2014 Events
Ottawa (October 7) Roundtable: Precarious academic labour: challenges and strategies
The growing problem of precarious academic labour is getting increasing media attention. About 50% of the classes taught at the University of Ottawa are taught by Contract Academic Staff. University administrations have been increasingly relying on Contract Academic Staff as a way to reduce the costs of education. But what are the risks to public education? What can we do about it? This session will feature a conversation amongst faculty who have worked in permanent and contract positions. Sponsoring organizations – CAUT, APUO and APTPUO. This event is bilingual.
Where: 90 University, Room 140
When: Tuesday, October 7, 12:00pm-1:00pm. Lunch will be served.

Vancouver (October 25)
FPSE 2014

The Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of British Columbia will be organizing a half-day conference on contingent academic issues, focusing on layoffs and collective bargaining campaigns. CAUT will be there to present results from its recent Contract Academic Staff survey. PDF // Poster // Download

Fredericton (October 28)
The FNBFA will host a forum titled “F.A.I.R: Foster Awareness, Inclusion and Recognition”, on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, 12:00 (noon)-3:00 P.M., room 202, UNB Forestry & Geology Building, 2 Baily Drive, Fredericton.
– Lunch will be provided, courtesy of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). The FAIR Forum will be the occasion to discuss the situation of contingent faculty in New Brunswick and the ways to improve the terms and conditions of their employment.
– With Robin Vose, CAUT president, as speaker and Jean Sauvageau, FNBFA president, as moderator, we encourage contingent faculty representatives from all member associations of the FNBFA to share their experience and concerns with their colleagues from across the province.

Kingston (October 28)

The Queen’s University Faculty Association, in cooperation with CAUT, will host a “Lunch & Learn” event for term adjuncts other sessional faculty. The drop-in event will be from 11:00am to 1:00pm in the West Lake View room of the University Club. Lunch will be provided. PDF // Poster // Download

Oshawa (October 28)
UOIT Event

The Faculty Association (UOIT) is working with other unions on campus in a tabling information/fair session. Facebook // FEW Event

Halifax (October 29)
In cooperation with CAUT, CUPE 3912, and the Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers, the Dalhousie Faculty Association will host an event that will focus on Contract Academic Staff and the need for solidarity among unions, associations, and other employee groups on our campuses.

Seeing the invisible academic: A forum and panel discussion on the situation of contract academic staff in Halifax and across Canada. Moderated by Catrina Brown, President, Dalhousie Faculty Association. Dalhousie Student Union Building, Room 303, 6136 University Avenue, on Wednesday, October 29, 2014, 7:00pm. Refreshments served. PDF // Poster // Download // News release // Download

Toronto (October 29)
There will be a panel presentation and discussion on Wednesday October 29, starting at 7:00pm, focusing on the rise of precarious work in the academy. Panelists will include Ira Basen from CBC Radio, Wayne Lewchuck from McMaster University, and Winnie Ng from Ryerson University and the Good Jobs for All Coalition. The discussion will be moderated by journalist (and sessional faculty member) Michael Valpy. More details on location for this event to come.

Windsor (October 29)
Nipissing Event

WUFA’s Sessional Committee features the documentary Class Struggle (2014), and a panel of contract and non-contract academics from the University of Windsor will be on hand to provide an overview of the situation in Canada and discuss the wide reaching implications of casualized academic labour. The primary aim is to cultivate public awareness of the issue and to begin to advance genuine equity and inclusivity for all scholars within the Canadian university system. PDF // Download

North Bay
Nipissing Event

Fair Employment Week at Nipissing University.
“Nipissing University: Right Where I Belong”.
Tumblr // webelongatnipissing.tumblr.com/

London (date TBA)
The Huron University College Faculty Association is hosting a brown bag lunch for their contract academic staff members, and the association will be mounting a poster campaign throughout the week. Details to come for the lunch event.

London
UWOFA 2014

The University of Western Ontario Faculty Association launched a campaign to support Western’s contract academic staff, a video campaign called “Standing in the Shadows of the Academy” on the hidden work of contract faculty at Western. During Fair Employment Week, they are reaching out to students and members circulating materials and goodies. Video // Campaign

Vancouver
UBCFA Event

UBCFA is planning a number of events during Fair Employment Week, including a poster and postcard campaign. The signed postcards will be delivered to UBC`s president the week after Fair Employment Week.

The scheduled events are as follows:

  • Monday: The Association will send a formal letter to UBC’s president.
  • Tuesday: A meet-and-greet in the Peter Wall Centre on campus. Information booklets about contract faculty’s contractual rights and benefits will be provided, and the Association will be on hand to answer any questions about the collective agreement and working conditions. Light lunch provided.
  • Wednesday: Information at the Student Union building.
  • Thursday: Launch of new Pedagogy series for contract faculty.
  • Friday: Pub social with Halloween theme. Prizes for best costume!

Postcards will be available at all events for signing. PDF // Posters // Download // Download

Past Events

College of New Caledonia
In 2013, the Faculty Association of CNC had a FA’s Oktoberfest Social and Kickoff to FEW on Friday, Oct. 18, from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the FA Office, 3477-15th Avenue. Map

Kwantlen Polytechnic University
The Kwantlen Faculty Association at Kwantlen Polytechnic University hosted a Wine and Cheese reception for Non-regular faculty and their allies. The reception was at 4:00 on October 22, 2013 in the KFA office. All faculty were welcomed.

University of British Columbia
2013:

  • Letter to the University’s president and provost.
  • Two-day information table at the SUB–pamphlets, chocolates, contest for students.
  • Two lunches, one for sessional faculty and the other for 12-monthers, partly to answer questions on the CA, benefits, etc., and partly to determine bargaining priorities.
  • Pub social
  • Poster campaign–one ‘invisible academic” poster for each CAS as well as some general posters.

In a previous year, the University of British Columbia Faculty Association put up 500 silhouettes of “invisible academics” on lawns and buildings around campus, set up an information display featuring sessionals’ biographies and publications and distributed peanuts to represent sessional wages.

University of Calgary
2013:

  • Fair Employment Week focused issue of newsletter
  • Three (3) (competitive) CAS Travel Grants to assist in funding for CAS to make scholarly presentation, attend conference or other scholarly activity in their field.

Queen’s University
2013:

  • Social event was held for CAS and their allies on Thursday Oct. 24.
  • QUFA newsletter highlighted FEW – we wrote two articles – one article described working conditions of CAS at Queen’s and how CAS could benefit from the pro-rata model. The other article focused on how increased reliance on CAS results in increased workload for RAS (tenure track and tenured academic staff) when CAS are not paid for their service and how that situation could be improved using the pro-rata model.
  • Poster campaign – one poster was put up for every CAS on campus – each poster said just that and included other information describing working conditions of CAS at Queen’s using the same approach as “Did you Know” from the CAUT posters.

Wilfrid Laurier University

The Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association has launched a Tumblr site called “We Teach Laurier” to highlight the stories of Contract Academic Staff.

University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg Faculty Association held an Open House where members filled a shared CAS office.

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