UPDATE: Faculty to be locked out of email?

In the event of a strike, students can expect to retain access to all Dalhousie web services, says Pat Power, the director of Networks and Systems at Dal. But he can’t say the same for profs.

Power says faculty members do not play a role in the maintenance of these web services. Although some of the staff in Networks and Systems are unionized, they are represented by the Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union (NSGEU). Despite its members being affected by the ongoing pension negotiations, there is no sign that NSGEU is going to strike.*

However, students should not count on being able to contact their profs via email; faculty may not be able to access their email accounts, says Power. He says Networks and Systems can go either way, but ultimately this is an executive decision made by the administration.

Karen Janigan, the communications officer for the Dalhousie Faculty Association, says the decision to lock faculty out of their email accounts is expected in the event of a strike and that this would be a “political decision” made by the administration. The DFA has been collecting alternative addresses from the faculty since conciliation began.

Jasmine Walsh, the director of academic staff relations and one of the negotiators for the university, says the accessibility of faculty email accounts is one of many decisions that have not been made yet because the administration does not believe a strike is necessary. The university will update students via the negotiations website when any such decisions are made.

Janigan says the DFA is “preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.”

*UPDATE: Conciliation between NSGEU and Dalhousie ended unsuccessfully on Tuesday, February 21. The union, which represents administrative, IT and library staff at Dal, is currently organizing a strike vote. In the event of a NSGEU strike, Power says that Networks and Systems could “manage for a short period. Maybe a week or two.” After that, IT services at Dal would “likely” start to go offline as the remaining staff prioritize their resources.