Archive for August, 2009

How to play (and win) the university name game

One thing every new university student must face, but few students are prepared for, is the matter of how to properly address their instructors. As in many subcultures, forms of address are an important part of university life, and, believe it or not, many at the university will be put off if they are not addressed correctly. Although the situation may vary depending on your school and program, here is a quick introduction to help you avoid the major pitfalls.

Professor. This term is properly used for any instructor who actually holds a title with the word professor in it – as in my title Associate Professor. These people are what we call professors at rank. The term professor should not be used to address an instructor who does not actually hold that rank. For instance, while you may informally refer to someone as one of your professors, you should not actually refer to Jane Jones as “Professor Jones” if she is, in fact, appointed only at the Lecturer level.

Doctor. Instructors may be properly referred to as Doctor if they hold an earned doctoral degree. In most disciplines and in most Canadian universities, that degree is a Ph.D. Depending on your university, you may run into instructors with other doctoral degrees, such as an M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) or D.Th. (Doctor of Theology). Anyone, regardless of their rank, may be properly referred to as “Doctor,” in these cases. Notice that not everyone who holds a doctorate is necessarily appointed as a professor, and vice versa. So you cannot use “Doctor” and “Professor” interchangeably. Notice too that most teaching assistants will not have completed their doctorates. Similarly, many part-time and sessional instructors, and most lab instructors, will not have doctorates either.

Mr, Mrs, Miss, and Ms. Instructors who are not appointed as professors at rank and who do not hold a doctoral degree, may be addressed as Mr or Mrs or Miss or Ms, depending on their preference. Here comes the biggest potential pitfall. Never refer to an instructor as Mr or Mrs or the like if they hold a doctorate or a professorship. Going to Dr Jones’ office and calling her Mrs Jones may seem respectful to you, but may offend her more than you can imagine. For men who are neither professors nor doctors, Mr is the obvious choice. For women, well, it depends on the woman. When in doubt, go with “Ms.”

First names. This is the trickiest one of all. Many instructors do not mind, and, in fact, quite like students calling them by their first names. Others consider it extremely presumptuous and improper. The best thing to do is to avoid calling instructors by their first names until they tell you it’s okay. Professor LeBlanc will not be offended if you call him “Professor,” even if he prefers you call him Pierre. But Professor Watkins might be very offended if you call him “Brad” and he prefers a higher level of formality.

By this point you may be wondering how you are supposed to know who holds what degree and is appointed at what rank. One way to know is to check the university calendar. Most universities give a list of their faculty with their titles and the degrees they have earned. If that’s too much work, listen closely to how your instructors refer to themselves. If they use the title “Doctor” (as in “Hi, this is introduction to World History, and I’m Dr Chang) then you can be assured that you can use that title, too (for Dr Chang, not yourself). Similarly, if Dr Chang introduces herself as “Samantha” then you might turn up at her office and politely ask, “Is it okay if I call you Samantha?” In many cases you might use a more formal title in first year, but as you get to know an instructor better, you may naturally switch to the first name.

Going to university is like travelling to a different country. You need to learn the local customs. Knowing what to call the people at the front of the classroom is a good start.

When one institution grants degrees and another regulates accreditation, things are going to get messy

Unemployed students are in the news again. This they’re from the International Business Management Program at George Brown College, and they claim the program isn’t properly recognized and hasn’t qualified them for jobs. Hence the lawsuit. Here’s the Star’s article on the story:

Two former students, who took the International Business Management program at Toronto’s George Brown College, claim it didn’t confer three important industry designations it had promised.

Now, this claim isn’t quite accurate. It either reflects a gross over-simplification of the situation by the students at hand or by the Star itself. Most likely the Star simply repeated their claims verbatim rather than try to untangle the details. I think we can do better.

So here’s the program at George Brown. They claim that the program “can also prepare students to pursue three industry designations / certifications in addition to the George Brown College Graduate Certificate if they choose to do so.” Now there’s some waffle words for you. “Preparation” can mean a lot of things, and the implication that students “choose” (or not) to pursue these additional certificates should send up some red flags. Obviously there aren’t any promises made here.

Now with regards to the requirements of these three designations, here’s what a bit of research has uncovered:

• The certified customs specialist designation, from the CSCB, has three potential prerequisites. One is certification in the U.S., another is one year working in the industry, and the third is the completion of an approved college program – which does not include George Brown. So in that sense it would be accurate to say that other programs may be superior, though there are only two that are approved and both are in the GTA, so it would also seem unlikely to suggest that an approved program is absolutely required.
• Then there’s the certified international trade professional from FITT. From a look at their accreditation chart, it appears that study at George Brown is as recognized as any other college.
• Finally, the certificate in international freight forwarding, from CIFFA, apparently requires all of a high school diploma to begin accreditation. At that point you’re into their internal designation system, and you move up from there.

So what does this tell us, aside from the fact that the Star has less time to browse the Internet than I do? The preparation required for professional designations varies considerably, from place to place. It’s just about inevitable that it will. These professional bodies aren’t standardized in any meaningful way. These are voluntary bodies that stamp their seals of approval on students’ qualifications in much the same way that Fair Trade stamps their seal on chocolate bars. The various certifications may have some value and recognition, but expecting a standardized regime is a bit much.

It’s no wonder that students are frustrated, when they’re left to wade through this muck. Now I’ll gladly assign a large share of blame to the students as well. These are university graduates, enrolled in postgraduate college programs, who claim they were unable to learn in all that time what would be required to enter their chosen careers. And here I’ve gone and researched three different organizations in an hour. It wasn’t hard. But they are right to point fingers at the glaring disconnect between the program of study they take in college and the requirements of the relevant professional association(s) who regulate the credentials they may or may not need to actually work in their fields.

What all of this adds up to is simply a widespread institutional problem that isn’t going away any time soon. This isn’t really George Brown’s fault. They can’t control the requirements of the relevant professional bodies. And we haven’t even discussed the actual standing of these bodies and qualifications. Please don’t get the sense that all of these designations and certifications carry the same importance as being a registered nurse. They don’t. These designations may be sought by employers. They may even become de facto requirements for employment. But that’s only a function of whatever credibility and standing the relevant association can attract. Just like Fair Trade, it’s only meaningful to the extent that people care. And that, again, is a variable beyond the control of colleges.

What a mess eh? The only reasonable conclusion, as always, is buyer beware. In a perfect world we wouldn’t have this confusion of college diplomas and professional certifications and employment requirements that don’t mesh perfectly. But we don’t live in a perfect world and there are limits beyond which the government simply can’t police the situation and colleges can’t make firm guarantees. So students must do some research on their own and be sure of what they’re getting for their time and tuition. It’s natural to want to blame someone, when things go wrong, but going into the situation students are still in the best position to protect themselves.

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Questions are welcome at jeff.rybak@utoronto.ca. Even the ones I don’t post will still receive answers, and where I do use them here I’ll remove identifying information.

U of T exec was arrested at Toronto Tamil protest

If a university staff member is arrested at a protest, should students be expected to pay for her defence? That question is being hotly debated at the University of Toronto, where students are being asked to contribute to a legal defence fund for Angela Regnier, the executive director of the U of T Students’ Union (UTSU).

Joey Coleman: Should students pay the legal fees of Tamil protester?

Regnier was arrested while participating in a Tamil demonstration in Toronto in May. She was released on bail and after appearing in court three times, the charges were withdrawn. Now she’s trying to cover her legal bills, and UTSU president Sandy Hudson has been appealing to local student unions for donations. Hudson says the money will “support the constitutional rights of individuals to demonstrate peacefully and participate in civil disobedience.”

In an email to the U of T student newspaper the Varsity, Hudson wrote that the union should support Regnier because “anyone can be randomly targeted and arrested at any demonstration.” Several student unions and other organizations have made funds available, and the U of T Mississauga Students’ Union is expected to donate $1,000.

However, the assumption that all students support Regnier’s actions has angered some, especially since she is a paid student union staff member. “I expect my student union to work in my interest,” says Maria Robson, a fourth-year student, noting that the money originally came from student membership fees. “I’m greatly disappointed when it uses students’ money for advocacy or other purposes that don’t benefit us.” Robson adds that student money is not for “legal battles that have nothing to do with us.”

But Regnier counters that it is common for labour and union movements to establish legal defence funds. This fall, for example, the University of Guelph Central Student Association expects to set up a fund for activists pursuing indigenous land rights in Caledonia, Ont. There is a “shared concern for our constitutional right to demonstrate and the right to a fair defence,” she says.

Federal privacy commissioner reacts to a formal complaint from UOttawa law students

The federal privacy commissioner has agreed to give Facebook one year to make the “complex” technical changes required to protect user privacy on its popular social networking site.

Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart told a news conference Thursday that she’s “very pleased” with the way the company handled her complaints.

And while the changes are being enforced under Canada’s privacy law, Stoddart noted that “Facebook has said to us this is a global change,” to its operations.

That means the Canadian ruling will improve the privacy of some 200 million-plus Facebook users worldwide.

Stoddart’s office will be monitoring the agreed-upon alterations, including getting a look at some of the changes as they are developed.

“In essence, we’re going to be looking under the hood,” said Elizabeth Dunham, the assistant commissioner who led the privacy investigation.

Stoddart, reacting to a formal complaint from University of Ottawa law students, was concerned that Facebook held on to personal information indefinitely – even after people closed their accounts – and that it shared users’ information with almost a million third-party developers of Facebook applications.

After extensive negotiations, the company has agreed to make technological changes to restrict third-party access unless users give express consent. It will also take steps to make it much clearer to users the difference between deleting an account – which removes all personal information from Facebook servers – and deactivating it, which merely mothballs the information.

Changes are also being made to handling accounts of deceased users.

Ten tips for the common sense student

Lest we forget, going to university actually includes doing some homework. And as Todd Pettigrew pointed out, high school doesn’t always leave you prepared for what awaits when the mid-terms start popping up in October.

The work will be more difficult, generally, but first and foremost it will be different. The way classes are structured, the papers you are expected to turn in, and the marking schemes probably won’t be what you’re used to. And in order to avoid that reality-check (slash soul crushing) grade on the first assignment, there are a few basics tips I think can help you get prepared.

Now, these won’t ensure you pass your exams, nor will they even tell you how to write one. They’re just tips to cover your basics in the first couple weeks (particularly if you’re in arts), and they will seem like common sense – but it’s the kind of common sense I wish had occurred to me a bit earlier in my first year!

Step 1: Learn to use the library.

Unless your parents are librarians and you were reared on the Dewey decimal system, you will probably take a little while to get used to your school library. The trick is to do this early, not the day before your first paper is due.

You can get an upper-year student to show you how the library works, or you can ask a librarian (but be wary, the kindliness of university librarians is never a guarantee!) However, in many cases, you will just have to wander around for a while becoming steadily more impatient, frustrated and possibly sweaty, until the little numbers on the books mean something to you.

This means practice. Pick some books you actually want to read, and go find them. (Trust me, this will save you much first paper anguish.)

Step 2: Learn to use online journal databases.

This is just as important as the library these days. If your professor or the library holds an information session on how to find journals, or provides hand outs, pay attention. If you’re on your own, it’s time to ask around and do some digging on the library’s website (usually links are well marked or under FAQs.)

Unfortunately, if you go to say, Guelph, I can’t tell you where to look. I can just tell you it’s important that you find out.

Once you’re in to the journal database, try sites like JSTOR to help you find articles in multiple journals at once.

Step 3: Learn how to source your research.

This is a big one in university, and not only do you have to keep meticulous records of where ALL your research comes from you have to be able to reference them properly.

The two sourcing methods are APA and MLA. Before you ever write a paper, buy a basic book on essay writing, or print guides off the internet. For each essay, find out which one your prof prefers, and stick to it!

Here’s one to know before your prof tells you: never, ever use Wikipedia as a source!

Step 4: Go to every class. Sit near the front.

Technically, your professors are not taking a record of your attendance. That’s because you are the only one who will suffer if you don’t go. You may be tired, sick, or hung-over – but you’ll learn more just being there, even if you’re half asleep and drooling, then you will from the power point slides or some other kid’s notes. Because most of the time these won’t be legible, or will be full of unexplained graphs.

Will cover four years tuition, one year residence for children of soldiers killed in the line of duty

Carleton University is the latest school to provide financial aid for children of Canadians Forces personnel killed while serving in an active mission.

The scholarship, called Project Hero, pays tuition for four years and residence for one year. The scholarship is open to students who live in Canada, are 25 or younger and registered as a full-time student at the university.

“Joining Project Hero is a fitting way to honour the memory of the brave Canadian men and women who have lost their lives in combat and to support their children,” said Carleton University president Roseann O’Reilly Runte.

The Carleton University Students’ Association has also taken an active role in bringing Project Hero to the school through talks with administration.

“I am very proud to be a student at a university that values the contributions and sacrifices of the Canadian Forces members so highly,” said Nick Bergamini, the association’s vice president of student issues. “We want to show the students who are in the military or have family in the military that we support them.”

Project Hero is now available at seven schools. The others are the University of Ottawa, the University of Calgary, Concordia University, the University of Windsor, McMaster University and Memorial University. Retired Canadian general Rick Hillier founded the project, and lieutenant-colonel Kevin Reed has been working to bring it to as many schools as possible.

“Carleton is a valuable link in the national network of universities that continues to expand,” said Reed. “I am delighted they have come on board.”

Say a quarter of nearly 600 laid-off staff members have not been re-hired

The New Brunswick government may have reversed $2.9 million in cuts to school support staff, but union leaders claimed Tuesday that it hasn’t restored the same level of service.

CUPE spokeswoman Sandy Harding said a quarter of the 588 teacher assistants, library assistants and behaviour intervention workers who received lay-off notices in June have not been rehired.

“The situation is far from being back to normal,” said Harding.

“Some support staff have seen their hours reduced drastically while others will work in two or three schools in order to be able to put in the same amount of hours they had before.”

The money was originally cut in the spring budget, but Education Minister Roland Hache reversed the decision last month shortly after taking on the portfolio in a cabinet shuffle.

Harding told reporters that many parents are under the false impression that when the provincial government reversed the budget cut in July, it fully restored services.

“We’re really worried about the integrity of an inclusive education system if you have to pair up three different students in three different grades…the impact will be there, and it will be there for the other students as well.”

But Valmond Guimond, director of human resources for the Department of Education, said some school districts are still assigning staff for the upcoming school year and he expects the actual number of layoffs will be very low.

He said with eight of the 14 districts reporting so far there have been 21 layoffs.

Another 102 employees have had their hours reduced – about half of them losing just two hours per week.

Guimond said some of the layoffs could result from budget cuts in other areas and declining student enrolment – down about 3,500 this year.

Cambrian College program left health information management grad unqualified

Ontario’s ombudsman is warning the provincial government to keep a closer eye on colleges after finding a Cambrian College program left graduates unqualified in their field.

After a months-long investigation into a two-year Health Information Management program, Andre Marin concluded the Cambrian program was not formally recognized by the Canadian Health Information Management Association, which controls entry into the profession.

Earlier this year, 11 students who graduated from the Sudbury college’s program complained that the program is unaccredited and did not adequately qualify them for jobs in their chosen field.

Students who graduated from the program were ineligible to write a national test administered by CHIMA that would certify them to work in the profession.

The report recommends Cambrian compensate students for allowing them to enrol in a program that was “highly unlikely” lead to employment.

This report “Too Cool For School Too,” is the second in as many months released by Marin that criticizes how the Ministry of Colleges and Universities regulates college programs.

- The Canadian Press

If professors demand intellectual honesty from students, we must demand it of ourselves

McGill professor Barbara Sherwin admits she made a mistake in taking credit for a paper that was largely ghost written by another author who was, in turn, contracted by a drug company.

Well, no shit, Sherwin.

When undergraduates take credit for other people’s work at my university, they face stiff penalties, beginning with zero on their papers and ending with suspension from the university. And that’s typically for teenagers who have just learned what cheating is. For an established scholar, there is no excuse. Sherwin says that the scholarship itself was sound, but she knows full well that that’s beside the point. It’s like a student saying, “Yes, I copied the answers from another student’s test, but I copied the right answers!”

Like judges, professors must maintain a high standard of obvious honesty. Without it, we cannot, in good conscience, teach students to work with those same values. And though others have done worse, it’s not like this is the first time.

McGill has promised appropriate action. Let’s hope it’s at least a year-long suspension. That’s what we do for students who should know better.

Government-published world history textbook leaves out the Spanish Conquest

A new sixth-grade world history textbook is causing a stir in Mexico because it leaves out any mention of the Spanish Conquest.

Few events have shaped Mexico’s culture, ethnicity and history more than the 1521 conquest.

But it doesn’t appear in the government-published world history text, which ends in the age of exploration with a reference to the rising world powers of Spain and Portugal.

Assistant Education Secretary Fernando Gonzalez told the Mexican newspaper El Universal on Monday there was no intention of covering up the Spain’s brutal conquest of indigenous societies. He says middle-school history texts would address the topic.

But some academics want at least a mention included.

- The Canadian Press