Kim Bolan
Vancouver Sun Education Reporter
Saturday, July 26, 1997
Pages A1 & A9
Canada's university teachers association is planning to call for a worldwide boycott of the new Technical University of B.C. because of its lack of guarantees for academic freedom or proper governance.
The Canadian Association of University Teachers says the university will not have "the benefit of an academic senate" and that its board has extraordinary power " 'to establish, change or discontinue programs or program areas of the university' without reference to an academic senate and without provisions for the fair treatment of employees."
The boycott, part of a June 19 resolution, is also supported by the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of B.C., executive director Robert Clift said Friday. He said the confederation is demanding the government rewrite Bill 30, which creates Tech B.C. and its governance structure. The bill received second reading in the legislature this week.
"We've been able to mobilize a lot of support before," Clift said. "Once there is a cloud over a university academically, it is really hard to pull it back off."
"The association's resolution calling for university teachers around the world not to accept positions at Tech B.C. also says the university board will have the power to dictate faculty research activities, which will eliminate "free and independent research."
The instructors say the board is set up to be dominated by non-academic appointees without the usual requirements of the University Act regarding quorums, the removal of non-attending members or the exclusion of politicians or bureaucrats from the board.
Clift said the government seems to want business interests to dictate what the new university will offer, with little input from faculty members who have academic expertise.
"Business people want the degrees specifically tailored for them," Clift said. "But you won't be giving students a chance at the really broad training. What good is a degree going to be if it is only good with one employer?"
In a letter to Tech B.C. chair Ron Dickson, CAUT president Bill Bruneau says he hopes amendments can be made to Bill 30 to deal with the concerns of instructors.
He also said the boycott could be averted if the B.C. government addresses the concerns of his association.
Neither Premier Glen Clark nor Education Minister Paul Ramsey returned phone calls Friday.
But in a letter to Clift earlier this month, Ramsey said he was "concerned and disappointed" by the planned actions of the university instructors.
"I had hoped for, and expected, a more forward-looking response," Ramsey said.
He said the new university will be governed differently from existing B.C. institutions "because it is intended to play a unique role in our system."
"You mention the possibility of large corporations having undue influence on the University Council and the direction of Tech B.C.," Ramsey said. "The University Council will have representatives from faculty, students and employees of the university, as outlined in Bill 30, which will provide a balanced perspective on research issues. In addition, I will ensure that Tech B.C. has a rigorous conflict-of-interest policy."
Ramsey said Tech B.C. needed legislation that was different from the existing University Act, which governs other B.C. universities, because of its unique partnership with business.
"Bill 30 provides more flexibility to work with business and industry than the University Act," Ramsey said. "Your assessment of where this flexibility will lead the new university is speculative."
Tech B.C. chair Ron Dickson had earlier asked to meet with the university instructors, but the instructors have been unable to get a meeting date with the government or Dickson despite several attempts, Clift said.
Dickson did not return phone calls Friday, but in a July 2 letter to Bruneau, he indicated he was concerned about a boycott's potential damage.
"Because we are of course concerned about opposition from your internationally respected organization, we would like to know what stage your deliberations have reached. ... Have you already implemented measures to attempt to thwart our hiring of academic staff?" Dickson asked in his letter. "It is important that we know exactly where we stand."