Hello Everyone:
At the recent AGM we discussed the need for faculty voices to be heard by the Board of Governors (BoG). Recently the BoG approved the 2020/21 operating budget and commissioned an external third party review of our fiscal situation. OCAD U is at a crossroads, poised to make radical changes because of fiscal pressures. We want to make sure that your voice is part of this conversation.
A small group of us organized an intervention at the last BoG meeting. We are fundamentally concerned about working conditions for faculty, in particular sessional faculty who are amongst the lowest paid in the country; deterioration of academic integrity of courses; weakened student experience during remote delivery and increasing uniformity applied to course delivery in an online environment that reduces academic freedom of faculty
We want to organize with you to coordinate a faculty contingent for the next BoG meeting on Dec 7th 4:30-7:30pm
On the agenda:
- The external third party reviewers will be sharing their recommendations for OCAD U.
- OCADFA has secured a spot on the agenda to present an alternative budget.
It is important for faculty to be present at this meeting to speak to our concerns. If you are interested in participating in a coordinated presence, we are hosting a planning meeting this coming Monday, November 16, from 11:30-12:30. If you respond to this email, we’ll send you the invitation.
And even if you can’t meet on Monday, we encourage you to attend the Board meeting – high level decisions are being made that impact our working conditions, scholarship and creative practice.
In sol,
Min Sook