The
      case
      of
      the
      missing
      |
     
     
      employment
      centre:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      need
      an
      employment
      centre
      on
      campus.
      .
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      n
      the
      Spring
      of
      1992
      the
      Canada
      Em-
     
    

    
     
      I
      ployment
      Centre
      on
      Campus
      (CEC-OC)
     
    

    
     
      at
      U.P.E.I.
      was
      closed
      by
      the
      federal
     
     
      government,
      despite
      a
      great
      deal
      of
      opposition
     
     
      from
      UPEI
      students,
      the
      Canadian
      Federation
     
     
      of
      Students,
      and
      the
      university
      administration.
     
     
      The
      elimination
      of
      the
      CEC-OC
      also
      occurred,
     
     
      it
      seems,
      despite
      the
      fact
      that
      the
      centre
      was
     
     
      widely
      used
      by
      students.
     
    

    
     
      The
      U.P.E.I.
      Board
      of
      Governors
      later
      de-
     
     
      clined
      to
      commit
      itself
      to
      assuming
      the
      funding
     
     
      of
      a
      similar
      centre
      on
      campus,
      as
      was
      done
      at
     
     
      many
      other
      universities.
      Ms.
      Laurie
      Murphy
     
     
      was-employed
      by
      the
      Department
      of
      Student
     
     
      Services
      for
      the
      fall
      semester
      to
      develop
      a
     
     
      recruitment
      plan
      for
      U.P.E.I.,
      to
      assist
      in
      the
     
     
      establishment
      of
      an
      on-campus
      committee
      to
     
     
      work
      through
      the
      period
      immediately
      following
     
     
      the
      removal
      of
      the
      CEC-OC,
      and
      to
      arrange
      for
     
     
      appropriate
      physical
      support.
      Ms.
      Murphy
      met
     
     
      extensively
      with
      individuals
      and
      groups
      on
     
     
      campus
      and
      submitted
      her
      report
      to
      U.P.E.I.
     
     
      President
      Dr.
      C.W.J.
      Eliot
      and
      the
      Canada
     
     
      Employment
      Centre
      in
      December.
      Her
      report
     
     
      contained
      the
      results
      of
      the
      work
      she
      had
      done
     
     
      to
      maintain
      the
      recruiting
      on
      campus,
      and
      a
     
     
      proposal
      for
      a
      University
      Employment
      Career
     
     
      Committee.
      Despite
      her
      report
      and
      the
      clear
     
     
      recommendation
      that
      the
      committee
      meet
      in
     
     
      January,
      it
      didnot
      convene.
      The
      committee
      did,
     
     
      however,
      meet
      during
      the
      first
      half
      of
      this
     
     
      semester.
     
    

    
     
      Ms.
      Murphy
      also
      encouraged
      Student
      Serv-
     
     
      ices
      and
      the
      Student
      Union
      Executive
      to
      attempt
     
     
      to
      take
      over
      some
      of
      the
      services
      that
      had
      been
     
     
      provided
      by
      the
      CEC-OC.
      Student
      Services
     
     
      posted
      as
      many
      career
      postings
      as
      possible
      on
     
     
      the
      bulletin
      board
      outside
      of
      its
      offices.
      Re-
     
     
      cruiting
      on
      campus
      was
      largely
      maintained
      by
     
     
      Student
      Services
      and
      individual
      departments
     
     
      and
      faculties
      (with
      the
      bulk
      of
      on-campus
      re-
     
     
      cruiting
      taking
      place
      through
      the
      Business
      Fac-
     
     
      ulty).
      Ms.
      Murphy
      also
      did
      a
      great
      deal
      of
      work
     
     
      cataloguing
      the
      career
      and
      employment
      re-
     
     
      sources
      available
      in
      the
      Student
      Services
      Re-
     
     
      source
      Centre
      and
      documenting
      the
      graduate
     
     
      recruiting
      done
      by
      employers
      on
      campus
      through
     
     
      individual
      departments
      in
      the
      absence
      of
      the
     
     
      CEC-OC
      (a
      complete
      listing
      of
      the
      publications
     
     
      in
      the
      Resource
      Centre
      is
      available
      in
      the
      book-
     
     
      let
      Employment
      and
      Career
      Publications
      at
     
     
      UPEI
      Listing
      and
      recruiters
      are
      listed
      and
      de-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      8/X-Press/December
      2,
      1993
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "With
      student
     
     
      unemployment
      in
      the
     
     
      Atlantic
      provinces
      up
      to
     
     
      an
      average
      of
      about
     
     
      twenty-five
      percent,
     
     
      U.PE.I.
      students
      need
     
     
      all
      the
      help
      they
      can
     
     
      possibly
      receive."
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tailed
      in
      the
      booklet
      UPEI
      Fall
      Recruitment
     
     
      Manual).
      The
      U.P.E.I.
      Student
      Union
      Execu-
     
     
      tive
      concerned
      itself
      with
      distributing
      informa-
     
     
      tion
      on
      Summer
      employment
      information.
      This
     
     
      was
      attempted
      using
      the
      summer
      employment
     
     
      files
      left
      over
      from
      the
      CEC-OC
      and
      new
      posi-
     
     
      tions
      that
      were
      mailed
      to
      the
      closed
      CEC-OC.
     
     
      Jobs
      were
      posted
      on
      bulletin
      boards
      in
      the
     
     
      Robertson
      Library
      and
      the
      Student
      Union
      Cen-
     
     
      tre
      (the
      Barn).
      These
      measures
      appear
      to
      have
     
     
      continued
      this
      year.
     
    

    
     
      Although
      these
      efforts
      by
      academic
      depart-
     
     
      ments,
      Student
      Services,
      and
      the
      U.P.E.I.
      Stu-
     
     
      dent
      Union
      Executive
      helped
      greatly,
      it
      appears
     
     
      that
      the
      overwhelming
      opinion
      among
      students,
     
     
      faculty,
      and
      staff
      is
      that
      the
      present
      level
      of
     
     
      employment
      and
      career
      placement
      information
     
     
      at
      U.P.E.I.
      is
      far
      from
      adequate
      and
      must
      be
     
     
      improved.
     
    

    
     
      How
      do
      I
      come
      to
      say
      this?
      Last
      summer
      I
     
     
      was
      a
      Student
      Placement
      Officer
      in
      the
      Canada
     
     
      Employment
      Centre
      for
      Students
      in
     
     
      Charlottetown.
      Through
      that
      job
      I
      undertook
      a
     
     
      study
      of
      the
      gap
      left
      at
      U.P.E.I.
      by
      the
      removal
     
     
      ofthe
      CEC-OC.
      During
      the
      course
      of
      that
      study
     
     
      I
      contacted
      students
      and
      faculty
      in
      order
      to
      find
     
     
      out
      what
      they
      felt
      was
      needed
      to
      replace
      the
     
     
      services
      that
      had
      been
      provided
      by
      the
      CEC-
     
     
      Oc.
     
    

    
     
      From
      talking
      to
      the
      people
      I
      contacted
      this
     
     
      summer
      it
      became
      clear
      that
      the
      most
      widely
     
     
      held
      opinion
      among
      the
      people
      I
      contacted
      was
     
     
      that
      an
      office
      and
      staff
      dedicated
      to
      employ-
     
     
      ment
      and
      career
      information
      on
      campus
      was
     
     
      needed.
      It
      is
      for
      that
      reason
      that
      I
      write
      this
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      article
      --
      in
      hopes
      of
      generating
      some
      discus-
     
     
      sion
      over
      the
      as-yet
      unaddressed
      need
      for
      some
     
     
      coordinated
      effort
      to
      provide
      students
      with
     
     
      employment
      and
      career
      information.
     
    

    
     
      It
      is
      unreasonable
      to
      expect
      that
      the
      need
     
     
      students
      have
      for
      such
      information
      has
      de-
     
     
      creased
      in
      the
      year
      anda
      half
      since
      the
      CEC-OC
     
     
      was
      removed.
      With
      student
      unemployment
      in
     
     
      the
      Atlantic
      provinces
      up
      to
      an
      average
      of
      about
     
     
      twenty-five
      percent,
      U.P.E.I.
      students
      need
      all
     
     
      the
      help
      they
      can
      possibly
      receive.
      Canada
     
     
      Employment
      Centres
      on
      Campus
      were
      closed
     
     
      throughout
      the
      country.
      I
      support
      my
      assertion
     
     
      that
      we
      need
      a
      functioning
      employment
      centre
     
     
      on
      campus
      with
      the
      fact
      that
      almost
      every
     
     
      campus
      has
      provided
      funding
      for
      the
      establish-
     
     
      ment
      of
      administration
      or
      (in
      a
      few
      cases)
     
     
      student
      association
      funded
      employment
      cen-
     
     
      tres.
      I
      contacted
      a
      number
      of
      these
      relatively
     
     
      new
      centres
      and
      asked
      them
      about
      the
      services
     
     
      they
      were
      providing
      and
      how
      they
      were
      funded.
     
     
      Most
      often,
      these
      centres
      provided
      job
      listings,
     
     
      job
      and
      career
      counselling,
      and
      seminars
      on
     
     
      résumés
      and
      job
      search
      strategy
      --needed
      serv-
     
     
      ices
      for
      U.P.E.I.
      students
      by
      any
      reasonable
     
     
      standard.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Acadia
      University
      Career
      Employment
     
     
      Centre,
      the
      Carleton
      University
      Employment
     
     
      and
      Career
      Centre,
      the
      Dalhousie
      University
     
     
      Student
      Employment
      Centre,
      the
      Saint
      Mary’s
     
     
      University
      Student
      Employment
      Centre,
      the
     
     
      University
      of
      Ottawa
      Placement
      Centre,
      and
      the
     
     
      York
      Career
      and
      Placement
      Centre
      were
      all
     
     
      contacted.
      All
      of
      these
      centres
      indicated
      that
     
     
      they
      provided
      services
      that
      were
      formerly
      avail-
     
     
      able
      through
      Canada
      Employment
      Centres
      on
     
     
      Campus.
      My
      reason
      in
      writing
      this
      article
      is
     
     
      simply
      to
      make
      the
      point
      that
      students,
      faculty,
     
     
      and
      the
      administration
      have
      to
      find
      a
      way
      to
     
     
      provide
      students
      with
      a
      source
      of
      employment
     
     
      and
      career
      information
      and
      counselling.
      The
     
     
      removal
      of
      CEC-OCs
      on
      other
      campuses
      has
      led
     
     
      to
      the
      establishment
      of
      new
      student-oriented
     
     
      employment
      centres
      on
      many
      campuses.
      The
     
     
      need
      for
      such
      a
      centre
      at
      U.P.E.I.
      is
      just
      as
     
     
      serious
      and
      action
      needs
      to
      be
      taken.
      I’m
      not
     
     
      saying
      that
      students
      need
      a
      carbon
      copy
      of
      the
     
     
      Canada
      Employment
      Centre
      on
      Campus,
      but
     
     
      U.P.E.L.
      students
      deserve
      and
      need
      a
      level
      of
     
     
      service
      close
      to
      what
      was
      provided
      by
      the
      CEC-
     
     
      OC
      and
      widely
      used
      by
      students.
     
    

    
     
      BRUCE
      DAVISON