Local 3903 - Proudly Representing GA's, TA's & Contract Faculty at York University

3903News

A simple way to keep in the know of what's happening in the Union, Campus Community, and Elsewhere. This is a one-way broadcast from the Union's Communications Officer to the membership highlighting "Events, News, & Job Opportunities" on a weekly basis (it averages less than two emails per week). We encourage all members to subscribe to 3903News.

We encourage you to fwd any events or notices (departmental or extracurricular) you'd like to promote, so that we may contribute to building a sense of community on campus. Simply email the Communications Officer with your event. Please note we don't follow a fixed distribution schedule, so the more notice you can give the better.

----

3903Talk

Unlike 3903News, 3903Talk offers a way for members to discuss issues relating to the local, and for a back and forth. Please note the guidelines below to get a sense of best-practices when using this listserv. To subscribe (or unsubscribe) visit 3903Talk.

 

----

 

3903Unit2

This listserv is designed to provide a venue for members of Unit 2 to discuss issues specific to their experiences at York University. It is an excellent space to discuss employment trends in the academic-sector of the economy. To subscribe (or unsubscribe) visit 3903Unit2. As with 3903Talk, please note the guidelines below.

 

----

 

Guidelines

CUPE 3903 is committed to maintaining listservs that are safe and accessible for all members while ensuring that they provide space for fruitful, spirited discussion where the listserv’s mandate permits. This means that, for listservs with a restricted purpose and mandate, members are expected to limit their discussions to the scope of the listserv. All members are expected to commit to participating in ways that are consistent with the CUPE code of conduct and to avoid harassing behaviour, discriminatory behaviour and personal attacks. While this kind of participation is meant to ensure a safe space for broad participation, it will not always ensure comfort. It is everyone’s responsibility to be conscious of the difference between posts with content or opinions that one dislikes or finds politically disagreeable and posts that include discriminatory and/or harassing language.

If an email upsets you, please take the time think about which one of these circumstances it represents. Similarly, if your remarks are flagged as harassing, discriminatory or attacking, please take the time to think about what you wrote before responding. Beliefs are changed most effectively through respectful discussion, not through personal attacks or summarily banning unpopular opinions. We hope and expect that all members will be able to contribute to maintaining a safe space for discussion.

However, we know that this is not always the case. As a result, our commitment to maintaining a safe space means that sometimes members who, after fair warning, prove themselves incapable of contributing to the production of such spaces may be temporarily or permanently banned from the listservs in order to preserve the space for all members. While we recognize that absolute objectivity is never possible, our commitment to moderating as objectively as we can means that listserv moderators will refrain from participating in online discussions.

Harassment and discrimination are illegal under the Ontario Human Rights Code and/or the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Harassment on listservs includes, but is not limited to, threats or a pattern of aggression, insulting, demeaning or derogatory remarks about an individual’s intelligence, competence, physical appearance or other characteristics which create a negative psychological and emotional environment for the member and/or in the union. Harassment is demeaning, offensive, intimidating, embarrassing and hurtful, and can undermine the integrity of an individual. Discrimination on listservs includes comments that demean others on the basis of/by reason of race, creed, colour, age, sex, marital status, parental status, number of dependents, nationality, ancestry, place of origin, native language, disability or disabilities, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), or related illness, political or religious affiliations or orientations, academic affiliations, record of sexual orientation, transsexual transition status, gender expression, and gender identity.

 

Listserv Rules

1. On signing up for the listserv, moderators give members the listserv rules and posting guidelines. The rules and posting guidelines will also be posted on the union’s web-site.


2. If someone does not respect the rules and guidelines once, the listserv moderator(s) will remind them privately as to how the message contravenes the listserv policy and will inform the person about steps 3 to 5 below. The moderator(s) will also post a message on the listserv to advise people that they are following up on the harassing, discriminatory or attacking post.


3. For failing to meet the guidelines again within one year, moderator(s) may remove the member from the listserv for up to one week.


4. If a member removed returns to the listserv and does not meet the guidelines again within one year, moderator(s) may remove the member from the listserv for up to one week.

5. If a member removed returns to the listserv and does not meet the guidelines again within one year, moderator(s) may remove the member from the listserv until an investigation has been conducted by the executive committee, as per the CUPE constitution.


6. For particularly egregious postings, moderator(s) may immediately remove the member from the listserv until an investigation has been conducted by the executive committee, as per the CUPE constitution.

7. All listserv moderators will be given an orientation on how to implement this protocol and their attached job description.


8. Template messages for each step will be part of the job description.

 

Posting Guidelines
1. CUPE 3903 is a labour union. Try to limit discussion to topics that correspond to the objectives of the union as outlined in Article 2 in the objectives of the Constitution.

2. Remember that the person you are engaging with is another human being with thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Please be kind with your posts in the interest of building solidarity within the local.

3. If you find yourself writing an email in haste or anger, save in a draft folder and reconsider it before you hit send.

4. Respect other people’s time. Try to limit the length of your posts.

5. Refrain from writing in caps. It is the equivalent of shouting.

6. Sarcasm can be easily misinterpreted over email.

7. Remember that not every person is educated in the same discipline as you; refrain from the use of language or acronyms that may exclude others from participating in the conversation.

8. Healthy debate means the use of constructive criticism and argument rather than attack. Focus on ideas, not people. Try to refrain from the need to be “right”. Ideas are much more easily understood if not espoused in an oppressive or demeaning way.

9. Be careful not to silence those who have a long political history of being silenced (i.e. women, persons with disabilities, racialized persons). Recognize individual privileges when engaging in debate and try to refrain from repeating oppressive or demeaning behaviour.

10. Freedoms of consciousness, thoughts or beliefs are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

 

Moderator Job Description

It is the collective responsibility of CUPE 3903 members to implement the Listserv Rules and Posting Guidelines. The moderators of all listservs are to facilitate this as follows.

1. Demonstrate impartiality and are polite but firm while communicating with members who are not following the listserv rules and posting guidelines.

2. Do not participate in any discussions on the list they are moderating.

3. Add members to and remove them from the lists as needed.

4. Provide members new to the lists with the listserv rules and posting guidelines as soon as they sign them up.

5. Review listserv posts at least once a day to ensure they followed listserv rules and posting guidelines. If a moderator is unavailable for a period of time they will seek back-up from someone on the relevant caucus, committee or working group. For union-wide listservs, there will be two moderators.

6. Follow the steps outlined in the rules when post violates any of the listserv rules and posting guidelines. They will use the sample templates below.

 

Moderators are selected as follows:

1. By the relevant caucus, committee or working group that they are participating in

2.  For union-wide listservs, two moderators will be elected annually at a GMM or when replacements are needed. If there are no candidates, two executive members will perform the moderators’ duties.

 

Appeals

Members may appeal the decisions of the listserv moderator to the Communications Committee, who will be guided by this document in reviewing the moderator(s) decision.