As post-secondary institutions across the country experience budget shortfalls as a result of federal legislation limiting the amount of international students allowed in the country, the Camosun College Faculty Association (CCFA) is calling on the school to be more transparent as they budget for the future.
At the April 14 board meeting, Camosun's board of governors approved the college’s budget for the coming fiscal year with total revenue of $171,955,297 and total expenditure of $171,955,297, though the CCFA is hoping the province – who has the final say on the budget – will further mediate the process.
"They're saying everything's changing too fast for them to be able to predict. So all of the cuts that they're making right now are pre-emptive in nature. We don't actually know that it's going to be an $11 million shortfall," said CCFA president Lynelle Yutani, adding that the unions have been shut out from budget discussions, saying they have repeatedly asked for numbers, budgets, and evidence that justifies the "sweeping changes," but all they got was "radio silence."
In a phone interview with Saanich News in late March, Camosun president Lane Trotter said they are expecting an $11 million budget shortfall this year, linked to federal legislation reducing the number of allowed international students. Trotter explained that the shortfall has resulted in several positions being eliminated and some employees being allowed to retire early or take voluntary severance pay.
"We recognize that balancing the budget can bring uncertainty for our campus community, and we remain committed to transparent communication with our students and employees," said Trotter in an April 14 news release.
For CCFA members, they have seen a reduction of nine full-time jobs since labour adjustments began in November, and they've received notice that 19 more jobs are expected to be removed by September, according to Yutani, adding that CUPE employees have seen an even larger reduction in jobs.
"And it's ironic because the college's new tagline is 'your path to success.' But if you don't have enough choice, it's really hard to form a path," she said.
The school noted in the release that throughout this process, their focus has been on preserving "core educational functions" and ensuring programs are responsive to the needs of students, employers and industry, while they responsibly manage the budget.
"We're justifiably upset at the way that they've treated us during this time of crisis, right? We want to be there, we want to work together," said Yutani. "Camosun College is a wonderful organization and it serves the community and it serves students, but if we don't have the right services and the right faculty for the courses and the right staff to support everything that we do, then we're not going to be able to maintain that student experience that we're well known for."
The CCFA represents over 600 faculty members at Camosun, including instructors, research librarians, counsellors, and curriculum developers.
