Negotiations Update – March 28
SAIT Must Invest in Faculty Working Conditions & Student Learning Conditions
Why does a student apply to a college? What factors do they consider – Cost of living? Tuition fees? Prestige of the institution? Above all else, the majority of students and learners pursue one program credential over another for one reason — the pursuit of a brighter future. They have faith in the opportunities that the knowledge and credentials will bring them. What if we told prospective students that they would be paying significantly more tuition than their predecessors but without equivalent improvements in the quality of education offered?
That is exactly what is happening in many post-secondary institutions, and especially SAIT. Since 2020, SAIT has increased student tuition each year1. We know that faculty working conditions are our students’ learning conditions. Yet, student’s investment via increased tuition is not reflected in student learning conditions or instructor salaries. The instructor-to-student ratio continues to trend upward, with more students in a course. When full time/permanent instructors retire or leave, they are replaced by part time instructors or other precarious forms of employment. These instructors often work a heavy course load with few benefits and supports. Moreover, as these precarious contracts have limited scope, instructors are restricted from professional development, student interactions outside the classroom, and administrative work that would benefit students and the institution. All of these trends in faculty working conditions decrease the student’s learning experience through no fault of their instructors. SAIT can choose to reverse these trends by hiring permanent instructors who are able to do the relationship-building, mentoring, and instructional skill development that will benefit all parties (instructors, students, and the institution).
“Where is the money from tuition going?” you might be wondering. To start with, the average SAIT executive is paid about $270,000 annually in salary and cash benefits2 – an amount nearly 4 times the average instructor’s salary. As well, SAIT consistently reports a yearly budget surplus – last year, they announced the surplus had reached $300 million3. This shows that while operating expenses may increase and government grants may decline under the UCP government, these changes have not had an overall net negative impact on SAIT’s budget. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that SAIT will remain in good financial health in the near future and there is no financial argument for SAIT to not provide a cost-of-living adjustment to its employees. SAIT can choose to invest in the future by investing in their faculty.
In 2020, SAIT adopted a strategic 5-year plan, New World. New Thinking, with goals such as “Responsive and relevant programming”4, “Sustainability”5, and “Well-being Mental Health and Safety”6 – all great goals on paper, but what does this mean in practical supports for faculty? To create a responsive and relevant learning environment would mean that SAIT was willing to increase investments in instructors’ professional development. “Sustainability” would imply that SAIT would invest in more permanent appointments, and all instructor contracts would be less precarious. “Mental Health and Safety” would require a work environment that includes benefits and a good work-life balance instead of overworking its staff. Unfortunately, SAFA has not seen these practical supports being put forward in SAIT’s bargaining proposals.
SAIT has all the building blocks to truly support its instructors and students in creating and sustaining a mutually beneficial learning environment. SAFA is calling on the SAIT administration to invest in the future through improving our members’ working conditions and students’ learning conditions.
In solidarity,
1Stroobant, R. (2021). “SAIT: 7 percent tuition raise for 2021/2022 school year,” RTBN.
2SAIT. (2021). Annual Report 2020/2021, page 102.
3SAIT. (2021). Annual Report 2020/2021, page 73.
4SAIT. (2021). Annual Report 2020/2021, Page 19.
5SAIT. (2021). Annual Report 2020/2021, Page 25.
6SAIT. (2021). Annual Report 2020/2021, Page 14.