Update: Member engagement meetings and visiting student boycott

This week, AUFA’s membership engagement committee hosted two meetings with AUFA member. Monday’s meeting was with academics who will be facing tenure or promotional reviews in the next few years. Tuesday’s meeting was with AUFA members in the Faculty of Health Disciplines. 

Previously, AUFA met with members in IT and academic coordinators. The purpose of these smaller meetings is to address topics of interest to each sub-group and allow for more back and forth than is possible in general membership meetings. 

Tenure and Promotion 

Academics soon to be facing tenure and promotion reviews received a brief introduction to the review process. The majority of the meeting was then used to answer questions about these processes as well as strategies for success. Thanks are due to Eric Strikwerda for facilitating this portion of the meeting. 

Workload and COVID 

The latter portion of the meeting was used to discuss the impact of COVID on new academics. The discussion included conversations about the impact of COVID on tenure and promotion applications and possible solutions. Thanks to Alexa DeGagne for facilitating this portion o the meeting. 

Termination of Dean 

Significant concerns were raised in both meetings about the de-stabilizing effect of the termination without cause of the dean of Health Disciplines. This issue was the primary focus of the meeting on Tuesday, where the discussion was centered on possible member responses to mitigate the damage this abrupt decision may cause. 

The AUFA Membership Engagement Committee will be following up with affected members to continue exploring options; anyone interested in participating in these discussions is encouraged to reach out to engagement@aufa.ca. 

Update on Visiting Student Boycott 

As part of AUFA’s response to AU’s efforts to de-designate up to two-thirds of AUFA members, AUFA has been developing a visiting student boycott threat. Essentially, if AU de-designates AUFA members, then other faculty associations will tell their members to stop sending visiting students to AU. The purpose of this threat is to attach a profonde financial cost to AU’s union-busting efforts. 

Over the past month, 6 more faculty association have joined boycott, including Cape Breton, Laurentian, Northern British Columbia, St Mary’s, Toronto, and Windsor. 

This brings out total to 16 potential boycotters as well as 2 associations that written letters of support, but have not yet signed on to the boycott. AUFA’s goal is to have 50 faculty associations from across the country to pledge their support. 

The pledge letters demonstrate strong support for AUFA. There is clear recognition that de-designation is union busting. For example, the Laurentian University Faculty Association told Laird: 

By any standard, this is union busting. There was no impetus inside the faculty association to take such a step. It is also no accident that his move is being contemplated by the Board at the same time the union is headed into bargaining for a new collective agreement. 

There is also a clear commitment to boycott AU if designation proceeds. For example, the St. Mary’s University Faculty Association told Laird: 

Should you decide to de-designate members from AUFA, our Union will advise your members to no longer recommend Athabasca University to their students as a place to obtain additional credits as visiting students. 

And some associations are recommending stronger action. For example, the University of Northern British Columbia Faculty Association noted: 

Were this to occur, the UNBC Faculty Association would have no choice but to discourage UNBC students from taking courses through Athabasca University. In addition, we would immediately work through CUFA-BC and CAUT to support a nationwide publicity campaign to discourage students from taking classes at AU. 

AUFA thanks our colleagues at these institutions for their support. AUFA will continue to build its boycott threat over the winter months. 

Dave Powell, President 

Rhiannon Rutherford, Chair, Membership Engagement Committee