By Ethan Ready

Reset atop the Hill

Faculty Association relieved by Weeks’ resignation; optimistic under Payne leadership

Feb 26, 2020 | 4:47 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – With UNBC President Dr. Daniel Weeks announcing his decision to end his second term as President on Friday, there’s some sigh of relief on behalf of the faculty association according to president Stephen Rader, bringing an end to what he describes as some troubling times in the school’s history.

“I’m a biochemistry professor. I was hired to do the two things that universities do, to create new knowledge and to teach students. I should be spending my time in the lab. I should be spending time talking with the public with genetically modified organisms and climate change, all of those things. But instead, I have spent much of the last five years defending the university against Dan Weeks and Barb Daigle’s attacks on faculty.”

Rader adds he’s deeply resentful of the time he’s spent organizing strikes and filing grievances, rather than doing the job he was hired to do.

With Weeks having resigned, Rader feels its a change in tide for the University moving forward.

Having served as the Acting President of UNBC during the time that Weeks was on medical leave, and now being appointed as the Interim President, Dr. Geoff Payne has been swift in bridging the communication between administration and the school’s faculty.

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“After being at UNBC for 15 years, I certainly know the situation that we’re in,” said Payne. “For me, it all starts with communication relationships, and seeing where we are and then moving that forward.”

Rader says the positives behind Payne’s appointment as interim president is his understanding of the culture around UNBC, as well as his eagerness to meet with the faculty. He adds his initial impression is that Payne is showing a commitment to having an on-going dialogue.

“I think it comes down to building that relationship,” said Payne. “When you have a relationship with people you, you’re able to have good conversations but also have, I wouldn’t say bad conversations, but you’re able to have those conversations. We have to get back to that foundation of having a really good relationship and then building onto that with really good communication. And then that will allow us to have an open and honest dialogue, and be able to make the best decisions for the University.”

Despite the change in administration, Rader continues to express his concern over the performance of the school’s Board of Governors.

“They, unfortunately, have been totally absent during this entire time,” says Radar. “We had a national investigation by the Canadian Association for University Teachers when Dan Weeks was using emergency powers in contravention of our agreement to suspend faculty members. There was not a peep from them during any of that. In all of the months leading up to the strike, which we all saw was coming, they didn’t do a thing. Once the strike had started, the board members weren’t even informed by the Chair for some time. In the transition after President Weeks resigned and the appointment of Geoff Payne as Interim President, they haven’t been following their own procedures.

Rader hopes the Province looks deeper into the performance of the Board of Governors at UNBC.

“I think somebody needs to look into how this board has performed and do some sort of review.”

During Wednesday’s Senate Meeting, a scheduled vote of non-confidence in Daniel Weeks and his performance as president and passed. Having been scheduled as part of the meeting’s agenda prior to Weeks’ resignation, the vote was still conducted.

With contract negotiations still being at the forefront of discussion, the faculty association hopes the new administration will be willing to resume bargaining and determine whether both parties want to stick with the current arbitrator, who may not be available again for months or seek a different one.