Claims for reimbursement for any expenses from any of the benefit plans must be submitted to Sun Life within 90 days of the end of the calendar year in which the expense is incurred. This deadline applies to 2015 claims made under the Dental Plan, Health Plan or Flexible Spending Program (Health Spending Account or […]

The unions on campus are increasingly troubled by labour relations at the University of Saskatchewan. Recent labour updates brought to your attention in the “YouSask Faculty and Staff Newsletter” (email January 26 and February 23, 2016) do not fully describe the situation. Labour relations extend well beyond the bargaining table. In fact, most of the […]

Tuesday, March 1 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Neatby-Timlin Theatre (241 Arts) Come hear firsthand what each of the provincial parties plan for the immediate future of post-secondary education in Saskatchewan. The Government of Saskatchewan holds tremendous sway over the state of post-secondary education in our province. The governing party allocates the operating funds post-secondary institutions […]

Nominations are now open for the Peter C. Dooley Legacy Award, the Peter T. Millard Award and the USFA Academic Freedom Award. In April we will be presenting these awards at a celebration dinner and we encourage you to submit nominations. Nominations for these Awards can be made by any current USFA member or by […]

In response to mounting frustration expressed by members, in 2013 the USFA Committee on University Administrative Practice consulted faculty about the extent to which university administrative practices supported their teaching and research.   The committee’s report noted that an increasing number of practices impeded or encroached on faculty success as engaged teacher-scholars. Recently, Service Design and […]

The process of assigning duties for the next academic year will be soon—if it is not already—underway. As a reminder, the Collective Agreement stipulates that duties are to be assigned by your Department Head or Dean following consultation and discussion at a meeting of the faculty in your academic unit (Article 11). This provision is […]

A new mechanism for faculty performance evaluation is emerging at the U of S under the guise of goal setting. Members are being asked to provide an accounting of their planned achievements for the upcoming year including desired research output, number of publications, and grant applications. For the most part, the use of this information […]

ASPA is holding a rally on Monday, October 26th at noon in The Bowl and the USFA Executive Committee is asking every Association member to take 15 minutes out of their day to attend. Representatives of the unions on campus met recently and it is readily evident that we have a common challenge. The approach […]

We are in the dying days of the federal election campaign. Our most recent issue of Collectively Speaking is a reflection by USFA Chair Larry Stewart, following our two Get Research Right discussion events, about the importance of considering research when you cast your ballot.