An Open Letter to our students

To CBU Students, 

This isn’t where we wanted to be, and we just want to let you know we are frustrated too.

We love the work we do. All of us are in this line of work because we love teaching, we love research, and we love inspiring students. We’ve been very lucky that we get to share our passion for education with you.

In the coming days you’re going to hear that the CBU Faculty Association has, from the beginning, only ever been interested in money. We are sad that our own employer would try to mischaracterize us this way. It is true that we’ve asked for a pay raise that allows us to deal with the soaring cost of living—no doubt. The difference between CBUFA’s proposal and CBU’s offer amounts to a small percentage of CBU’s 2022 revenue of more than $99 million. CBU’s admin considers this impossible, while generously helping themselves to significant raises.

But money isn’t the issue. Our administration has disrespected our union at every turn. They’ve stomped on our collective agreement amassing an astonishing 64 labour grievances since the current president took office. By comparison, the University of Saskatchewan—with six times the faculty—posts an average of only seven grievances each year. The CBU administration continues to mistreat international students, mismanage growth, and contribute to community-wide problems, while amassing enormous profits, collecting handsome raises, and chiseling away at the salaries of the people who provide the education by denying them modest cost of living increases. Their for-profit approach to education destabilizes what could be a bright future for the university, the community, and for you.

We love working at CBU, with both our students and our community. We are fighting to create a stable, prosperous future for you so you can be proud of the education you received here. We want our university to be about education and community—not about profits. 

In Solidarity,

CBUFA