In a bid to gauge the degree of confidence in the current University of Guelph administration’s plans for the return to campus next week, the University of Guelph Faculty Association (UGFA) released the findings from its latest survey.
The results from the survey, which had a total number of 546 respondents, representing a response rate of 60 per cent, found that two thirds of respondents said they strongly disagree or disagree with the statement “I am confident that the Administration’s current plans for a return to campus will keep the campus and surrounding community safe in Fall 2021.”
Broken down, 40 per cent said they strongly disagreed and 26 per cent said they disagreed.
In contrast, 19 per cent of respondents agreed with the administration's current plan in a robust return to campus.
Of these, eight per cent said they strongly agree with the current plan, and 11 per cent said they agree.
Fifteen per cent of respondents said that they neither agree nor disagree.
“We had heard from many UGFA members who believe that the administration's plans for a return to campus are inadequate to protect the health and safety of UGFA members as well as that of the larger community,” said Mary-Michelle DeCoste, associate professor of Italian studies and president of the UGFA. “The survey sought to gauge the degree of confidence among UGFA members for the administration’s plans for Fall 2021.”
When COVID-19 first began to affect the university, the UGFA and the administration bargained a Letter of Understanding (LOU) to govern the terms and conditions of employment of UGFA members during the pandemic. That LOU expired on August 31.
“We made significant efforts to negotiate a new LOU, but the administration walked away from those negotiations. We have pressed them repeatedly over the summer to return to the bargaining table, and this past Monday we issued them a formal request asking them to do so. They have yet to respond to that request,” said DeCoste.
The results of the survey will be shared with the university's administration, with the UGFA hoping the data will persuade the two parties to return to the bargaining table.
In a written response, a spokesperson for the University of Guelph issued the following statement:
“The University continues to monitor the fluctuations of the COVID-19 pandemic and carefully prepare for the safe delivery of courses for the fall 2021 semester.
We understand that the emergence of a fourth wave of the pandemic, driven by the delta variant, is causing uncertainty among faculty, staff and students. The University has sound safety plans in place, which are consistent with those of other universities, and is taking all the necessary steps to help protect the health and safety of our community. All our decisions have prioritized the student experience and health, wellness, and safety, and are underpinned by the guidance provided by our local and provincial public health units.
The pandemic is an ever-evolving situation. We will continue to listen to our community and follow government directives and public health advice."
