A new offer has been extended to the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) after being locked out of the university for weeks and nearly 17 hours of conciliation talks Monday and Tuesday.

In a statement on their website Wednesday evening, Dalhousie President Kim Brooks says, the meetings ended without a new agreement.

However, the new proposal has increase in compensation which, if accepted, Brooks says will require “additional trade-offs and difficult conservations” as the university works towards a balanced budget.

The new offer also includes additional financial “non-compensation” items.

“It’s understandable, in any negotiation, that one party may feel that holding out longer is going to lead to a better outcome. In our circumstance, doing so only increases the impact on our students- and that will be our collective failure,” says Brooks.

Email access

Although the lockout remains until the agreement is accepted, to prepare for faculty to return, members will gain access to their email Wednesday evening into Thursday.

Communication will also be shared with students on how fall term dates might change.

Financial difficulties

Dalhousie has endured financial difficulties over the past year, according to Brooks, that is a result of having fewer international students due to federal policy changes and less funding.

Rally

The student union held a rally Wednesday afternoon on campus who are concerned about tuition still being expected, despite having no classes.

President Maren Mealey says students are frustrated, uncertain and asking for a reduction in pay.

“As the Dalhousie student union, we are asking that we get a tuition reduction that is proportion to the amount of class time missed,” says Mealey.

Dalhousie faculty have been locked out since August 20.