Dear members of the Arts Undergraduate Society:
In November 2012, the Faculty of Arts began the “People, Processes, & Partnerships” (PPP) project to review administrative structures and practices within the Faculty. Recently, students have raised concerns about the proposed changes – namely concerning advising, the movement of support staff, student space, and levels of student consultation. Accordingly, I would like to invite you to attend a Town Hall, at which Dean Christopher Manfredi, Associate Dean (Student Affairs) Lucy Lach, and Associate Dean (Academic Administration and Oversight) Gillian Lane-Mercier will be present to answer your questions and address your concerns.
Town Hall: People, Processes, and Partnerships (PPP)
Wednesday, January 22, 2014 · 5:30-7:30 PM · Leacock 219
The PPP was initiated in Fall 2012 in response to a “two-for-one” hiring restriction, in which only one staff member could be hired for every two staff members who left the University. The Voluntary Retirement Program (VRP) and ensuing hiring freeze in response to the provincial budget cuts in Winter 2013 further exacerbated concerns about adequate levels of staffing in the Faculty to meet growing needs – of students, professors, and other members of the University community.
The current direction of the project calls for the creation of six administrative support units to support sixteen academic departments: two in Leacock, one in Sherbrooke 688, one in Arts/Ferrier, one for Islamic Studies, and one for Social Work. This is a stark contrast from the proposal on the table last Winter semester that was largely rejected by members of the Faculty community, which would have grouped many departmental support staff on certain floors of the Leacock building and would have involved significantly more physical moves.
The Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) has been involved in the PPP project at the subgroup-level, voicing student concerns and providing relevant input. It is our hope that this Town Hall will allow more students the opportunity to express their perspectives on the changes occurring within the Faculty of Arts. From personal experience, AUS Town Halls have served as valuable fora for direct engagement with the administration as well as for the solidification of action items to address the concerns that are raised.
I hope to see you at Wednesday’s Town Hall at 5:30 in Leacock 219. If you have any questions or concerns, or you are unable to make the Town Hall and would like a question to be asked, please feel free to email me directly. For more information, as well as the most recent floorplans for Leacock, Sherbrooke 688, and Arts/Ferrier, you can visit the PPP website.
All the best for a fruitful semester,
Justin Fletcher
President
Arts Undergraduate Society of McGill University
