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…
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…
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…
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 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…
Board of Governors Member
Following the advice of the Faculty Association Board of Directors, the Minister of Advanced Education has appointed Hamid Habibi to the University Board of Governors. Habibi takes over from Tavis Campbell who had served on the Board of Governors as…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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
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.
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 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…
New Board Director for 2022/23
Farnaz Sadeghpour, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, has joined the Faculty Association Board of Directors for the remainder of the 2022-23 academic year. Her term will end on June 30, 2023. Welcome, Professor Sadeghpour.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
Nominations for the Faculty Association Board of Directors
Nominations are due February 8th for the Faculty Association 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Faculty Association Board of Directors Election Results
The Election Committee has released the results of the election of Faculty Association Board of Directors members. Election ballots were issued to 2,541 electors (1837 ongoing members and 704 sessionals) using Simply Voting on February 15th, and voting closed on…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Changes to CAUT Dues
A minor change in CAUT dues takes effect on July 1, 2023. These fees are calculated based on average academic staff salaries by rank, as reported annually by Statistics Canada, applied against an approved mil rate. The mil rate of…
By-Law Amendments
The Election Committee has released the results of the vote to amend the Association By-Laws. Ballots were issued to 2100 electors (1846 ongoing members and 254 sessionals) using Simply Voting on May 3, 2023, and voting closed on May 23,…
Results of Vote on Updating the Merit Process
The Election Committee has released the results of the vote to update the merit process. Ballots were issued to 1839 electors (only ongoing members; sessional members were not included in this vote) using Simply Voting on June 7, 2023, and…