Donations to Food Banks
For the past number of years, in lieu of holiday gifts, the Faculty Association has donated to food banks in recognition of those in need at this time of year. The Calgary Food Bank and the University of Calgary Students'…
Faculty Association Dues are Tax Deductible
The CAUT Defence Fund is the national strike fund that the Faculty Association belongs to in addition to our local strike fund. The Defence Fund, which has a minimum target of $35 million, plays a major role in supporting Faculty…
Faculty Association Office Closure
The Faculty Association office will be closing at noon on Thursday, December 21, 2023, and reopening on Monday, January 8, 2024 - resuming regular office hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We will check our emails daily on December…
New CAUT Member Travel Benefit Program
The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has negotiated a new online Member Travel Benefit Program with Local Hospitality Inc. which offers significant savings for members of the Faculty Association on hotels, car rentals and select entertainment events. CAUT is…
Defence Fund Dues increase from $6.50 to $8.00 per month
The CAUT Defence Fund is the national strike fund that the Faculty Association belongs to in addition to our local strike fund. The Defence Fund, which has a minimum target of $35 million, plays a major role in supporting Faculty…
Recent pay increases for members
There are some recent changes to compensation that we would like to flag for members to be aware of. Pay increases associated with the 2021-2023 Assessment process have been finalized and we understand that payments for the Progress Through the…
Faculty Association accepting nominees for Board of Directors positions
The Faculty Association is currently accepting nominations for Board of Directors positions commencing July 1, 2024. Positions open for nominations: Nine (9) director positions are open for nomination including the designated sessional seat. Five of these positions will have three-year terms…
Department Reps for 2023-24
We want to update you on the current Department Reps for the 2023-24 Academic year. If your department or faculty is not listed below, it is because the Faculty Association has not received information about the election of a representative…
CAUT Parliament Hill Day
The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) held its annual Parliament Hill Day, a one-day lobbying event in Ottawa on Thursday, November 23. Professor Dora Tam, Vice President and Treasurer of the Faculty Association, and Don Kozak, Associate Executive Director…
At Impasse: The Graduate Labour Union and the University of Calgary Set to Enter Mediation
The Graduate Labour Union (GLU), which is the bargaining agent for Graduate Assistants at the University of Calgary has reached an impasse in negotiations with the Board of Governors of the University of Calgary. In solidarity, and in recognition of the…
Preparing for bargaining
The Faculty Association heads into negotiations for a new Collective Agreement in the New Year. The Bargaining Team includes Hamid Habibi as Principal Negotiator, Trevor Tombe, Sheila Miller, and Don Kozak (resource person). As negotiations approach, the Bargaining Team has been busy…
President’s Message
As we close out another term, I thought I would report to you on a few items of interest. The Association of Academic Staff at the University of Alberta (AASUA - our sister Association at the U of A) recently…
Applications for Sessional Travel Fund are Now Available
The Faculty Association is now accepting applications for the Sessional Travel Fund for the 2023-24 academic year. Sessionals can apply for funding to help with expenses, including travel expenses related to the applicant's academic work or attending conferences, whether or…
Sessionals and the Collective Agreement
All sessional instructors are members of the Faculty Association and sessional contracts are governed by the Collective Agreement. We believe that many of the gains that have been made for sessionals are due, in part, to the united front the Faculty…
Sessionals by the Numbers
According to a snapshot of academic staff from October 3, 2023, there are currently 695 sessional academic staff members representing about 27 per cent of all academic staff at the University of Calgary. The relative number of sessional staff varies…
Fair Employment Week 2023
Fair Employment Week (FEW), which is organized by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), takes place this year from October 16 to 20, 2023. Each year the Faculty Association participates in this national event that raises awareness of the difficulties…
Faculty Association Representation
The Faculty Association reminds members about the right to representation under the Collective Agreement. One of the key functions of the Faculty Association is to protect academic staff interests through its work to resolve conflicts between members and the Administration. From…
Member Emergency Funding
A personal financial crisis can strike quickly and with little warning. Fortunately, the Faculty Association provides emergency funding to help individual members in emergency circumstances due to a sudden loss or decline in remuneration from the University. In addition to…
Designation of Academic Staff
There is an odd quirk in Alberta law related to the designation of academic staff who are members of Faculty Associations. Unlike most provinces where academic staff formed unions under the provincial Labour Relations Code, the Alberta government prohibited academic…
President’s Message: Busy Year Ahead
Dear Colleagues, As the 2023-24 academic year gets underway, I wanted to extend well wishes to all academic staff at the University of Calgary especially to our new academic staff - many of whom I had the pleasure of speaking…
Dean Review Surveys
According to the Faculty Association policy concerning the Assessment of Deans and equivalents, the Faculty Association surveys academic staff members at the two-year point of five-year terms. The Dean of Science and the Dean of Veterinary Medicine are approaching the…
Internal Candidates for CRC
We are aware that some members have been told that they are not eligible to be considered for advertised Canada Research Chairs (CRC position). It has since been confirmed by the Administration that this is not the case. Applications for…
TELUS Health
University of Calgary Staff Wellness has partnered with TELUS Health to manage the "Sick Leave Program" effective May 1, 2023. While Staff Wellness can contract this service out to TELUS Health, it must continue to follow the procedures agreed to…
New Administrative Leave Options for Department Heads and Associate Deans
The Faculty Association and the Administration recently agreed to provide an additional option for those serving shorter terms as Department Heads or Associate Deans to be eligible for a corresponding shorter administrative leave period. In addition to the administrative leave…
Community Service Award 2023
Faculty Association President David Stewart (L) presents the Community Service Award to Professor Yvonne Poitras Pratt (R). This year the Faculty Association is pleased to present the Community Service Award to Yvonne Poitras Pratt, Associate Professor at the Werklund School…
RSL Return Service
The Faculty Association has become aware of situations where a member has been told by the Administration that the University can deviate from the Collective Agreement to waive the requirements of Article 16.20 of the Collective Agreement. Article 16.20 requires…
President’s Message
Dear Colleagues, This will be my last communication with you as President and on June 28 I will be leaving the city for a six-month leave. I want to thank you all for the opportunity to serve as TUCFA president…
Canada Day 2023
As Canada Day falls on Saturday, July 1st, the Collective Agreement requires that the Governors recognize the holiday on another day. The Administration has informed us that the University will observe the holiday on Monday, July 3rd. Enjoy this time celebrating Canada…
Tenure and Promotion Workshop
The Faculty Association will be hosting two Tenure and Promotion workshops, via Zoom, on the following dates: Wednesday, April 26 - 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thursday, April 27 - 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The content of the workshop…
2022-23 Sessional Travel Grant Recipients
Below is a list of members who have been approved to receive funds to support their academic work in the latest round of applications: Dinu Attalage - Schulich School of Engineering Merran Carr-Wiggin - Libraries & Cultural Resources Bronte Chiang…
Academic staff receiving raise on April 1st
As you may recall, the academic staff at the University of Calgary will receive a 1.25% across-the-board wage increase on April 1st as part of the Collective Agreement ratified by the Board of Governors and the Faculty Association last June. Note that…
A Message from the President-Elect
I am honoured and humbled to accept the position of President of The Faculty Association of the University of Calgary, effective July 1, 2023. I want to express my gratitude to the current President, Dr. David Stewart, the Executive, the…
President’s Message
Dear Colleagues, As March draws to a close, I want to congratulate all those who were elected in the recent Faculty Association election. I also want to thank all those who were willing to put their names on the ballot…
Audited Financial Statements Available
The Faculty Association's audited financial statements for 2021-22 were approved by the Board of Directors on December 20, 2022. The audit was executed as required by the Association's bylaws. The auditors found that there was excellent cooperation between management and…
Don’t Forget – Faculty Association Dues are Tax Deductible
As you prepare your taxes, remember that your Faculty Association dues (which include your CAUT dues) are tax deductible. Find dues on your pay stub and in box 44 of your 2022 University of Calgary T4 form.
EDI Week Faculty Association Presentation – The Duty to Accommodate
As part of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Week, the Faculty Association is sponsoring a presentation on the Duty to Accommodate. In this presentation, you will learn about the employer's duty to accommodate employees' individual needs on all grounds of…
Know Your Rights for Sick Time
The Faculty Association has become aware of instances where the Collective Agreement articles related to "Sick Time" may not have been applied appropriately. This is general information intended to provide an overview of these Articles; however, if academic staff have questions specific…
Applications for Sessional Travel Fund are Now Available
The Faculty Association is now accepting applications for the sessional travel fund for the 2022-23 academic year. Sessionals can apply for funding to help with expenses, including travel expenses related to the applicant's academic work or attending conferences, whether or…
Joint Committees on Merit, Workload, and Benefits
Included in the settlement for the Collective Agreement (2022-2024) were three Letters of Understanding (LOUs) establishing joint committees tasked with reviewing the merit process, workload, and benefits. In preparation for the committee meetings, Department Representatives provided feedback during the November meeting for…
It is Important to Participate in the University’s Strategic Planning
Dear Colleagues, As we near the end of the first month of 2023, we are engaged in the process of developing a new strategic plan for the University of Calgary. To that end, you have been invited to participate in…
Faculty Association Office Closure
The Faculty Association office will be closing at noon on Thursday, December 22, 2022, and reopening on Monday, January 9, 2023 - resuming regular office hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We will check our emails daily from January…
U of C Holiday Closure
The University will be closed on December 23, 2022, until January 2, 2023. In announcing these closures, the Administration extended thanks to those who are required to work on December 23rd. We want to clarify that academic staff members are not required…
Faculty Association Dues are Tax Deductible
As you prepare your taxes, remember that your Faculty Association dues (which include your CAUT dues) are tax deductible. Find dues on your pay stub and in box 44 of your 2022 University of Calgary T4 form.
Donations to Food Banks
For the past number of years, in lieu of holiday gifts, the Faculty Association has donated to food banks in recognition of those in need at this time of year. The Calgary Food Bank and the University of Calgary Students'…
Community Service Award Nominations Reminder
Nomination due date extended The due date for the Community Service Award Nominations is extended to Monday, January 9, 2023. Award background The Community Service Award recognizes a member (or group of members) of the Faculty Association of the University…
Department Reps for 2022-23
We want to update you on the current Department Reps for the 2022-23 Academic year. Art & Art HistoryDenis GadboisBiochemical & Molecular BiologyQuan LongChemical & Petroleum EngineeringSean McCoyChemistryGreg WelchCivil EngineeringFarnaz SadeghpourClassics & ReligionElizabeth RohlmanCommunication, Media & FilmRyan PiersonCommunity Health SciencesLindsay…
WARNING! If you are “disciplined” by your Dean or equivalent
It has come to our attention that when our members are formally "disciplined," some Deans are NOT advising our members that discipline is grievable under the Collective Agreement. We do not think it is good human resources practice not to…
Applications for Sessional Travel Fund Now Available
The Faculty Association is now accepting applications for the sessional travel fund for the 2022-23 academic year. The deadline for applications in the current round is February 13, 2023. Sessionals can apply for funding to help with expenses, including travel expenses…
Faculty Association Accepting Nominees for Board of Directors Positions
The Faculty Association is accepting nominations for Board of Directors positions whose terms end in 2023. Positions open for nominations: Five (5) director positions are open for nomination. The term is three years for each position. Nominees for director positions must…
Administration Refuses Proposal to Consistently Round Up RSL Qualifying Service Time
Research and Scholarship Leaves (RSL; "sabbaticals") are essential for the functioning of the University, giving academic staff members opportunities to do work they otherwise wouldn't be able to do given normal workloads. Under Article 16 of the Collective Agreement, continuing, contingent…
Happy Holidays!
It has been another busy and challenging semester serving as President of the Faculty Association, and I expect this will continue into the New Year. While our work is challenging, it is also a privilege to serve you and advocate…
Member Emergency Funding
A personal financial crisis can strike quickly and with little warning. Fortunately, the Faculty Association provides emergency funding to help individual members in emergency circumstances due to a sudden loss or decline in remuneration from the University. In addition to…
CAUT Fair Employment Week Activities
Fair Employment Week (FEW) is taking place from October 17 to 21, 2022. Fair Employment Week is CAUT's annual campaign to raise awareness about precarious employment on campuses and support local organizing to improve the working conditions of contract academic…
What’s in the Collective Agreement for Sessionals
All sessional instructors are members of the Faculty Association. The Association has consistently used grievances and bargaining to negotiate representation rights and protections for sessionals. We believe one strong reason for gains we have made has been due to the…
What About Sessionals?
Fair Employment Week (FEW) takes place this year from October 17 to 21, 2022. Each year the Faculty Association participates in this national event that raises awareness of the difficulties inherent in being a member of the sessional academic staff.…
Faculty Association Representation
The Faculty Association reminds members about the right to representation under the Collective Agreement. One of the key functions of the Faculty Association is to protect academic staff interests through its work to resolve conflicts between members and the Administration. From…
Member Emergency Funding
A personal financial crisis can strike quickly and with little warning. Fortunately, the Faculty Association provides emergency funding to help individual members in emergency circumstances due to a sudden loss or decline in remuneration from the University. In addition to…
Faculty Association Dues
The Faculty Association has analyzed its expenditures in accordance with the Bill 32, the Restoring Balance in Alberta's Workplaces Act. We have concluded that all of our expenses from funds collected through dues fit under the definition of "core" activities per…
A Deeper Dive: What the New CA Means for Ongoing Academic Staff
(Note: this article focuses on notable changes in the new Collective Agreement for ongoing academic staff. We will post an article about how the new agreement affects sessional academic staff in the Fair Employment Week edition of Academic Views, which will focus…
President’s Report
Dear Colleagues, The 2022-23 academic year is now well underway, and I want to extend my wishes for a productive and safe year. This will be my final year as your President and I want to thank you for the…
Change in Ongoing Academic Staff
We thought it might be interesting to see where growth or decline in academic staff numbers has occurred over the last decade. This table shows the change in ongoing academic staff (i.e., not including sessional instructors) by Faculty at the…
Tenure, Promotion, Renewal, and Transfer
The Faculty Association normally offers workshops related to the tenure, renewal of tenure track, promotion, or transfer between the streams for academic staff members who are considering applying through these processes. As the COVID situation improves, we hope to return…
Results from Dean Surveys
The Faculty Association of the University of Calgary, in accordance with its policy concerning the Assessment of Deans and equivalents, has completed a survey of the academic staff members in Faculties where the Dean or Dean-equivalent is approaching the end…
Numerous Canadian Faculty Associations Walk Off the Job in 2022
Strikes at university faculty associations across Canada surged beginning late last year and continuing into 2022, although labour peace has been restored on all campuses. The wave of strike actions started last November when the University of Manitoba Faculty Association…
UAPP Pension Contributions Drop
When inflation is on the rise, it's a relief if some costs actually fall. Fortunately, this relief has arrived for Faculty Association members whose University Academic Pension Plan (UAPP) contributions have declined by nearly one percent effective July 1, 2022.…
President’s Report
Dear Colleagues, As we begin the 2022-23 academic year, I want to express my gratitude that you have endorsed the Collective Agreement with the Board of Governors and I appreciate the faith and confidence in our recommendation and bargaining team that this…
President’s Report
Dear Colleagues, The Fall 2021 term will be remembered for a long time. It has been a period fraught with uncertainty, beginning with what is now recognized as a premature provincial decision to declare the pandemic over, the resulting opportunity…
Pandemic Prompts Pause in Sessional Travel Grant Program
A Faculty Association program that offers travel grants for sessionals has been paused until early in the new year due to the pandemic. Each year, the Sessional Travel Fund Committee makes $30,000 available to reimburse certain travel expenses for up…
UMFA Strike Ends as Members Ratify Agreement
Academic staff at the University of Manitoba have dropped their placards and headed back to the classrooms. After five weeks on the picket lines, University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) members voted 91 percent in favour of ratifying a deal…
Long-Time Association Board Member Truly a Good Servant
The year was 2004 and Paul Martin was prime minister, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won the Oscar for Best Picture, and the Calgary Flames made their last Stanley Cup run. That year also marked…
Faculty Association Holiday Office Closure
The Faculty Association office will close for the holidays, with the last day of work being December 23 and the first day back January 10. However, we will monitor the Association's voicemail and email regularly on days that the university…
Faculty Association Dues are Tax Deductible
As you prepare your taxes, remember that your Faculty Association dues (which include your CAUT dues) are tax deductible. You can find these dues on your pay stub and in box 44 of your 2021 University of Calgary T4 form.…
Faculty Association Accepting Nominees for Board of Directors Positions
The Faculty Association is accepting nominations for Board of Directors as well as for President and Chair of the Board of the Board of Directors. The Association is accepting nominations for six (6) directors; five (5) with up to three-year…
President’s Report
As the summer term begins, most of us have turned our thoughts towards the fall and the challenges that term will bring. The government assures us that everything will be open, and the university is acting on that assumption and…
Member Privacy and University Resources
The pandemic has brought many new and unprecedented challenges as we work remotely, including staying connected, teaching, and collaborating on research. We have been introduced to many new communications tools which went from obscurity to ubiquity in a matter of…
Clarification on the Suspension of the 2021 Merit Assessment Process
As we and the Provost have reported previously, the Faculty Association and the Governors agreed to suspend the merit assessment process for the July 2019 to June 30, 2021 assessment period. Unfortunately, the Faculty Association has been hearing from members…
Role of Department Representatives
We would like to acknowledge and thank the members of the Faculty Association who served as Department Representatives for the 2020-2021 Academic Year. This year has been a particularly challenging and uncertain time, and we appreciate the valuable insights that…
Return to Campus
The past 16 months have been stressful for many academic staff members. Many members will view the prospect of returning to campus and in-person instruction with excitement and relief, while others will be more cautious and may experience additional stress.…
Faculty Association Office
As with most of our members, the Faculty Association staff continue to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to do our best to help members navigate through issues as they arise despite the pandemic. When an academic staff…
Results from Dean Surveys
The Faculty Association of the University of Calgary, in accordance with its policy concerning the Assessment of Deans and equivalents, has completed a survey of the academic staff members in Faculties where the Dean or Dean-equivalent is at the end…
Access to Campus Resources for Sessional Instructors
During the last round of negotiations, the Faculty Association raised concerns with the Administration around access to campus resources leading up to and following sessional appointments. It has been clarified that sessional instructors should have access to email, the bookstore,…
Sessional Travel Fund
Each academic year, a Sessional Travel Fund Committee distributes a Sessional Travel Fund of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) amongst eligible Sessional appointees to reimburse certain travel expenses to a maximum of $1,500 per sessional appointee as agreed in Schedule B…
Board of Directors and Officers for 2021-2022
The Faculty Association Board of Directors Members for the 2021-2022 academic year are as follows: David Stewart (President) John Baker (Grievance Advisor) Marie-Andrée Bergeron Tavis Campbell (non-voting, Board of Governors Nominee) Nigel Caulkett (Officer at Large) Kent Donlevy (Grievance Advisor)…
National survey on contract academic staff reflects local experience
Fair Employment Week (October 22 to 26, 2018) The working conditions of contract academic staff (sessionals) are of both local and national concern, which is why the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) annually promotes and plays a coordinating role…
Ryerson arbitration award on student evaluations significant for Associations nationally
A recent arbitration award on the use of student questionnaires for teaching evaluations of Ryerson Faculty Association members may have impacts on how these instruments are handled at other institutions for measuring teaching effectiveness. More information is available in an…
Academic staff have right to representation
Academic staff members meet from time to time with their Department Head or Dean (or equivalent) on a variety of matters. Most such conversations are regarding such things as planning or assessment and are collegial. There are, however, times when…
Recovery of payroll errors requires explicit consent
From time to time University of Calgary Payroll may make errors whereby an academic staff member is over-paid by the institution. The Faculty Association has had concerns with how repayment may have been handled by Payroll in the past. Payroll…
U of C Associate Professor receives CAFA Distinguished Academic Early Career Award
University of Calgary Associate Professor Dr. Yvonne Poitras Pratt (pictured centre) has been awarded the 2018 CAFA Distinguished Academic Early Career Award. Also pictured are Hon. Marlin Schmidt, Minister of Advanced Education and Dr. Mary-Ellen Tyler, CAFA President, U of…
CAUT report on Enbridge Centre for Corporate Sustainability
– By Sandra Hoenle, Faculty Association President – Yesterday the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) released a report “Into the Enbridge Centre for Corporate Sustainability At the University of Calgary”. It is now available at https://www.caut.ca/sites/default/files/caut-ahic-report-calgary-enbridge-centre-for-corporate-sustainability_2017-10.pdf. The Faculty Association welcomes…
Possible Hidden Dangers/Consequences in Government Consultation
- By Sandra Hoenle, Faculty Association President - The provincial government is consulting academic staff across the province regarding putting Faculty Associations under the Labour Act as traditional trade unions. We want to alert you to this exercise, but also…
President’s Report
Dear Colleagues, Fair Employment Week (October 18 to 22) is an opportunity to reflect on the essential role played by sessional instructors in the life of the University and, in our case, the Faculty Association. This term, there are 550…
Sick Time for Sessional Staff with COVID-19
Schedule B of the Collective Agreement has provisions for paid sick time for sessional staff. However, these provisions are limited and may not be sufficient to accommodate illness due to COVID-19. The Faculty Association and the Governors of the University…
President’s Report
An ongoing pandemic, provincial budget cuts, Alberta 2030 consultations, Growth Through Focus congresses, pressure to return to face to face teaching, and uncertainty about the university budget. To say that this has been a stressful term cannot adequately capture the…
‘In Search of Professor Precarious’ Film Streaming During Fair Employment Week
In Search of Professor Precarious is a documentary feature in which the director, a long-time precarious contract instructor, travels Canada to lift the curtain on higher education's dirty little secret. The search takes viewers into the lives of precarious contract…
Increasing Your Pensionable Service
We want to remind all members in the pension plan that you have two years from the date of receiving a tenured contract to purchase prior service. If you do not purchase the prior service during that window, you cannot…
President’s Report
The winter term has now come to an end and we have met the challenge of fall and winter terms delivered predominantly in an online format. This was demanding and you should be proud of the work you have done.…
Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs
The Honourable Minister of Advanced Education, Demetrios Nicolaides, released the much-anticipated Alberta 2030 strategy on April 29th. The Faculty Association welcomed opportunities to participate in this engagement process and will continue to engage in this process. We have several concerns…
Tenure / Promotion / Renewal / Transfer
Normally, the Faculty Association offers workshops related to the tenure, renewal of tenure track, promotion, or transfer between the streams for academic staff members who are considering applying through these processes. Given the current situation, we are unable to provide…
Censure against University of Toronto
You are likely aware that CAUT has censured the University of Toronto. Our Faculty Association has been supportive of this move by CAUT Council as the actions that have been taken by the leadership at the University of Toronto are…
Faculty Association Office Remains Available
As with most of our members, the Faculty Association staff continue to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to do our best to help members to navigate through issues as they arise despite the pandemic. When an academic…