A Statement to the University Community

October 27, 2011

For Immediate Release

The Board of Governors and Dr Deborah Poff are now maintaining that despite large revenue increases from the Selinger government (5%  per year for the next three years and tuition increases of 1%-1.5% in 2011 and 2012 respectively), they are impoverished and cannot afford in years 1 and 2 of the contract with BUFA to go above 0.5% and 1.0%. This is a position held by one of the highest paid university presidents in Canada (relative to the number of students and the annual budget of BU).

Dr Poff and the Board of Governors have gone from hiding behind a fictitious government mandate to universities of 0-0-2%, to comparing their offer with the settlements at Universities of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba (which were reached before the significant increases in operating grants given by the NDP government to all Manitoba universities).

Moreover, Dr Poff does not agree that faculty at BU should have workloads equivalent to our colleagues at the Universities of Manitoba and Winnipeg (and elsewhere throughout the country). Nor will she accept collegial involvement in the design and operation of policies that impact the workplace environment at Brandon University.

Then it was on to the pension plan deficit. The plan, like most in Canada, saw a significant decline in assets of 16.7% in 2008, but recovered dramatically in 2009 and 2010 with 16.8 and 11.2% gains respectively.  We have confidence in the plan’s investment managers Conners, Clark and Lunn to end this year close to break-even or to be in a slightly better position. We believe these three year results will have a significant impact on the solvency ratio.

We ask our colleagues, students and friends to ask the Board of Governors what is the real reason for an attempt on the part of Dr Poff and her team to generate and set aside large surpluses over the next three years for their discretionary use.  For example, could it be that there is a cash-flow problem emerging with the Healthy Living Centre, with delays in government funding and a dismal fundraising effort to this point?

BUFA Bargaining Team