other ha hand

TODAY WE continue the
saga of the Spy Who Came
in From The Trough, it
being the confessions of a
retired member of Langara
College who.e conscience

worries him.
In our last episode he put his

- finger on the 20-hour, four-day
work week of those who sweat in
‘the academic vineyard known as
the community colleges.

We saw how the teaching week
could be as low as six hours, how
the working year could be six
months, and how time off for pro-
fessional development means

“painting done, patio done,” and
the paying public done.

_ ,He provided charts showing
that in private industry most peo-,
pie work for 47 weeks a year and
have @ 35-hour working week. If
college instructors had a similar
year and continued putting in the
hours they actually work now,
their working week would be
between eight and 12 hours.

My man had a neat way of
putting ‘things. “Imagine,” he said,
“19 weeks without picking up”
chalk" — a reference to what hap-

7; It has long been
“my cGntention that
the academic world is
out of control and
‘that as a coun try we
are wasting billions

on ited ’

pens most summers in this hard
working community of communi-
ty colleges.’ ,
No wonder — this is me
‘ speaking, not he (and I know
that’s questionable English, but it
might have been worse if I had
goae to a community college) no
wonder such people have so much
time to spend on strikes, politics,
power struggles, and harassing
their betters, as seen in the dis-
pute over “racists” in Salmon
Arm,
; That's why most of them sup-
“port the NDP, which has done so
much for them.
It has long been my contention
that the academic world is out of
‘control and that as a country we

“2 are wasting billions on it. '

That’s not to say. we need no
institutions of higher learning, but
who necds whole battalions of

“political scientists" working in a
7 discipline which i is a misnomer,

an oxymoron, and a training
ground for radical fems and left-
wing activism?

My spy says that the dropout
rate at Langara is between 30%
and 33%. So one-third of the stu-
denis can't hack it in spite of low-
ered standards and should never.
have been admitted in the first
place. But if that happened there
would be fewer jobs for acade-
mics, wouldn't there. And that
would never do.

Logic tells me that if the

_dropouts had not been admitted,

staff cuts of one third could have

‘been effected and there would

then have been more people avail-
able for berry picking and other
useful pursuits.

“In From The Trough” says he °
saw one final with a single student
in the class.

. “Student achievement levels

_., have dropped dramatically since
~ the 1970s,” he says, a major rea-

son being that 70% of the students —
are ESL (English as Second
Language). Yes. we play host to

the world.

“Term papers are rarely set
now because of wide-spread pla-
giarism, ESL students, and mark-
ing requirements.”

“fu short, the whole thing is a
mess.

The administrators know ii, he
says, but no one wants to rock the
boat. It is, after all, a comfortable
boat.

BY TA Ae teas PCA at date dene fees eta h ae Let

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peal ee Ee

Trough” claims that one
administrator was able to stay at
home for two years drawing his
$90,000 a year, plus fringe bene-
fits.

lic also produced a copy of a
document showing that from April
1. 1991, to. March 31, 1994, sever:
ance payments in Langara
amounted to $2,814, 853.

How does “severancecome
about? Sometimes because a per-
son isn’t in with the right crowd.
Sometimes because people are not
doing a proper job. Actual firings
are as rare as robins in winter.

What should be done? The
effective four-day week should be
extended and “professional devel-
opment” should be strictly limit-
ed. Full summer semesters should
be instituted and vacations should
take place from June 27 to Aug.
27,

Canada is unique in the
Wester world, he says, in closing
its universities for the summer —
a hangover from the days when
students had to help their parents
on the farm. ;

These and other productivity
increases in Langara‘alone could _
save nearly $7 million a year,

Faculty would:be up in arms,
of course. They, would probably
strike. Let them. We would never
know they were away.

Nothing, will change, of course.
The education establishment is as
firm as the Rock of Gibraltar,

f

Teashee hii A AIAN OHA

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