UPEI students grow concerned as faculty strike enters second week
Apprehension and uncertainty are emotions some students at the University of Prince Edward Island say they are feeling as a faculty strike goes into its second week.
Students are set to start exams in the middle of April and have already missed a week of class due to the job action.
“I have to work during the summer,” said student Nathan Wright. “[That’s] the starting date for my job. I’m kinda worried about if that’s going to work now.”
Students who spoke to CTV News said they worried about being ready for exams, impacts on their GPA, and a potential extension to the semester interfering with plans for work or travel this summer.
The issue is even more complex for international students, who are planning to go home right after exams end.
“I really hope the semester doesn’t get extended because a lot of international students will be flying out,” said student Ananya Bathak. “It’s just going to be difficult for us.”
Many have already booked their tickets and aren’t looking forward to the challenges and a potential hit to the wallet having to rebook on short notice would have.
However, the students CTV News spoke to were broadly sympathetic to the striking faculty.
The UPEI Faculty Association (UPEIFA) wants pay equity for contract academics, recovery of lost wages and protection against future inflation, among other things.
Decisions about whether the semester will be extended haven’t been made yet, but university officials say all options are on the table, including moving back the last day of classes or changing the exam schedule.
“All of these actually are the purview of senate at the university, and senate, of course, has faculty on it, so we wouldn’t be able to finalize those arrangements at this time,” said Greg Naterer, vice president of academic and research for UPEI.
This means the strike must end before students will know what is happening at the end of the year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.