January 6, 2004 To the students of UPEI:

In August of 2001, the faculty, librarians and academic staff of UPEI entered into a new relationship with the university's Administration when the UPEI Faculty Association certified a trade union under the laws of this province We took this step to assure UPEI's continued evolution as a vibrant university that we can be proud to be a part of.

Our goal for a contract has been simple. We believe that the academic staff of UPEI

deserve wages and working conditions that are at least on par with other primarily undergradu-

ate universities in Atlantic Canada.

To be clear, wages are only*@ items that are up for discussion. Th ing a deal that

1) will allow our members to more realistic balance between teaching. research;

2) will allow our members to con fruits of their intellectual activities, develo ments and discoveries;

3) establishes commonly accepted pro- cedures and standards for the assessment of © career development and advancement;

4) assures that all our members, both faculty and others, enjoy the important right of academic freedom in all their endeavours for the university.

Why are these important? For the most part, the quality of your education at UPEI (and, indeed, the education of UPEI students of the future) depends on the quality of the professors, librarians, and instructors that come here to

f the Ais seek-

p gress, along with ones where e bee we hit one of

FACULTY

teach, do research, and serve the community.

For UPEI to remain a leader in quality post-sec-

ondary education, the university must offer an attractive environment in which to establish a career. The points listed above are vital comp

tutions. Unfortunately, that process may necessi-

tate either a lock-out on the part of the

Administration, or strike action by the FA. We

certainly hope it does not come to that, and will.

do all we can to avoid it. We will only do so if it become obvious that it is needed to achieve a fair deal for our members.

UPEI Cadre January 8, 2004 page 16

University of Prince Edward Island

ASSOCIATION

_ We understand, and sympathize with, your concern about any interruption to the aca- demic term. As your teachers, we desperately

want continue to be with you in the classroom,

I boratory, studio, library, or elsewhere that aca- ic staff and students get together to pursue ‘ancement of knowledge. We must, how- think about the long-term future of ur role in building that future. encourage you to talk to your pro- tructors about the important role and research play in their

e educational experience of the ey work with. Ask them about issues in this process, including above.

e you to visit our web-site at ifa.org to learn about our activi- tives in this process. Virtually ents are publically accessible; vantage in being very secretive. der the Job Action Committee page arly informative.

inally, tell us what you think. The sin- ost important thing that we do at UPEI is ide an education to students. Were it not for you, there would be no reason for a university. Your opinion is important. You can write to me c/o the UPEI Faculty Association, Main Bldg. UPEI. My email is LHALE@UPEI.CA.

Thank you for taking the time to read

the ;

ever, < UPEI,

fessors that both careers

this. Sincerely yours, Lawrence R. Hale, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Biology, and President, UPEI Faculty Association