University of Lethbridge Faculty Association - ULFA

Relax after a busy week, meet, and socialize with fellow ULFA members for a final, SPECIAL Pub Night this semester! Ratification results will be announced at Pub Night and an email to the Membership will follow shortly after. We hope to see you there!

When? April 2 at 4:00 p.m.

Where? The Zoo Pub & Grill (ULSU)

Who? All ULFA Members and ULFA Staff

We have a (tentative) deal! A Special General Meeting (SGM) has been called by the ULFA Executive for the purposes of ratification, and we encourage all ULFA members to attend to learn more about the tentative collective agreement. Quorum is needed for ratification so please get the word out! An electronic ballot will be sent to the Members for a time specified and voted upon at the SGM.

ULFA was happy to contribute $500 towards the purchase of canned goods to support Engineering students at the University of Lethbridge in bringing their Canstruction builds to life.

Thanks to the incredible efforts of the U of L teams, a total of $4,537 worth of food was raised and will be donated to the ULSU food bank!

Be sure to check out these amazing displays at Centre Village Mall before April 1st.

ULFA Statement for International Women’s Day 2026

Please join us in celebrating International Women’s Day. Observed on March 8th of each year, this year’s United Nation’s theme is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls” and the International Women’s Day theme is “Give to Gain” focusing on reciprocal action to make gains on gender equity. Celebrated for the first time in 1911, this year is the 115th Anniversary of IWD. The goalposts for achieving gender equity seem to continually move further onto the horizon, with the IWG now suggesting that, at the current pace, gender equity will not be achieved until 2158, and to date no aspect of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #5 on gender equality has been achieved, with the 2030 target for addressing the SDGs rapidly approaching.

Please participate in activities on campus or in our community in the coming days:

UofL IWD Events
https://www.ulethbridge.ca/accessibility-belonging-community/international-womens-day

And see these resources for more information and campaigns:

United Nations IWD
https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day

International Women's Day
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme

Amnesty International Canada
https://amnesty.ca/international-womens-day/

UN Gender Equality
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/09/1154376

International Women's Day | University of Lethbridge International Women's Day   International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated around the world on March 8 each year, recognizing the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. First celebrated in 1911, IWD became a mainstream global event after its adoption by the United Nations ...

Join us at 4pm tomorrow, March 5 at the Zoo for another ULFA Pub Night. Enjoy food and drinks and the company of your colleagues, and learn more about ULFA!

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to remind you that Indigenous Awareness Week is March 2-6th this year. The University has a large number of exciting events planned, and the list can be found here: https://www.ulethbridge.ca/indigenous/indigenous-awareness-week

This year takes on particular importance in the aftermath of the uninvited disruption on our campus earlier in February, but there is also much to celebrate. It is an opportunity to acknowledge the transformational contributions of Dr. Leroy Little Bear as he wraps up his tenure as the University’s first Vice-Provost of Iniskim Indigenous Relations. The Indigenous Studies Department is also celebrating its 50th Anniversary and has been and will continue to host events throughout the spring. We hope you can attend many of the events hosted for Indigenous Awareness Week as well as support those organized by the Indigenous Studies Department in the weeks to come.

The GEDC

Indigenous Awareness Week | University of Lethbridge Indigenous Awareness Week Image  IndigenousAwareness WeekMarch 2 - 6, 2026Join us for Indigenous Awareness Week as we celebrate the rich cultural heritage, beliefs and aspirations of Indigenous Peoples everywhere.Don't miss:The Opening CeremonyThe Powwow Image IndigenousAwareness WeekMarch 2 - 6, 2...

GEDC Statement on Tumbler Ridge Tragedy

It is with collective grief and mourning that we reflect upon the tragedy that occurred in Tumbler Ridge, BC, earlier this week. The heartache of the family, friends, and all members of that small community at this time is unimaginable. The fact that this act was largely perpetrated in a place of learning also brings it close to home for our colleagues and students.

As we reflect upon and try to come to terms with what has happened, it is also important to be careful about our messaging. The fact that the young adult at the centre of this horrific act happened to be trans has already compounded this tragedy with false and politicised claims. Here in Alberta, we are acutely aware that recent anti-trans legislation is impacting youth within the educational system, including at the U of L. The recent Teach-in day about Charter rights provided an important moment to instruct and reflect on trans rights in the larger context of human rights, and the need for understanding and awareness is only likely to be heightened now, as this recent article from the CBC points out. We must not permit this tragedy to fall into the well-worn pattern of being used as justification to target, harass, or discriminate against members of a particular community, in this instance because of their gender.

In this very difficult moment, if you need support you may find it here:

Canadian Mental Health Supports: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html

Learning through Loss: https://www.learningthroughloss.org/

Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/ (877) 330-6366

View full statement at: https://www.ulfa.ca/taking-action/statements/

GEDC Statement on Disinformation and Freedom of Expression

We were deeply disturbed by the presence of two individuals on campus last week intent on spreading disinformation based on prejudice and hate. We were also encouraged by the overwhelming turnout of students, faculty and staff to protest their presence and disrupt their intentions. At the same time, it is also important to note that while encouraged by such protest, we also state strongly that those students, faculty and staff should not have had their day disrupted in this way. While the Government of Alberta has limited the capacity of postsecondary institutions to restrict the kinds of views expressed in public events on campuses across the province, as an institution we also must be clearer and stronger in our response. Although President Jayas suggested that the “views expressed…do not align with the values of the University of Lethbridge,” this is more than a question of values. It is a question of the importance of an institution of higher learning to promote research that is based on rigorous evidence, not disinformation and lies. As such, an appropriate response would go beyond a question of values to state that these views represent disinformation.

We now live in a world where conspiracy theories and disinformation are given equal weight (and sometimes greater weight) than data-informed scholarship, and this erosion of the production of evidence based and scholarly knowledge is at the core of many of the social and political crises we face globally and locally today. When individuals promote disinformation and untruth with an intent to deceive, they do not advance the production of knowledge, and the views they represent, contrary to what Dr. Jayas suggested, never provide opportunities “where controversial ideas [may] be examined, critiqued, and challenged through rigorous, evidence-based inquiry.” Those seeking to do harm through disinformation do not adhere to the norms of collegial exchange of ideas, nor are they concerned with evidence-based inquiry, making such encounters counter-productive, at best.

What’s at stake is more than semantics and interpretations of abstract ideas. The message these individuals sought to spread caused harm to many members of our campus and broader community. In addition to the emotional and psychological harm this caused, there were at least two instances of physical harm visited upon members of our campus community which have already been reported. We also know that some of our Indigenous colleagues and students chose to leave campus to avoid the harm these individuals perpetrate. That our friends, colleagues and students were forced to leave their place of work and study out of concerns for their safety means that we, collectively, have failed them. We are all entitled to a safe workplace, free of harassment and discrimination. When people arrive on our campus with the intention of inflicting harm on others, they are the ones who should not be welcome to stay.

We impress upon our Administration the need to go further to call out disinformation and lies for being just that—disinformation and lies—and not substantiate them indirectly by framing them as worthwhile debates from competing value systems. And we call on our Administration to draw a line between healthy debate and hate speech—the latter should never be tolerated on our campus or in our society, and it should not be shielded by freedom of expression.

Sincerely,
The GEDC

ULFA Vice-President David Scott joined the Laurentian University Faculty Association's picket line on Friday along with CAUT Defence Fund Flying Pickets from across the country. David brought greetings and solidarity on behalf of ULFA and pledged $1000 to support their cause. On Sunday a tentative agreement between LUFA and their employer was achieved. Congratulations to LUFA and solidarity!

Come to the Zoo this Thursday at 4pm for ULFA's Pub Night, where you'll find food, drinks, and good conversation!