UPEI Faculty Association Applies for Conciliation

The University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association has asked the Minister for Community and Cultural Affairs to appoint a conciliator in its first contract negotiations with the UPEI Board of Governors.

"We anticipate the concilia- tor will help us achieve a reason- able settlement that meets the legit- imate employment requirements of our members, and that any job action can be avoided," said Dr. Lawrence Hale, president of the Faculty Association.

The current round of nego- tiations began in June 2002. The Faculty Association is seeking par- ity with other similar sized univer- sities in the Atlantic region. |

‘Dr. Hale noted that UPEI is recognized for the high quality of its teaching and research endeav- ours, both of which are the princi- pal responsibility of members of the Faculty Association.

"The Board of Governors must understand that, in order to keep the good news about UPEI

coming, academic staff must be given working conditions that are competitive with sister institutions in the region, including salaries and benefits. It is the quality work of an excellent group of academic staff that is central to UPEI remaining the wonderful provincial resource that it is."

The UPEI Faculty Association is the certified bar- gaining agent for 300 full and part- time faculty, librarians, sessional instructors and clinical nursing instructors at the University of Prince Edward Island.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Lawrence Hale, President UPEI Faculty Association Dept. of Biology, University of Prince Edward Island

Ph: 902-566-0551 Fax: 902-566-0740 Email: lhale@upei.ca

Food Facts and Fiction

Hi Angela, I was wondering if supplements found in drug stores are the same as supplements found in health food stores?

Supplements found in drug stores tend to be cheaper, but the quality does not match the quality of supplements found in health food stores. Those found in health food stores are typically more bioavailable, which means that they are produced so that the maxi- mum amount of vitamin, mineral, or herb can be absorbed into your body. This bioavalability of health food store supplements makes most products less expensive than drug store supplements. Instead of taking a bunch of cheap pills and excreting most of the vitamin, min- eral, or herb out through urine and feces, you can take less pills and benefit more from each pill. Plus, you are supporting local businesses and usually learning more about supplements by shopping at health food stores.

How much better for you is

_ organic food? Honestly? Is it

worth the high prices you pay for organic products?

An organic product has the same nutrient content as its non- organic equal. In other words, it does not matter whether or not an orange is sprayed, it still contains the same amount of Vitamin C. If you are on a budget and are not yet consuming Canada's Food Guide's

UPEI Cadre December 2 2003 page 19

recommended 5-10 fruits and veg- etables, spend your money on the fruits and vegetables instead of worrying about organic products. However, because organic foods do not contain the cancer-causing agents found in pesticides, they are of higher quality than foods con- taining pesticides. In addition to being one of the factors that increase one's risk of developing cancer, pesticides are strongly cor- related to the high occurrences of athsma in this province. If you can afford it, it is definitely worth pur- chasing as many organic products as you can. I am on a tight budget, but I purchase some organic prod- ucts, especially those that are almost the same price as their non- organic equals. Remember, the more organic products that are pur- chased, the more the industry is supported. When an industry is supported, prices go down. The popularity and availability of organic foods has already grown substantially.

If you wish to start pur- chasing organic foods, but cannot afford to fill your cart with them, start with products that most readi- ly absorb pesticides and fruits/veg- etables that have edible skins.

Examples are:

apples bananas broccoli cauliflower peaches rice com strawberries bell peppers