Weekly News Roundup

UNIONS | INSTITUTIONS | GOVERNMENT

CUFA BC has produced a six-part series of informational briefs on “Funding for Success: Post-Secondary Education in BC” as part of the provincial post-secondary funding review. These briefs contain rich data about BC’s research universities, which is why we have organized the briefs around specific themes and will release them one week apart over the coming weeks. The third information brief, an overview of advanced education funding BC’s post secondary institutions, is now available.

BC | Brief #3 | Series | Press Release

CUFA BC President Dr. Ken Christie sends a note of welcome and congratulations to the Hon. Minister Selina Robinson of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.

BC | CUFA BC | Minister | Mandate Letter

UBC Faculty Association bargaining team provides update on key union issues for the membership and the process for interest arbitration. Three union issues on the table will address salary, benefits, and non-monetary items. The union and the employer have begun the process to schedule interest arbitration. From the FA bargaining team team: “Our objective is the best possible deal for our members, and we will keep pressing the UBC negotiating team until we achieve it—one way or another.”

BC | UBCFA

Dr. Rehan Sadiq, Provost and Vice-President, Academic pro tem at UBC-Okanagan shares a year-end message that reflects on current and upcoming initiatives on campus.

BC | Year-End Message

On December 5th, 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Northern Health (NH) and the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) was renewed for a fourth time. This renewal is in recognition of a shared commitment to furthering knowledge about and developing the capacity for the advancement of the health of northern British Columbians through the integration of practice, education and research.

BC | UNBC

Several institutions will be holding vigils, candlelight processions, panel discussions, and other initiatives to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women and remember the 14 women who were killed in a mass shooting at École Polytechnique de Montréal. UBCO is marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence on December 6 with two events, including the installation and lighting of a permanent memorial outside the Engineering Management and Education (EME) building. UNBC held its annual event is to commemorate the Montreal Massacre and Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. The SFU community held an in-person memorial about the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, and the impacts of gender-based violence. UVic invited students, employees and community members to join in a Walk to End Gender-Based Violence on Dec. 6. The Diversity Action Group at RRU met at the the Hatley Castle Drawing Room for a gathering and vigil to mark the day.

BC | UBC OK | UBC | UNBC | SFU | UVic | RRU

Research assistants at Simon Fraser University are locked in a bitter three-year-long fight to win benefits, pensions and higher pay following years of frustration over mounting costs and stagnant pay. That fight is being closely watched by graduate students at the University of British Columbia, who are trying to unionize 10,000 student workers at the school’s Vancouver campus in a six-month blitz. Union leaders at both schools see their campaigns as part of a larger push for consistent and adequate pay in a region where high housing costs and runaway inflation is forcing students to take second jobs and visit food banks to make ends meet.

BC | The Tyee

Thompson Rivers University and Sun Peaks are teaming up to find work for graduates while filling key vacancies in the mountain resort community. The university and Sun Peaks Resort announced a five-year partnership on Tuesday, which includes a $75,000 donation from the resort to TRU. A portion of Sun Peaks’ $75,000 donation to TRU will go to the university’s Tourism Innovation Lab Fund, which helps students develop tourism business ideas through research and industry mentorship.

BC | Castanet | Kamloops BC Now

Like many industries, the hospitality and tourism sector has been hard hit by staff shortages over the past few years with a declining youth population and an aging workforce combining to create significant challenges. But a new program designed in partnership by Okanagan College (OC) and the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) will help to reduce those shortages. The first of four new cohorts of students enrolled in the Hospitality Professional Program this fall, a flexible program open to students anywhere in the Thompson-Okanagan-Shuswap regions. The 17-week online course is followed by nine weeks of work experience in the students’ local community.

BC | Castanet

The 2020/21 Award for Innovation and Community Partnership was presented during a special ceremony hosted in the Wilna Thomas Hall on the college’s Lansdowne campus to Nicola Priestley, Director of SIP, on behalf of the team, by Board of Governors Chair Dr. Monty Bryant. The Board made the decision to award the South Island Partnership during COVID-19 but for safety reasons had to delay the ceremony. The South Island Partnership supports over 950 students each year and is based out of Camosun College on its Interurban campus, working with five school districts – Cowichan Valley, Greater Victoria, Gulf Island, Saanich Schools, and Sooke.

BC | Camosun

Members of the BC Teachers’ Federation and members of the BC Public School Employers’ Association have ratified a new agreement under government’s Shared Recovery Mandate. The agreement covers nearly 49,000 teachers who deliver education to students in the province’s 60 school districts.

BC | BC Gov News

While known for her work in governance, Cheryl Foy began her legal career as a union-side labour lawyer. She is very interested in the intersection between governance and labour relations. In this webinar, Cheryl will describe the ways in which university governance and labour relations or faculty affairs intersect. She will discuss the role of the university Board in approving mandates and collective agreements. She will also explore the ways in which collective agreements can intentionally or unintentionally complicate university governance.

National | Centre for Higher Education Research and Development (CHERD)

The University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (ULFA) is hosting a roundtable on Collegial Governance on January 27. The goal is to generate a robust conversation around collegial governance on successful university campuses in Canada and around the world. That conversation will discuss the ideals, history, and importance of collegial governance, as well as how it can run into difficulties in the modern university setting. ULFA has invited panelists active in both Faculty Associations and Senior Administrations to discuss this topic from their perspectives.

National | ULFA

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is seeking to understand academic staff experiences and attitudes towards the job, the workplace and the post-secondary education sector. The State of the Post-Secondary Academic Profession Survey will help identify current issues and needs of academic staff at universities and colleges. Results will help inform CAUT advocacy, as well as the tools and resources that are needed to support academic staff associations in meeting member needs. The survey is open to all academic staff employed at Canadian universities, colleges, and polytechnics. Your voice is essential for providing credible data.

National | CAUT

Universities and colleges are providing temporary housing and emergency funds while pushing governments for increased support. Research shared with University Affairs by Eric Weissman, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of New Brunswick at least 110,000 students across Canada are experiencing some form of homelessness. And many postsecondary institutions across the country are trying to help.

National | University Affairs