On November 1st, 2023, The Lecturers’ Union of Memorial University (LUMUN) issued a press release that they were “gobsmacked” by the Auditor General’s report on Memorial University.
Alison Coffin said that “the administrative bloat uncovered in this report beggars belief when you consider the huge difference between Senior Administrators’ working conditions and those of LUMUN Per Course Instructors.”
Furthermore, Coffin said that LUMUN Per Course Instructors are “valuable faculty members who excel in the face of ever-larger classes in underfunded and poorly maintained physical infrastructure.”
LUMUN contrasted the Employee Service Award Dinner for employees and their guests at a cost of $6,936, including alcohol, with a Per Course Instructor’s salary, which is between $5,000 to $5,875 for teaching an entire course.
Coffin said that “the cost of that one dinner could have paid a LUMUN member to teach 104 students an economics course with enough money left over to get everyone a 2-piece fish and chips.”
LUMUN said that they welcome the changes to governance and spending underway at MUN. The union hopes it will result in realigning the University’s priorities to better meet the needs of students and the broader university community.
See LUMUN’s press release below:
Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.
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