UNews - Town Hall Meeting

Campus security under the microscope

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:59:03 +0000

Normally, they are the group watching over the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, 24 hours a day, in person and through more than 250 on-campus security cameras. However, beginning in mid-March, the campus security group is asking the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community to check in on them.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has commissioned external security consultants David Hyde and Associates to perform a campus security audit. The objective of the audit is to assess the current campus personal safety and security program and provide input to the future direction to be adopted by the Security Services department.

Security manager Bill Krysak, left and director John O’Keeffe, right, encourage everyone to take part in the campus security audit, Mar. 14-18.

"Our program is in place to ensure a safe and secure campus environment is maintained for all ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ stakeholders," says John O'Keeffe, the U of L's security director. "It is absolutely essential that the experiences and views of the people who learn, live, teach and work at the campus are taken into consideration."

O'Keefe says that since the last major audit was completed, the campus has changed significantly.

"While progress has been made in implementing a number of security measures, my team and I are looking forward to receiving the input and results from the independent group commissioned to conduct the audit to help with future planning."

The audit takes the form of online surveys, several town hall-style meetings and feedback opportunities through a secure website.

"We really want this audit to give us a solid direction, and to include as much information as possible from the campus community," adds O'Keefe.

There are two ways that ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ stakeholders can participate in the upcoming Campus Security Audit. The first is by completing a short survey located on the Security Services section of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ website (www.uleth.ca/security/).

The second way to participate is to attend an upcoming Town Hall Meeting hosted by the team of security specialists performing the audit.

"By participating in a Town Hall Meeting or in completing the survey, people can contribute to a more representative security audit and, most importantly, contribute to helping us provide a safe and secure campus," says O'Keefe.

The dates for the Town Hall Meeting representing each major stakeholder group are as follows:

AUPE: Monday, Mar. 14, noon to 1 p.m. (L1060, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library)
Students: Tuesday, Mar. 15, 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. (Students' Union Ballroom)
APO: Wednesday, Mar. 16, noon to 1 p.m. (L1060, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library)
ULFA: Friday, Mar. 18, noon to 1 p.m. (L1060)

Campus security under the microscope

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:53:30 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has commissioned external security consultants David Hyde and Associates to perform a campus security audit. The objective of the audit is to assess the current campus personal safety and security program and provide input to the future direction to be adopted by the Security Services department.

"Our program is in place to ensure a safe and secure campus environment is maintained for all ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ stakeholders," says John O'Keeffe, the U of L's security director. "It is absolutely essential that the experiences and views of the people who learn, live, teach and work at the campus are taken into consideration."

O'Keefe says that since the last major audit was completed, the campus has changed significantly.

"While progress has been made in implementing a number of security measures, my team and I are looking forward to receiving the input and results from the independent group commissioned to conduct the audit to help with future planning."

The audit takes the form of online surveys, several town hall-style meetings and feedback opportunities through a secure website.

"We really want this audit to give us a solid direction, and to include as much information as possible from the campus community," adds O'Keefe.

There are two ways that ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ stakeholders can participate in the upcoming Campus Security Audit. The first is by completing a short survey located on the Security Services section of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ website (www.uleth.ca/security/).

The second way to participate is to attend an upcoming Town Hall Meeting hosted by the team of security specialists performing the audit.

"By participating in a Town Hall Meeting or in completing the survey, people can contribute to a more representative security audit and, most importantly, contribute to helping us provide a safe and secure campus," says O'Keefe.

The dates for the Town Hall Meeting representing each major stakeholder group are as follows:

AUPE: Monday, Mar. 14, noon to 1 p.m. (L1060, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library)
Students: Tuesday, Mar. 15, 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. (Students' Union Ballroom)
APO: Wednesday, Mar. 16, noon to 1 p.m. (L1060, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library)
ULFA: Friday, Mar. 18, noon to 1 p.m. (L1060)

For a look at the March issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Tuition rates a point of advocacy for students

trevor.kenney — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:53:46 +0000

Deficits, funding shortfalls and tuition hikes are all common words floating around the hallways of Alberta's post-secondary institutions the past few months.

During the Ralph Klein era, Alberta saw tuition fees hit an all-time high, which led to a new tuition fee policy in 2006. In November of that year, the Government of Alberta implemented the Tuition Fees Regulation initiative. This policy indicates that tuition cannot escalate above the rate of inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta wants to see tuition rates calculated by 'market modifiers' which means that tuition for professional and graduate programs such as medicine, dentistry, law, business, pharmacy and engineering will experience grave increases.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are fortunate that their administration has chosen not to go down that path.

"President Bill Cade stated explicitly at the Oct. 9 Town Hall Meeting that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge would not pursue any differential increases," says Alex Massé, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) Vice President Academic. "In fact, he portrays the idea of raising tuition for professional programs as ridiculous."

Thus far, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are safe from a major tuition hike for the 2010/2011 year; although, there are no guarantees of this continuing.

"The U of L administration has made it clear that they will not be seeking any increases beyond the CPI cap for the next academic year, but the government has told students that the regulation could be opened for amendment for a period of two to five years, and we have no guarantee that the U of L will not seek differential increases in future years," says Massé.

"When the cap was implemented, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta used 2004 as the base year from which increases would be calculated," adds Massé. "The U of A argues that they should be able to recalculate the base rates because they weren't given an opportunity in 2006 to adjust their professional programs to market value."

This comes at a time when the U of A is facing a $60 million deficit, along with most institutions across the province that are experiencing funding shortfalls. The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology has proposed a 40 per cent tuition hike for all programs; however, Doug Horner, Alberta Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, rejected this proposal.

"Horner let the PSE institutions know that the Ministry would accept proposals similar to the U of A's: they have to be justified and they have to be aimed only at specific programs," says Massé. "But, we do not believe that any differential tuition increases are justified."

According to Massé, if differential tuition increases are allowed to come into effect it could mean that some students will be forced to enter into a discipline of study based on their financial means over their ability or ambition.

"This means the government will be stifling the potential of many of the best and brightest prospective students," says Massé.

Advocacy is one of the mandates of the ULSU, and it works hard on all levels of government to lobby for the needs of students.

"The ULSU will work extensively with the Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students to send a strong message directly to the Government of Alberta, the bottom line being that right now student employment is at a record low and requests for student aid are at a record high, and this is the worst time for the government to allow large tuition increases," says Massé. "Depending on how things go over the next few weeks, we will certainly consider active student campaigns and media events to hammer that message home."

Tuition rates a point of advocacy for students

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:46:45 +0000

Deficits, funding shortfalls and tuition hikes are all common words floating around the hallways of Alberta's post-secondary institutions the past few months.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are fortunate that their administration has chosen not to go down that path.

Thus far, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are safe from a major tuition hike for the 2010/2011 year; although, there are no guarantees of this continuing.

"Horner let the PSE institutions know that the Ministry would accept proposals similar to the
U of A's: they have to be justified and they have to be aimed only at specific programs," says Massé. "But, we do not believe that any differential tuition increases are justified."

"This means the government will be stifling the potential of many of the best and brightest prospective students," says Massé.

Advocacy is one of the mandates of the ULSU, and it works hard on all levels of government to lobby for the needs of students.

Town Hall Meeting will update budgetary process

trevor.kenney — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:51:14 +0000

As the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge moves through its budget cycle, U of L administrators say they are moving forward with alternate budget planning and the implementation of a voluntary retirement program, among other ideas, to save money over the next two fiscal years.

"We are still waiting for a response from the government on the level of funding we hope to receive," says Karen Clearwater, associate vice-president, financial planning.
"We have been told at this time to expect only our base funding with no increases for the next two years, and that is what we have been planning for. This leaves us with approximately $147 million per year to operate the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, but also an estimated $5 million in shortfalls in 2010-2011, and an additional $6 million in 2011- 2012. Although the government's Budget 2009 calls for no increases in post-secondary funding, there is still a gap in the provincial budget that needs to be dealt with. A meeting has been called with all post-secondary institution presidents and board chairs in Edmonton on Oct. 6. We hope to know more after this meeting."

Their findings, among other topics, will be presented at Friday's All Campus Town Hall Meeting, 1 p.m. in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre.

"We began planning for a deficit budget since the spring, and are still in the preliminary stages of the budget which will be approved by the Board of Governors in March 2010," Clearwater adds.
"In the last Legend story (June 2009) I indicated that we had a three-stage plan. That plan involved a re-examination of our current budget, a move to find cost savings through ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ-wide initiatives like the Voluntary Retirement Program, not filling all vacated positions and finally, after thorough review, we would move to reduce the budget shortfall by asking units to reduce their budgets through reductions to positions, programs or non-essential services."

Clearwater says she and other officials are meeting regularly with senior administrators, deans and directors to further discuss options. Meetings have been held with the AUPE and ULFA executives to make them aware of the budget situation.

In the interim, Clearwater says the U of L has introduced some operational changes and a voluntary retirement program for employees or faculty members with more than 20 years of continuous service.

"There are an estimated 200 individuals who potentially meet the eligibility requirements of this initiative," Clearwater says.
"I can't impress enough on people that we're making a real effort to find ways to operate the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in a manner that doesn't affect our students, and allows as many people as possible to retain their jobs."

Events - October

trevor.kenney — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:51:25 +0000

Pronghorn Athletics

Soccer

Oct. 24 | Victoria vs. Pronghorns
Women, 12 p.m.; Men, 2 p.m. at Stadium

Oct. 25 | Fraser Valley vs. Pronghorns | Women, 12 p.m.; Men, 2 p.m. at Stadium

Oct. 31 | Trinity Western vs. Pronghorns | Men, 2 p.m. at Stadium

Nov. 1 | UBC vs. Pronghorns
Men, 2 p.m. at Stadium

Women's Rugby

Oct. 18 | Alberta vs. Pronghorns
3 p.m. at Stadium

Men's Hockey

Oct. 15 | Calgary vs. Pronghorns
7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran Arena

Oct. 23-24 | UBC vs. Pronghorns
Nightly, 7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran Arena

Women's Hockey

Oct. 16-17 | Regina vs. Pronghorns
Nightly, 7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran Arena

Oct. 30-31 | Saskatchewan vs. Pronghorns | Nightly, 7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran Arena

Lectures

Oct. 8 | CAETL Workshop
Preparing a Lecture: A Graduate Student Workshop | 3 p.m., L950

Oct. 14 | Art Now: Tracey Deer
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Oct. 15 | CAETL Fall 2009 Seminar Series | Making the Supervisory Experience Successful | 12 p.m., AH100

Oct. 16 | Women Scholars Speaker Series | Dr. Bonnie K. Lee presents: Couple Relationship: A Healing Nexus for Addiction | 3 p.m., AH100

Oct. 19 | Architecture & Design Now: Bo Helliwell | 6 p.m., C610

Oct. 23 | Art Now: Susanna Heller
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Oct. 26 | Art Now: Chris Moore
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Oct. 26 | Architecture & Design Now: Michael Green | 6 p.m., C610

Oct. 28 | Art Now: Cheryl L'Hirondelle | Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Oct. 30 | Art Now: Christine D'Onofrio | Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 2 | Art Now: Shawn Van Sluys
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570
Architecture & Design Now, 6 p.m., C610

Nov. 6 | Art Now: Dana Claxton
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Performances

Oct. 13 | Music at Noon: Dr. Terrence Dawson (piano) & Joanne Collier (soprano) | 12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Oct. 20 | Music at Noon: Glen Montgomery (piano) | 12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Oct. 27 | Music at Noon: Dr. David Renter (saxophone) & Elinor Lawson (piano) | 12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 3 | Music at Noon: Joanne Hounsell (soprano) & Glen Montgomery (piano) | 12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Oct. 20-24 | Hay Fever by Noel Coward | A comedy about an eccentric family whose theatrical excesses torment their unsuspecting visitors | Nightly, 8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre

Oct. 23-24 | Opera Goes to the Movies | U of L Opera Workshop performs Hollywood movie classics
Nightly, 8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Oct. 30 | Breakdance for Solo Cello
Montreal's Solid State Breakdance company performs | 8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre

Nov. 5-7 | Positive Space by Ian McFarlane | A collective creation exploring various aspects of theatre
Nightly, 8 p.m., David Spinks Theatre. Matinee, 2 p.m., Nov. 7

Miscellaneous

Oct. 9 | Town Hall Meeting
Budgetary Issues at the U of L
1 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre

Oct. 14 | Academic Success! Student Workshop | Writing a Research Paper – the tools for writing a solid paper | 3 p.m., AH118

Through Oct. 23 | Head Shots
Art Gallery exhibit featuring portraits by Canadian and international artists, drawn from the U of L's extensive holdings
Helen Christou Gallery

Oct. 27 | Keys to Living Well, Workshop for Students
How to Deal with Annoying People & Make Sure You're Not One
12:30 p.m., AH119

Through Oct. 30 | Allyson Mitchell: Ladies Sasquatch | Freestanding, figurative, sculptural works by Toronto-based artist Allyson Mitchell
U of L Main Gallery

Nov. 3 | Keys to Living Well, Workshop for Students
The Road to Happiness
12:30 p.m., AH119

Oct. 30 to Jan. 3, 2010
art + people = x continues
Darcy Logan presents recent paintings | Helen Christou Gallery
Reception: 4 p.m., Nov. 6

Town Hall Meeting will update budgetary process

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:16:35 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Dr. Bill Cade chats about what's happening in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community

This past spring, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ held a town hall meeting for staff and faculty to address issues surrounding the economic downturn and an expected shortfall in the provincial operating grant.

At that time, much of what we talked about was based on speculation and an expectation that the provincial funding grant increases for the years 2010 and 2011 would come in at zero per cent.

As you read this Billboard, senior administration has just returned from a meeting in Edmonton with Advanced Education Minister, Hon. Doug Horner. He invited the board of governor Chairs and presidents from the province's post-secondary institutions to discuss the state of the provincial budget and what the allocations will be to the post-secondary system.

Now that we have this information, I invite everyone to attend the Friday, Oct. 9, Town Hall Meeting so that we may discuss the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's financial situation further. The feedback from the previous town hall was generally positive and some very good ideas were generated as a result. I expect Friday's town hall will be just as beneficial.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ just recently unveiled a Voluntary Retirement Program as one measure aimed at alleviating some of the financial stress on our operating budget. It is hard to say what impact this initiative will have but it has already received a number of inquiries. The nature of our organization, as with any educational institution, is that salaries make up the majority of the operating budget and all avenues are being explored to best handle the expected shortfall in provincial funding.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ celebrated a major event last month with the grand opening of the new Community Sports Stadium. The festivities were spectacular by any measure. I'm still thrilled by the Friday night football games featuring four of our local high school programs. I have no rooting interest in any of these teams and yet I was swept up in the emotion of the evening. The traffic, the people, the spirit of the stadium was truly alive. Our own Pronghorn teams then carried that momentum over into Saturday, making it a very memorable weekend.

Another good news story this month is the realization of our largest enrolment figure to date. At 8,248 students, we are well ahead of last year's Fall Semester numbers, which is a testament to the hard work of many ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ departments. At one point, projected enrolment saw us at a 17 per cent decline from the previous year, but as is the nature of the U of L, a concentrated interdepartmental effort tackled the challenge and produced wonderful results.

Congratulations to Dr. Reg Bibby, recently honoured by the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations (CAFA) with the CAFA Distinguished Academic Award for 2009. One of our most recognized faculty members due to his groundbreaking and oft-cited research interests, this honour is well deserved.

I am looking forward to celebrating another graduating class at the Fall 2009 Convocation later this month. With Son Soubert and Paul Brandt here to receive honorary degrees, as well as the return of our first Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Cheryl Misak, as the Alumna of the Year, it promises to be a prominent event.

UNews - Town Hall Meeting

Campus security under the microscope

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