News Briefs
MAGALLY ZELAYA AND CHELSE MCKEE, STAFF
CAW votes 97 per cent in favor of strike
On Sept. 26, the U of M chapter of the Canadian Auto Workers union voted 97 per cent in favour of going on strike if there were issues with their contracts.
CAW represents engineers, caretakers, grounds and general services, food services, and the skilled trades on both the Fort Garry and Bannatyne campus.
Their collective agreement with the university expires on Oct. 5.
“We’re not planning on striking,” said Frank Wright, chairperson of CAW. “The reason why we take the strike vote is obviously [to give] us a little extra power at the bargaining table.”
Wright said that although their contracts are up on Oct. 5, the union is willing to talk after that date. The union is currently planning to start talks with the university on Oct. 9.
When asked why CAW is pre-emptively discussing contracts, while other unions on campus, like CUPE 3909, which have just started the negotiations well after its contracts have been up, Wright replied that, “CAW has a policy [of] deadline bargaining. When our contract deadline is up, if we don’t have a deal by then, we’re on strike. If we’re close and things are going well, we keep talking.”
Wright said he is optimistic about the outcome of the bargaining.
“Things are moving along and I think both sides are happy with it.”
John Danakas, director of public affairs says that the “university . . . continues to negotiate and we remain optimistic. In the event of a labor action from CAW, we will be keeping students informed through the website, www.umanitoba.ca.”
Don’t teach time management: deans conference
At the Deans of Arts and Science Western Conference, Raymond Perry, a professor at the University of Manitoba, began discussing the issues regarding why students can’t stick with university.
Perry, a motivational psychologist by trade, discussed the “paradox of failure.”
He described the fact that although universities pick the top 20 per cent of high school students, little more than half the students entering university graduate.
In addition, only 73 per cent of students enter the second year of university, according to Perry.
“How come a huge number are failing the first year?” Perry asked the group of the deans.
He discussed the results of a handout he had given to psychology students recently. According to the study, only eight per cent were involved in a study group while at least 94 per cent of students never ask professors or teaching assistants questions during or even after lectures and discussions.
As well, Perry introduced many elements such as skills seminars and math skill seminars, and showed how it could affect a student’s final grade. The most surprising element would be that the introduction of a time management seminar actually lowers a student’s final grade by .11 per cent.
4,400 students to receive post-secondary bursaries
Bursaries provided by the government and the Canada Millennium Scholarship will ease the financial burden of tuition for more than 4,400 students in Manitoba this year
Announcements similar to this one — made by Diane McGifford, Manitoba minister of advanced education and literacy on Sept. 28 — have been made annually for the last nine years under the Millennium Scholarship Fund.
Since its inception in 1998, the Millennium Scholarship has distributed more than $1.6 billion in funding to more than half a million students across Canada, according to the foundation’s website.
The scholarship program, which will have its final year in 2008-09, allocates $285 million in millennium bursaries to Canadian students every year, which are awarded on the basis of need.
$8.2 million from the Manitoba Government and $10.6 million from the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation will fund this year’s bursaries.
The bursaries awarded will reduce debt incurred in the 2006-07 year. Letters will be mailed to selected students in the next two weeks.
Learning and lounging in Elizabeth Dafoe
A plan to turn the majority of the first floor of Elizabeth Dafoe into a Learning Commons has now moved into a design and conceptual planning phase.
A learning commons “describes a variety of ways, traditional, face-to-face, and online, of providing students with space and services to access information with attendant library learning skills and information technology staff supports,” according to the Learning Commons Concept plans posted on the university’s website.
Possible features of a learning commons include comfortable and flexible furniture, spaces for students to study alone or in groups, and any supports a student might need while studying including refreshments, tutors, and technology.
Lynn Smith, executive director of student services and chair of the Learning Commons Task Force said, “It’s exciting. This type of approach to providing learning spaces and to some extent teaching spaces in the library is not unique. It’s meeting with great successes all over North America and beyond.”
The task force has obtained the opinions of students in a variety of methods ranging from focus groups to an online survey, in order to get a broad idea of what would facilitate a better leaning environment.
Smith said that they would continue to get feedback form students and staff once the concept plans are in place. “We’re aiming to have concepts ready by March.”
As for funding, Smith said, “We’ll be working with Dr. [Robert] Kerr’s [vice-president (academic) and provost] office and, of course, with the libraries on how to make sure we can fund such a wonderful creation on campus.”
