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News Pedagogy

COVID-19: Nobody Signed Up For This

Some principles and guidelines for teaching through an unprecedented and interrupted semester – adapted from this article: www.chronicle.com/article/Nobody-Signed-Up-for/248298


1. Nobody signed up for this.

  • Not for the sickness, not for the social distancing, not for the sudden end of our collective lives together on campus.
  • Not for an online class, not for teaching remotely, not for learning from home, not for mastering new technologies, not for varied access to learning materials.

2. The humane option is the best option.

  • We are going to prioritize supporting each other as humans.
  • We are going to prioritize simple solutions that make sense for the most.
  • We are going to prioritize sharing resources and communicating clearly.

3. We cannot just do the same thing online.

  • Some assignments are no longer possible.
  • Some expectations are no longer reasonable.
  • Some objectives are no longer valuable.

4. We will foster intellectual nourishment, social connection, and personal accommodation.

  • Accessible asynchronous content for diverse access, time zones, and contexts.
  • Optional synchronous discussion to learn together and combat isolation.

5.We will remain flexible and adjust to the situation.

  • Nobody knows where this is going and what we’ll need to adapt.
  • Everybody needs support and understanding in this unprecedented moment.
Categories
News Regular Sessional

Students & fair labour at ECU: Talk by Terra Poirier

Tuesday Feb 11, 11:30am to 12:30pm The Working Studio, which is located in the atrium in the east end of the 2nd floor.  Emily Carr University Wheelchair accessible.  

In 2018, student Terra Poirier became concerned with the under compensation and lack of job security faced by most of her instructors and decided to make labour issues at Emily Carr University the focus of her graduation project.

She created a photographic installation outside the president’s office to draw attention to the lack of work space for sessional instructors (underpaid contract faculty), and she created the artist book “Non-Regular: Precarious academic labour at Emily Carr University of Art + Design” in collaboration with 26 instructors and other artists (published by UNIT/PITT Projects). The project earned local and national media attention and was launched to a standing-room-only audience.

Unfair labour practices continue to be a concern at ECU. Join Poirier for a talk on her process and motivations, and a discussion of what students can do to educate and mobilize on these issues.

The facebook event is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/489350455297849/  

Books will be available at a discounted rate for students.  

This talk is presented by the ECU Faculty Association as part of their The Work of the Work faculty exhibition which runs until February 14: https://www.facebook.com/events/1490533891104861/  

Emily Carr University is on unceded Coast Salish territories, specifically the lands belonging to the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

Categories
News Regular Sessional

The Work of the Work

The theme of this exhibition—which features work by Emily Carr University of Art and Design instructors—focuses on the relationship between labour and creative practice, inspired by “the challenging working conditions faculty face at this institution.”

  • January 31–February 14, 2020
  • Opening: Thursday, January 30th 4:00 – 7:00
  • Emily Carr University, 2nd Floor

Organizers are still looking for more faculty contributors to include images of your studio and projects that you are working on. There will also be a working studio where you can create work in person for any duration while the show is up. Get in touch with Alex Phillips <bphillips@ecuad.ca> for more info and to participate. 


https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/02/04/Emily-Carr-Faculty-Art-Zing-Employer/

Categories
Bargaining News

Happy New Year

We would like to wish all faculty a happy new year!

The big news here is that Collective bargaining at ECU has begun! Not only is this a time to reflect on all the work we put into our various roles as members of the Faculty Association, it is also a time for action. Some important things we are focusing on in this round of bargaining are Right to Available Work, Compensation, and Teaching Load.

Join us at the monthly Faculty Association meeting to hear updates in person and let us know if you have questions.

Categories
News

Announcing Researcher/Coordinator Position

In March 2019, the ECUAD Faculty Association’s 2014-2019 contract with ECUAD Administration will expire.

The ECUADFA is looking for faculty members to research and prepare materials that will be used to assist our Bargaining Committee renegotiate our contract.

Regular and Non-Regular faculty members are welcome and encouraged to participate in this project, to best represent the priorities of our entire membership.

Details regarding the position are included in this PDF: ECUADFA RESEARCHER POSITION Summer-Fall 2018

Please send letters of interest by April 15, 2018 to the ECUAD Faculty Association general email: ecuadfa@gmail.com

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Meeting Minutes

Protected: General Meeting Minutes – 2017-01-23

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News

Future of Education Contest

The Future of Education Contest invites Emily Carr students to propose artworks that could describe personal stories of struggle and/or triumph, fictional scenarios, systemic critiques, wild ideas and dreams for a society that values affordable and accessible higher education for all. $10,000 in project funding will be distributed amongst ten finalists to execute their concepts. Upon successful completion of the projects, each finalist will be awarded an additional $1,000 in prize money! The artworks will be on view at an All-Candidates meeting and launch party leading up to Provincial election on May 9, 2017.

For more information see Future of Education website

Categories
Meeting Minutes

Protected: General Meeting Minutes – 2016-10-17

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Categories
News

Open The Doors

Categories
News

Dangerous Times

Dear Emily Carr students,

In the wake of the American presidential election, we as faculty have been witnessing higher levels of anxiety, fear, and stress in many of you, who understand the threat that Donald Trump poses to our efforts to build a peaceful society. 

We are devastated and disappointed that a candidate who promulgates xenophobia, racism, and misogyny now leads the United States. We are hearing stories of violence, intimidation and silencing tactics on the rise, as those who espouse hate and inequality feel they have more social license to bully others.

We do live in dangerous times.

We also live in times where it is more urgent than ever to exercise our freedoms to speak and act, both individually and collectively, and cultivate wisdom in our communities. The hard won victories of the civil rights movement, the feminist movement, the labour movement, the LGBT movement, and more, matter deeply; they should not and cannot be destroyed by one authoritarian appealing to people’s fear and anger. Commitment to love and equality continues and persists. We see the leadership of Indigenous peoples at Standing Rock currently, courageously coming together to protect water for everyone’s sake. We stand in solidarity with those who welcome diversity, love each other, the land, the water, and life itself, which depends on the health of the watersheds that we all depend on.

It is unusual for us, as a Faculty Association, to make such a statement. But these are unusual times. This election is a wake up call for many, and as such, a teachable moment as well. Those of us in art schools and universities can exercise our academic and artistic freedoms, which are more important than ever. We can take care of ourselves and each other. Be gentle with one another, but also loving, honest, and rigorous as we enter into dialogues with one another and with those who may have supported Trump, or come from families or communities that do. Respect for difference is critical for a shared, peaceful future. Gathered as we are on unceded Coast Salish territories, we have responsibilities to come together for the sake of peace and reconciliation.

As we process this historical moment together, in bewilderment as well as in courage, please know that we are with you in building a just and loving world for everyone. Historical movements in the past have succeeded despite huge odds and obstacles, and our creative spirit, overcoming challenges, strengthens the power of the people.

In solidarity,

The Emily Carr Faculty Association