is not covered in CA.
Ken: according to the Act; President has right to appoint whomever administration wants; but also cannot act in an arbitrary way; Administration is subject to due process.
Wendy: – we want exceptions to be covered in CA – as there have been abuses in the past.
Wendy: we brought up the use of Limited Term Appointments – people sliding into permanent positions without proper search processes… But… this is all under the Employer’s control… We know things can happen quite differently…
Ken: we have requested letters of appointment from 2006 on for all appointments that have been made…
Charles – when a limited term position is used in replacement of a permanent position…. the CA is all about flexibility..
Wendy: There are three conditions that must be met for the use of a Limited term: short-term backfill for someone who has left; must be time-limited; Can be used for filling for a faculty member who will be away for a specific time…
Ken: in 18.4 of the CA – (reads CA) 5 years is maximum for a limited term position…
Wendy: We need to have a campus space for RRUFA as part of next negotiations.
5.2 Board of Governors: (Charles)
Charles: BoG meeting Monday – Castle 315. There will be a townhall meeting with the BoG in January – getting to know board; functions of board; break-out to tables – education piece – high level – not operational… so what questions for faculty and staff?
BoG is interested in risks to university; admin saying something other than what faculty and staff want… BoG loves admin since RRU making money…
We brought this up 3 years ago – having faculty event – now finally on agenda. – Monday There will be an open board meeting – observers…
Ken: they are not academics – from business..
Charles: issue of internationalization – is misunderstood. Board focused on contract with Study Group… run into Executive, who present a particular picture…
5.3 Academic Council: (Rick)
Rick: Two issues will come back to faculty: College of Interdisciplinary Studies & Research Ethics document. More next month…
5.4 CUFA-BC: (Rick)
Rick: Info on economic benefits / money spent on post-secondary degrees will be forthcoming… More in February.
Ken: Academic Awards for CUFA – meeting in end February – Research Office (Mary Bernard) do a lot of work on this…
RIck: Lifetime achievement award – named for Paz Buttedahl. There is also an award for a young academic..
5.5 Website: (Will)
Will – not present:
5.6 Social: (Ken)
Ken: Ken is now social committee by default… needs more people!
5.7 Grievance Report: (David)
David: No news – things seem to be quiet
5.8 Health & Safety: (Rick)
Rick: joint committee received a award for something that happened last year… but…there are still a variety of issues.
Charles – RRU had blackout recently. You could see VPs got together – but there were no protocols for what should happen… We had students in a dark LIC building… I walked around building… VP Catherine sent out email – but computers are not working when there is no power – & the lights are out. This was a minor situation; what happens when an earthquake (something major) hits?
I sent email to Allan about this. He says they are working on this…
Charles – only thing that has worked out before is closure for snow – listen to CFAX…
Ken: This is ironic given we have a Program in Disaster Management!
Michael: Security does not have cell phones either – no one – had called BC Hydro – so he did this…
Paul (Allison, our special guest, and President of RRU’s CUPE local): Our radios have only one channel – if housekeeping wants a new mop – no emergency plan… now looking at procedures and policies… but going to cost money… Exit light batteries – only last 2 hours…
Virginia: toilets were overflowing…
Paul: people were asking me what is going on…
6. Other Business:
-Lunch break –
6.1 Special Guest: Paul Allison, RRU CUPE local President: Bargaining results for CUPE
Paul Allison: We need to take macro look (which is the government’s focus) on education. Education should not be just be for the privileged. Nelson Mandela – “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Education needs to be much higher an issue for politicians and the general public…
Unfortunately – we had 100% of CUPE staff in support of our position. This was “unfortunate”, because we want a few dissenters to make Admin think they need to offer us a carrot. Vacation accrual and carryover – remains the same…The Administration wanted CUPE to pay for performance. They suggested we pay for safety books by reducing sick time… Labour/Management meetings – we can do this with a letter of understanding between collective bargaining meetings. CUPE had to say ‘no’ to a lot of things; They wanted performance reviews into membership. We have meetings on work-time – membership had strong voice against… what the Administration think is good for us turns out to be not really good for us… But, we hadnoconcessions.
Wendy: RRUFA gave up vacation – in exchange for research & scholarship leave.
Paul: we did not give up in our bargaining; we gave up nothing in exchange…
[Recorder (Niels) had to return to a residency so missed the last 5 minutes of the meeting, and did not hear Ken thanking Paul for coming to speak to RRUFA, and the round of applause for Paul and the CUPE staff!]
7. Adjournment at 1:35 pm:
Moved to adjourn: Charles. 2nd: Matt.
Recorder: Niels Agger-Gupta