News 10/03/09

1. General Membership Meetings
2. Ergonomic Bookings
3. In Case You Didn’t Know

General Membership Meetings: The LUFA Board has set the dates for the three general membership meetings required by the Constitution. They are Wednesday October 21, 2009, Tuesday February 23, 2010 and Wednesday April 7, 2010. Each meeting is scheduled between 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Mark your calendars now!!

Ergonomic Bookings: On Friday October 30, Steve MacDonald, a professional ergonomist will be on campus assessing members’ needs for ergonomic equipment. Last spring, a colleague of his assessed 74 members, all of whom received the equipment they needed.

The assessments take place in Room 30-220 of the J.N. Desmarais Library. Any member who would like to get a sense of what is on offer may come by to check things out ahead of time. Contact Ashley Thomson (ext 3322) if that is your plan.

If you would like to book an appointment with Steve on October 30, please contact Christina Szewczyk in the LUFA Office (ext 4290). There will be more on this program in a later email.

In Case You Didn’t Know:There are a number of perks around the university that “old-timers” take for granted. If you have arrived fairly recently, here are some you should know about:

1. Faculty Common Room
   
   

   There is a password-protected faculty common room, L-303 (third floor Parker) for use by Members, Senior Administrators and their guests. The Common Room features a microwave, comfortable and quiet seating and a selection of recent (donated) magazines. These include The Atlantic, Consumer Reports, Maclean’s, Report on Business, Vanity Fair, and The Walrus. (Current titles in French are always welcome).

   If you do not know your password to this room, look on the verso of your LUFA membership card. And of course if you don’t have a LUFA membership card yet, please contact Christina Szewczyk in the LUFA Office (ext 4290).

   This room may be reserved through the LUFA Office for special functions.

2. Edvantage Card
   
   

   Interested in saving up to 30% off purchases at the Brick? There are also big deals to be made on Apple computers, Speedy Auto Service, Tip Top Tailors and even GoodLife Fitness, to name only a few other businesses.

   These discounts are available to members of Ontario’s education community—if they have an Edvantage card. Apply for yours now from LUFA’s website (www.lufappul.ca).

3. CAUT Bulletin and University Affairs
   
   

   All LUFA members are eligible to receive the CAUT Bulletin one of the most trusted sources of news, information and opinion about higher education in Canada. The Bulletin is also an excellent source of job postings around the country. If you are not receiving the Bulletin on a monthly basis, please contact Christina Szewczyk in the LUFA Office (ext 4290).

   Members are also eligible to receive University Affairs whose take on matters is often different from the Bulletin’s. Also appearing monthly, it too is an important source of career advertising aimed at the academic community.

   To get your FREE SUBSCRIPTION (a $39 value), simply subscribe by visiting: http://www.universityaffairs.ca/Subscribe-to-our-print-magazine-renewal.aspx?c=renewal_sep09&n=subscribe

   While on the website, also check out the Career Resources section. It has a lot of helpful information aimed at graduate students and faculty, such as Career Sense, a popular blog for academic job seekers. You can also sign up for job e-mail alerts, listen to podcast or view videos, like the Career Corner workshops given at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

4. Faculty ID Cards
   
   

   On an annual basis all Members, including retirees, upon request, will be supplied with a photo identification library card at no cost to them except if they require a replacement for a lost card. The charge for replacement will be fifteen dollars ($15) per card. These rates also apply to spouses of all Members, including retired Members, deceased retired Members and Members who died while in the employ of the University.

   These ID cards will, among other things, allow you to personally borrow books at no charge from any university library in Canada—except of course the University of Toronto’s.