CAN’T THEY JUST TWEET THEIR LOCATION?
JOIN OR PAY (EVEN MORE)
IN WHICH OUR SPORTS EDITOR YELLS AT HIS TV
Tracking campus birds for science
Health and dental plan vote
Why Canada lost the World Juniors
New feeders on campus allow for future research on bird movement • Page 2
Referendum will be held on adding international students to the health and dental plan • Page 4
A breakdown of why Canada failed to make the World Jr semifinals • Page 7
OMEGA THE
ISSUE 16 NO.
Ω
JANUARY 13, 2016
THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
NEW ISSUE EVERY WEDNESDAY · WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA · @TRU_OMEGA · FB.ME/TRUOMEGA
VOLUME 25
A B Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω
TRAILBLAZERS
NEGOTIATION, MEDIATION, FRUSTRATION
Kamloops Blazers battle it out for playoff spot Faculty union
issues strike notice, agrees to mediation
T
Collin Shirley drives the puck wide around Parker Wotherspoon during Friday night’s game. (Tristan Davies/Ω) • Page 7
SHOWING YOUR WORK
TARANTINO’S LATEST
Ninth annual PHP Conference comes to TRU
Film review: The Hateful Eight
TRU students get a chance to show off their work in philosophy, history and politics • Page 4
Quentin Tarantino’s eigth film is both similar and different to his usual style • Page 5
by Sean Brady, Editor-in-Chief with files from Jim Elliot
he faculty union says it “remains open to resolution,” but on Monday morning issued a 72-hour notice to strike, as required under provincial law before taking job action. Late Monday, the university said TRUFA had agreed to its mediation offer and is making arrangements for that to happen as soon as possible, but the threat of job action remains. The notice follows the latest meeting between the TRU Faculty Association (TRUFA) and TRU administrators on Jan. 7, the latest meeting in 11 months of negotiation. The two began meeting again this fall, and more often in recent months, following the faculty union’s 80-per-cent-in-favour strike vote in favour of job action. In the two parties’ last meeting on Jan. 7, TRU offered to bring in mediators to resolve the disagreement, but TRUFA did not agree until after it had issued its strike notice, and maintains that it may still take job action. “Unfortunately, the employer remains unwilling to acknowledge or address the issues that faculty have maintained are critical,” said TRUFA president Tom Friedman in a Monday morning Facebook post. “Before Christmas, the union submitted a bargaining package that included significant concessions from our original positions, but we have not seen any real movement from the employer.” “Our bargaining is an attempt to ensure that faculty voices are heard,” Friedman said at a Monday morning press conference. A media blackout has meant that only bits and pieces of negotiations have leaked out, but today’s strike notice means that the two remain far apart. Lately, TRUFA has been going after the number of administrators at the university. “In fact, administrative costs have risen dramatically since 2005, while expenditures on front-line education have remained static,” Friedman said. The university said it was still “optimistic” there wouldn’t be a labour disruption. “TRU is disappointed that TRUFA is issuing 72-hour strike notice saying they are open to mediation as despite not responding to TRU’s January 7. 2016 offer of mediation to assist the parties in finding resolution at that bargaining table,” the statement reads. As of Thursday morning, the faculty union will be able to walk off the job, but it’s not yet known how TRUFA job action will come and the impact of students remains unknown. “We’re not going to say that the impact on students will be minimal. We’re not sure at this point. A lot will depend on the way the employer responds,” Friedman said. “We know that students might very well be affected by this. We hope that the impact on students will not be major.”