University and External Affairs

UTFA Undergraduate and Graduate Student Awards
The most rewarding and immediately impactful part of my responsibilities as Vice-President, University and External Affairs has been organizing, awarding, and presenting the UTFA undergraduate and graduate student awards. The members of the University and External Affairs Committee are thrilled to support these exceptional scholars and look forward to meeting them during the Annual General Meeting.

In my role as Vice-President, University and External Affairs, I represent UTFA on the Board of Directors of both the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). These organizations are dedicated to advancing the interests of faculty and librarians across the province and country, respectively.

Academic Freedom and Free Speech

As Vice-President, University and External Affairs, I represent UTFA on the Board of OCUFA and on the Ontario caucus of CAUT. Both organizations have vigorously pursued the concerns of faculty and librarians this past year, especially around issues of contingent faculty, the casualization of teaching, and confrontation of sexism and sexual violence on campus. These themes, plus the implications of (welcome) leadership change in Ottawa, dominated the agenda of the CAUT Council meeting in November. 

I liaised for UTFA and OCUFA on three provincial initiatives: