i dterm s g o ne - Durham College and UOIT

The Chronicle March 2, 1987 Page
Report
7
i g nores lack of fund i ng
Durham to assess measures it may take to alleviate
its financial problems.
There were also some doubts as to the revised’bud-
get’s data among college personnel, the report said.
"Durham College personnel were never unanimous
in their acceptance of the data the cbllege provided
the team. Much time has been spent by the team
analyzing data only to have the data questioned at
subsequent meetings."
The report estimates the college can eliminate 21 to
30 teachers, without dropping any programs through
modifying evaluation procedures, and making better
use of temporary teachers and overtime without in-
fringing on the collective agreement.
Mike Breaugh, New Democratic Party MPP for Os-
hawa says, however, that other colleges are experien-
cing some financial problems.
"It’s very complicated. The ministry has kept out of
rt up until recently, and hasn’t monitored finances
of the colleges." Breaugh says the ministry has en-
countered funding problems in all of the colleges.
"The colleges were under the impression the ministry
would fund the hiring of new teachers," said Bre-
augh, reflecting back on the contract and reduced
workload., Breaugh said the ministry is currently
doing a critique on the funding formula, and most
colleges are studying their internal programs.
"This is going to hit other colleges, if it hasn’t already
happened," Breaugh said.
Durham is presently waiting for a response from the
ministry, which is looking at the college’s request
for between $600 - $1 million in extra funding.
Rick Holmes, vice-chairman of Durham’s board of
governors, says he doesn’t think teachers will be laid
off, but says the administration hasn’t made any for-
mal advances in that direction.
"It’s up to the administration to approach us, and as
of yet it hasn’t," Holmes said.
Holmes said he, along with other members of the
board of governors and Mel Garland, recently atten-
ded the Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and
Technology of Ontario (ACATO) conference. At that
conference over 250 administrative people from On-
tario colleges attended, and listened to Greg Sorbara,
minister of colleges and universities, and Robert Ni-
xon, treasurer of Ontario, speak.
"There was a lot of bashing of the federal govern-
ment. The federal government has reduced the pay-
ments to the colleges," Holmes said. "We are getting
a lot of lip service." "
Holmes said there was a general consensus among
the colleges that they were underfunded, and that
each repective board of governors has been lobbying
the governments for more funding.
"I am a little disappointed with the fact there’s one
Liberal in the Provincial (government) and one Libe-
ral in the federal (government) and there seems to
be a bit of knocking back and forth."
At the conference, Seneca College president, Roy
McCuthen said at the beginning of the contract the
government allocated $60 million, part of which each
college didn’t know what to ask for. Holmes said
Merrill Cook, administrator and secretary-treasurer
for Durham, wouldn’t comment on the report, since
he said it was confidential report between the college
and ministry. He did correct recent reports done by
area newspapers which said in lieuof financial pro-
blems the college was going ahead with a $250,000
renovation of the Simcoe building.
"Actually the ministry allocated $559,000 in capital
funding for the restoration of the Simcoe building,"
Cook said.
"It’s .got nothing to do with the college’s operating
costs." ,
Cook said last year the ministry allocated $210,000
for revamping the rooftops otthe Simcoe building,
and another $559,000 to up-grade the building. He
stressed that this money was in no way directed at
the college’s operating costs, which includes the sa-
laries of teachers and administration.
Arthur Smith, president of the OPSEU local at Dur-
ham, says there are some teachers hired last year
who are contemplating sueing the college if their
jobs are lost, but said he hasn’t spoken to any such
teachers and it’s all hear-say. ,
"There are more opportunities in a place such as
Toronto; than there are here for sessionals," Smith
said. The Sheer transportation cost of teaching’as a
sessional" at Durham College, Smith said, is hard to
accept fo^ someone receiving only half .of what a full-
time teacher would.
Smith says the report is fine, but fails to address the
real problem. He said instead of focusing on what
the college administration did and didn’t do, more
interest should be on the fact the college isn’t recei-
ving funding needed through the province to comm-
pliment the Region’s growth.
Durham’s hiring policy
questioned by ministry
"They (report’s team) have ignored the amount the
college should get from the ministry," Smith said.
Smith said only about half the high school graduates
in the Region go to Durham college. Over 53 per cent
attend colleges and universities outside the Region.
Data received by Smith through the college suggests
that potential students opt for college careers outside
of Durham because of lack of available programs.
And with the lack of funding by the ministry the
college isn’t able to expand its facilities.
"Humber has the same number of students coming
’
out of high school in its areaSft^we do," says Smith.
"But we are only a quarter-ofthe size of Humber."
Statistics show last year Durham Region had 1,130
high school grads which attended one college or an-
other, of which 527 chose Durham and 603 went
elsewhere.
The Region’s growth has surpassed the province’s
growth, Smith contends. "There should be more pro-
vincial funding than there is."
Ironically the report says that "had Durham grown
at the same rate as other colleges, its per student"
funding would have been above the system average.
Durham contends that its system, and its growth in
activity is not the cause of this. .
The funding distribution is set up in such a way that
a college growing faster than other colleges will re-
ceive a smaller share of the’ operating grant, and
vice-versa.
The report concluded that Durham’s growth in pro-
vincially-funding activity since 1980-81 was 47.2 per
cent, compared to the other colleges’ activity of 19.5
per cent. This growth -in provincially-funding activ-
ity "has had a significant effect on its (Durham’s)
’ per student funding," the report stated.
Drew Namath, a ministry economist says the majo-
rity of the colleges feel the funding distribution me-
chanism is fair.
"No other college feels it’s unfair, and a survey done
last spring found 15 out of the 22 colleges felt it
should continue,"Namath said. Namath also said the
funding review committee is going over how the fun-
ding formula is working presently.
Mel Garland has been on the funding review commit-
tee in previous years, and says the funding formula
is inadequate.
Brian Wolfe, chief financial analyst for the ministry,
wouldn’t comment on the^ report itself, but said that
to his knowledge no other college was experiencing
financial problems.
McCuthen said,We put in our best estimate which
was thought to be light, and now we know it was
light.’ Holmes added that Durham’s estimate was
more than the $1.3 million it received from the go-
vernment.
"We expect to hear from the ministry fairly soon,"
Holmes said with respect to Durham’s appeal for
additional funding. / .
Durham Region is "booming" right now, said Holmes
who owns two businesses in the Region, and has been
operating for 13 years.
Regional Chairman, Gary Herrema, is concerned
with the college’s finacial problem, too.
"The college has always had a very positive relations-
hip with industry in the Region," Herrema said. Her-
rema added a lack of funding for Durham will ultima-
tely hurt this relationship.
"This doesn’t just effect Oshawa and Durham Region,
but as well as Northumberland too. We (Durham
College) service all areas," Herrema said.
"We’ll have to sit down with Mel Garland and the
board, and set out what we can do as a concerned
community."
Ro m e p l ace m e nt , a f i rst at D u r h a m
By Linda Cousins Chronicle staff
A student in Durham College’s Public Relations
program has .been granted an impressive placement
in Rome, Italy.
Andrew Popko, a second-year student, was recently
granted a placement with Unitar, a division
of the United Nations.
UNITAR/UNDP (United Nations Institute for
Training and Research on Small Energy Resources)
was established in Rome, Italy in 1984.
Their objective is to promote the development of
small energy resources, specifically for the benefit
of rural populations in developing countries.
While on a trip to New York, Popko met an employee
of the United Nations who suggested he contact
them in regard to his placement. I
Upon returning home, he sent the U.N^his resume,
and within a short period of time received a phone
call from Marsha Aasen, of the Department of Public
Information for the United, rations, requesting he
come to New York for an interview.
Popko was interviewed for a placement within the
United Nations in New York originally, and was
accepted for that position. Following that interview
another one was scheduled with UNITAR, a division’
of the United Nations that operates out of Rome,
Italy. He was interviewed oy Manfred 0. Schmidt,
who offered Popko a placement in Rome.
Popko, who had taken a two-year leave from his
company, Alberta Energy in order to study Publiq
Relations at Durham, then flew home to Alberta to
discuss the prospect with his company.
Alberta Ene,rgy gave Popko a four month extended
leave. ,
"I’m pleased and enthused that Alberta Energy
have given me the leave. I feel it is a fantastic oppor-
tunity. I look forward to working in a European coun-
try and for the U.N. which is a respected world-wide
organization," said Popko.
Before moving out west, Popko was a long-time
resident of Ajax. He left an impressive record of
achievements behind.
He was student body president and in grade 12 at
Ajax High School, he was presented with the Thomas
Foster Award that recognized an all-round student.
He was also president of his grade 13 class and vale-
dictorian.
Fellow classmate Rob Quick saic(? "I think it’s
great
Andy had the ambition to ^o and do it. He had the
:« initiative and the foresight. He really deserves it. "
When he finished Grade 13, he headed out to Al-
berta in search of a job, which he found with Alberta
Energy.
He began working for them in 1978 as an office
assistant. One year later, he went to Medicine Hat
as a field operator. He worked on the SufHeld mili-
tary range’ and was in charge of 46 gas wells.
After just over a year, an openinig came up in the
Calgary office for a buyer of oil and gas materials
for engineering and drilling departments^ Here,
Popko was exposed to public relations.
"I worked on special projects. There was an inter-
nal educational program going on that familiarized
each department with the activities of the other de-
partments in the company for two days. I also assi-
sted in photo slide presentations and material logi-
stics for five months. My first real introduction to
public relations was during November of 1984. Al-
berta Energy had to raise $85 million in common
shares," said Popko.
Alberta Energy then suggested to Popko that a
career in public relations might be an avenue he
could pursue.
In January 1986, Durham College accepted Popko
as a mature student in their public relations pro-
gram. He then had to catch up the courses that he
had missed from September to January.
Everett McCrimmon, teaching master of public re-
lations at Durham College said, "I think this is an
exciting devlopment for him and a great opportunity.
It speaks well for the Public Relations program at
Durham College. Andy showed enough capability
through his resume and portfolio, to get a call. Part
of the reason they were interested in him is his oil
background. Unitar is developing a means of tapping
energy in the core of the earth. Andy’s got the back-
ground, skills and willingness to work hard. He
proved that with his fall client. It was Big Brother’s
and he organized their Bowl for Millions’ campaign,
hoping to raise $10,000. It is a once in a lifetime
opportunity to get that kind of experience."
Bill Swan, acting chairman for Communication
Arts said, "I think it would be a fantastic opportunity
for Andy. To my knowledge, I tnink this is the first
European placement in the college’s history. It shows
the distinct value in having students arrange their
own placement in relation to their desires and goals.
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