Affirmative Action Policy Urged

Vol.18No.34 The University of Western Ontario N6A 5B8 October 28,1982 A final touch of ‘summer’ It can’t last much longer, so hundreds of students took full advantage of the slumber around campus, forgetting that terrible first taste of winter earlier recent gorgeous weather. Many could be found doing the Indian summer this month and the promise of more to come. Affirmative Action policy urged UWO needs to start an Affir faculty, staff and graduate mendations regarding the im consideration, Dr. Mulcahy said. tenure-track positions compared mative Action program on cam students, has urged the President plementation of Affirmative Ac The Caucus wants all Universi to men, while a high number pus to promote equal employ to make a public announcement tion policies,” the Caucus recom ty departments, including Per were getting limited term ap ment opportunities for women, of the University’s commitment mends. sonnel, to be required to submit pointments. says Western’s Caucus on to Affirmative Action and initiate The appointment should be on a to the Affirmative Action Officer She noted that the Caucus is Women’s Issues. procedures to fulfill the commit minimum three-year contract, a complete review of employ particularly concerned over the The Caucus has presented a ment. with the Affirmative Action Of ment and promotion policies and absence of published data concer brief to University President Dr. A full-time Affirmative Action ficer reporting directly to the a full report of application and ning the number of women George E. Connell calling on the Officer should be hired “whose President, the brief says. recruitment data following each employed in non-faculty posi administration to “assume a sole responsibility will be to Caucus President Dr. Gloria hiring decision. tions. more positive stance with respect review the hiring and promo Mulcahy said representatives of The Affirmative Action Officer Dr. Mulcahy said an Affir to the question of Affirmative Ac tional practices of the University, the group met with Dr. Connell would publish an annual report in mative Action policy would tion.” to maintain a continuous account recently to discuss the proposals. a widely distributed University establish “goals and timetables” The Caucus, which consists of of the status of women at The President gave no commit publication, the Caucus says. for increased hiring of women, about 80 full-time and part-time Western, and to make recom ment except to take them under Dr. Mulcahy told Western but would not “advocate ar News that the group also wants bitrary quotas or the hiring of un employment data on the status of qualified women.” women and non-academic staff collected and published. (Continued on Page 4) Animal quarters quarantined She said the statistical infor mation available on the employ ment of women at Western in dicates that things have not im after rabid dog incident proved since a major status of women report was published in This Western’s Animal Care received from Canine Control in as a precautionary measure. 1975. Quarters have been placed under Simcoe last Thursday and was Six of the seven already had The Caucus brief says that “in strict quarantine following the exhibiting signs of rabies Mon received a pre-exposure rabies many areas the status of women W eek discovery of rabies in a dog at the day. The animal was destroyed vaccine as part of the preven has deteriorated.” facility. and its brain sent to the Health of tative medicine program at UWO It notes that in 1975 only 12.3 Seven UWO staff members who Animals Branch in Ottawa for and will require two more shots. percent of faculty were women • Union bid........... 3 handled the animal will have to analysis. The seventh person who did not and the percentage in 1981 was receive rabies shots. These in Confirmation of rabies was receive the pre-exposure vaccine still 12 percent, “a figure that re • Incest victims’ clude Laboratory Animal Ser received Tuesday. will require five rabies shots. mains well below the national (14 handbook........... 6 vices Director Dr. William Dr. Rapley said none of the A number of other dogs at the percent) and the provincial (15 Rapley and Ken McGill, Manager seven people who handled the dog quarters came into contact with percent) averages.” of Health Sciences Animal Care was bitten, but all will receive a the rabid dog, and up to 37 may Dr. Mulcahy said that 1981 • VDT safety........ 7 Quarters. new form of rabies vaccine faculty hiring statistics showed Dr. Rapley said the dog was known as Human Diploid Vaccine (Continued on Page 4) few women were receiving Letters to the Editor Restraints may mean ‘mortgaging future’ Underfunding the problem, Increases in universities’ costs It emphasizes that the legislat 1983-84 and will include the ef not faculty tenure cannot reasonably be kept within ed restraint on matters affecting fects of the government’s propos the proposed five percent con compensation must not “imply a ed restraint program on the Dear Sir: straint legislation and could similar level of restraint on the universities. result in “mortgaging the future” operating costs of universities.” “While the analysis is in What is tenure? Apparently the Council of Ontario of both the universities and the The increase in operating complete, it is clear that the in Universities does not know since it is proposing to hire a Province, says the Council of On grants to universities in 1983-84 creases in universities’ costs can firm of management consultants to study it, even though tario Universities. must “take adequate account of not reasonably be kept within the tenure has been around for a long time. Tenure involves A COU brief to the legislative the inevitable increases in proposed five percent practices which have been freely negotiated and mutually committee studying Bill 179 — universities non-salary costs,” constraint,” the brief says. agreed upon by faculty and administration, and which the act imposing compensation COU says. The fiscal policies of the Pro define, in large measure, the working life of scholars. Mr. restraints in the public sector — “Not to do so would result in the vince over the past several years Roger Gaudry, former Rector of the University de Mon stresses that universities are not universities being placed in a represent a “genuine threat to treal, in an address delivered to the participants in the opposed to a restraint program, double constraint and cause fur the vitality and even viability of Conference of the Council of Ministers of Education, but raises concerns about the ther imbalance in university fun the Ontario university system.” Canada, held in Toronto on October 19-22, discussed’the ra practicality of the draft legisla ding.” Further restraints “could have tionalization of higher education. To bring this about he tion. COU is undertaking an analysis very serious results,” COU said “it will first be necessary to attack the problem of “This program applies of projected operating costs for warns. tenure”. However, the “problem” seems to exist only in restraints mainly to remunera the minds firstly of those who do not understand the nature tion and only minimally to prices. of universities as self-governing communities of scholars, Moreover, it applies restraints to secondly of those who would, in the name of system flex remuneration in the public sector ibility, sweep away those practices, including tenure, which but not in the private sector.” Imperial Lecture make academic work possible and thirdly of those who Prices constitute a major fac would impose a management style on the universities very tor in non-salary costs for univer different to that which has traditionally prevailed. The On sities which are not covered to focus on coal tario Confederation of University Faculty Associations has under the restraint legislation, suggested that the proposed study by management con COU points out. Universities are “Thinking About Coal” will be papers, patents and reports, has sultants would do little other than reinforce these large users of energy and large the title of The Imperial Lecture been active in government- misconceptions. purchasers of books and scien on Tuesday, November 9 at 7 industry research endeavors, The difficulties currently being experienced in Ontario’s tific equipment, the prices of p.m. in Room 40 of Western’s particularly the Canadian Car universities are the result of underfunding and inadequate which are not constrained under School of Business Administra bonization Research Association consultation with the academic community on the role of the legislation. tion. which he helped found. In August the universities. These are the problems, not tenure. Levels of public funding over Speaker will be Dr. J.H. Walsh, 1974, he became Senior Advisor Scholars have demonstrated over a long period of time that the last several years have left Director-General, Coal for for Energy Technology in the they can keep their own house in order and can develop universities “living in a period of Energy, Mines and Resources Energy, Mines and Resources and improve scholarship through tenure. Which other pro increasingly severe constraint.” Canada, who is responsible for Department, serving in the Office fession has such a long proving period, up to seven years at Salary levels are “well below the formulation and recommen of the Assistant Deputy Minister, UWO, after an individual has qualified? Even after this comparable groups outside the dation of policies pertaining to Science and Technology. period, if tenure is earned, one does not have job security. universities,” the COU brief coal. Dr. Walsh served for two years Dismissal can still occur for exactly the same causes as in says. A graduate of McGill Universi as a member of the Petroleum any other profession.

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