OCADFA Elections Voting Reminder

You have until 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon to vote for the contested Director-at-Large positions on the Board. There are three Director-at-Large positions, with four candidates (Lina Nasr El Hag Ali, Ross Bullen, Gerald Grison, and Natalie Waldburger). You may cast your ballot for up to three candidates. You can vote via the invitation sent by surveymonkey via info@ocadfa.ca. If you did not receive an invitation, please let me (Graeme) know.

The following positions were uncontested, and the corresponding nominee has been acclaimed:

              President: Min Sook Lee

              Vice President: Clifford Caines

              Grievance Co-Chairs: Ali Qadeer, Richard Hunt

              TA/RA Director: Dorian Lynde

              Negotiations Team – Sessional Rep: June Pak

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BIPOC Lounge

We invite self-identifying BIPOC faculty members to join the online (via Teams)  BIPOC Hub! It’s a safe, casual get-together where we can discuss our research, ideas and experiences. As Natalie Waldburger so succinctly states, “IBPOC only spaces are a place to be silly together to feel unfettered in conversation, to talk about something other than racism and identity, and, conversely, to really talk about these things to others who understand because it is their lived reality too.”

Stay for 10 minutes or for the whole hour, pop in for a short time in the middle. Come some weeks and not others. 

Also—there is progress on the IBPOC space in 205 Richmond St! This space will be used for screenings, talks, exhibitions, respite, food-related activities. We have a kitchen, bright windows and furniture such as couches and an expandable table is being purchased. It should be ready for us soon!

If you would like your name added to the BIPOC hub and self-identify as BIPOC, please reply to this email (or email JJ and/or Natalie directly).  We will include you in mailouts on future activities and events.  

Warmly,
JJ Lee and Natalie Waldburger

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Solidarity Statement on Uprising in Iran

OCADFA has written a statement of solidarity in honour and recognition of Mahsa/Zhina Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman who died while in the custody of the “Morality Police” in Tehran in September. Since the start of the widespread protests across Iran, the IRI security forces have killed over 277 people, including 40 children. OCADFA stands in solidarity with the Woman, children and other-ed allies of Iran – who stand against the gender apartheid of the Islamic Republic and against the violence that led to the brutal murder of Mahsa Amini and countless others who’ve been killed for opposing the brutal dictatorship led by Ali Khamenei and the Islamic republic’s power centers which systematically oppresses innocents-under the name of morality. 

You can read our complete statement here: https://ocadfa.ca/blog/2022/11/03/solidarity-statement-on-uprising-in-iran/

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Solidarity Notes: UWOFA and WLUFA

Our colleagues at the University of Western and Laurier University are quickly approaching strike dates – with UWOFA potentially on strike as of midnight, and WLUFA on November 21, 2022. Key issues for both Faculty Associations are sessional faculty rights.

UWOFA has a email campaign going we encourage all our members to participate, amongst their top concerns are benefits and job security for sessional faculty: https://www.uwofa.ca/take-action

These are important negotiations and will have a substantial impact on establishing the bargaining landscape as we head to the table ourselves in the coming months.

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This is a poster for UWOFA. It shows an illustrated hand holding a megaphone against a purple background with yellow dots in the corners. It reads: "TAKE ACTION! Tell the Western University administration to negotiate a fair and equitable collective agreement that: guarantees job security for cf, Ensures equitable workloads, improves health and wellness, recognizes and rewards faculty effort. Send an email today uwofa.ca/take-action. At the lower portion of the graphic are the logos for UWOFA and OCUFA
This is an illustration for UWOFA and OCUFA. It shows a large yellow circular shaped background against white, at the lower right a hand holds an illustration of a megaphone. The text in the yellow background reads: "Tell the Western University administration to negotiate a fair and equitable collective agreement that: guarantees job security for cf, ensures equitable workloads, improves health and wellness, recognizes and rewards faculty. effort. Below the yellow shape is a purple banner reading TAKE ACTION! Below this is a grey banner which reads: "Send an email today uwofa.ca/take-action. The UWOFA and OCUFA logos are at the bottom of the graphic.