We are UPEI
UPEI Faculty Association members are teachers, researchers, nurses, emergency vets, and librarians. We take pride in our work, and we are committed to teaching and research excellence. We work hard to provide the best possible post-secondary experience for our students. The work of UPEI is the work we do every day. We are UPEI.
Over the last 12 weeks, we have shared with you the concerns and priorities of FA Members across our campus. Together, what we have learned is that:
- despite the recent exponential growth in scope and enrolment at UPEI, the number of permanent full-time faculty has remained stagnant.
- an increasing over-reliance on contract academic staff is affecting workloads for full-time faculty, while simultaneously exploiting the people who are stuck in dead-end contracts teaching for poverty-level wages.
- the under-resourcing of our Library is creating impossible working conditions for our Librarian members, and having a negative impact on access to research.
- high teaching loads, downloading of administrative tasks, and a lack of resources is creating a challenging environment for FA members to develop and maintain productive research programs.
- increasing responsibilities and workloads combined with decreased discretion in decision-making is making the job of Chairs difficult, and disincentivizing members who might otherwise take on these important roles.
- many of us are concerned that we are increasingly being sidelined in academic decisions that affect our work and the institution as a whole.
The result of all of this: FA members are often burned out and disheartened; it is becoming increasingly difficult to retain faculty; there are significant challenges in maintaining programs; our research capacity is diminishing which is having an impact on our academic and research standards.
Our working conditions are students’ learning conditions.
When we don’t have the resources needed to do our work well, students’ learning conditions suffer. An investment in teaching and in supporting faculty is an important investment in our students, now and into the future.
You Are UPEI
As we prepare to negotiate a new Collective Agreement with UPEI – our first since 2016 – we have a unique opportunity to improve our working conditions. Working together, we can change the outlook for ourselves, our colleagues, our students, and our community. But it will take all of us, together, to make this change happen.
Here’s are four important actions you can take to help right now:
- Register and attend the online FA AGM on Friday April 8 (Noon-2:00p), and join the discussion about how we can build a better UPEI: Click here to register
- Give us your personal (non-UPEI) email address so that you can be sure to receive all updates on bargaining: click here
- Show your support by downloading and using our downloadable logos, and download and print our logos and put them on your office door to demonstrate your solidarity with your colleagues and your support for your UPEIFA bargaining team.
- Follow us on social media by clicking the icons below, and join the public conversation by commenting on and sharing posts.
Together, We Are UPEI.
