The Panther Prints @* News

Canadian Sudent Unions Should Pucker-up Says Leaked Document though his school in not a

By Samer Muscati

Ottawa CUP

Kissing butt is the best way to protect postsecondary education in Canada, says a document leaked from a na- tional student organization.

Student unions should "shmooze" media, govern- ment, and students as part of the lobbying strategy of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), which represent over 100,000 post- secondary students.

CASA recommends that it's members "bump" into politicians by hanging out in government buildings, estab- lish good relationships with newspaper editors and invite university administrators out for dessert and coffee in order to become an "effective lobby organization."

Student groups are also encouraged to send university administrators flowers "at ap- propriate times" such as dur- ing a death in the family.

"[Sending flowers] may sound morbid," said Matthew Hough, executive director of CASA, "but it's not a bad sug- gestion.”

Hough, who compiled the report, says that the docu- ment is the basis of how he approaches the lobby scene. He says that the strategies have been sent to CASA's 11 mem- ber schools who will

decide for themselves what to do with the sugges- tions.

But Chris Carter, presi- dent of the McGill student society, a member of CASA, says he won't use the strate- gies anytime soon.

"| have my own ways of doing things, and sending flowers isn't one of them."

Carter says student groups must be vocal and make their demands clear if any- thing concrete is to be accom-

"It's all good and well to attempt to have good rela- tionships, but our priority should be with representing students' opinions."

The document was de- veloped during acampaign and lobby meeting session that CASA held over the summer. One of the participants sent flowers to a university admin- istrator whose wife had died, in order "to build bridges" between the student associa- tion and the university, and that's how the idea originated, says Chantal Da Silva, CASA's Quebec regional director.

Hough says the strate- gies have been well received by CASA's members. He says it's important for student groups to "remember the per- sonal side and try the human approach."

Nicolas Bruneau, an executive member at the Uni- versity of Ottawa's student union, says that he is follow- ing the recommendations even

CASA member.

Bruneau says he never would have thought of invit- ing a city- councillor to his house for some wine and cheese, had he not read the document.

"Establishing relation- ships opens up doors." said Bruneau "It means getting to know people outside a work- ing atmosphere."

Other recommenda- tions for lobbying include; uti- lizing cafeterias when address- ing students since they are "a captive audience," holding press conferences and media events in classrooms, and es- tablishing liaisons with cham- bers of commerce and depart- ments of corporate affairs.

Hough says that the strategies in the document obtained by Canadian Univer- sity Press, will be used when CASA launches their official post-secondary education campaign in early January.

November 19, 1996

Prof's Future Unclear Amidst Rumours

Aneducation professor at the University of Saskatch- ewan has been suspended with pay for allegedly writing graf- fitiona colleague's office door.

While university ad- ministrators won't comment on the case, one source close to the story told the campus newspaper, The Sheaf, that security cameras in the build- ing filmed Michael Murphy in the act.

Neither Campus Secu- rity nor Dean of Education, Ken Jacknicke, would confirm ordeny the existence ofa video surveillance system, but Jacknicke did say there was video security in the Educa- tion staff lounge a few years ago due to a theft problem.

Under the Faculty As- sociation's collective bargain- ing agreement, university president George Ivany must meet with Jacknicke, Murphy, and representatives from the

Fraud Charges Laid Against Former Dalhousie Employee

Dei Sei trak: Dalhousie Gazette Dalhousie University

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A former employee of Dalhousie University is facing criminal charges after the university was allegedly defrauded of over $100,000.

Linda Hill, a finan- cial services clerk, was terminated from her posi- tion when an internal au- dit discovered the alleged fraud, says University vice-president Bryan Mason.

"It all started last summer when a minor dis-

some figures," Mason said. "We started to in- vestigate. Within just one day we had uncovered the full extent of the fraud."

The matter was then turned over to an external team of forensic auditors who, after a two month investigation, confirmed the results of the universi- ty's internal audit.

Hill is alleged to have created a phony firm in Saint John, New Bruns- wick that sent invoices to the University, which Dalhousie payed without question. Among other things, the bogus firm

travel expenses to Saint John.

"This has never hap- pened before. In anyone's livingmemory, noone can remember anything like this ever happening," Mason said.

Hill has_ been charged with "Fraud of over $5000" by the po- lice, but has not yet been arraigned before a judge.

Mason has made as- surances that the Univer- sity is fully insured against the loss, and that changes have been made so that a similar fraudulence will not occur.

Association to discuss the cir- cumstances surrounding the matter.

Ivany then has thirty days to decide on a course of action. If he chooses to dis- miss Murphy, the faculty as- sociation has fourteen days to request an arbitration Com- mittee hearing to make a bind- ing decision on the matter.

In the meantime, Murphy's classes have been taken over by sessional lectur- ers and his students are angry to say the least.

"This is all a result of infighting among the faculty. It all trickles down and hurts the students," said one of Murphy's students.

"Murphy is the most popular professor with the stu- dents, but the faculty hates him. He's so unpopular be- cause he is the only one who tells students the truth," said another student.

"Murphy has always been a critic of the college [of education]. He says he that would rather see it shut down than see it continue under the way it's run."

The students say they are being shortchanged in the interim because Murphy's teaching methods were ab- stract, without a formal out- line or regular assignments. Grades were usually awarded based on constant evaluation during the class.

The students are upset that they now have to start from scratch and familiarize themselves with a brand new class outline, assignment schedule, and lecturer.

This isn't the first time the college of education has had to deal with a misbehav- ing professor. Last year, an education professor was dis- ciplined for letting his wife teach his course for an entire semester. He got off with a reprimand from the university

plished. crepancy appeared in billed the University for but is still employed.