JOIN A FAUST COMMITTEE!
What kinds of committees are there?
There are two different kinds of committees: standing committees and ad hoc committees.
Standing committees
Standing committees are permanent committees that consider and recommend actions and propose policies to the Executive Committee. FAUST currently has 4 standing committees:
Benefits Committee: this committee is recruited, appointed and approved by the Executive Committee and reports to them through an Executive member or Alternate who acts as a liaison with the committee. The committee is responsible for reviewing the Full-Time benefits package and making recommendations to the Executive Committee regarding changes to the package. It also responds to queries about benefits coverage from the membership and the Executive Committee. (See Article 10.02 of the FAUST Constitution)
Grievance Committee: committee members hear and investigate complaints from the membership and determine whether there has been a violation of the Full-Time or Part-Time Collective Agreements. If so, the committee member shepherds the grievance through the grievance process with the consultation of the Senior Grievance Officer. The committee is comprised of a minimum of three members in addition to the Senior Grievance Officer. At least one member of the Committee must be a Part-Time (PT) representative. Members of the Committee are appointed by the Executive Committee and serve on two-year renewable terms. (See Article 10.03 of the FAUST Constitution)
Nominating Committee: the Nominating Committee consists of three members appointed by the Executive Committee, with the chair being an Executive Committee member, and the remaining two members appointed from the general membership. Every year the committee proposes a list of candidates for vacant positions on the Executive Committee, that must be endorsed by the Executive Committee and placed before the membership for elections at the AGM (see Article 10.04 of the FAUST Constitution)
Human Resources (HR) Committee: the HR Committee addresses non-monetary issues arising from the day-to-day staffing of the FAUST office, including management of annual staff reviews, grievances, and discipline. With the approval of and within any limits established by the FAUST Executive Committee, the HR Committee may also direct employee hiring, negotiation of terms and conditions of employment, and termination. This committee is comprised of the FAUST President and Treasurer and two other Executive Committee members
AD HOC COMMITTEES
Ad hoc committees are member-driven initiatives, created by the membership in response to expressions of interest. They are open to all Full-Time and Part-Time members of FAUST, and they always welcome new members. The committees generally meet at least once or twice per semester, but may vary their meeting schedules to accommodate the schedules and interests of members. The committees report to the Executive Committee, which may provide funding and/or bring recommendations to the membership as necessary.
CURRENT AD HOC COMMITTEES
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM COMMITTEE
This committee is tasked with reviewing the FAUST constitution, and periodically making suggestions to the Executive Committee regarding possible improvements and amendments.
Current members: Robin Vose, Moira McLaughlin, and Hilary Randall
COVID-19 Faculty Taskforce
In contrast to broader COVID-19 initiatives serving the needs of the university, students, and other stakeholders, this task force is dedicated to faculty concerns and issues. The task force has a mandate to proactively anticipate, monitor, and remedy concerns relating to faculty working conditions, as embodied in the Full-Time and Part-Time Collective Agreements. Members can view the terms of reference here.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
This committee brings together FAUST members who want to find ways of making our shared workplace healthier and more environmentally sustainable. Recognizing the important relationship between healthy working conditions, healthy communities, and a healthy environment, the committee highlights best practices and points to possible ways of moving forward. They are currently working on providing more sustainable investment alteratives for the faculty pension plan. For a presentation on this file, see the Members' only section.
Current Members: Janice Harvey, Angela Wisniewski, Matthew Robinson, Tyler Bancroft, Laura Levick, Vince Zelazny, and Michael George
INDIGENIZATION OF THE ACADEMY
This committee researches barriers to full participation by Indigenous peoples in higher education, as well as current issues emerging from efforts to expand such participation. Its primary focus is on examining ways that the FAUST collective agreements could better serve the interests and needs of Indigenous faculty working at St Thomas, while also ensuring that more such faculty are recruited, fairly treated, and retained.
Click here to view an ANSUT PowerPoint presentation on Indigenizing the Academy by David Newhouse.
Current Members: Shannonbrooke Murphy, Robin Vose, and Shaunda Wood
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ISSUES
This committee encourages ongoing discussions among FAUST members regarding ways in which the university’s information technology resources could be improved to better support our academic teaching and research work. Not surprisingly, these issues are currently overlapping with pandemic concerns and the mandate of the faculty taskforce
Current Members: Anne-Drea Allison, Bradley Votour, Carey Watt, Derek Simon, and Julia Torrie.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
FAUST’s ad hoc committee on Black History Month came into existence out of a clear need to promote all-inclusive, university-wide Black History Month events.The FAUST ad-hoc committee on Black History Month works toward the following goals:
A. the commemoration of Black History Month that welcomes diverse faculty and student participations;
B. the commemoration of Black History Month with attention to local, provincial, national, and global experiences; and
C. the commemoration of Black History Month that intersects with and is mindful of the experiences of other marginalized and/or racialized groups.
For a copy of the committee's vision statement, see here
Current members: Gul Caliskan, Marvin Claybourn, Brad Cross, Fikru Gebrekidan, Christian Mbarga, Karen Robert
Did you know?
Involvement in FAUST is recognized in the Full-Time Collective Agreement (Article 8.02.1 (d)) as service. One of the criteria for renewal, promotion, and tenure is "other contributions to the University, the professional field (where relevant), the Union, and the community."
FAUST is YOUR Union. Service in the Union allows you to work for the betterment of university faculty as well as engage in other social justice initiatives.
Contact the Professional Officer if you are interested in joining one of these committees
