Students not considered in the BUFA and administration negotiation process
Katherine Gottli
Issue date: 12/12/06 Section: News
Now that the BUFA and the Brock administration have come to a tentative agreement and the academic year has not been interrupted, students can continue to write their exams according to schedule.
Throughout negotiations, however, many students felt as though their needs were not being considered in the process, exemplified by the student sit-in in front of the Schmon Tower in the days leading up to the Dec. 3 negotiation meeting.
Though many were created for humour purposes, countless numbers of student groups on the Web site Facebook, were created urging Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA) and the administration to come to a settlement as to not interrupt student's academic careers.
Christina Mychaskiw, a second year biology student, felt as though the students were not given enough information about the negotiations process, let alone the actual possibility of a strike.
"Many of us are too lazy to read our BUFA e-mails, much less our textbooks. I found it difficult to keep track of what was going on really, maybe I could have had there been more effort to make people aware of the situation," Mychaskiw said. "Perhaps by explaining briefly in lecture halls, or having kiosks in Walker or in Mac Chown."
The specific needs of international students, beyond the needs of domestic students were also neglected, according to Teresa Cecchini, a third year English major. Cecchini is involved with the international students program, and witnessed one specific international student who was in desperate need of her final marks by Dec. 30 in order to graduate in her home country. She would be be denied any special assistance from her professor in the event of a strike, and unable to graduate without these marks. The lack of concern on behalf of some professors for the students was quite disheartening to her.
"I don't think that they understand or even considered the kind of jeopardy they were putting the students into," Cecchini said. "They just didn't seem to care for some reason."
Throughout negotiations, however, many students felt as though their needs were not being considered in the process, exemplified by the student sit-in in front of the Schmon Tower in the days leading up to the Dec. 3 negotiation meeting.
Though many were created for humour purposes, countless numbers of student groups on the Web site Facebook, were created urging Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA) and the administration to come to a settlement as to not interrupt student's academic careers.
Christina Mychaskiw, a second year biology student, felt as though the students were not given enough information about the negotiations process, let alone the actual possibility of a strike.
"Many of us are too lazy to read our BUFA e-mails, much less our textbooks. I found it difficult to keep track of what was going on really, maybe I could have had there been more effort to make people aware of the situation," Mychaskiw said. "Perhaps by explaining briefly in lecture halls, or having kiosks in Walker or in Mac Chown."
The specific needs of international students, beyond the needs of domestic students were also neglected, according to Teresa Cecchini, a third year English major. Cecchini is involved with the international students program, and witnessed one specific international student who was in desperate need of her final marks by Dec. 30 in order to graduate in her home country. She would be be denied any special assistance from her professor in the event of a strike, and unable to graduate without these marks. The lack of concern on behalf of some professors for the students was quite disheartening to her.
"I don't think that they understand or even considered the kind of jeopardy they were putting the students into," Cecchini said. "They just didn't seem to care for some reason."
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