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Crossing the picket lines: Why is admin not ensuring student safety?

Anasophie Vallée
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Crossing the picket lines: Why is admin not ensuring student safety?

MUNFA has entered day five of their faculty strike. Despite eight picket lines formed across campus, many students still have to attend classes instructed by professors under a different union.

Academic amnesty has yet to be granted to students, leaving many fearful and unsure whether they will be penalized for refusing to cross the picket lines.

In short,

Students fear they will miss important content, lose marks, or lack information for deadlines and assignments by not attending class. While at the same time, they feel that by crossing the picket line, they are disrespecting their professors and are giving the administration false ammunition to claim that students are not in support of the strike. This situation has prompted an awkward lose-lose situation.

Perhaps the question we should be asking is, why is our administration not cancelling classes altogether?

In addition, students living in residence also seem to be experiencing unease when trying to exit campus.

One student in particular, Makenna Jackson, recently made a TikTok recounting an incident she experienced attempting to drive through a picket line.

@makennajackson21

Please watch if you know about MUNFA. #memorialuniversityofnewfoundland #memorialuniversity #mun #foryoupage #canadianuniversities #university #makennajackson21 #foryou #fyp #stjohns #newfoundland #munfa #strike #protest #student #universitystudent #picketline

♬ original sound – Makenna Jackson
Credits: Makenna Jackson via TikTok

She stated, “At first, it seemed to be just the one woman behaving this way until other folks started walking back and forth on the sidewalk, which they were not doing at first when we got to the exit. In a way, they seemed to be matching her energy, I guess. A couple of people living on residence have said they were afraid and anxious to go outside or to leave.”

In response to the video, Dr. Josh Lepewsky, Professor of Geography and MUNFA’s President-elect, has stated that,

“Pickets are an unusual situation, and we’re in touch with the student. MUNFA members know that the administration has put students in a nearly impossible situation. There’s no ill will toward students who decide to cross picket lines.”

In addition, “MUNFA picketers have information to hand out and scarves for those who wish to avail of them.”

To gain more information, I reached out to some students who crossed the picket lines to attend class.

One student, who has asked to remain anonymous due to the situation’s sensitivity, gave insight into why and how they have chosen to cross the picket lines and their thoughts on the current situation.

“I have crossed the picket lines twice thus far,” they said, “and have not had any notable issues. I fully support the MUNFA members, so I always take the time to honk my horn in solidarity or speak encouraging words to the individuals who are striking as I pass them.”

“Although many of the MUNFA members seem understanding of our situations as students who still have mandatory classes, it still feels like a blatant symbol of disrespect on my part whenever I have to cross the picket lines.” They continued, expressing her reluctance when crossing.

“I don’t anticipate being harassed by those on strike, yet I still feel uncomfortable knowing that I may be placed in a situation where I am accused of being unsupportive or disrespectful.”

Students are in a challenging position because of the administration. They want to avoid crossing the picket line; the majority want to support faculty as best they can. Both faculty and students want to be heard and understood. 

This time last year, when the faculty union at Acadia University went on strike, all classes were cancelled. A decision was made to ensure all students’ safety amid incredible uncertainty. After a formal request to President Vianne Timmons calling a special meeting of the University Senate was rejected last week, it seems MUNL is refusing to give the same courtesy to its students. 

When asked if they feel it is unfair for the administration not to cancel all classes, the student said,

“I do feel that it is the responsibility of the administration to prioritize the safety of all students. Many of my fellow students have expressed anxiety over crossing the picket lines, myself included.”

But, on top of that,

“There is a lot of confusion for students when it comes to having some of their classes paused and others going ahead. Depending on when the strike ends, I could have eight weeks of content completed in one course compared to only four weeks in a paused course taught by a MUNFA member. As such, the deadlines and/or the evaluations provided in the syllabus at the beginning of the semester may all be subject to change. This can lead to further stress and uncertainty for many people.”

Most importantly, when asked if they would continue to go to class if granted academic amnesty, the answer was a resounding—no.

Or, more specifically:

“No, I would not cross the picket lines if I was granted academic amnesty and knew I wouldn’t be penalized for not going to class. I only have one continuing class on campus, with a participation grade of 20%. This presents the only reason why I, personally, have to go on campus.”

“I am in agreement with MUNFA and stand in solidarity with the individuals who are striking, but I cannot afford to risk losing such a significant portion of my grade during my last semester. However, I most certainly would not cross the picket lines at all if I was guaranteed not to be penalized for missing this particular class.”

With the administration seemingly unwilling to continue negotiations, one thing must be made clear. Though some students may be crossing the picket lines, that does not mean they are not supporting their professors and the strike. For those who have to cross, don’t hesitate to ask for a solidarity scarf to show support for a fair deal.

There continues to be a sentiment of unity and solidarity between students and faculty. Students and faculty have continuously demonstrated that they will remain united until a fair deal is reached. As expressed by the many student-made signs,

“MUNL admin is disrupting our education.”

Credits: MUNSU via Twitter

MUNFA Strike: Day Four

Shreya Hande
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MUNFA Strike: Day Four

Today marks day four on the picket lines for striking Memorial University Faculty Association (MUNFA) members.

Comprised of over 800 faculty and staff, MUNFA members are demanding a fair new collective agreement. Meanwhile, students are supporting their professors on the picket lines, with many providing food and supplies.

Dr. Amanda Bittner, a professor in the political science department, said: “We’re hopeful, we’re having fun, we’re doing our best to stay motivated. We are hopeful for a fair deal as soon as possible.”

Bittner also commented on student support on the picket lines, “Students have been incredible. At this picket yesterday, we had a whole heap of students– nursing students, MUNSU students, poli-sci students– it was wonderful. It does a lot of morale. In general, what’s been nice is that the students seem to understand why we’re doing this, which is for them, for learning, for the future, and so on,” she said.

IMG 3467
Image credits: Anasophie Vallée

“Student support has been too kind!” commented Dr. Russell Williams, an associate professor in the political science department.

“Of course, we really appreciate student support. We share a lot of the same interests, and we’re concerned about a lot of the same issues that students are concerned about– particularly in the areas around governance, and students’ right to protest, and all of those things. It is not surprising that we’re working in support of one another. It is also brutally cold out, and everyday students come and bring us coffee– they bring us too much! We really appreciate them coming around,” said Williams.

Speaking about his experience on the picket line, Dr. Williams said, “The experience has been fantastic, and the pickets have been very positive– despite the fact that it is an awful time of the year to be on strike.”

“I think the university is very surprised at the amount of energy that the entire university community has at the moment,” said Williams.

Dr. Mehmet Caman, a visiting assistant professor in the political science department, commented: “We are in good spirits. We believe that we are doing a great job to show our dedication, that our university needs a new course, a new orientation. We are here to support our colleagues who are having some difficulty with their contracts. We’re here for more participation in decision-making processes– that academics should play a more important role in the university’s major decisions.” “We’re here to fight for our rights as academics, as workers, and I’m sure we’re doing a good job,” said Caman.

IMG 3473
Image credits: Anasophie Vallée

On the bargaining process between MUNFA and the university administration, Dr. Caman said, “I want them to listen to us. Listen to our arguments. If they have any response– any logical, rational, ethical, moral response– they’re supposed to share it with us because we don’t know why they’re saying ‘no’ all the time to very logical proposals. And, I want to see a university administration that is standing up for university interests. The university cannot function without its students, without its educators, professors. Our main function is research and education. The university is supposed to remember its core values,” said Caman.

“We can’t always approach our university, the only university of Newfoundland and Labrador, as if we’re running a business that is hoping for more profit,” Caman said.

Dr. Kurt Korneski, an associate professor in history, commented: “People are really happy– not happy to be on strike, but they’re happy to have all the public support, happy to have students’ support. It’s a really sort of gratifying and in some ways surprising response from the public and students.”

According to Dr. Korneski, collegial governance is a significant focus of the faculty union.

“For me personally, and I think this is also more general, the governance issues at the universities are top priority. I mean, I know that there’s been some discussion recently about the Act, which is also, it needs to be dealt with, but that’s a separate thing from collective bargaining. To have a guaranteed commitment to collegial governance in the collective agreement I think is one of the prime issues that we’re trying to deal with,” said Korneski.

“Also, the conditions of contract and precarious faculty of the university are becoming more numerous, unfortunately on the watch of this administration. People who don’t have any job security, who have to apply for their jobs every four to eight months, who don’t get the same kind of pay and benefits who are here and a central part of the community, deserve more respect and better conditions,” said Korneski.

“My department is 50% [of] what it was when I got here. I think there were 18 or 19 when I got here in 2009, and there are now 10. Yet, there are 100 positions that have been funded, but the money hasn’t been allocated to positions. It’s a governance issue, again.”

In a message to the university administration and bargaining team, Dr. Korneski commented, “We need movement on collegial governance. We need movement on contract people.” “The administration has to know that they need to get back to the table. They need to come back, willing to talk. I was in the negotiating team last time around, and we were constantly stymied by the unwillingness of the other side to negotiate. They need to come back and negotiate,” he said.

IMG 3469
Image credits: Anasophie Vallée

In a statement released today (February 2nd), MUNFA President Ash Hossain addressed comments made by interim Provost and Vice President Neil Bose, equating the strike disruption to ‘Snowmageddon.’ 

“The students now face the prospect of a severely disrupted semester. MUNFA is concerned that the administration has not thought through how extending the semester impacts students and their finances. But we are not surprised. Concerns like that rarely emerge in meetings of senior administrators. For instructors, the message is clear. Rather than “sharpening their pencils” and coming back to the negotiating table, administration is intent on holding the entire university community hostage,” MUNFA said in their recent update.

MUNL winter break to go ahead as scheduled

Shreya Hande
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MUNL winter break to go ahead as scheduled

Memorial University’s Faculty Association (MUNFA) has been on strike since Monday, January 30th. While many classes and labs conducted by full-time faculty have been suspended for the duration of the strike, there is growing uncertainty around course plans for the remainder of the semester.

In a recent email to students, however, the university has announced that the winter semester break will go ahead as planned in the university calendar.

It is scheduled from February 20th (Monday) to February 24th (Friday). The university has also encouraged students to check the course selection tool for any status changes for classes/labs.

MUNSU releases statement on academic amnesty after President Timmons declines special meeting of senate

Bruce March
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MUNSU releases statement on academic amnesty after President Timmons declines special meeting of senate

MUNSU released the following statement regarding the issue of academic amnesty for students seeking to avoid crossing the picket line as non-MUNFA classes go ahead.

The Statement reads as follows:

“Last week, the MUNSU executive sent a formal request to President Vianne Timmons to call a special meeting of the university Senate before the January 30 deadline for job action. This request was denied.

The nature of this request was to raise a motion to grant academic amnesty to all students who would refuse to cross a picket line to attend their non-MUNFA classes in the event of job action. Furthermore, MUNSU’s student senators wanted it pre-approved that at the end of job action, students would see an extension in deadlines to drop courses without academic prejudice, as well as a commitment to tuition and housing refunds for all who needed them. Section IV of the Senate Handbook of By-laws and Procedures state that a special meeting may be called by the chair and so this was well within President Timmons abilities to do at anytime. As operations of the Senate were to be ceased upon the commencement of job action, it was essential to have this meeting before the strike deadline.

In the letter of request, it was stated that “students deserve to have certainty that they will be accommodated despite the significant disruptions to their education at the hands of the administration. We firmly believe this to be a necessary meeting for the well-being of students and a refusal to have such a meeting would be a massive disrespect to your entire student body as well as every union on this campus.”

In her response, Dr. Timmons stated that she “acknowledge[s] that this is a stressful time for students and the University community,” that she “recognizes the critical role that faculty play within the university,” but that “the Senate’s authority is limited to encouraging instructors to grant leniency and flexibility to students who were absent from class during a specified period of time.” She further stated that “course requirements at this time are, as always, set by the instructor of the course.”

To be clear, the statement that the Senate’s authority is limited in this matter is completely y and utterly false. MUNSU had a motion passed through the Senate in the 2022 Fall term granting academic amnesty to students who participated in the November 2nd, #AllOutLike99,Day of Action. The Senate secretary informed us on several occasions that a special meeting of Senate would be where these motions would have to be passed. This has additionally been repeated numerous times by Dr. Neil Bose in his media appearances on behalf of the administration.

The university administration has intentionally put students, in addition to the various other campus unions and non-unionized university staff, in an impossible situation intentionally. They are putting the onus of this job action, caused by the administration’s unwillingness to offer a fair deal, back onto the most vulnerable members of the University community in an attempt to undermine MUNFA’s negotiating efforts. These decisions are absolutely in the hands of the administration and have been made to cause division, fear-mongering, and break solidarity. This statement aims to make it clear that it is not working.

In response to Dr. Neil Bose’s statements to the media that discussions of what will happen for students who do not cross the picket line will occur following the strike, this is not good enough. The academic and financial status of students cannot be held in indefinite limbo in an attempt to intimidate members into strike-busting. These are disgusting scare tactics and our members are being used as tools. The administration is increasing the stress, workloads, and expectations of students, per-course instructors, and staff, in an attempt to turn them against MUNFA. We stand strong.

MUNSU would like to reiterate from our letter last week to Dr. Bose that students being forced to cross the picket line does not equate to the student body standing with the University during this dispute. Students and faculty are united, faculty working conditions are student learning conditions. We are asking our university leadership to value and respect the importance of high-quality learning and working conditions at our institution.

Since the strike began on Monday, more than 30 of MUNSU’s various student faculty societies have come out with statements of support for MUNFA. The Breezeway Cafe and Bar has been turned into a Student Strike HQ where from 11 am to 3 pm, Monday to Friday, students have had a space to come and make signs, warm up, and grab solidarity materials for those on the picket lines. The SafeDrive service has been readjusted to do coffee runs to the various pickets, CHMR radio has been reporting audio from participants, and The Attic has been closed aside from providing printing services to support the strike. Solidarity has come from other Memorial University Student Unions, Grenfell Campus Student Union and Marine Institute Student Union. It is clear that students overwhelmingly support our faculty’s efforts to get a fair deal and we call on the administration to end this disruption as soon as possible.

Students who require academic support should reach out to advocacy@munsu.ca. Students who would like to join MUNSU’s efforts to support MUNFA should contact campaigns@munsu.ca. Students seeking to share feedback should contact external@munsu.ca. MUNSU can be reached for comment via resource@munsu.ca or via (506) 469 4658.”

The statement details the request for which prior to the strike, MUNSU had requested to raise a motion to grant academic amnesty to all students who would refuse to cross a picket line to attend their non-MUNFA classes in the event of job action.

In an email correspondence with President Timmons and the Senate Recording Secretary, MUNSU requested a special meeting of the senate to bring forth these concerns prior to the commencement of potential labour action for which the chair (President Timmons) is authorized to do so.

email from isabel to timmons
Email from MUNSU requesting the chair, President Timmons, to call a special meeting of Senate

In a response from President Timmons, she stated the senates authority is “limited to encouraging instructors to grant leniency and flexibility to student who were absent from class during a specified period of time.”

Additionally, President Timmons said that a special meeting of the senate would be convened at the conclusion of the strike.

Timmons Response to Isabel 1
President Timmons Response to MUNSU

MUNSU stated that President Timmons response was “completely and utterly false” citing a motion that had passed the Senate in the 2022 Fall term, granting academic amnesty to students who participated in the November 2nd Protest at Confederation Building.

Likewise, in his media correspondence for the administration, Dr. Neil Bose said of academic amnesty, that he believes that the senate would support the motion to excuse students for missing classes during the strike. This was reported by CBC and pointed out by MUNSU in their statement.

Part One: Students voice positive experiences with MUNL profs amid MUNFA strike

Jenna Reid
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Part One: Students voice positive experiences with MUNL profs amid MUNFA strike

There is a strong sense of unity among students and faculty at Memorial University as Memorial University Faculty Association (MUNFA) members enter day three on the picket lines.

Twitter and Instagram have been active outlets for students, faculty, and members of the public to show their support for MUNFA online, and deliveries of coffee, water, and donuts have come in abundance for strikers on the picket line.

On Monday, students started sharing their positive experiences with Memorial professors in response to a story call-out from The Muse.

Here is what some students had to say about their professors, who they describe as “the heart of Memorial”:

“I took SOCI 2230 Newfoundland (and Labrador) Society & Culture with Dr. Cynthia Boyd in the Fall 2021 semester. During this semester I was going through a lot of change with being new to the city and all the anxieties that come with starting post secondary. At the time my mom was also moving to a new community on the Burin Peninsula called Grand Bank and I was struggling with the idea of where “home” was. Through discussion posts, Dr. Boyd became familiar with the love I have for traveling our province and that love came from my mother. I had a few family emergencies where I had to visit my mother in Grand Bank (which Dr. Boyd was aware of). The following class she gave me a novel on the history of Grand Bank for my mom. Dr. Boyd was familiar with the area as she once did research on the Grand Bank Beach Women. This touched my heart in so many ways and had an enormous impact on both myself and my mothers adjustment to change. My mother no longer lives in Grand Bank but the novel has found a spot in her new home as a reminder of the kind gesture. Another kind gesture Dr. Boyd did was bring pieces of her own pottery collection on the last day of class for us to take home as a reminder of her class. To this day it still sits in my cupboard as a reminder.”

Rachel Benson

“I completed my psych honours degree at Grenfell campus, with most of my sociology minor courses being online through MUN, every single one of my psychology professors including my honours supervisor Kelly Warren changed my life. They were the most supportive, kind, and understanding people in helping me succeed even when times were really tough for me. The same can be said with the sociology professors at Mun, they were always very encouraging, and in particular Linda Cohen was incredible. They all showed every day how much they cared about their students, and no matter how stressful school got, they always brought such a positive energy that was needed with their students. And Kelly in particular, helped me achieve my goals in more ways than I could have imagined!”

Marissa Taylor

“Her name is Kate Lahey and the class was SOCI-2100: Social Inequalities. Kate allowed us to introduce ourselves at the beginning of the semester and encouraged us to share our pronouns. She would do a check in at the beginning of each class to see how each of us were feeling that day. She encouraged us to take mental health days if we weren’t feeling well and said she would always accommodate us with notes/extensions during those times. She was so extremely kind and understanding, I never had a prof who understood mental/physical health like she did. My anxiety was always gone during that class no matter what we were doing.”

Kyra Fancey

“Keif Godbout-Kinney. He was my sociology prof my first semester of university. I’ve had a colourful life filled with a lot of setbacks. I’m a mature student. I came in very insecure about myself and my capabilities. Especially being out of school for 20 years. He really took the time to help me realize my potential. Building my confidence. So much so, I decided to take a course again with him for my second semester. I almost dropped out this semester because I was losing interest.Last semester at the end, he pulled me into his office and wanted to talk to me about my future. I’ve never had someone believe in me before. I originally had decided to go back to school for social work. But he’s since convinced me that I’m more than capable of getting a masters and a PhD. Something I never thought I could possibly achieve. He’s made me realize that I’m smarter than I look and I can have a great future. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be choosing to continue with my future on the university route. For the first time in my life he’s made me feel valued for my mind and not my body.”

Cara Stevenson

“My intro to policing instructor Kim Phillips from a few semesters ago completely changed the trajectory of my education. She is the reason I want to pursue graduate studies in the future and the reason I have found such a passion in the study of youth justice. She moved to NL to come to MUN so that she could complete her PhD. She saw that our tuition was unmatched. She came to this university as a mature adult looking to be an expert in her field and now we see the university crumbling all because of incapable administration who are just running this institution as a business. It’s so much more than a business and I 100% stand in solidarity with MUNFA and all other instructors at the university who are struggling right now.”

Lauren Slade

“Dr. Cheryll Fitzpatrick is quite literally one of the most supportive, positive, humorous, and caring individuals I have ever had the privilege of knowing. She has an incredible passion for teaching and it gives all students a drive to learn and succeed. I have only known Dr. Fitzpatrick for 5 months now, but I have learned more than I could have ever imagined in that short amount of time. Dr. Fitzpatrick is an amazing individual and she always makes sure that her students feel appreciated with her quick wit , jokes, her incredible lectures, and actually trying to learn everyone’s names. If any professor would be able to keep over 100 university students’ attention for a whole hour and 15 minutes, there is no question that it would be her. She makes an impact on every student who has the opportunity to have her as a professor but, she has made an everlasting impact on my life alone. For the longest time, I thought I was just a normal teenager that was processing big emotions. I was told that I felt this way because I was a “nervous”, “normal” teenager, and never gave it any more thought. Starting university in September was incredibly scary for me, but not in the way an average teenager gets nervous starting a new school. From the start of September, Dr. Fitzpatrick’s lectures have always been something I look forward to and I always leave feeling appreciated and genuinely cared about. Fast forward to the beginning of October, Dr. Fitzpatrick was lecturing on signs of mental illnesses. When she was talking about certain symptoms, and the importance of getting help, I realized that maybe what I was feeling wasn’t normal teenage feelings. After this lecture in particular (even though all her lectures are amazing), I could not stop thinking about what she said and decided to go see my doctor. After many tests and consultations, I was diagnosed with a mental health disorder. If it wasn’t for Dr. Fitzpatricks passion towards getting help, advocating for yourself, and just her overall passion for psychology in general, I truly do not know where I would be today. Mental health disorders are terrifying and something no one should have to go through. If it wasn’t for Dr. Fitzpatricks support, positive attitude, and guidance, I wouldn’t be receiving the proper treatment I need to learn how to live with my diagnosis. When speaking with my doctor at our last appointment, he said to make sure that I take time to thank the professor that encouraged me to get help, because he truly thinks that she did save my life. Like I said, if it wasn’t for Dr. Fitzpatrick’s caring, inspirational, and kind soul, I wouldn’t be receiving the treatment and learning how to cope with having a mental health disorder. In my eyes, no matter how cringey and cliché it sounds, she is quite literally my hero, she has impacted my life more than she will ever understand and there is nothing I could ever do to repay her for what she has done for me. With this being said, Dr. Cheryll Fitzpatrick is one of the all around best humans anyone will have the privilege of meeting, and the best professor Memorial University has to offer. I am thankful today, and everyday for her passion for teaching, her kind-hearted spirit, and for lending an ear whenever I need one. She is truly incredible!”

Kailee Earle

“Many! Dr. Tom Baird (Math), Dr. Linda Cohen (Sociology), and Dr. Chris Cogan (Geography) come to mind. Each of them tries their best to make sure students understand the material, and are accessible beyond what is necessary (I have gotten some email responses well past midnight!)”

Brandon Jarvis

“The professor who had the most profound impact on me was Dr. Norm Catto. He was the department head of geography and he has been at MUN for quite some time. I’m sure I’m not the only student who benefited from his help! I was doing my undergrad major in both geography and psychology, but like every other student, I was still very lost about what I could do with my degree. I wanted to do an honours degree but wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it in Geog or Psych. I went to Norm and he offered to talk to the head of the Psych department to see if they could create a double/joint honors degree for me. I was concerned and said “nobody has ever done this, having an honours degree in both Geog and Psyc.” Norm said “nobody has done it, doesn’t mean it is not doable.” I went directly into a Geography graduate degree. But I really appreciated that Norm told me that “nobody has done it, doesn’t mean it’s not doable.” I appreciate how he was willing to help me in the time that I didn’t know what to do as a student, but I also really appreciate that sentence he said, which inspired me lots in my later study/personal life—I shouldn’t be setting a limit to myself all the time, I should always try and work towards to what I want. 

I also very appreciate my supervisor, Dr. Nicholas Lynch at Geography. Also, Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman, who is Nick’s wife (also my professor). Nick was the person who showed me the world of urban geography (which I love so much that I am doing a degree on urban/cultural geography). He also protected me from a person who tried to stalk me (the guy was also in the same class which Nick was teaching at that time) by helping to accommodate me into a different group. After I became his grad student, Nick encouraged me to speak out about my thoughts because I seemed to always second guess/not be sure about my ideas. We had a long talk before my first Christmas as an MA student and that really pumped my confidence up quite a bit to design my own research and to present my ideas in classes. Yolande was always very caring. She sent me an email to check in with me to see how I’m doing after COVID hit Newfoundland because she knows that as an international student living on campus, I would have a hard time finding off campus housing within a short period of time. During my research work with Yolande, she encouraged me to go into campaigns for Happy City St. John’s board members. Yolande also sent the email to me to ask if I was interested in becoming an MA student in the ACE Space lab. Both Yolande and Nick were extremely professional, caring, and helpful people. My whole time at MUN knowing them (about 6 or 7 years) has been a positive experience. Words are never gonna be enough to describe how grateful I am to have met them here. I also wanted to add that since I did my undergrad here, I have met most geographers at MUN. They are all very lovely and helpful people. I have also met really good professors who offered lots of help to me from the philosophy dept and psychology dept……I stand with MUNFA because of the good people that I have and haven’t met. I hope MUN will give the fair deal asap.”

Siyi Zhou

Read more about what students have to say here:

MUNFA Strike: Day Two

Shreya Hande
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MUNFA Strike: Day Two

Today (Tuesday, Jan. 31) marked the second day of Memorial’s Faculty Association’s strike.

Strike action began on Monday, and 800 MUNFA members are picketing or helping with strike duties at multiple locations on campus starting daily at 8 am.

Credits: Dr. TA Loeffler via Twitter

Many student groups, including the Geography Society, the Gender Studies Society, the Biology Society, and the Biochemistry Society, showed their support by providing coffee and snacks to MUNFA members on the picket line.

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Image credits: Bruce March

Classes and labs conducted by full-time faculty have been put on hold.

According to picket-line captain and assistant professor Mark Hebert, members have been in good spirits from Monday despite the inclement weather, and students are being very supportive so far.

Credits: Dr. Amanda Bittner via Twitter

MUNL “modified” figure for tenure-track salary to include tenured salary faculty

Jacob Laybolt
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MUNL “modified” figure for tenure-track salary to include tenured salary faculty

A communique from Memorial University (distributed via NEWSLINE on Sunday, Jan 29) mentioned a highlight of the current proposed deal, which has drawn some attention.

Some even accuse the university of including MUNL’s President, VP, and Dean salaries in an inflated calculation of faculty salary averages.

The offer, now “modified” through an update, provided a figure garnering frustration and confusion by many observers.

It stated the following offer:

“Increasing its salary offer to 12 per cent over four years. For example, a faculty member who is today receiving the average tenure-track salary would increase from $137,300 to $164,084 (includes applicable step increases) by September 2026. Memorial calls on faculty union to bring current offer to its members for review.”

NEWSLINE (Jan 29,2023)

Specifically, the “average tenure-track salary… [of] $137,300” had been disputed by some faculty. There were observations by faculty members that the tenure track salary is capped at $104k, making this an inaccurate figure.

Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Williams first pointed out a discrepancy from the MUNL statement (first, lefthand image) by citing the MUNFA contract documents (second, righthand image).

As many faculty observed the average tenure track salary at $82-104k, MUNL responded to our media request for clarification:

This information was modified in the news item (https://www.mun.ca/labour-relations/news-articles/memorial-calls-on-faculty-union-to-bring-current-offer-to-its-members-for-review.php) that followed the Newsline. Here is the additional info to help clarify:

  • Increasing its salary offer to 12 per cent over four years. For example, a faculty member who is today receiving the average tenure-track/tenured salary (assistant, associate and full) would increase from $137,300 to $164,084 (includes applicable step increases) by September 2026, based on current salary data.
Marketing and Communications, Memorial University of Newfoundland, January 31st

The text has now changed to include the tenure-track (TT) faculty members and the higher-paid staff in the assistant/associate/full pay bracket. This is an important distinction for many faculty members and those paying close attention to the negotiations.

Although many NEWSLINE recipients have viewed the original figure, some fear that the damage has already been done- amid worries that it has depicted the average faculty member as a greedily unsatisfied $137,300+ recipient currently striking. This is far from the truth- as collegial governance gradually becomes a key focus in the strike.

Dr. Mehmet Caman, a MUNL Law & Society Professor, has been upset with the university’s lack of transparency. Dr. Caman has worked at MUNL for nearly eight years and has yet to receive an offer for tenure.

Once the update was noted, many began to speculate how the number was calculated. In particular, Dr. Williams Jan 30th Tweet pointed out the update from MUN and started a discussion thread:

Some hypothesized that the number could only be calculated by including the administration’s senior leadership (namely, President Timmons, VPs, and Deans- who are technically listed as professors):

MUNL’s update was shared with The Muse just over a half hour before MUNL issued an invitation from senior leadership to employees regarding a town hall event occurring tomorrow at 1:00 pm:

The senior leadership team is holding a town hall on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 1 p.m.

The purpose of this event is to share information with, and answer questions from, employees whose work is continuing during the strike.

President Vianne Timmons will be joined by Tana Allen, acting vice-president (research); Catharyn Andersen, vice-president (Indigenous); Neil Bose, interim provost and vice-president (academic); Paul Brett, acting vice-president (Marine Institute); Lisa Browne, vice-president (advancement and external relations); Rob Philpott vice-president (administration and finance); Ian Sutherland, vice-president (Grenfell Campus) pro tempore.

Employees who would like to attend should visit this link to enrol in the course called Employee Town Hall.

The link, which requires your MUN login, will automatically enrol you and take you to the course within Brightspace. This can be done at any time between now and the start of the event.

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, return to Brightspace prior to the 1 p.m. start time to join the event.

There will be two options for joining the town hall: a WebEx link that will allow you to ask questions and join the conversation, or a view-only YouTube link for those who wish to watch the event but not actively participate.

Questions or comments for any panelist can be submitted in advance to president@mun.ca with the subject line “employee town hall,” or live during the event using the WebEx question and answer feature.

Please note the WebEx event is limited to 1,000 participants. If that number is reached, all additional attendees will be directed to the YouTube view-only stream.

MUNL NEWSLINE, January 31st 4:12 PM

It is uncertain what questions will be addressed at the town hall. However, attendance is limited to employees (as it is the event’s focus), and students are explicitly not invited.

Top five spells every MUNL student should know for the winter semester

Piper Smythe
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Top five spells every MUNL student should know for the winter semester

Photo by Dollar Gill on Unsplash

We’ve all been there. You’re halfway to the chemistry building when you realize that you’re completely lost in the munnels, or you forgot to eat breakfast and need a quick bite to eat, but class is in ten minutes. These are the spectacular sorts of silly mistakes that any ordinary MUN member might make, but fret not! MUN’s council of wise wizards has compiled a list of the best tried-and-true spells that can save any student in a pinch. Read on, brave one. Who knows what sort of mystical, magical mischief you’ll get up to?

1. Velocitus Ovum

So you’re standing in line at the dining hall breakfast counter, and you’ve just asked for three eggs hard fried. In theory, you could wander off and chat while you wait, or you could find some other food, but class time is rapidly approaching and you need to eat NOW. Look no further than this egg-fryer-accelerating charm. They’ll have your eggs out hours before anyone else’s. Bon egg-petit.

2. Chemistboxus Momentum

This is a longer spell that many new students may find hard to memorize, or may wonder if they have use of it at all. Assuredly, Chemistboxus Momentum has a purpose. This clever charm was conjured for the purpose of making that one ancient elevator in the chemistry building work properly. You know the elevator. You’ll have to use it at some point.

3. Commonsius Shuttupp

Most effective in the designated quiet areas of the QEII library first floor, but may also be used (to less of an effect) on the second floor. This spell was designed by the tech support personnel in The Commons to silence up to fifty students at once when the noise gets a little overwhelming. This spell covers a wide area, so it can’t be used on an individual.

4. Randomus Lecterus

This particular spell is actually a failed attempt at a teleportation spell by a business student in the late semester of Fall 2021. The student’s intention was to create a spell to bring him directly to his classroom in the morning. However, he found himself in different active classrooms every time, including a graduate student archaeology lecture at Grenfell Campus. While this is highly effective at getting you away from your current location, faculty has determined that it takes roughly 547 tries to end up at the classroom you intend to go to. Might be easier to just walk.

5. Expecto Snowcancellation

Please don’t use this one unless you really, REALLY need to. Seriously. We’re not joking. We’re bringing it back into the MUN Book of Legal Spells, but only if you PROMISE not to overuse it. The last time a student overused this one, it was January 17th, 2020. Let’s just say it didn’t end well.

Political Science and Law & Society Town Hall Reveals Changes to Programs

Bruce March
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Political Science and Law & Society Town Hall Reveals Changes to Programs

A student town hall on January 13th in the Department of Political Science revealed some changes coming to students studying Political Science and Law & Society.

Dr. Alex Marland, the Department Head, revealed alterations to the undergraduate and graduate programs in the respective disciplines.

“Many of the courses we are offering are going to evolve – some new courses will be offered, some will have new numbers, some will have new titles. This is a very standard thing for departments to go through over-time,” said Dr. Marland.

In addition, it was announced that the Certificate in Public Policy will be phased out.

“The Certificate in Public Policy will not exist anymore in terms of admitting new students. One thing to keep in mind is that existing students have the choice between following a new route or following the existing route- Its actually opens up new possibilities so no one should be worried,” said Dr. Marland.

Likewise, the “Certificate in Public Policy” will change to a “Diploma in Public Policy,” requiring the completion of one additional course.

Dr. Marland explained that a diploma is closer to a degree than a certificate and better reflects the program.

Law and Society will also see a transformation as the program is changing to “Law and Public Policy.”

“It is no longer going to be an interdisciplinary program, in the same way Law and Society is, its going to be a departmental program the way political science is, the whole idea is to integrate it more and give it some stability,” he said.

Dr. Marland stressed that existing students would be able to complete their programs, and these changes will be for new students moving forward. Existing students, however, will have the option of moving into these new tracks.

The Senate Committee SCUGS will vote on these changes, which will likely be approved in February.

MUNFA isn’t the first Atlantic Canadian University to strike this year

Shreya Hande
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MUNFA isn’t the first Atlantic Canadian University to strike this year

Memorial University’s Faculty Association (MUNFA) is officially on strike after reaching an impasse with the administration on January 29th- and despite some shock among students, Memorial is not the first Atlantic university to go on strike recently. 

In 2022 and 2023, multiple university faculty unions across Atlantic Canada called for potential strike action for unresolved labour disputes.

Dalhousie University negotiations

In Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dalhousie’s University Faculty Association (DFA) conducted a strike vote in December after negotiations with their university administration failed. 

According to the Dalhousie Gazette, 92.2% of DFA members voted to strike if an agreement could not be reached- comparable results to Memorial’s strike vote, resulting in 93.3% in favour of striking. 

The issues brought up by the DFA (according to the bulletin released on January 13th) included:

  • Salary increases are consistent with inflation.
  • The development of a professoriate (tenure-track) stream to replace the instructor stream.
  • University contributions to a fund for diversity hires.
  • Measures to control the faculty’s workload/ensure adequate compensation for an overload.

The DFA reached a tentative agreement with the university in the last week of negotiations.

The Dalhousie Gazette also reported that Dalhousie’s administration proposed changes to the current ’90/10′ rule, which states that 10% of classes at the university can be taught by non-DFA contract/part-time lecturers, which would have increased this number.

However, this could hurt many employees by allowing lower pay and a lack of sustained job security. The DFA challenged this. 

Dalhousie part-time/ contract worker strike

In October, Dalhousie’s CUPE 3912, the union representing part-time and contract workers, also went on a nearly month-long strike over contract duration and wage increases.

During this time, courses taught by CUPE members and online resources operated by CUPE workers were inaccessible. They reached a tentative agreement on November 12th, 2022.

dal strike cropped
Image credits: CUPE

Acadia University faculty strike

Faculty at Acadia University in Nova Scotia also went on strike in February 2022 following failed negotiation attempts. 

According to CBC, the Acadia University Faculty Association (AUFA) asked for salary increases, improved hiring processes for a more diverse faculty, increased tenure-track faculty positions, and greater support for part-time/contract employees.

The strike ended in March with no agreement, and all outstanding issues were sent for arbitration under a mediator appointed by the Nova Scotia provincial government. 

Students were compensated for the impact of this strike on their coursework, with domestic students receiving $600 and international students receiving $700.

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Image credits: The Canadian Press, CTV News Atlantic

University of Prince Edward Island

The University of Prince Edward Island also faced similar issues when the University of Prince Edward Island’s Faculty Association (UPEIFA) began discussions about new collective agreements in April 2022. The main issues are increased salaries, full-time faculty positions, mental health benefits, workload, and greater transparency.

At the request of the UPEIFA, the PEI Minister of Economic Growth, Bloyce Thompson, appointed a conciliator in August to make the negotiations process easier. Conciliators must file a report within ten days of the first meeting between the two parties, only after which a legal strike position is allowed.

However, the minister may choose to extend this deadline. Minister Thompson allowed the negotiation process to continue after the UPEIFA had declared an impasse and declared earlier this month that he would appoint a mediator after the failure in conciliation.

The UPEIFA alleges this is an unfair instance of government interference in the collective bargaining process and has secured funding from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) Defence Fund to launch a legal challenge against the PEI government. 

The president of the UPEIFA, Dr. Michael Arfken, commented in a UPEIFA blog post:

“As the conciliation process enters its fourth month of government intervention with no end in sight, it has become increasingly clear that the provincial government’s actions are substantially interfering in contract bargaining and creating the conditions for an extended labour dispute at UPEI.”

Strike looms at Saint Mary’s University

On January 28th, 2023, the Faculty Union at Saint Mary’s University (SMU) in Nova Scotia announced on Twitter that a strike date had been set for February 24th if no agreement is reached with the SMU admin.

 The main issues members of Saint Mary’s University Faculty Association (SMUFU) advocate for are three-year faculty contracts with wages and health and wellness benefits.

In a piece in the Halifax Examiner, SMUFU VP Cathy Conrad writes:

 “Things grew worse as the administration embarked on a series of cringe-worthy initiatives, including a widely mocked and expensive rebranding, childish lawsuits and grievances – one in which the administration wasted nearly $500,000 on a single football player’s eligibility – and bloating senior administration with several inessential positions. Indeed, a recent “Culture of Entitlement” report from the Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers (ANSUT) showed that the percentage of administrators at SMU has sky-rocketed. And despite the administration’s regular extolling of faculty’s work in their advertisements, reports to the community, and recruitment brochures, there has never seemed to be any resources left to invest in us.”

SMUFU Vice President Cathy Conrad

Faculty strike at Cape Breton University

The Cape Breton University Faculty Association (CBFA) went on strike on Friday, January 27th, after failed negotiations with the university over wage increases reflecting inflation and a lack of facilities and support to deal with the rapidly increasing enrollment of international students. While the union is seeking a 14% salary increase over two years, the university offers an increase of 8% over three years. Employees set up a picket line on Friday outside the university campus.

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Image credits: Erin Pottie, CBC

At Memorial, faculty started picketing preparations before today’s strike with support from the Memorial’s Students’ Union (MUNSU).

Picketing began Monday at 8 am at five locations on campus.

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Image credits: MUNFA via Twitter
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