What are the issues at stake for MRU’s Faculty?
By Nathan Woolridge, News Editor
The faculty at MRU have been working towards negotiations in a deal with MRU’s administration.
In a petition sent out to to the MRU community and public, the Mount Royal Faculty Association (MRFA) says, “Years of budget cuts have stripped many of MRU’s departments to the bone, leaving teachers overworked and under-supported.”
The MRFA also explains in the petition that their requests are simple. They are looking to maintain workload provision for full-time faculty. They are also seeking “meaningful job security for contract faculty, increased institutional transparency, and fair compensation for all faculty members.”
How have these negotiations gone so far? The MRFA says, “Unfortunately, after over a year of negotiating and despite stable operational funding from the government, MRU’s administration has not yet agreed to provisions reinvesting in faculty and personalized learning.”
The petition will be sent to MRU’s President, David Docherty; Provost, Lesley Brown; and the Chair of the Board of Governors, Susan Mallon in support of the MRFA’s position.
On the MRFA website, they state that their position is to maintain a proper student to faculty ratio, work towards permanent employment for contract faculty, create transparency of administrative decisions and to keep faculty salaries in line with inflation.
The Reflector reached out to a representative of the MRFA to comment, but they are currently not at the stages to make comments during negotiations. They say they are keeping students informed on their website and on their social media channels. Their online resources will be updated if they reach key milestones.
