YUFA
External
6-8 February 2009, Toronto, ON
by Deborah Brock, York University, Department of Sociology
27 Mar 09 – This first CAUT Equity Forum is a promising new initiative; one that demonstrates CAUT’s renewed commitment to foregrounding an equity agenda for the national body, as well as promoting equity initiatives among member groups.
Other delegates have written about the organization of the Forum, including the Friday evening performance, the numerous plenary sessions, and the thematic workshops. In my report, I will summarize some of the main findings of the Forum, particularly where these findings suggest directions for further action.
Participants were, not surprisingly, in support of making equity a priority concern in all CAUT affairs for the next five years. Some of the suggestions that I believe will be of most benefit to YUFA members include:
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devoting more CAUT resources to equity research and advocacy,
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using web-based technology to facilitate more effective communication between member organizations,
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conducting a review of equity language in collective agreements, and examining the impact of this language in actual practice,
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developing a workshop on inclusivity that can be made available to member groups, and
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developing more ‘model clauses’ that can be of use for member groups as they formulate positions for collective bargaining, including clauses related to the Tenure & Promotion process, hiring committees, the protection of members from the impact of teaching evaluations based upon discriminatory attitudes and resistance to alternative pedagogies, a recognition of alternative forms of research, and delimiting the notion of ‘collegiality’, among others.
The Forum underscored the need to continue to broaden the notion of equity to include racialization, class background, Aboriginality, gender, gender identity, non-heterosexual orientation, age, dis/abilities, safety in the workplace, parental leave, and so on. ‘Equity’ is a much broader concern than has been delimited by the four target groups for Employment Equity / Affirmative Action identified by the Federal Contractors Program (FCP). This necessitates implementing a more holistic approach to equity in universities, while continuing to foreground still to be accomplished objectives set out by the FCP. It necessitates moving beyond liberal claims to ‘diversity’ in favor of substantive representation and engagement in all aspects of the university for equity-seeking groups, and the right to equity in employment practices.
A significant amount of the discussion also focused on the equity work of member associations. There was a sense that equity was stalled among numerous member organizations, and that equity objectives were being sidelined by claims that equity initiatives divert resources in a period of financial cuts, as well as a persistence of the longstanding claim that equity objectives are advanced against greater interests of merit and academic freedom. These are erroneous claims that faculty associations must challenge, and must make a priority of challenging. Faculty associations have the responsibility of promoting equity in a manner that makes their Collective Agreements (CAs) living documents, and that prioritizes equity throughout all areas of CAs, whether or not it is specifically mentioned.
Moreover, faculty associations need to promote equity objectives throughout all of their organizational work, including committee and caucus structures. Where equity committees also exist, members need to think beyond the categorization of equity-seeking groups into discrete boxes, without sufficient attention to the intersectionality of those groups.
Further, equity principles must be applied equally to all sectors of the academic labour force, including those whose membership takes the form of contingent labour. The need for equitable work and working conditions is a central argument against the increased reliance of universities on contingent labour. Equity objectives must be applied to all hiring processes, with fair and full employment recognized as a cornerstone for the present and future academy.
Finally, it is incumbent upon faculty associations to remind individual members that equity is not simply the concern of equity-seeking groups. All faculty members must be encouraged to integrate equity throughout everything that they do, including research, teaching, and service to the university and community.
Other Delegates from this Conference:
Peter Duerr
Eve Haque
Mitzi Mitchell