It has been a pleasure to return on an interim basis as Chair of the Membership Committee this year, building on the expertise and contributions of the Committee’s prior chair, Keith Adamson. In a word, my work has been about communication. I have undertaken several projects, all of which I hope are promoted by the next chair. First, I am aiming to ensure that Council members speak up more equally so that the diverse concerns and interests of our membership are all brought to the fore. To that end, our Equity and Membership Committees have jointly engaged in constructing Council’s own ‘speaking up’ survey. Second, I have initiated a campaign to increase the communications from Council representatives to their constituents. We are aiming to regularize communications from your constituency representatives so that you learn about a wide range of opportunities and happenings. If you have been learning more about deadlines for childcare subsidies or an upcoming CAUT conference on academic freedom, that’s due in part to this initiative. Third, I am meeting with departments that have no Council representation to encourage members to serve. UTFA is the only body that represents faculty and librarians and through which you can meaningfully shape bargaining goals.
The above initiatives are consonant with UTFA President Terezia Zorić’s commitment to communication. The number of forums that she has held in her presidency for information and consultation is unprecedented, as is her investment in drawing on expertise held by UTFA members to form the building blocks of UTFA’s initiatives and aims. It’s been a pleasure to work with her to this end.
Membership Committee members have been highly engaged and we have developed several initiatives to bring to members this spring and next academic year. In support of the ongoing negotiations for a new deal with librarians, we will be showcasing a series of partnerships between tenure and teaching stream faculty and librarians, conducting research together, building collections, or applying for grants. Put simply, faculty cannot move on without librarian colleagues. We also intend to begin Fact Fridays, an initiative to educate our members about the structure of governance at U of T, data about our faculties and departments, and information about your rights, benefits, and ways to be active in stewardship of the University generally. I look forward to participating in these initiatives as a Council member, and to a time when the Chair of the Membership Committee and other members of the UTFA Executive Committee can once again visit your departments for in-person dialogue with you.
Thanks
I would like to thank the many supportive members of the UTFA Executive Committee, Council, legal staff, and office staff for their continued support of the UTFA membership and the work of this committee. I would like to thank UTFA members who use their academic freedom, and who mobilize for just causes within and outside U of T. A particular thanks to Terezia Zorić, whose dedication, ethics, collaboration, and capacity-building inspired my service.
Judith Taylor
Chair, Membership Committee