Open Letter to UOIT Administration on Teaching Faculty’s Workload

President McTiernan;

This Fall will mark half a year of negotiations between Teaching Faculty and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT). We want to be clear that we made every effort possible to reason with this institution and are growing increasingly frustrated about being told that workload is not an issue.

After multiple full days at the bargaining table over a period of months explaining and advancing the case of our colleagues to no avail, perhaps this frustration is understandable. Workload and work/life balance is the bargaining priority for Teaching Faculty. This is a serious issue that significantly impacts the lives of Teaching Faculty Members, the students we teach, and the quality of education delivered at our institution. We are asking for the time and effort to be the best we can be at our jobs and for our students.

Workload for Teaching Faculty at UOIT is among the highest across Canada.

We love to teach. We really do, and we hope that every student we interact with takes this passion and channels it to become a future community leader.  Unfortunately, higher than average workloads and student-faculty ratios mean less time innovating curriculum, developing ourselves professionally, and mentoring students.

This University needs to re-examine its priorities.

Workload has been an issue since well-before signing our first Teaching Faculty collective agreement in 2014. This ignorance on key issues in the face of our commitment and love for our jobs is disheartening.

While other Universities have affirmed their commitment to teaching excellence in supportive working conditions for teaching-intensive positions, UOIT has not fostered an equitable working environment. It claims to like its unique model, and refuses to explore diverse alternatives we can all agree create a great place to work, teach and learn.

Some of us teach a thousand students or more each year in classrooms, tutorials and laboratories. We are not only educators, but also mentors, supervisors and advisors. Yet, Teaching Faculty at UOIT are treated like second-class citizens with no job security, an unreasonable workload and less pay than our colleagues.

Is teaching excellence a priority at UOIT?

Sincerely,

 

51 out of 59 Teaching Faculty members (86.44%)

 

Amin Ibrahim (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Amir Mostaghim (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Andrea Braithwaite (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Annette Tavares (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Ashfakuddin Rubel (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Asifa Aamir (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Azar Shakoori (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Brent MacRae (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Cliff Chan (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

Cristen Hucaluk (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Donna Smeeton (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Michael Bennett (Teaching Faculty from the Teaching Faculty)

Elita Partosoedarso (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Evelyn Moreau (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Garrett Hayes (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

George Stamatiou (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Helene Goulding (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Jennifer Laffier (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Education)

Jordan Harel (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Joseph MacMillan (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Josh Lowe (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Kerry Johnson (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Kevin Coulter (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Khalid Abdel Hafeez (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

Kimberly Nugent (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Lavern Bourne (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Leon Wu (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

Mary Olaveson (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Masoud Farzam (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

Mehdi Hossein-Nejad (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Mihai Beligan (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Milly Ryan-Harshman (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Morden Shapiro (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Namdar Saniei (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

Nancy Bergeron (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Nelson Lafrenière (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Paula DiCato (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Qi Shi (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

Randy Fortier (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Richard Bartholomew (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Ruth Simpson (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Sayyed Ali Hosseini (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

Scott Aquanno (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Sharman Perera (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science)

Sue O’Dwyer (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Sylvie Bardin (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Timothy MacNeill (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Valeri Kapoustine (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Science)

Vivian  Stamatopoulos (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Will Thurber (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Yuelei Yang (Teaching Faculty from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

 

 


51 Tenured & Tenure-Track Faculty (TTTFs)

 

Alyson King (TTTF from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Amir Rastpour (TTTF from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Andrea Kirkwood (TTTF from the Faculty of Science)

Anthony Waker (TTTF from the Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science)

Arshia Zaidi (TTTF from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Bill Hunter (TTTF from the Faculty of Education)

Franco Gaspari (TTTF from the Associate Professor)

Gary Genosko (TTTF from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

George Bereznai (TTTF from the Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science)

Hannah Scott (TTTF from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Hilde Zitzelsberger (TTTF from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Hossam Gaber (TTTF from the Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science)

Jaho Seo (TTTF from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

James Walsh (TTTF from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Jen Rinaldi (TTTF from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Judith Grant (TTTF from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Julia Zhu (TTTF from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Julie Thorpe (TTTF from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Kamal Smimou (TTTF from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Ken Pu (TTTF from the Faculty of Science)

Khalil El-Khatib (TTTF from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Liqun Cao (TTTF from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Luciano Buono (TTTF from the Faculty of Science)

Mike Eklund (TTTF from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

Pejman Mirza-Babaei (TTTF from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Rachel Ariss (TTTF from the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities)

Ruth Milman (TTTF from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

Shahryar Rahnamayan (TTTF from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science)

Sue Coffey (TTTF from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Terry Wu (TTTF from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

Toba Bryant (TTTF from the Faculty of Health Sciences)

Ying Zhu (TTTF from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology)

 


81 UOIT Students

 

Abinaya Loganaathan (Student)

Alex Sirgool (Student)

Ali Naqvi (Student)

Alison Jones (Undergrad Student)

Alyssa Williams (Student)

Amaan Deen (Student)

Amanda Chabilall (Student)

Andrea Banguera (Student)

Ayush Sadwuni (Student)

Bilat Bhatti (Student)

Bismah Saeed (Student)

Cassidy Linhares (Student)

Catherine Duncan (Student)

Chase Murdoch (Undergrad Student)

Curline Carnegie (Student)

Dionne Griffiths (Student)

Domenic Stevenson-Mele (Student)

Emily Barbati (Student)

Erica Johnson (Student)

Erik Allen (Student)

Euclid Samson (Student)

Farhan Shahriyar (Student)

Farhan Habib (Student)

Fredline Darote (Student)

Grace Severn (Student)

Hailey Bingley (Student)

Hannah Valerie (Student)

Hannah Harding (Student)

Heidi Graf (Student)

Helen Frampton (Student)

Henry Fung (Student)

Isabelle Simard (Graduate Student)

Ivy Haw (Student)

Jackie Velasquez (Student)

Jacob Solivio (Student)

Jake Poisson (Undergraduate Student)

Jeeyee Katherine Kang (Student (Medical Laboratory Science))

Jewelle Edwards (Student)

Jonathan Murugathasar (Student)

Jordyn Mathers (Student)

Julie Hernden (Student (FSSH) )

Kailey McNeil (Student)

Kandice Knight (Student)

Karim Sachedina (M.A.Sc Student)

Kieth Thomas (Student)

Laun Johnson (Student)

Leslie Hopkins (Student)

Lorenzo Rafael (UOIT Student)

Madison Baylis (Student)

Maira Siddiqui (Student)

Marukan Sivasothy (Student)

Mason Sullivan (UOIT Student)

Mehboob Karim (Student)

Meknie Richard (Student)

Monica Valdez (Student)

Munachiso Ilokah (UOIT Graduate Student)

Nadia Zarei (Student)

Nasheen Dar (Student)

Natalie Irwin (Student)

Nate Smith (Student)

Nikita Noseworthy (Student)

Parth Patel (Student)

Rachel Ross (Student)

Rahul Vaghasia (Student)

Reina Rexhmataj (Student)

Reysol Naval (Student)

Riya Kantharia (Student)

Roozbeh Zahli (UOIT Graduate Student)

Ryan Mavec (Student)

Rylan Mascarenhas (Student)

Sabeeh Ul-Zain (Student)

Sabrina Ferreir (Student)

Sohan Crasta (Student)

Sukhpreet Manan (Student)

Talib Ali (President – UOIT Student Union)

Theodora Papanikolaou (UOIT Student)

Thomas Lato (MASc Student)

Tran Tien Anh Ta (Student)

Vlad Rotaru (Student)

William Dénommé (Graduate Student)

Zach Dunn (UOIT Student)

 


44 Community Members

 

Alex Sirgool (Oshawa)

Amy McQuaid England (Community Member)

Andrew Lauer (Community Member)

Arnaldo Beni (Community Member)

Bill Stratton (Durham Region Labour Council)

Bob Linton (Community Member)

Bryan Hill (Trustee CAUT Defence Fund)

Cathy Beth (Durham Region Labour Council)

Christine McLaughlin (Executive Director, UOITFA)

Cory Weir (Durham Region Labour Council)

Cynthia Bird (Please grant them support not just for the now but for the generation to come – concerned citizen)

Dale Chandler (Father)

Dan Zhang (Community Member)

David Mastin (Teacher)

David Lindsay (Union Member)

David Borman (Associate Professor, Nipissing University)

Denise Martins (UOIT Faculty Association Staff)

Don Nicholls (Community Member)

Franky Schoep (Community Member)

Funmi Olumade (Community Member)

Gord Vickers (Union Member)

Jo-anne Usher (Community Member from the Citizen

Joe Sarnovsky (Community Member)

Joel Usher (Community Member)

John McVey (Community Member)

Johnny MacDonald (President Durham Region Labour Council)

Justin Trach (BITSoc CFO- supporting the faculty on behalf of all of BITSoc’s behalf)

Kaitlyn Teller (USU Staff)

Kim Kent (Community Member)

Larry Lidd (Community Activist)

Lisa Sutton (OPSEU)

Lydia Skirko (Supporter, farmer, student)

Lynn Jacklin (Retired Teacher)

Mary Fowler (Teacher)

Megan McVey (Angry Woman)

Michelle Ninigon (Community Member)

Rachel Jaggernauth (Line production worker)

Reza Mossannen Mozaffary (Richmond Hill)

Rob Goheen (Social Advocate)

Robynne Henry (Community Member)

Sandra Forsythe (Union Member (2936) – Community Advocate)

Sara Labelle (OPSEU)

Savanah Watters (Ally)

Tracy Vyfschaft (OPSEU)

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