Sessional faculty members are valuable members of both the Faculty Association and the University community. In line with Article 23 of the Collective Agreement, TUCFA’s position is that whenever reasonably practical, the University should offer continuing appointments to these faculty members—rather than offering them the low pay and precarious employment that comes with sessional contracts. According to TUCFA calculations, sessional faculty currently make up more than half of all academic staff in the Faculty of Arts.
However, there are circumstances in which sessional appointments are vital to academic programs and the preferred employment choice of the sessional faculty members themselves. For example, in the School of Creative and Performing Arts or in the Faculty of Law, some sessional instructors are working professionals who have no interest in permanent academic positions. By integrating the academic program and the professional community, and in line with 23.2 (j) of the Collective Agreement, such sessional appointments are mutually beneficial to the sessional faculty members themselves and the University.