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As part of our “What Your Colleagues Want You to Know” series, we asked members who are caregivers—whether for children, parents, or someone else—what they want coworkers to know about their day-to-day reality and how we can help. Members described their experiences of emotional and physical exhaustion, being misunderstood by colleagues, and feelings of isolation and overwhelm. They’re looking for a supportive work environment that acknowledges their challenges, offers grace and understanding, and provides practical support such as hybrid work options.

Upon joining the University of Waterloo last year, I was pleasantly impressed with how the university’s new values, Think Differently, Act with Purpose and Work Together resonate with my perceptions of Ubuntu. Thinking differently, acting with purpose and working together are essential pillars in the Ubuntu philosophy, and I hope sharing my perspective on Ubuntu can enhance our shared understanding of these values. 

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

What Contract Staff Want You to Know

The Staff Association membership is incredibly diverse. We encompass a wide range of roles, backgrounds, lived experiences, and so much more. Our mission at the UWSA is to cultivate a progressive work environment where staff feel safe, empowered to grow, and able to thrive, but we need different things to make this a reality.

To help us all understand each other better, we’re launching a new blog and social media series featuring members’ own experiences and words. We’re kicking it off with contract staff, who make up 18% of the UWSA.

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

UWSA 101: Governance and Operations

There are two big categories of UWSA activities, which we refer to as “governance” and "operations." The operations team is concerned with serving UW staff, and the board is concerned with stewarding the UWSA as a corporation.

Thursday, August 22, 2024

UWSA 101: The UWSA By-law

Internally, the UWSA has two key governing documents that say what we do and how we do it, our Articles of Incorporation, and our By-law.

Thursday, August 15, 2024

UWSA 101: Our Relationship with UW

Welcome to our “UWSA 101” series, in which we explain how the UWSA works, your rights as a member, and how to participate in our elections! 

Our formal relationship with the university is what allows us to officially represent staff interests, and it is defined in our Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the university.

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

President’s update: March 2024

Here’s Yessenia’s report from the Area Representatives meeting on March 14, covering our member survey, recent announcements from the University, the importance of staff participation in the Freedom of Expression focus groups, and more.