March Update
It has been a busy month for APSA. Here are some of the key updates over the past few weeks:
- Kim O’Donnell’s Departure as APSA Vice-President:
Kim has stepped down as APSA Vice-President, and I would like to express my gratitude for her outstanding service. During her time in the role, Kim demonstrated compassion and thoughtfulness, always prioritising the concerns of APSA members and amplifying their voices to senior leadership. I am delighted that Kim will continue to serve as a strong advocate for APSA as an active member of the board.
- Welcome Stephanie Stewart, New APSA Vice-President:
Please join me in welcoming Stephanie Stewart as our new APSA Vice-President. Stephanie brings a wealth of volunteer experience within the SFU community and holds the critical role of Disaster Recovery Coordinator in Information Security Services. I am grateful to Stephanie for stepping into this time-consuming position during such a challenging time.
- Meeting with SFU Senior Leadership:
APSA recently met with SFU’s President, VPPEI and Labour Relations/Human Resources to discuss several key concerns, including the abrupt closure of the Vancity Office of Community Engagement, the SFU Surrey TD Community Engagement Centre and the SFU Office of Community Engagement. They conceded there were some missteps in not adequately considering some of the important initiatives housed by these offices before closing them down but say they are still committed to being an engaged university. We also requested more transparency regarding SFU’s financials and highlighted the importance of enshrining hybrid work policies for APSA members in our AD 10 policies.
- Faculty Community Roles and IT Restructuring:
Concerns about the centralisation of faculty community roles after comments at the last SFU town hall have been addressed directly, with SFU informing communicators that these services “will never be centralized.” However, restructuring within IT roles has been ongoing, and no guarantees have been made regarding these changes.
- Challenges in Higher Education:
As we are seeing around the country, higher education is going through difficult times. The next few years will be difficult and there will be more unit closures and job losses. For APSA, we expect there will be further layoffs at the end of the fiscal year with academic units being particularly affected. We have no further specifics at this time and will inform you as soon as possible.
- Job Redefinition and Volunteerism:
Some members have reported inappropriate messaging from some SFU leadership regarding the redistribution and redefining of work. It’s important to note that formal avenues exist for adding duties or revising job descriptions. If you are asked to take on additional responsibilities (especially work previously done by laid-off staff or tasks that should fall under CUPE), please report to us. We’ve also seen increased pressure for APSA members to volunteer for work that should be compensated. If you are uncertain about any situation, please raise it with the APSA team.
- APSA Layoffs:
Since our last newsletter, one additional layoff has occurred, bringing the total number of APSA members laid off since November 2023 to 66.
- Coffee Conversations:
We held two successful Coffee Conversations, one in Vancouver on February 25th and another in Surrey on March 4th. Our next event will be in Burnaby on April 15th, with a remote session being considered later this year.
- AGM Motion to Investigate Unionisation:
Since last month, there have been no significant updates on the member motion to investigate unionisation, but we hope to have more information to share soon.
- Strategic Plan, Policy Review and Committee Terms of Reference:
The new Vice President, Treasurer, and I have been meeting to discuss how to proceed with the strategic plan, policy reviews, and committee terms of reference.
If you have any comments or suggestions you’d like to share with the board, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at president@apsacentral.ca.
Cheers,
Ben