Dear Colleagues,
I am following up on my message from last week to provide you with additional information on the ongoing conversations the Faculty Association is having with the Provosts regarding the impacts of the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Study leave: the Faculty Association and the University have agreed that anyone who began a study leave January 1, 2020 may opt to cancel and defer the leave to a later date (timing to be agreed with your Head). Members who are to begin a study leave in May or July 2020 may likewise cancel their study leave and defer the leave to a later date. Accrual towards your next leave will begin as of January 2020.
In addition, if you began a 12-month study leave on:
- May 1, 2019, you can advise your head if you would like to cancel your current leave effective April 1 and defer 2 months of your leave to a later date. The deferred period must be taken at a time when there is no assigned teaching and should be discussed with your Head.
- July 1, 2019, you can advise your head if you would like to cancel your current leave and defer 4 months of study leave to a future date (timing of the deferred leave to be determined in consultation with your Head).
- September 1, 2019, you can advise your head if you would like to cancel your current leave and defer 6 months of study leave to a future date (timing of the deferred leave to be determined in consultation with your Head).
Advise your Head by April 15 if you wish to elect any of the deferral options above so teaching assignments can be made.
Please note that as Librarians, Archivists, and Program Directors are also members of the Faculty Association bargaining unit, members in these roles may also cancel and defer study leave in line with how deferrals will be handled for faculty members. Please contact us if you have any questions about your study leave and deferral options.
Merit/PSA: many of you will have seen the message sent out by the Provosts today announcing that merit/PSA timelines will be altered. We have agreed to delay the requirement for members to submit annual reports for the purposes of merit/PSA assessments to May 4, 2020. This will allow faculty additional time to complete their annual reports and departments time to make arrangements to conduct assessments remotely. The University expects that this delay will result in faculty receiving their increases on the August 15th pay.
Promotion & Tenure: we are still in discussions regarding how promotion and tenure clocks will be managed given the widespread disruptions. We hope to be able to share a decision on promotion and tenure soon.
Our discussions with the University are ongoing; please continue to reach out to the Association with your questions and concerns.
A huge thank you to all our members for your inspiring efforts over the past weeks.
Bronwen Sprout
President
