May, 2005

PARTICIP-ACTION

One of the ways in which a university differs from other business enterprises is the expectation that faculty will not only teach and do scholarly research, but also be active participants in discussing, determining and inspiring the future evolution of the institution. The “ugFact” Sheet included with this newsletter provides a perspective on how your role as a faculty member goes beyond being an “employee” of the University. The message is “particip-action”. We would encourage you to consider what you might be able to do to become an even more active participant in the University of Guelph community – and we have a few opportunities to suggest!

Consider UGFA first, of course. You will have received nomination forms for positions on next year’s Executive and Council. Active Council members are the essential liaison between the UGFA Executive and UGFA members, and Council provides a unique forum for presenting and discussing issues affecting specific Colleges, or the University as a whole. As one of the representatives of your College, attending monthly meetings (with snacks!), you will learn a lot about your University, and perform a valuable service for your colleagues.

UGFA also needs people willing to serve on various UGFA internal committees: Faculty Policies, Status of Faculty and Librarians, Salary, Pension and Benefits, and Health and Safety. If you want to know more about what is involved in Council positions, the Standing Committees, or if you wonder where your particular interests and concerns fit in, just phone or email the UGFA office and we will be happy to talk with you (ext. 52126 or facassoc@uoguelph.ca).

In the coming year, we have some special challenges arising from the recent negotiations and agreement, as we need members willing to serve on the joint committees (faculty-administration) that will review the Long-Term Salary and Benefits Plan (LTSB or “The Grid”) and consider efficiencies in our benefits package. UGFA will also establish an LTSB Advisory Committee and a Benefits Review Advisory Committee so our negotiating teams will be well-prepared to discuss LTSB and Benefits matters with the Administration. These are issues that will be very important for every faculty and librarian member, so consider your involvement as an opportunity for “continuing education”.

We are keen to involve people at all career stages in UGFA activities, because that is the only way we can get a good sense of what things we should be addressing on behalf of you, the UGFA members. One incentive for you to be involved is to make your voice and priorities heard; a second is that you will have the opportunity to meet people from different departments and colleges, and to learn a lot about how your university really works! As university workers, we understand well the importance of continuing to learn, so one of UGFA’s priorities is to make available opportunities for members to participate in workshops, training courses and seminars. This year we hosted a CAUT Collective Bargaining Workshop and a CAUT Training Course for Association Representatives, as well as the 50th Anniversary Symposium on Academic Freedom, and more activities are planned in the coming year. We hope you will participate!

The University has many committees. You will already know some of the opportunities for university participation – Senate, Graduate and Undergraduate program committees, Library committees, Tenure and Promotion Committees in your college and department, and so on. There are more! Each year, UGFA is asked to nominate people for appointments to the Joint Faculty Policies Committee, the Grievance Board, the panels for Disciplinary Tribunals, the Safety Committee, the Parking Committee, and so on – even including the Washroom Advertising Committee. Opportunities abound! When opportunity knocks (well, telephones), we hope you will be prepared to give a positive response. And should you wish to reach out and embrace opportunity – well, you have the address! (facassoc@uoguelph.ca or ext. 52126).

YOU are the “U” in UGFA!

Integrating Integrative Planning

Another place your “particip-ACTION” is needed is in the process called “Integrative Planning”. In the “At Guelph” report of the April 5 meeting of Senate, University President Alastair Summerlee noted that: “the provost and deans are undertaking an integrated planning process to guide strategic decision-making across campus”. Two documents on the President’s website outline some of the approaches proposed, both for budgeting and for academic planning. These include unit-level (departments, etc.) planning and self-assessments, integrated into College and University plans …and “an actual identifiable big-P Plan” (Discussion Paper 2, page 5). We need to consider carefully how this will work, and be involved, as the process and the ultimate Plan will affect our work and workplace.

On campus, some activities and reorganizations have taken place – involving OMAF research stations and staff support, OMAF research programs, College of Biological Sciences re-organization, for example. Other changes are being discussed, “visioned” and studied – specifically relating to the School of Engineering, the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, and the possible creation of a college of business (and/or commerce/ management/ leadership) from components of the College of Social an Applied Human Sciences. All of these proposals, changes, and continued adjustments do challenge faculty to be active, to be involved, and to ask questions! As University faculty members, we cannot just accept a “business plan” for “head office”, but must be actively involved in the design and details of that plan. A sister university - out in Lotusland – has as its motto: Tuum est and students are told it means not only “It is yours” but also “It’s up to you! We should borrow that motto.

Mentoring

Mentoring is an important activity in the university, and can include such things as advising undergraduate and graduate students on their studies, research and career opportunities, helping colleagues construct successful research grant applications, or working with new –and old! – faculty on teaching skills. Through the Status of Faculty and Librarians’ Committee (SOFAL), UGFA has been involved in informal mentoring of new faculty. We introduce UGFA activities at the Orientation for New Faculty organized by the University, and continue that contact at the annual Teaching Awards Reception in October and the winter “Meet and Greet” for faculty in their first years at Guelph. SOFAL and UGFA do want to hear from new faculty (and “recently new” faculty!) about the kinds of things they would like to hear about (or wish they had known!). This will help us plan effective mentoring activities.

Certainly departments, and individuals in departments, are actively mentoring new faculty in teaching, research and service activities. We know there is considerable interest by the Provost’s office in formal mentoring, perhaps by matching new faculty with individual mentors. We see a significant role for UGFA in augmenting these activities, as we can provide help and support that is not confounded by a role as managers of those same individuals.

We often focus mentoring activities on new faculty and people at the pre-tenure stage of a career. Yet mentoring can be valuable and keenly needed at all stages of a faculty member’s career. One of the events that DIDN’T happen last year was a proposed discussion of the Tenure, Promotion and Selective Increase process (That’s TAPSI, and if it sounds like a dance step, it fits.). There were many calls expressing interest in this topic, so the postponed event is on the SOFAL list for next year!

Even when “Freedom 55” (or 65…or??) beckons, there is a role for mentoring. We often spend a lot of time thinking about the financial details of retirement, and very little considering what it might be like NOT to be all-consumed by research, reading, teaching, marking, reviewing, advising, and dealing with e-mail. This is one concern UGFA has had in the past two years with the voluntary retirement/ resignation offers – which the Administration has produced - like rabbits from the budget-crisis hat – with short notice and no consultation. On such short turn-rounds, it is difficult to provide faculty with the information they need to assess whether an offer is right for them.

For example, did you know? A faculty member might consider retiring, but have plans to continue or complete a research project, or advise current graduate students until they finish their theses. But as a “retired person”, even as a University Professor Emeritus, you are not eligible to act as the sole advisor for those students, nor continue some kinds of experimental work (e.g. animal utilization), without a “real” faculty member acting for you. Office/ laboratory space for University Professors Emeriti, and the right to apply for grants, is at the discretion of the Department Chair and the Dean (Senate Executive Committee Bylaws B(i)7).

Mandatory Retirement

In an earlier newsletter, UGFA advised faculty and librarians who did not wish to retire at age 65 to notify their Chair, the Provost and the Faculty Association. Some faculty members and librarians did this, but are now in the position of being forced to retire even though they still do not wish to retire. An April 18 letter from the Minister of Labour, Christopher Bentley, to OCUFA indicated that the government is committed to ending mandatory retirement and plans to intoduce the legislation in the spring of 2005. Unfortunately, it is not clear that the legislation that would effectively abolish mandatory retirement will be passed in time to help those who you who are being forced to retire.
It is now approaching the time when those of you who will be retiring (whether you want to or not), need to advise the Pension Plan of your intentions. In order to protect your right to continue to work beyond retirement if the government does bring in the legislation that would enable you to do that, while at the same time making sure you start to receive your pension in a timely manner if you are forced to retire, the Association suggests that you send in the necessary information, forms, etc. to the Pension Plan within the time limits required, but that you include a statement in the letter that you send to the Pension Plan with the material to the following effect:

“I am filing these forms and asking the Pension Plan to process my application for a pension to commence on retirement, without prejudice to my rights to insist upon continued active employment as a faculty member/librarian beyond age 65 if the provincial government brings in the legislation that abolishes mandatory retirement. “

Send a copy of the letter to your Chair, the Provost, and the Faculty Association and advise the Faculty Association of any reply that you get to the letter.

Negotiations - Status of Ballot Vote

The deadline for receipt of ballot was Friday April 29th at 12:00 Noon. We have now counted the ballots and can inform the membership that the proposed Memorandum of Settlement for 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 has been approved by faculty. The Board of Governors has still to approve the agreement for it to be official. When that has happened, the new grid will be posted on the UGFA website.

VISIT US! www.uoguelph.ca/~facassoc/

ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY:

In a legal opinion in a 2004 arbitration award in a dispute involving UBC’s intellectual property policy, James Dorsey Q.C. noted:

“Faculty members are expected to engage in scholarly activity and to produce and disseminate their scholarly work. Because of this expectation and to protect the unfettered pursuit of knowledge that is necessary for scholarship, it is accepted, in the context of employment at a university, that academic authors have copyright ownership of their writings, unless they agree to assign the copyright to the university, a publisher or someone else.“