research assistants

8 min 2 2707

The exploitation of Research Assistants (RAs) by SFU

Serena Bains November 28, 2020

Research is one of SFU’s three pillars in its strategic vision, resulting in $161 million in income. Research assistants (RAs), a group that primarily consists of graduate students at SFU, conduct much of the day-to-day research.  For years, RAs have raised concerns about their working conditions, their contributions not being recognized, low wages, and the theft of their intellectual property (IP). Thus, the Teaching Staff Student Union (TSSU) led a campaign for SFU to recognize research as work and include RAs in the union. On November, 15 2019, SFU and TSSU signed an agreement recognizing TSSU as the union for…

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4 min 0 2085

Council Corner: June 9, 2020

Michelle Gomez June 25, 2020

Discussion with SFU senior leaders about student services in COVID-19 The GSS meeting began with a presentation followed by discussion with Rummana Khan Hemani (SFU’s Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Students & International) and Erin Biddlecombe (Senior Director, Office of Vice-Provost…

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6 min 0 1794

Research assistants aren’t represented as university employees — here’s why they should be

Alison Wick September 21, 2019

In 2016 SFU created its 2020 Strategic Research Plan, outlining why, where, and how the university intends to grow as a research institution. Part of their plan to achieve these goals is to “strengthen areas of research excellence” — including…

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