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FACULTY ASSOCIATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO ISSUE 140 FAUW Forum DECEMBER 2008 DAVID WANG, EDITOR President’s Message expressions of concern from faculty page 3 for the links to these members and promising to answer reports.) I also heard from many them at the November Senate Senators that they would not have meeting. There had been some been willing to vote in favour of the suggestion in discussions at Senate UAE initiative before the meeting, Executive Committee that the but were willing to do so after, in Senate had in the past approved light of commitments the Univer‐ the UAE initiative in principle, sity made at the meeting. though nobody who had been Leaving out the details, and so there at the time remembered for most of the really interesting bits, I sure. This turned out not to be so. would say that the concerns I heard This seemed to me, and to several from faculty about UAE fall into other Senators, including the Presi‐ three categories. (I set aside dents of the two student associa‐ expressions of scepticism about the tions, not to be appropriate. Craig sustainability of the business model Sloss of the Graduate Student David DeVidi, Philosophy for present purposes.) Association and I therefore asked, as members of Senate Executive Procedural worries: the initia‐ Committee, that a motion to ap‐ tive was going ahead without There have been two major issues prove in principle the UAE initiative, appropriate consultation with that have occupied much of the as so far described to Senate, be faculty and with Senate. time of the FAUW Board of Direc‐ put on the agenda for the No‐ tors in the past couple of months: Human rights issues of various vember meeting. The rest of Senate issues surrounding distant cam‐ sorts. (If the University won’t Exec readily agreed. puses, and the University’s decision put its logo on a shirt made to “delay” spending, which has I think the volume of thought‐ with sweatshop labour, why involved leaving faculty and staff ful and difficult questions, and prin‐ will it put it on a building built positions at least temporarily un‐ cipled objections, that poured in by workers with no more rights filled, a decision by the library to was a surprise to many. Almost the than people working in sweat‐ stop buying books for several whole of the November Senate shops? How will women fac‐ months, and delays on building meeting was devoted to discussion ulty feel when they have to projects. of the UAE motion. Many Senators (Continued on page 2) have described it as the best Senate discussion they have seen. I cannot Distant Campuses: In my previous reproduce the whole of the discus‐ Inside this issue: President’s Message, I reported sion here, of course, but do draw Editorial 4 that in response to expressions of your attention to the list of ques‐ discontent with the quality of tions I compiled in response to the answers at Senate to questions feedback I received from non‐ Highlights from CAUT 5 about one of UW’s overseas Senate faculty members and to the Council initiatives, the proposed campus in responses to questions provided by Grade Inflation at UW 7 the United Arab Emirates, the the Administration. (Please see Senate was soliciting questions and PAGE 2 ISSUE 140 (Continued from page 1) and announced to Senate that disadvantages. in future initiatives of similar I will not pronounce on the wait in a grocery line‐up until importance to UAE will be merits of this argument. I will note all the men are served before brought to Senate for that, coupled with the commit‐ they can check out? How is the approval, and that this would ments noted above, it carried the legal situation in UAE recon‐ happen early enough in the day at Senate. cilable with a commitment to process to make a difference. academic freedom? See the list In some sense, then, the first 2. The University would consult two sorts of issues were “resolved” of questions for many compel‐ with FAUW at the Faculty ling worries.) at Senate. This leaves as the big Relations Committee and outstanding concern the third sort Equality of opportunity for fac‐ return to Senate with of issue. It is one that, as President ulty members. As one faculty proposals about effective ways of FAUW and as someone who has member aptly noted, one thing to monitor the human rights always been proud to work at UW, feminist critiques of traditional and academic freedom leaves me troubled. It seems to me business practices make clear situation for UW faculty, staff that now that the UAE initiative has is that the golf course has long and students at distant been approved by Senate it will go been a locus of power in which campuses, and report to ahead. I therefore ask that if you important decisions are made Senate about them. have ideas for ways to address this in an informal setting that sys‐ It was also at the November Senate sort of unfairness you pass them tematically excludes non‐ meeting that the Administration, in along to me, or to another FAUW golfers, often women. If particular the Provost, Amit Board member. Your suggestion women faculty will not go to Chakma, made explicit the Univer‐ might be one that helps not just UAE, a similar sort of exclusion sity’s case in support of the UAE with the UAE, but with other is possible. Teaching in UAE initiative. One key strand of that initiatives. will be a lucrative undertaking argument, it seems to me, was this: for those willing to do it. If gay There are many parts of the world faculty cannot go there where the human rights situation is Finally, while most of the discussion because homosexuality is ille‐ dire, including in many respects the to date has been about the UAE gal, they are excluded from an UAE. On the other hand, there are initiative, this is merely a matter of opportunity for reasons that important academic and financial circumstance. Similar issues could should be irrelevant. If as a advantages to the University of arise for many other initiatives, and philosopher I can’t boost my Waterloo, as it attempts to fulfill its not just those overseas. A fair num‐ income by going to the UAE mission in teaching and research, ber of faculty members that I talk because it’s engineering to becoming an international to have questions about the courses being taught there, no university. Whether to establish a seemingly ever‐changing Stratford problem; if it’s because of who presence in any particular country plans, for instance, that mirror I married, that’s not so good. becomes a matter of weighing concerns I hear about UAE; these Similarly, faculty members costs and benefits. There are include scepticism about the who travel on Israeli passports countries to which UW would not business plan, and a worry that the will not be allowed into the go (e.g., countries where co‐ whole enterprise is being driven by UAE, and so are excluded on educational classes would not be a prior decision that UW will do grounds that should be allowed; or those where a UW something in this location, whether irrelevant. faculty member arrested would be it makes any sense for the Faculty I think there were two key commit‐ likely to disappear into a prison of Arts, and the University as a ments made by the University at rather than being deported if whole, or not. I hope the UAE the Senate meeting, which explains caught doing something the discussion serves as a useful why some Senators changed their authorities disapprove of, such as precedent, and that we see a minds about whether they could criticizing the government). similar willingness to insist on support the initiative. However, the argument goes, in coherent answers to important the case of the UAE, the questions at the relevant venues in 1. At the Senate meeting, the Arts and, eventually, at Senate. University’s key officers stood advantages outweigh the FAUW FORUM PAGE 3 Finances and the Town Hall: I am which I compiled into a list and sent restraints. I can report that almost sure that I don’t need to tell you in. You can find the questions, and all of them said yes, and many said about the University Administra‐ what I heard to be the answers, at that the freezes had been in effect tion’s decision to “slow down” the link given at the end of this for some time. spending in light of the impact of message. You will notice that some market conditions on the endow‐ of the questions we asked were not ment and pension plan, and the answered ... It turns out that this is ST JEROME’S UPDATE: When I talk impact the deteriorating finances because of some sort of email to colleagues at SJU, they report of the Province of Ontario might hiccup: while I sent them in by the that the situation has not materially have on university funding. I do deadline, they were not received by changed, and that morale is low. want to acknowledge the efforts Chris Redmond, who put together The SJU Board of Governors has made by the University to make the the questions, until after the hired a consultant, Alexander Town Hall, at which the University deadline. Gregor, formerly a Professor of the President and Provost answered History of Higher Education at the One important question that University of Manitoba.