BUFA’s recent Town Hall took place on September 9, 2025 4:45 p.m. in CHO 212 and on Zoom. For those who missed it, here is an outline of the discussion that took place.
Gautam Srivastava, BUFA President, spoke on the following topics on the minds of BUFA members and asked members for feedback, suggestions and encouraged questions throughout the meeting.
ERP Project Report
With the BDO report on the failed ERP project arriving in email recently and two articles on the topic in the Brandon Sun, Gautam begin the meeting with this. He briefly reviewed the timeline back to April of 2024 when BUFA threatened non-confidence action should the Board of Governors fail to initiate an audit. In October 2024, the employer was given more time to initiate the audit. However, by April 2025, the membership had lost patience and passed a vote of non-confidence.
The recent Brandon Sun articles about the BDO report and the follow-up editorial mentioned key details and similar concerns to those raised by BUFA since learning of the failed project. As we await the $50 million project to the Brodie Building, the Board of Governors and administration must learn from the errors highlighted in the BDO report to rebuild trust, transparency, communication, and accountability.
Member Survey
Gautam highlighted the results from a recent survey and noted that this information has been shared with the members of administration on the Joint Administrative Committee and verbally on a Zoom meeting in July with BU’s new president Christine Cnossen. Gautam’s first impression of Cnossen from their Zoom meeting is positive, and he indicated she is aware of and staying on top of current BU news. She shared her hope of building a positive relationship with the faculty association.
A brief discussion, initiated from the floor, followed about the Board of Governors. Questions were raised about how much training they receive about their responsibilities and how to carry them out. Gautam indicated that he does communicate somewhat regularly with Kevan Sumner, Board Chair. Members of the audience underscored that the Board will need to make concerted efforts to regain trust with the campus community.
Safety Audit
Next, Gautam addressed the topic of the ongoing safety audit. While the university has implemented some measures, they have kept the initial report to themselves indicating it would undermine campus safety if it were shared widely. Stantec, the company conducting the audit, is expected to conduct some meetings on campus, but it is not clear with whom they will be meeting. A number of groups, including BUFA, have requested the opportunity to speak with them.
BUFA and Indigenization
A request came from the floor for an update on Indigenization actions taken by BUFA. Thus far, the focus has been to ensure a safe and positive environment for the courses offered that meet the Indigenous Content Course Requirement and feedback has been provided on the draft Identity Substantiation Policy. Gautam also noted that BUFA is looking into the potential of bringing trauma-informed approach training for us and campus administrators. A member suggested that the next survey we send should include questions about member satisfaction with BUFA.
BUFA Service Opportunities
- Bargaining Committee: Gautam briefly noted that preparation is beginning for bargaining in 2027 and asked for volunteers to assist in populating a Bargaining Committee to do this pre-mandate work.
- Communication Committee: BUFA has just launched a blog and intends to be more active on social media. Volunteers are needed to help with content creation.
- Equity Review Committee: The BUFA Executive is required to appoint a BUFA member to the Equity Review Committee. Please reach out if you are interested in serving.
Gautam closed by reminding everyone to watch for a Save the Date for BUFA’s Annual General Meeting which will take place in October.