And Just Like That

...Another semester comes to an end.

How fitting it is that our work ends on winter solstice- the first day of winter. Today is the shortest day of the year followed tomorrow by the sun's re-birth. From this point forward we will slowly notice the days beginning to get longer again even as the earth rests in silence under its blanket of snow.

As with nature, this is our time to embrace stillness-to rest and reflect so that we too can feel a sense of renewal entering a new year.

Regardless of how or what you observe this time of year, may you all find moments of calm and peace among the chaos. A fresh new beginning awaits us all.

To learn about Winter Solstice traditions around the world, click HERE.

We're All Ears
We want to hear from who have been scheduled for a 7:30 am start time or 9:30 pm finish time and anyone with childcare issues.

Please contact Gillian: gillian.axten@slcfaculty.ca

IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR CONTRACT FACULTY

In mid-November offer letters were sent out for EACH course being offered to you for the winter semester. These were sent using ADOBE SIGN and allow you to respond as accepting or declining the offer. Faculty need to accept each course individually. Contact your AD if you are concerned that you have not properly completed this process.

OPSEU Opportunity!

Hello Region 4 members,
Do you want to learn what we need to do to make big gains in our next round of bargaining? We need to learn new skills so that we can increase involvement and education ahead of the next round of bargaining. We need people to sign up for the excellent Organizing for Power (O4P) training program run by Jane McAlevey and her team at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. There we will learn together what we need to know to organize our locals, so we can make real gains.
You can access a previous promotional video here to get an idea of the tools you will be equipped with. *Please note that the dates in the video are for a previous session
This free training will run for 6 weeks, starting February 8, 2023. What is the commitment for the training? You will need to participate every Wednesday for a 2 hour session starting at either noon, or 8pm. You will also need to attend a 1 hour practice session between weekly sessions with our OPSEU/SEFPO group, the day and time for that session will be decided after everyone is registered. We'll poll people for the best days/times.
In the training we will learn:
leader identification: understanding who can move people, and that it’s often not who you first think;
semantics: recognizing that the words we use matter - they must center each worker’s active participation as key to winning;
structured organizing conversations: preparing what it takes to win over the hardest-to-move leaders;
charting: incorporating a simple method to understand human social relationships, and to prioritize and systematize outreach;
structure tests: developing mini campaigns to build solidarity and site structure, and to know when you are ready to win
After we finish this training we will put these things together to build stronger locals so we can win!
If you are interested in this training email twochris@gmail.com today with your:
Name
Local #
Personal email address
cell phone number
Preference for training session: Wednesdays at noon, or Wednesdays at 8pm
If you have questions, please reach out to me. Encourage the other stewards and members at your local to sign up too! Register today! Deadline to Register is: January 18, 2023.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZmrAQgzLF0
In Solidarity,
Christine Kelsey
Chair, CAAT-S FT Divex
twochris@gmail.com

On December 6th, 1989, 14 women studying to become engineers at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal were shot and killed—all targeted because they were women. This tragedy initiated a dialogue that contributed to tougher gun laws and brought to light the gender-based violence that women continue to face today.
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Winter-Time

Robert Louis Stevenson - 1850-1894

Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,
A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;
Blinks but an hour or two; and then,
A blood-red orange, sets again.

Before the stars have left the skies,
At morning in the dark I rise;
And shivering in my nakedness,
By the cold candle, bathe and dress.

Close by the jolly fire I sit
To warm my frozen bones a bit;
Or with a reindeer-sled, explore
The colder countries round the door.

When to go out, my nurse doth wrap
Me in my comforter and cap;
The cold wind burns my face, and blows
Its frosty pepper up my nose.

Black are my steps on silver sod;
Thick blows my frosty breath abroad;
And tree and house, and hill and lake,
Are frosted like a wedding-cake.

This message has been shared on slcfaculty.ca, the SLC Faculty Local 417 Facebook public page and private group, Twitter, and via the SLC Faculty Local 417 email list.