News Archive
Meetings with USSU and GSA
November 10, 2020 | USFA e-Letter
As part of the USFA’s work building connections with other bargaining units and student groups on campus, the External Relations Committee recently met with representatives from both the University of Saskatchewan Students Union (USSU) and the Graduate Students Association (GSA). While each organization has its own priorities, they have common issues of concern to students. …
Important Notice: Claims now being accepted for reimbursement of professional fees
November 2, 2020 | USFA e-Letter
If, as a condition of employment, you are required to maintain a certification or license in order to perform your academic duties, you may be eligible for reimbursement of some or all of your licensing or certification fees (Article 22.12.2). Claims for reimbursement must be submitted between November 1 and December 1, 2020. What you need to …
Important: Salary Review Reporting Requirements
October 30, 2020 | Salaries
The Salary Review process is intended to have transparency. Department and College Salary committees are required to report rankings, decisions for the award of Special Increases and recommendations to College Review Committees and the President’s Review Committee as well as the Committee’s reasons for such rankings, awards and recommendations. College Review Committees are required to …
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Important information: Salary Review Procedures
October 27, 2020 | Salaries
Salary review procedures in the Collective Agreement (Article 17) establish our system for merit-based pay. During your career, you have available a specific number of regular annual salary increases based on rank: Career Development Increases. In addition to these regular salary increases, you may be awarded Special Increases for meritorious work. Salary committees at the …
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The Work of Faculty
October 22, 2020 | COVID-19
The work of faculty is changing in response to the Administration’s decision to shutter campus in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The continual erosion of direct, administrative and technical support for faculty has only increased the burden on faculty as we take on the work of schedulers, IT equipment installers, purchasers, instructional designers, and in …
Promotion Committees
October 20, 2020 | Promotion
Dear Colleagues. It has come to our attention that there is confusion in your college about promotion committees. The position of the Association, which we have conveyed to the Employer, is that processes set out in the Collective Agreement do not apply to non-university employees. These processes, which include committee composition, are negotiated terms and …
USFA Fall General Meeting Tuesday, Oct 27, 2020 2:00 PM
October 19, 2020 | USFA e-Letter
Pursuant to Section 10 (a) of the Constitution of the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association, a Fall General Meeting of the Faculty Association will be held on: Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 2:00 pm Via Zoom Please register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrd-iqpzIrHdc_IyOM1GFQPbyy6tGglL4z The meeting package will be sent later this week.
Collectively Speaking – October 2020
October 19, 2020 | All News
In the first issue of Collectively Speaking for the 2020-2021 academic year you will find articles about a number of things. There’s a message from USFA Chair, Allison Muri, and articles about getting involved in the USFA, the importance of participation in collegial decision-making, copyright and CAUT. Download Collectively Speaking
USFA Election Committee Call for Candidates
October 6, 2020 | USFA e-Letter
The USFA is seeking members interested in being elected to the Elections Committee. This Committee is responsible for directing Executive Committee elections. It consists of five regular members of the Association elected annually by the membership. Current Executive Committee members and anyone seeking election to the Executive are ineligible to serve on the Elections Committee. …
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Teaching evaluations during a pandemic
September 22, 2020 | COVID-19
Teaching evaluations are an unnerving aspect of the job for untenured faculty and for those going for promotion, and are more so because of the unanticipated move to online instruction forced by COVID-19. Peer evaluators sometimes criticize unfairly or get some facts wrong, and students can be rather harsh. With many of us feeling we …
Update: Indigenization Concerns – Meeting with the President
September 10, 2020 | USFA e-Letter
In response to the USFA invitation, the President, the Interim Provost, the Vice-Provost Indigenous Engagement, the Vice Provost Faculty Relations and the Associate Vice-President People and Resources met with USFA representatives to discuss the Association’s experiences and the experiences of Indigenous USFA members and to explore ways to work together on solutions. Thank you to …
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Scholar Strike
September 8, 2020 | USFA e-Letter
Scholar Strike in Canada will take place on September 9th and 10th, during which participants will pause teaching and all administrative duties, and will use this time to organize public digital teach-ins on police brutality and violence from both historical and contemporary perspectives. The Canadian action is aligned with the one in the U.S., in its call for racial justice and an …
Need Childcare??
September 1, 2020 | USFA e-Letter
Campus Daycare has immediate openings for children who are 30 months (toilet trained) – 6 years old. One parent needs to be a student, staff or faculty of the UofS. Fully licensed preschool childcare center in the Education building. For more information call 306-966-7807 (Lorie) or email at campus.daycare@usask.ca.
Important Update: Indigenization Concerns
August 26, 2020 | USFA e-Letter
Recently we let you know the Executive Committee wrote to President Stoicheff expressing concern and disappointment with what it sees happening at the University with respect to the institutional priority of Indigenization and relaying the Association’s experiences and the experiences of our Indigenous members. Our letter invited the President to meet with USFA representatives in order to …
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COVID updates
August 26, 2020 | COVID-19
Over the summer we have been meeting with representatives of the Pandemic Response Team (PRT), carrying on discussions with the employer about the COVID-19 response, and insisting on efforts to resolve matters affecting USFA members. We have raised a number of concerns in these discussions including the need for clarity on copyright of recorded lectures, …
Indigenization Concerns and Disappointment
August 12, 2020 | USFA e-Letter
In late June, the USFA Executive Committee wrote to President Stoicheff to express concern and disappointment with what it sees happening at the University with respect to the institutional priority of Indigenization. With June being National Indigenous History Month, the gift of an Indigenization Strategy on the horizon and the President’s June 17 “Statement and Action on Racism,” …
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Caregiving and COVID: responses from faculty
July 30, 2020 | COVID-19
We write with thanks to faculty who responded to our request for information about the diverse challenges caregivers are experiencing with work demands in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within a few days of our e-letter, another 100 signatories joined the initial group of 50 petitioners: as we expected, this issue is a significant …
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REMINDER: USFA call for nominations
July 21, 2020 | USFA e-Letter
This is a call-for-nominations in a by-election to fill the following vacancies: Two vacancies in Category A (Instructor, Lecturer, Special Lecturer, Assistant Librarian or Assistant Professor) one is a 1-year term one is a 2-year term One vacancy in Category B (Associate Professor or Associate Librarian) it is a 2-year term; One vacancy in Category D (equity …
Universities and COVID-19 Work Arrangements Study Survey
July 9, 2020 | COVID-19
Dear USFA members. We have heard from many of you that you are concerned about the impact of workplace arrangements caused by the pandemic. Would you please consider completing this short survey, attached, being conducted by a fellow faculty member. This research investigates how faculty are affected differently by the move to remote work. Findings …
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Election of USFA Table Officers
July 2, 2020 | USFA e-Letter
On June 26, 2020, the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association elected the following table officers for the 2020-21 academic year: Chair: Allison Muri (English) Vice-Chair: Doug Chivers (Biology) Secretary: Geraldine Balzer (Curriculum Studies) Treasurer: John Gjevre (Medicine)