Hey Bisons,
It is with great pleasure we confirm that following last night’s ratification vote the University of Manitoba Administration and our Faculty Association (UMFA) have reached an agreement ending the labor strike. As of Today, Tuesday December 7, classes that have been on pause due to the strike will resume immediately. Note that no assessment or assignments can be schedule before this Friday December 10th.
We know the transition back to classes will not be easy. With the strike lasting 5 weeks, there is the need to make up for the missed class time for courses that have been disrupted. The result is a new academic calendar that will be confirmed in the coming days. The Revised Fall Term exam schedule will be available on December 9th and we will provide you with updates about the Winter semester once the University Administration confirms more details.
While these academic calendar changes will impact all students negatively, UMSU will work to help mitigate the effects this new winter term will have on student’s mental health and academic success. We have been in constant communication with administration, advocating for the monetary, mental, and academic well-being of students.
We hope to continue consultation with the continuity steering committee about our compassionate grading proposal and have compassionate policies implemented by senate. We have heard your concerns about the cancellation of Winter Reading Week. We know this is an important break for many of us, alleviating stress and mitigating burn-out. For this reason, UMSU will be lobbying and working with administration to try and recover our Winter reading week and/or provide a meaningful break for students.
Though it will be an unusual start to the next semester, we are excited to see you back on campus. If you’re going to be back on campus through the first weeks of January and you have purchased parking passes for the fall semester, you will be able to use these passes until the end of the extended fall semester on January 24. We are also happy to announce that the U-Pass is back effective January 1st – you can pick up your U-Pass Peggo card at our Service Centre located at 101 UMSU University Centre – please bring your student ID card! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at umsu@umsu.ca
While the strike is over, the toll on the student body most certainly remains and will continue to impact us as we move through this adjusted schedule. A reminder that all students on the UMSU Health and Dental plan have access to Empower Me, a 24/7 mental health service. Toll free 1-833-628-5589.
We will continue to work on strike related advocacy, and we want you to know that UMSU is here for you. We encourage you to send any and all concerns to pres@umsu.ca. Though it has been a hard month full of uncertainty, we look forward to Winter Semester where our university community will finally be back in person.
Brendan Scott, President,
University of Manitoba Students’ Union
Emily Kalo Vice President Advocacy,
University of Manitoba Students’ Union
