Why Rhiannon Chooses AUFA
Athabasca University is proposing carving 67% of members out of the faculty association. This testimonial is one of a series wherein AUFA members explain why membership in the faculty association is important to them.
Being a professional member of the faculty association has been incredibly valuable to me. I have benefited tremendously from the support I've received to pursue professional development opportunities. Incorporating this learning and growth into my daily work has made me a more effective and productive member of the course development and production team.
I feel strongly that being in the same association as my academic colleagues facilitates the development of more collaborative and collegial working relationships than might otherwise emerge if we were working under substantively different conditions of employment. It is well established that developing distance courses is best undertaken as a team effort, and the diversity of AUFA's current membership is a reflection of this.
At a time when the university administration is going to great lengths to articulate the value of AU's unique model to external bodies, it is extremely disappointing that it would simultaneously seek to enact a policy that is out of step with many of the most valuable and forward-thinking features of our university. The proposed designation policy, with its unnecessarily narrow definition of academic staff, is a step backward.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile the rhetoric of the university administration with their actions. Withdrawing or amending this policy to maintain current AUFA membership would be a long overdue gesture of good faith toward the association and its members. It's time we're shown some of this respect we've been hearing so much about.