U of M students anxiously await word on faculty strike

University of Manitoba president and chancellor David Barnard put out a statement late Thursday that has students even more on edge about a looming strike.

"I am disappointed that the University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) leadership appears set on taking strike action next week," he said in the statement.

Barnard saidthe university has offered faculty a four-year agreement with an 8.9 per cent salary increase.

He said nothing in the bargaining process would erode academic freedom, said to be the key issue.

Anxiety was high amongstudents on campus Thursday, with the student union reporting it is being flooded with questions from worried students.

University of Manitoba Students' Union president Al Turnbull said he is getting emails from students concernedabout classes, mid-terms, and finishing their degree.

"They don't know if it is going to be a week if there is a strike, or if it is going to be 45 days, like Brandon," he said, referring to a strike in the western Manitoba city in the fall of 2011.

"There's obviously some worry, especially with the precedent here in Manitoba."

A dispute over academic freedom between the faculty association and the university has not been resolved.

If there is no agreement by Tuesday morning, professors will walk off the job.

Turnbull said UMSU is trying to help students navigate the choppy waters, and have posted updates on its website.

"We want to make sure that we're not picking a side before all the information is on the table," he said.

He said most of the calls into the student union are from foreign students, who have the most at stake.

They pay almost three times more for tuition than Canadian students, in addition to room and board.

"They pay differential fees between $12,000 and $16,000," he said. "They are obviously concerned about their degree getting delayed... So those are the ones that are really concerned."

Utshab Utchal is one of 3,700 international students at the U of M.

He arrived from Bangladesh two months ago and plans to major in biotechnology.Utchal is worried a strike would affect that.

"Being an international student is pretty hard, because we're staying away from our family and (we are) totally on our own," he said. "And yeah, spending a lot of money, giving a lot of money to the university."

Utchal said he accepts the higher tuition fees international students must pay, but when things go wrong, it becomes really difficult.

"We're OKwith that, but, in spite of paying so much money, if our studies get stopped or harmed that's really sad. That's really scary for us," he said.

Utchal said he wants issues resolved without a strike, and he wouldn't cross a picket line.

Lolakamari Harri, from Nigeria, said he came to Canada to get a better education, and get away from political feuds back home.

"I thought I was going to go through school and do four years and I'm done," he said. "I was shocked when I heard teachers saying we're going to strike. I was like, I thought that never happens here."

The faculty association posted an open letter to students early Thursday,explaining their position.

A conciliator has been appointed.

Read U of M president David Barnard's statement