A message from your LCFA President.

Faculty News Letter

On behalf of the faculty executive council let me welcome you back, I hope you had a relaxing summer that prepared you for the year ahead.

This newsletter is intended to be a monthly communication from the faculty office to keep faculty informed. We will attempt to include information on what we, as an executive, have been up to on your behalf, as well as upcoming efforts. The newsletter will be used to distribute information prior to general meetings so you will have an idea what is coming up at the meeting. Please feel free to respond to items you see here, phone us, e-mail or just stop in with concerns, questions or comments.

IMPORTANT DATES
September 24th General Meeting 4:15 pm IB 1104

Negotiating is just getting back to the table. We have October 23rd and 24th booked to meet with administration, and we have two dates ahead of that for the committee to meet in preparation. As most of you know, we cannot distribute a lot of detailed information during the process but I can tell you our latest conversation was cordial and cooperative. While neither side is willing to rush to any agreements we are talking. There are members of the committee affected by the spring election, executive council has recommended Ryan Kaupp stay on the committee to complete this round of negotiations, as provided in the by-laws. I will be in caucus, available as a resource but as the president I will not be in the room to negotiate. Normally the role of the president is to be available in case negotiations break down to meet with Dr Burns. Kerry will provide you what detail he can at the general meeting.

Cheryl is working hard on your behalf to put our association in a better financial light. The dues increase has worked to inspire confidence in the future which Cheryl will report at the general meeting.

The bylaws committee has put in many hours to rewrite the bylaws to satisfy the requirements of the labor relations board. Progress seems slow but steady as they work toward a new document. The executive suggested this is too big an issue to present revisions at the general meeting. We will schedule a meeting to address the bylaws specifically, and provide information and notice according to the current bylaws.

The executive has started a search for a new law firm to serve our needs. We have narrowed it down to two candidates, both with extensive experience with the labor board. We expect that experience to be a great help as we navigate the changes imposed by the change from the post-secondary learning act to the Labor relations act.

The Faculty Professional Development Committee has been working to streamline the handbook and make the process clearer. The committee has been working on clarifying who has to approve spending and what information needs to be included in any application in light of the change in the governance model. The chairs may be consulted but the deans will have to sign the application (They can designate the associate dean).
There has been significant confusion around the purchase of hardware and software. Faculty may spend up to $2000 in a year (July 1st to June30), keep in mind it will be a taxable benefit. The process for continuing faculty is very similar to any 17.8 purchase;

Contact Nancy Barajas Jaimes to confirm you have adequate funding in your PD account.
Determine what the appropriate hardware (or software) is, which may include consulting IT for advice.
Fill out the PD application form including an explanation of the rationale behind the purchase.
Attach a copy of your current PD plan and submit the document to your dean.
Once the dean has signed it purchase your items and submit the claim to Nancy.

It is a long process to clarify the handbook but it should be clear and understandable once it is done.

We will have guests at the general meeting. Nicholas Coley, president of the students union will be presenting an initiative he is spearheading. He hopes to make a copy of required text books available in the library for students who have trouble getting text books, for example those who have not received the student loan funding yet. Nicholas and his team will provide us with information and answer questions at the general meeting.

The Ron MacDonald fund needs our help. Last year the faculty association was not able to contribute to the fund and as a result the fund is significantly depleted. Any ideas for an event or a fundraiser in support of the Ron MacDonald fund and other emergency grant funding?

We have positions open that will require a by-election. We will need a representative for constituency 6 on executive council, a student appeal alternate, and an academic council alternate. We will try and do the election following the general meeting.

Jennifer has agreed to provide us with an update from the board at our meeting.

If anything you see here is confusing or troubling, please feel free to contact me or any member of the executive for clarification. While we will answer any questions we can at the general meeting, it is our hope that opening up communication prior to the meeting will allow us to move through the business of the meeting smoothly and efficiently.

I hope to see many of you at our meeting September 24th.