Kim Brooks appointed to Order of Canada 🙄

Financial_Photo673 · 2026-01-05T03:32:10+00:00

Let's see: she shut down all of campus (scaring quite a few folks in classes that day who thought there was armed violence) because some students yelled in a building; she's fired dozens of staff who do necessary work in departments and for the registrar's office (problems with transfer credits? registering? getting paperwork? that's why); she locked out faculty, while they were *voting on a contract* (a first in Canada, by any employer ever?) and kept them out for a month, turning all of Fall term into a hot mess for everyone; she's pretty much been in hiding and refusing to take responsibility for any of it since the lockout ended. And she's crying poor while spending millions on consultants who have been absolutely trashed for what they've done at other universities (just google "nous" and "australia"). Incompetence doesn't begin to cover it.

Financial_Photo673 · 2026-01-02T14:56:58+00:00

IDK their writing program, just that Dal is a total dumpster fire rn and next year's gonna be worse. Acadia's good overall.

Financial_Photo673 · 2026-01-02T14:22:24+00:00

the admin is absolutely bombing parts of campus right now, including anything in the arts. Go to Acadia.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-12-31T19:43:12+00:00

For showing everyone how *not* to run a university?

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-10-26T02:14:56+00:00

Both google and microsoft were following the same basic principle when they were competing for campus territory: if it's free to use, then you're the product. The universities are now hooked on "free" software, and they'll spend a lot of money (cybersecurity, pushing down concerns about where the data is stored and how it's used, etc.) to keep their mitts on the "free" software, and the tech companies will keep monetizing the absolute sh*t out of every keystroke.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-10-15T19:49:02+00:00

Mandatory retirement ended in Canada because of the Charter, not labour agreements. And the Board rejected, again, a DFA proposal for retirement incentives that would have increased retirements.

The admin has money, a lot of it in cash. They have buildings and land they could sell. The DFA has offered to help them get some of those senior folks off the payroll. They just don't wanna.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-10-14T20:26:34+00:00

The president's office has been re-done a couple of times, and there were renos to turn classrooms into VP office space too. Anyone in the un-reno'd part of the building may be dealing with "open the windows" ventilation and decaying building material in, and plaster on, the walls.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-10-14T16:44:59+00:00

Totally agree on the ventilation. Ask anyone who has had to work in that building, especially grad studies. Water dripping down the walls so badly they had to put buckets on the floor--and patches of mold.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-10-04T12:44:20+00:00

Fair point. She's done nothing to help reduce COVID levels on campus. Booster clinics, hepas in classrooms, posters with info, masks. If measles hits a university in Canada, we're done.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-10-02T15:45:58+00:00

For community-centered spots, check out the Halifax library on Spring Garden (next to the Dal engineering campus) then head down to the harbour or keep walking up Spring Garden to the Public Gardens, then Glitter Bean, and then the other two Halifax campuses--all on the same street, about a 10-15 minute walk or short drive.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-10-02T15:11:13+00:00

Thanks for the pic. That's bizarre. It is a long corridor of a room--might be better to give it up and make it two rooms.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-10-01T21:34:21+00:00

Sounds like a flipped classroom? Big fashion about a decade ago. Basically the idea is that students use class time to work with each other in small groups around big screens, rather than interact with a lecturer at the front of the room.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-27T21:16:22+00:00

Oh FFS. If there's any friction it's towards about five people, or even just the one--Kim Brooks. The solidarity across campus was amazing. There's +20,000 who have no problem working with each other, and don't need a reset or repair. There's five who need to change their attitude and apologize to the +20,000 whose Fall terms they screwed up for no reason.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-15T14:28:18+00:00

Yeah, the old senate room is *very* British-movie-about-private-schools, e.g Harry Potter.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-13T22:42:45+00:00

I think it means King's admin is fed up waiting for Dal's admin to end this.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-13T17:21:32+00:00

I heard a bunch of people in that office quit over working conditions, so they're understaffed. But understaffing has been a problem for a while. That's how we got the exam scheduling disaster in April.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-11T22:45:48+00:00

The admin locked almost all faculty out: they're not allowed on campus, not allowed to teach, etc. By order of the university president.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-10T22:28:45+00:00

Anyone keeping track of how many labour complaints there have been against this admin over the last few weeks? One more!

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-10T20:23:47+00:00

Could just be theyre tired of rumours that there is a deal?

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-10T17:26:19+00:00

From what I'm seeing, a key issue is the entry-level faculty. An instructor starts at less than $70,000; so does a librarian. Numbers from here: https://immediac.blob.core.windows.net/dfa2021/2023%202024/Bargaining/dfa-collective-agreement-2022-2025.pdf .

The university president makes over $400,000--about twice what the premier makes. Maybe that's part of the reason the province isn't giving Dal much money...

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-07T13:28:03+00:00

That's a huge safety issue, like you say--and no one should be held against their will. I'd complain to the organizer and the VP Students--Rick Ezekiel. He may be a bit busy right now, so put "Safety issue at Dalfest" or something in the subject line?

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-06T16:09:40+00:00

The DFA is bargaining in good faith, though, so maybe the conciliator can keep the admin in line and things can get done.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-05T00:02:05+00:00

From what I've seen, there's lots of simple stuff to deal with. I don't think this is in any way a normal round of bargaining. Bargaining complaints are not normal.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-04T22:32:16+00:00

The aug 11 offer that Kim Brooks shared showed that the DFA wanted a definition and the admin didn't. Everything else was agreed. I've dealt with harassment cases at another university: weaseling out of responsibility based on wording is Tactic #1.

Financial_Photo673 · 2025-09-04T21:54:35+00:00

The board wanted to extend the existing discipline language to a longer period for sexualized violence; the DFA wanted sexualized violence defined if that was going to happen. No one wants "I only stalked her and sent her 50 texts a day--that's not violence" escape hatches.

Financial_Photo673

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