Current negotiations with the Windsor University Faculty Association will have a long-lasting impact on the University and its ability to attract and retain the best people, provide the best student experience, and live within its means.

As part of an ongoing communication effort, the following frequently asked questions have been compiled for your reference. This list will be updated as needed.

1. Where are we in the contract negotiation process?

The summer was spent discussing non-monetary issues. WUFA’s non-monetary proposals would cost the university an estimated $4 million of annual base funding, and due to this expense, a resolution for these issues was not obtained. WUFA filed for conciliation before bargaining on the monetary proposals such as pension cost sharing and salaries could begin.

2. What would cost sharing mean for members of the Faculty Pension Plan?

The University’s increasing pension costs have been detailed in President’s Updates and town hall meetings so that the entire campus community is aware of them. Update #13 addressed these costs in detail. The Faculty Plan is a hybrid plan, with a Money Purchase component and a Minimum Guarantee Benefit (MGB) component. Plan members have been making pension contributions of 6 percent of their salary, which funds only the Money Purchase component of the Plan.

The funding of the Faculty Plan, as currently structured and without change, will see the University paying an amount equal to 18 percent of members’ salaries to the Plan and members paying 6 percent. This is because members do not contribute to the cost of the MGB, with those costs borne fully by the University.  The MGB costs to the University are estimated to be $9.4 million, or just over 12 percent of members’ salaries, in addition to the 6 percent it pays as matching contributions to the Money Purchase component. These escalating costs to the University are not sustainable.

Cost sharing would move us to a more equitable sharing of the full costs of the pension plan. By comparison, members of the Employee Pension Plan, which include all other union and non-union employees, share equally in the entire costs of their Plan. Full cost sharing of the Faculty Plan would significantly help the University reduce its deficit position in the operating budget.

3. What happens next?

The University believes that a fair and fiscally responsible agreement can be reached with the assistance of a conciliator appointed by the Ministry of Labour. Conciliation dates are scheduled for September 12, 14, 19, 22 and 23.

Windsor and Essex County Mennonites trying to navigate their way through the complexities of the legal system may find more understanding ears listening to their problems thanks to the work of a UWindsor student who spent her summer learning about the justice system and offering ways to increase cultural sensitivity to vulnerable communities.

“There’s a lot of misunderstanding and misconceptions about Mennonites within the justice system,” said Tawnie Grayer, who enters her second year of the four-year Master of Social Work/Juris Doctor program this fall. “A lack of cultural sensitivity creates distance between the justice system and ordinary citizens, but justice belongs to everyone.”

Grayer spent her social work field placement at the Ministry of Community Safety & Correctional Services’ probation and parole office in Leamington. She attended court hearings, counselled clients, conducted intake interviews and case summaries. She also used standard tools to make recommendations about the level of supervision offenders required and suggested interventions to reduce recidivism.

Some of her clients were Mennonites, who due to a combination of their own cultural norms and the often confusing nature of the justice system, may have struggled to comply with their court orders. Having grown up in nearby Harrow, Grayer was familiar with Mennonite customs. So she took what she already knew, combined it with the research she conducted with her clients and a representative of the Mennonite Central Committee and a hefty amount of reading, and then prepared a presentation about Mennonites to help the Leamington parole officers better understand the community. The presentation, among other things, covered Mennonite history as well as their core beliefs and values.

“The goal was to improve relationships between the Mennonite and justice communities and promote anti-oppressive practice,” said Grayer, who earned her undergraduate degree in Women’s Studies and Communication, Media and Film. “Many people in minority communities have well-founded mistrust of justice system. Without taking the time to understand the history of a community and its fears, you may be less effective in reducing recidivism.”

Grayer’s mid-July presentation was so well received by upper management in the Leamington office that they recommended she deliver it to parole officers in the Windsor office too. She did that in early August.

“She did a fantastic job,” said Michelle Pope, the assistant area manager in the ministry’s Windsor office. “It was very well researched and it was very well received. We have our minds turned towards diversity issues here and it was very useful to have that information. She was terrific.”

Grayer said her summer experience was excellent and gave her a great deal of preparation for the second year of her academic program, but perhaps more importantly, provided her with a sense that she made a small contribution to the greater good.

“It’s overwhelming sometimes when you think about the difference you can make as an individual,” she said.

The MSW/JD program will provide her with the credentials to practice social work or law, however, she still hasn’t settled on one or the other.

“Somewhere I’ll be working with vulnerable populations facing systemic barriers. I know I’ll do that. I hate injustice.”

Editor's note: this is one of a series of articles about students from across campus who were engaged in cool research projects and other activities during the summer.

BComm student Cole Barbour said a voucher for a semester’s tuition he won during a draw at Wednesday’s Welcoming Celebration will help to keep him afloat, which comes in handy in his line of work—he’s a combat information officer with the Canadian Navy.

Currently holding the rank of ordinary seaman, Barbour hopes that completing his degree at the Odette School of Business will help him to advance.

Thousands of ballots were entered in the draw, sponsored by the University of Windsor Alumni Association.  New students and their parents received ballots each time they participated in Head Start activities.

“I’m pretty excited about winning,” Barbour said. “I’ve been getting support from my parents and the navy, but this really helps.”

He was one of thousands of first-year students who filled the St. Denis Centre for the Welcoming Celebration. Besides program partisans chanting and singing, the event featured presentations by UWindsor President Alan Wildeman and dean of students Clayton Smith, a video of deans reminiscing about their own school days, and a performance by juggler Crazy Craig.

Juggler Craig Wise, AKA Crazy Craig, warms up before his performance, which included knives, a unicycle, and balancing 10 folding chairs on his chin.

Nursing student Mervat Khalil adds her signature to the Class of 2015 banner.

Engineering major Austin Crough joins kinesiology students Chelsey Drouillard, Joseph Ellenberger, Hannah Robson and Spencer Bedard in a demonstration of futures so bright, they collectively have to wear shades.

Music students make noise during the Welcoming Celebration for new students.

Exchange students Therese Vegehall and Isa Morheden of Sweden flank Yui Togashi of Japan in the St. Denis Centre fieldhouse following the Welcoming Celebration.

Windsor Welcome Week continues today as classes begin in most programs. The Vendor Fair runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the courtyard outside the CAW Student Centre, promising freebies, fun and friendly faces.

The Campus Safety Audit Committee, the School of Dramatic Art and the Educational Development Centre present the hilarious play Single & Sexy at 7 p.m. in the St. Denis Centre, inviting you to watch eight students as they progress through their first year at University.

Friday’s activities include the Campus Community Clean-up litter drive, the Residence Gladiators competition and the Taste of Windsor eatery walking tour. Saturday is Shinerama Shine Day with events from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., including the home openers of Lancer soccer. Visit www.windsorwelcomeweek.ca for a full list of events, locations and times.

A series of discussions are scheduled for Humanities Week, presented by the Humanities Research Group, September 12 to 16.

Philosophy professor Jeff Noonan will host a Philosophers’ Café on Monday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. at Phog Lounge, 157 University Avenue West, on the topic “What Would be Lost if We Lost Philosophy?”

Gordon Drake, a physics professor and principal of Canterbury College, will deliver a lecture entitled “Religion and Artificial Intelligence: A Look to the Future” at 3 p.m. Wednesday, September 14, in Assumption University’s Freed-Orman Centre.

UWindsor associate vice-president of academic affairs Bruce Tucker, a history professor, will share his reflections on “9/11 Ten Years After” at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, September 15, in the Freed-Orman Centre.

All events are free and open to the public. Learn more at www.uwindsor.ca/hrg.

The Organization of Part-time University Students will outline services available to its members as part of a week dedicated to new and returning part-time undergraduate students, September 8 to 16.

Student Appreciation Week will celebrate the start of the academic year and the inclusion of part-time distance education students as OPUS members with prize giveaways, including a USB flash drive, a day planner, a ceramic coffee mug and a t-shirt for each of its members, while supplies last.

To claim your free gift, stop by the OPUS office in room 172, CAW Student Centre starting September 8, call 519-971-3603 or e-mail opus@uwindsor.ca.

Think you know Detroit? Today’s DailyNews quiz will test your Motor City IQ.

Up for grabs is a 500 mL stainless steel water bottle, stencilled with the Alumni logo, courtesy of the Alumni Affairs office. The winner will be selected at random from all correct responses received by 4 p.m. Thursday, September 8. To be eligible, please identify who or what is known as:

1. Boston cooler
   a) an ice cream float made with Vernor’s ginger ale
   b) Mark Fidrych’s change-up pitch
   c) a snub-nosed handgun
   d) a trunk full of ice, used when tailgating
   .
2. Coney dog
   a) canine breed also known as a dachshund
   b) a hotdog topped with chili, onions and mustard
   c) stage name of rapper Marshall Mathers
   d) slang term for a car thief
   .
3. Detroit Iron
   a) a snub-nosed handgun
   b) the steaming electric clothes iron
   c) a vitamin and mineral supplement
   d) US made automobiles, especially muscle cars
   .
4. Michigan left
   a) in bowling, a split involving the 5- and 7-pins
   b) Detroit Tigers’ left-fielder Al Kaline
   c) the 1960s political movement spawned by the Port Huron Statement
   d) a traffic manoeuvre combining a right-hand turn and a U-turn
   .
5. Motor City Madman
   a) Alice Cooper
   b) Ted Lindsay
   c) Ted Nugent
   d) Iggy Pop

Contest is open to all readers of the DailyNews. Send an e-mail with your responses to uofwnews@uwindsor.ca. One entry per contestant, please. Note: the decision of the judge in determining the most correct response is inviolable.

This prize awaits the winner of today’s contest. A durable and lightweight stainless steel water bottle, it boasts a capacity of 500 mL, a carbineer clip, a tight-sealing polypropylene screw cap and a UWindsor Alumni logo imprinted on the side.

Alumnus puts writer trivia in the bag

Matt Caplin, a two-time UWindsor grad (BComm and B.Ed), won Wednesday's DailyNews contest and the prize of a jute shopping bag provided by the Alumni Office.

His name was drawn from all entrants who correctly responded that the University Players have produced the David French plays Leaving Home, Jitters, Salt-Water Moon and That Summer; Alistair MacLeod published As Birds Bring Forth the Sun and Other Stories before his first novel; W.O. Mitchell published How I Spent My Summer Holidays during his time at UWindsor; Joyce Carol Oates' novella Black Water was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and adapted into an opera; and Nino Ricci won his first Governor General’s Award for Fiction for Lives of the Saints.

The University Advancement Office is seeking a dynamic team of students to work as canvassers for its 2011 phone campaign, which begins this year on September 26 and will continue until November 24.

“Successful applicants will be enthusiastic, motivated, looking for a challenge, possess a good grasp of the English language and a clear speaking voice,” says Mona Dosen, development officer, annual giving. “They must have confidence to communicate with UWindsor alumni by telephone to encourage their financial support of the university and to update their address, e-mail and employment information for their alumni record.”

Student canvassers will make calls Mondays through Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Training will be provided and scheduling is designed to meet individual timetables. Interested students may schedule an interview by phoning Dosen at 519-253-3000, ext. 4279. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, September 20.

The Paul Martin Law Library is open on a special schedule this week,

• 8:30 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. today
• 8:30 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. Friday, September 9
• 11 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. Saturday, September 10
• 1 to 4:50 p.m. Sunday, September 11

and begins its regular hours of operation on Monday, September 12:

• Monday to Thursday—8:30 a.m. to 10:50 p.m.
• Fridays—8:30 a.m. to 4:50 p.m.
• Saturday—10 a.m. to 4:50 p.m.
• Sundays—11 a.m. to 10:50 p.m.

The law library will close on Monday, October 10, for the Thanksgiving holiday. Its schedule will change for the second half of the semester; library staff will announce the new hours of operation as they come into effect.