Dear OCADFA Members:

1) Tax Time!

Don’t forget that your ocadfa dues are tax-deductible, and that you also may be able to deduct the cost of maintaining a home office if you do a lot of work there. Ask your dean for a T2200. We’ve been told that they will provide them if requested.

Also, don’t forget that all Continuing, Probationary and Tenured faculty are eligible for up to $500 in Professional Development Funding. This can go towards books, periodicals, travel etc. Forms and more info here.

2) Coming Events

Wednesday, March 27, 7-9pm, OISE Auditorium: OCUFA town hall on austerity and Ontario’s universities. If you’re on facebook, there’s more info here.

Tuesday April 2, 4-6 pm, Central Hall. OCADFA and OPSEU Local 576 present “Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?” Exploring the impact on everyone in the post-secondary sector of recent shifts in funding and management strategies, this event features talks by Paul Hamel (University of Toronto School of Medicine) and David Robinson (Canadian Association of University Teachers). A limited number of child-care spaces are available on site. RSVP to Claudette Lauzon (clauzon@faculty.ocadu.ca) to reserve a spot for your child.

3) More on Re-Imagining the Quality of Education at OCAD University

Groundwork by previous ocadfa boards and ocadfa presidents has paved the way for a more public discussion and strategy regarding various issues affecting ocadfa’s members. One example of this is our emails about OCAD University’s treatment of sessionals, which prompted quite a response and highlighted confusion about the enforcement of the five-year cap.

Following from those responses, here are a few key points that you should know.

First, in late February, we emailed the deans, associate deans and chairs in the Faculties of Art and Liberal Arts and Sciences to reiterate that OCADFA will waive the five-year cap for any sessional on receipt of a request from their dean. This message follows on the administration’s refusal to agree to remove the cap in last year’s negotiations; and underscores are willingness to waive the caps whenever deans request it.

Second, this action likely won’t change things short term, since the administration has been inflexible on this issue for several years. But it will clarify where responsibility lies (which will help in negotiations). If anyone tells you that we refuse to budge on this issue, please inform us immediately.

Finally, we can’t over-emphasize that the sessional issue affects everyone. This enforced turnover destabilizes the sessionals, increases the service burden of permanent faculty, and compounds the chairs’ workload (among other things). Given the stress and cost associated with this policy, will continue to highlight this issue in our interactions with the administration.

Best regards,
Charles