\ i ' : Pa er February 18, 1980 Volume VIII of, Issue V by Rob Guzyk Angry — sessionals . at Douglas College have e- lected a new chairperson to spearhead the Ad-hoc Ses- sional Action Committee. Isabella Donn was e- lected chairperson of the year and a half old com- mittee and stated the com- mittee will have to become more political. “‘We have to organize sessionals to get to the meeting so they become'po- litically aware of the situa- tion,’’ Donn said. “We have to get the committee organized so that sessionals have a pro- per voice,’’ she said. Concern at the ses- vancouver jcup]—Another Canadian university has re- ported a high failure rate in a literacy test for first year students. Only 55 percent of stu- dents writing the UBC Eng- lish Christmas exam passed, despite a move by the university to make stu- dents work harder at Eng- i sionals’ meeting dealt with the ratio of sessionals to full-time faculty. At the present time there is an equal number of sessionals working fulltime as there is fulltime staff. According to past presi- dent Maureen Shaw Doug- las College relies on more sessionals than any other college in B.C. Sessional instructor Gary Peterson, who was elected co-chairperson said organi- zing sessionals is a good idea that will benefit ses- sionals. ‘There is the reality of the college splitting (into separate colleges) ~ which would resolve the sessional blem,’’ Petersen said. Look on the bright side of life says students at pub night 55% UBC pass literacy test lish. The University of Alberta recently reported that more than 50 percent of its first year students failed a vo- luntary test of their written English. The UBC English depart- ment phased out a free remedial English program last September to encou- dougias college student newspaper Sessional teachers organize Sessionals do not receive the same benefits as full- time staff and do not have job security. , ‘‘There are no provisions for professional develop- ment, no adequate holiday pay, and no incentive for long range plans,’’ Shaw said. ‘‘You don’t have an office and you have to meet a lot of students on the run, although this is partially due to the fact there are many campuses. ’’ Faculty Association Pre- sident Ann Frost, sympa- thizes with the sessionals.. “| think we were cer- tainly not successful in negotiating salaries for the . said. the sessionals,’’ she ‘The rage high school students to become more competent in English before they reach university, said An- drew Parkin, English 100 chair. For the past three years large numbers of UBC first year English students have consistently failed the cont. on page 2 New Westminster, Surrey, Richmond, Coquitlam, Langley, Maple Ridge association was pleased with the ratio of sessionals to fulltime staff.’’ At Capilano College in North Vancouver sessionals have the same benefits and salaries as fulltime staff. “At Capilano College; the fulltime staff took cuts so that the sessionals’ ben- efits could be raised,’’ Frost siad, but she doubts the faculty could afford to do it here. “It’s hard to ask the fa- culty to take wage cuts when they are already 2-3 years behind _ inflation,’’ Frost said. ‘‘The college administration argument is that the sessionals offer flexibility in terms of enroll- ment.’’ ~ Interim president Reg Pridham stated sessionals are essential to a com- munity college. He also stated sessionals are re- lated to the response. of student demand. “‘lf demand shifts then we have to change our course,’’ he said. Pridham also said the college does all it can do to give the sessional a liveable wage. “If a sessional has four three credit courses they don’t have work during the four months that they are employed.’ “We need a capacity to offer courses on a semester basis,’’ he said, and added that ‘“flexibility’’ is needed. Students at Coquitlam locked out by carpenters pickets by Dan Hilborn and Rob Guzyk Approximately 250 stu- dents were locked out of their classes at Douglas College when local 1251 of the Carpenters’ Union, member of the B.C. Fede- ration of Labour, set up pickets at Coquitlam Cam- pus, Thursday morning. Tom Baker, local 1251 representative, said that the pickets would stay up as long as the non-union con- tractors hired to do reno- vations by the college re- main on the site. “The pickets are _ ille- gal,’’ said both Ann Kit- ching, Coquitlam principal and Reg Pridham, interim principal of the college. Kitching said that the contractors, Hil-Ron Con- struction Ltd., were hired after bids were received from tender, including bids from union firms. The union was, however, not satisfied with the re- sults of the bidding. Al- though the college is not mandated to hire only union personnel, the buil- ding trades council, an arm of the B.C. Federation of Labour, ‘insists on main- taining the student lockout until either the contractors are relieved by union con- tractors or the Labour Re- lations Board hands down a cease and desist order. As a result of the pickets the B.C.F.L. released a bul- letin saying they must now “seriously reconsider the role we have been trying to adapt with the Ministry of Education.’’ We must ‘‘take a more active and direct role in school board elections to ensure people who are pre- pared to act cooperatively with us,’” the bulletin also said. Baker stated that the administration had hired union workers before, from the BCGEU and CUPE, and they should have also hired union contractors. The college had to post- pone classes both Thursday and Friday, as well as relo- cate the staff, but John Slatterly, campus _ vice- “principal, does not think | the picket lines will stay up much longer.