Prolessor Profile:

The X-Press interviews Dr. Sean Hennessay

ean Hennessay was born and raised here on Prince Edward Island, and his story is a blueprint for success if ever there was one. After graduating from U.P.E.I. in 1979, with a BBA, Mr. Hennessay started working as a chartered accountant financer. Mr. Hennessay soon realized that accounting wasn’t his call- ing, so in 1980 he moved out west looking for his calling.

While out west, Hennessay, with help from some partners, established a land consulting company. A land consulting company gets per- mission from farmers for oil companies to survey their land. This proved to be a very rewarding business choice, because the com- pany began showing six figure sales. But land consulting wasn’t Hennessay’s calling.

Sean went back to school. He obtained his Master’s in Business from McGill University in 1984. Sean’s decision to go back to school proved to be a good decision indeed. The fed- eral government had introduced a national en- ergy program, and oil companies had all but left Canada. The oil industry had almost collapsed and the company he had helped start out west was left struggling.

Mr. Hennessay came here to teach for the first time in 1984. He has been here ever since, and enjoying every minute of it. In 1989, Sean tooka year off. He has been working on his PHD on a part-time basis for the past several years. He says, all smiles, that he finished it in Febru-

When asked if he found what he was looking for, Sean said he thinks he will be teaching for

along time to come, claiming that ‘“Teaching is the ideal job.’’ For him, teaching provides the opportunity to research, which he enjoys, and gives him the opportunity to manage his own time. ‘‘Teaching is rewarding,’’ he remarks. After spending time with him you can tell that he really does have a heart for students.

One way to get to know Sean Hennessay is to take one of his courses. Sean teaches Finance 331-332, Business Administration 101, and Business 432-Applied Investment Management. Sean is also the new faculty advisor to the Debating Society. Another way to get to know him is to stop by his office in the School of Business. DARREN STRETCH

Copps ...continued from last page

could offer no specific policy proposals to him, but did say she sympathized with his being in, as she put it, “‘not as easy situation.’’ She also said she too was a single parent and understood what it was like to have work interfere with parenting.

In response to another question, Ms. Copps indicated that the Liberal Party was ‘‘not in favour of the current NAFTA.”’

I had another chance to question Ms. Copps while she was walking out of the Pit. I pressed her for some specific answers on whether aLiberal Government would increase the amount of money available through the Canada Student Loans Program. She reported that she didn’t know. Next, I asked if she would be in favour of a Liberal Government consulting students, student organizations, and the Canadian Fed- eration of Students (CFS) to a higher degree (a lack of meaningful consultation with students being a frequent complaint made by students against the Conservatives). She said that she would be in favour of more consultation and had actually been quite involved in student politics herselfas Vice President External ofher school’s student union (I’m not sure which one). She was also active in the Ontario Federation of Stu-

8/X-Press/October 14, 1993

dents (now CFS-Ontario). She also said she was responsible for the first book of student ratings of courses produced in Canada. Finally, I asked Ms. Copps a question that had developed out of an answer she had given earlier. She had referred to an issue that could be addressed by “‘the next minister of universities and col- leges.’’ The creation of such a position at the national level has long been an objective of the Canadian Federation of Students, and as late as the summer of 1992, Liberal Leader Jean Chretien had indicated his opposition to the creation of such a post (while speaking at a CFS regional meeting at UPEI). Copps clarified her statement by adding that she meant the minister with the overall responsibility for the area. Overall, Copps seemed unable to pro- vide policy specifics on education, but at the same time seemed sympathetic to students.

Epilogue:

The day after Ms. Copps spoke at UPEI, The Guardian reported her statement that the Prime Minister still owed $16,000 in Canada Student Loans. Later that day, The Evening Patriot reported that I had corrected Copps when she had indicated that the Liberals would eliminate the 3% tax on Student Loans which was (fi- nally) abolished by the Conservatives this past summer. While I had muttered that the tax had at long last been abolished while Copps had been speaking, to the best of my memory what

she had said was that the Liberals ‘‘were op- posed’’ to the much-hated tax. When I ques- tioned Ms. Copps after she spoke she said that she had been aware that the tax was now gone; her comments could be interpreted either way. The next day, The Evening Patriot reported that Ms. Campbell did not owe $16,000 in student loans, but that instead she had received the money from the Canada Council to complete a doctoral thesis at the London School of Eco- nomics. Ms. Campbell has yet to complete the thesis.

_ That day, Student Union President Todd King was featured in a guest editorial in The Patriot. Using Copps’s comments as a starting point, Mr. King was very critical of the cur- rently inadequate assistance available through Student Loans, and made thelong overdue point that default levels on Student Loans were no higher than other types of loans such as small business loans.

The U.P.E.I. Student Union and the Canadian Federation of Students - P.E.I will be hosting a Forum on Education with Hillsborough candi- dates on Thursday, October 21 at 12:00 PM. Plan to attend if you have some questions about how any political policies would affect students

~ and education.

BRUCE DAVISON