We’ve got a lot more going on, but here are six items we discussed at the January 15 Board of Directors meeting.
1. Explaining the salary changes for lecturers
Our first meeting of 2019 kicked off with an update from Benoit Charbonneau regarding the report of the Working Group on Salary Structure. As announced in December, the working group recommended changes to the salary thresholds for lecturers. We’re working on a public report explaining the changes and how they affect you.
2. An important reminder: Mental health training counts as professional development
In light of the PAC-SMH Report and Recommendations on mental health and wellness, we want reiterate that mental health training for faculty counts as professional development and can be reported on annual performance reviews in the same way as other professional development activities.
3. The February Council of Representatives meeting
We discussed the upcoming Council of Representatives meeting on February 13th. Each school and department appoints a member to the Council, and their role is to act as a liaison between FAUW and their department. On the agenda in February: a visit from Jennifer Gillies of AccessAbility Services, the salary structure changes, and how Council members can be an effective point of communication between FAUW and their units. There will also be time to hear from representatives about their needs and issues that pertain to their department in particular.
4. Our visit to Stratford
FAUW is visiting the University of Waterloo’s campus in Stratford on Tuesday, January 22. Stratford is home to the School of Interaction Design and Business housed in the Faculty of Arts. FAUW visits each satellite campus every year or two, to stay connected with our members there and make sure we hear about any issues unique to those campuses.
5. How to communicate with prospective members
We’ve been talking about the need to communicate more with prospective members (during the hiring process, for example). FAUW would like to be in a position to help prospective faculty members with their transition to working at Waterloo and with contract negotiations. Especially because we don’t have access to appointment letters—which almost all other faculty associations in Canada do—it is difficult for us to advise incoming faculty about negotiating.
We are continuing to do what we can in this area, and ask that any willing faculty please send a copy of their letter to FAUW’s Executive Manager, Erin Windibank (windibae@uwaterloo.ca). These letters will of course remain confidential.
6. The University’s “digital footprint” guideline
We discussed a new University guideline on digital footprints that details the ethical use of data created by employees through their everyday activities on campus. This includes computer logins, Watcard and keyfob use, library records, room bookings, video surveillance and so on. The consensus was that the guideline is important given the amount of data generated, often without our full awareness of it, but needs more work.
The FAUW Blog 