Dear New Members,
A very warm welcome to Trent and to the Trent University Faculty Association! The TUFA team is very much looking forward to meeting you. We will have our first opportunity to greet most of you in-person on August 31st at the Deans’ New Faculty Orientation. Marcus Harvey, TUFA’s executive director, and I will be there to speak about the Association’s activities and services.
In our July newsletter, we provided some information regarding the collective bargaining that will be taking place this fall and I will share relevant details again here. In early June, we held a General Membership meeting to set our mandate for the current round of negotiations. The turnout was excellent, and the proposed mandate was approved with a few modifications following a thorough discussion (document attached, fyi). The bargaining team has been busy through the summer preparing to exchange proposals with the employer in late October, with negotiations scheduled for the first three weeks of November. Our bargaining team consists of Chief Negotiator Susan Wurtele (School of the Environment), Michael Epp (Cultural Studies), Stephanie Rutherford (School of the Environment), Byron Stoyles (Philosophy), and Maggie Xenopoulos (Biology), with Marcus Harvey providing staff support. Please see our webpage for information about the bargaining process.
Our first scheduled event for fall will take place on Monday, September 26th from 11:00 am to Noon via Zoom (link to be sent to all members closer to the event). We have invited Peterborough’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Thomas Piggott, to visit TUFA for an informal talk and Q/A session. I have asked him to address local public health issues—the opioid crisis, the housing crisis, Covid-19, and any other public health issues that may be of interest to the membership.
We would also encourage you to attend the Provost and Deans’ BBQ on September 7th from 3:00pm to 5:00pm (registration deadline today!). We plan to be there, and the opportunity to socialize in a large space with access to the outdoors seems a good antidote to some of the hardships of the last two years! TUFA is currently planning its social calendar for fall, and we hope to host some outdoor events while the weather remains good. Stay tuned for updates.
Finally, Marcus and I do appreciate hearing from members: please feel free to contact us at any time with questions, concerns, or suggestions you may have. It may also be helpful to check our website for updates and general information, including prior updates and announcements.
Again, a big welcome to TUFA, and we look forward to meeting you soon.
In Solidarity,Moira
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Dr. Moira Howes
Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy
President, Trent University Faculty Association