QUFA Digest: November 2024

Hello QUFA Members,

Please see the November 2024 edition of Digest below.

Events, Meetings, and Participation

  1. Fall General Meeting: Please join QUFA at the 2024 FGM on December 18 at 1pm via Zoom. We will send an official notice of the meeting two weeks in advance, and the agenda will be sent to the membership one week in advance. Please RSVP to Elizabeth Polnicky at ep43@queensu.ca for the Zoom link.
  2. QUFA Lecture Series: The first panel of the miniseries Divesting from Austerity: Solidarity and Equity in Labor Struggles will take place on Dec 4th, from 10:00-11:30 am online. This panel will explore how students, faculty, and staff engage in various but related labor struggles in the university and how they are connected to equity issues. We will discuss multiple strategies of labor resistance such as campaigns, strikes and divestment —particularly from exploitative industries and war-driven technology, and —to challenge austerity-driven university administrations. This session will highlight the power of labor resistance in forging connections across diverse communities, fostering a unified front against austerity. Panelists: Students vs Cuts, Ayça Tomaç, Winnie Ng, Sailaja Krishnamurti Moderation: Melissa Houghtaling. Please RSVP to Elizabeth Polnicky at ep43@queensu.ca for the Zoom link.
  3. BIPOC Caucus Social: Please join us for a QUFA BIPOC Caucus social on December 3 at 4pm at the University Club.
  4. QUFA New Faculty Caucus: We continue to look for a chair/two co-chairs for the New Faculty Caucus. Any recently appointed faculty member (tenured, tenure-track, and adjunct) is welcome to join the New Faculty Caucus and attend the open meetings to discuss the issues that are pressing to new faculty here at Queen’s. The idea is to gather recently appointed faculty (up to 5 years) once or twice a term to share experiences, discuss relevant issues or concerns, share ideas and resources, and outline how our faculty union can work for recently appointed faculty. Please contact PACC Chair, Vanessa E. Thompson, if you are interested in chairing the New Faculty Caucus: vt25@queensu.ca.
  5. The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is inviting Indigenous academic staff members across Canada to participate in a survey entitled Indigenous Academic Staff Members’ Experiences at Post-Secondary Institutions. Please see the Letter of Invitation here.

Deadlines

  1. Childcare Support Plan: The deadline is February 1, 2025. Please see Appendix M of the Collective Agreement and click here for the application form.

For Your Information

  • New Members: If you are a recent hire at Queen’s, you can fill out an Association Membership form here. To learn more about being a Member of the Bargaining Unit and a Member of the Association, click here.
  • QUFA Voices: Please see the latest edition here. Stay tuned for a new Voices archive on the website.
  • QUFA Podcast: New episodes! Check out Campus Conversations.
  • You can always check our News & Events feed on the website homepage for updates: www.qufa.ca
  • Visit QUFA on Facebook, Instagram, and X

Sincerely,

QUFA Staff