Category: COVID-19
Accommodation requests with a “return to normal”
With communications from senior administration about an expected “return to work,” we know that our members face different circumstances. We are aware that there is a general expectation from administration that students be taught face-to-face and that other necessary collegial and academic work take place on campus as the expectation of “returning to normal” is… Continue reading Accommodation requests with a “return to normal”
Pivot vertigo: on yesterday’s COVID-19 Update
Here we are again. Under the heading “Protect the Pack,” yesterday’s COVID update from the Usask Pandemic Response and Recovery Team (PRT) sent another contradictory “wait-and-see” message to faculty. Usask’s winter term, including face-to-face classes, is scheduled to start as planned on January 4. Shortly after this was delivered, the You|Sask Faculty & Staff Newsletter showed up in our inboxes announcing that… Continue reading Pivot vertigo: on yesterday’s COVID-19 Update
Update: APEF Grievance
The USFA filed a grievance concerning reimbursement eligibility on a number of APEF claims since last spring. The Employer has since adjusted its position, eliminating the need for furthering some aspects of the grievance. However, still outstanding are issues related to reimbursement denials for cell phones and internet services. For many during the pandemic, cell… Continue reading Update: APEF Grievance
Information about a fall return to campus
Even with the Employer’s Framework for a Staged Transition to Increased on-Campus Activity, there continue to be considerable unknowns about returning to campus this fall, particularly with respect to course delivery. The Employer has advised us that individual “units” will decide which courses will be delivered face-to-face and which will be delivered remotely. Each college is approaching… Continue reading Information about a fall return to campus
What is your preference for teaching this fall: in-person or remote?
Many of you are being asked whether you prefer to teach in-person or remotely this fall. For those who prefer to teach in person, there is a risk of having to switch mid-stream to remote teaching or perhaps a combination of in-person and remote. The time spent on assigned teaching (including preparation for various delivery… Continue reading What is your preference for teaching this fall: in-person or remote?
When will we be the University the World Needs?
On April 30, USFA Chair Allison Muri wrote to advise President Stoicheff that USFA members had voted resoundingly in favour of the following motion at the Association’s Spring General Meeting: In the spirit of research excellence and discovery, and the need to show local, national and international leadership in vaccine development, education and use, the… Continue reading When will we be the University the World Needs?
The COVID Asterisk
Some Senior Administrators have reassured faculty that there will be a COVID “asterisk” on their promotion/tenure files because of negative consequences of the pandemic. There is no information about how case files will be assessed with the implications of the pandemic in mind. What you need to do in the annual review process is ask… Continue reading The COVID Asterisk
The Work of Faculty Continued
We received a number of emails in response to our recent e-Letter: The Work of Faculty. Members told us it resonated with them powerfully. Faculty expressed that they continue to be frustrated with the Employer’s top-down, opaque process for responding to the pandemic that excludes them from decision making when it directly affects their work. Members are… Continue reading The Work of Faculty Continued
Important: Professional Expense Allowance
Coming out of our discussions with members of the Pandemic Response Team, the Employer has proposed allowing faculty the option to request a one-time taxable payment from their APEF of up to one year’s allocation to support making their remote work environment more suitable for an extended period. There would be no restrictions or accountability… Continue reading Important: Professional Expense Allowance