A photo of Kaneff Tower against a light blue sky at dusk
YUFA and the five other member groups of the York Cross-Campus Alliance (CCA) have jointly written to the University Secretary, Maureen Armstrong, to request the right to speak at the upcoming Board of Governors meeting on February 28. A total of seven representatives will attend on behalf of the CCA. We have indicated that we would like to speak about the presidential search and the ongoing strike by food service workers at York.
This is a critical meeting of the Board of Governors. In the last third of the meeting (see agenda here), the Board will discuss in a closed session the recommendation of the Presidential Search Committee to appoint the next president of York University. It is expected that the Board will ratify the Committee's recommendation, although the York community and the wider public will continue to be excluded from meaningful participation in this process.
A number of other critical issues will be discussed in the public portion of the meeting (1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.), including the Board's proposal to raise undergraduate tuition fees by three per cent and professional program tuition fees by five per cent. It is during the public portion of the meeting that CCA members hope to have the chance to speak.
YUFA is encouraging all members who are interested in these issues and who would like to strengthen collegial processes at the University to attend this meeting. All other member groups of the Cross-Campus Alliance will be encouraging their members to attend this meeting, too. The details are as follows:
Board of Governors meeting
Tuesday, February 28
1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Kaneff Tower, 5th floor
Article IV (16) (i) of the General By-Laws of the Board of Governors clearly state that meetings of the Board are open to the public. We therefore expect that the Board of Governors will prepare accordingly and guarantee that all those who wish to attend the meeting may do so. We urge the Board to consider booking an alternate location in the event that a bigger venue is required.
In response to growing concerns across campus about the nature of the presidential search process, YUFA and the York Cross-Campus Alliance have issued the following statements:
- YUFA statement on the presidential search (November 23, 2017)
- Joint-statement about presidential search (November 25, 2016)
- Cross-Campus Alliance response to Board of Governors' statement on York's presidential search (January 10, 2017)
The Cross-Campus Alliance includes:
- Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 1356 (CUPE 1356)
- Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 3903 (CUPE 3903)
- York Federation of Students (YFS)
- York University Faculty Association (YUFA)
- York University Graduate Students’ Association (YUGSA)
- York University Staff Association (YUSA)
Together, these groups represent tens of thousands of students, staff and faculty at York University.
For more information, please email [email protected].