10
      National
      News
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ¢
      9
      March
      1999
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      University
      takes
      engineers
      to
      court
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      MICHAEL
      CONNORS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ST.
      JOHN’S
      (CUP)
      —
      Memo-
     
     
      rial
      University
      of
      Newfound-
     
     
      land
      and
      a
      professional
      engi-
     
     
      neering
      association
      will
      find
     
     
      themselves
      in
      court
      sooner
     
     
      than
      expected
      after
      the
      legal
     
     
      battle
      over
      software
      engineer-
     
     
      ing
      escalated
      last
      week.
     
     
      University
      lawyers
      ap-
     
     
      plied
      to
      the
      provincial
      Su-
     
     
      preme
      Court
      on
      March
      3
      for
     
     
      an
      order
      forcing
      the
      Associa-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tion
      of
      Professional
      Engineers
     
     
      and
      Geoscientists
      of
      New-
     
     
      foundland
      to
      stop
      blocking
      the
     
     
      accreditation
      of
      Memorial’s
     
     
      engineering
      faculty.
     
    

    
     
      The
      move
      comes
      just
     
     
      one
      week
      after
      the
      association
     
     
      withdrew
      its
      consent
      allowing
     
     
      a
      national
      accrediting
      body
      to
     
     
      evaluate
      the
      university’s
      four
     
     
      engineering
      programs.
      If
      con-
     
     
      sent
      is
      not
      reinstated,
      Memo-
     
     
      rial’s
      faculty
      of
      engineering’s
     
     
      accreditation
      will
      expire
      June
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      =e
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Acadia
      University
     
     
      eagle
      Cac
      Mae
      tr
     
    
   
   
    
     
      mii
      a
      Le
     
     
      contact
      the
     
     
      Torte)
      Mem
      ele
      tec
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ae
      s/P
      tee
      eel
      ey
     
     
      tert
      ai
      eee
      Ue
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      an
      application
     
     
      ey
      lee).
      e
      e
     
     
      TEES
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cation
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      exciting
      new
      broad-
     
     
      based
      technology
      program
     
     
      is
      the
      only
      one
      of
      its
      kind
      in
     
     
      Nova
      Scotia.
      It
      prepares
     
     
      teachers
      to
      deliver
      the
     
     
      public
      school
      technology
     
     
      curriculum
      in
      the
      areas
      of
     
     
      communications,
      production,
     
     
      energy,
      power
      and
      trans-
     
     
      portation.
      Application
     
     
      deadline
      is
      March
      15,
      1999.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Gun
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      30.
     
    

    
     
      The
      association
      took
     
     
      the
      action
      to
      force
      the
      univer-
     
     
      sity’s
      hand
      in
      a
      legal
      dispute
     
     
      over
      the
      name
      of
      a
      computer
     
     
      science
      program
      called
      Hon-
     
     
      ours
      in
      Software
      Engineering.
     
     
      The
      association
      argues
      using
     
     
      the
      word
      engineering
      in
      the
     
     
      name
      of
      a
      de
      not
      offered
     
     
      by
      an
      accredited
      engineering
     
     
      faculty
      violates
      federal
      trade-
     
     
      mark
      regulations.
     
    

    
     
      The
      objection
      culmi-
     
     
      nated
      in
      a
      lawsuit,
      filed
      jointly
     
     
      with
      the
      Canadian
      Council
      of
     
     
      Professional
      Engineers,
     
    

    
     
      inst
      Memorial
      in
      July
      1997.
     
    

    
     
      e
      case
      is
      scheduled
      to
      be
     
     
      heard
      in
      federal
      court
      next
     
     
      September.
     
    

    
     
      The
      university,
      how-
     
     
      ever,
      says
      it
      is
      unethical
      to
     
     
      threaten
      the
      accreditation
      of
      its
     
     
      engineering
      faculty
      for
      reasons
     
     
      that
      have
      a
      to
      do
      with
     
     
      the
      quality
      of
      the
      faculty
      itself.
     
    

    
     
      “There’s
      two
      separate
     
     
      issues,”
      said
      university
     
     
      spokesperson
      Peter
      Morris.
     
     
      “[Those
      issues]
      should
      never
     
     
      be
      linked.
      To
      do
      it
      is
      to
      use
      the
     
     
      students
      as
      pawns,
      and
      dare
      I
     
     
      say
      it,
      it’s
      tantamount
      to
      extor-
     
     
      tion.”
     
    

    
     
      A
      date
      has
      not
      yet
      been
     
     
      set
      for
      the
      hearing
      on
      the
      uni-
     
     
      versity’s
      counter-action,
      but
     
     
      Morris
      says
      it
      will
      likely
      move
     
     
      through
      the
      courts
      within
      the
     
     
      next
      two
      weeks.
     
    

    
     
      Memorial
      University
     
     
      has
      maintained
      throughout
      the
     
     
      dispute
      that
      it
      alone
      has
      the
     
     
      right
      to
      determine
      the
      name
     
     
      and
      structure
      of
      ae
     
     
      grams,
      not
      an
      outside
      body.
     
    

    
     
      The
      issue
      that
      could
     
     
      have
      national
      implications
     
     
      since
      other
      Canadian
      schools,
     
     
      such
      as
      the
      University
      of
      To-
     
     
      ronto,
      also
      offer
      software-en-
     
     
      gineering
      programs
      in
      their
     
     
      computer
      science
      depart-
     
     
      ments.
     
    

    
     
      “We're
      willing
      to
      take
     
     
      our
      chances
      [in
      court},”
      Mor-
     
     
      ris
      said.
      “We're
      convinced
      by
     
     
      the
      way
      that
      we
      have
      a
      very
     
     
      good
      case.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      fessional
      Engineers
      and
     
     
      Geoscientists
      argues
      that
      it
      has
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      right
      to
      regulate
      the
      terms
     
     
      “engineer”
      and
      “engineering”
     
     
      to
      protect
      public
      safety.
      It
      has
     
     
      even
      said
      that
      students
      gradu-
     
     
      ating
      from
      Memorial’s
      pro-
     
     
      gram
      calling
      themselves
      “soft-
     
     
      ware
      engineers”
      would
      be
     
     
      sued.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      public
      must
      have
     
     
      confidence
      that
      when
      a
      person
     
     
      claims
      to
      be
      an
      engineer,
      they
     
     
      have
      in
      fact
      met
      rigorous
     
     
      qualifications
      to
      practice
      engi-
     
     
      neering,”
      said
      association
      ex-
     
     
      ecutive
      director
      Allen
      Steeves.
     
    

    
     
      He
      adds
      that
      the
      issue
     
     
      of
      academic
      autonomy
      is
      a
      red
     
     
      herring.
     
    

    
     
      “This
      is
      not
      a
      matter
      of
     
     
      denying
      academic
      freedom
      or
     
     
      freedom
      of
      speech,”
      he
      said.
      “
     
     
      These
      rights
      carry
      with
      them
     
    
   
   
    
     
      responsibilities,
      and
      the
      right
     
     
      to
      free
      speech
      doesn’t
      give
      you
     
     
      the
      right
      to
      break
      the
      law
      of
     
     
      the
      land.
      It
      doesn’t
      give
      you
     
     
      the
      right
      to
      violate
      somebody
     
     
      else’s
      rights,
      and
      that’s
      what
     
     
      is
      happening
      here.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Even
      if
      accreditation
      of
     
     
      Memorial’s
      engineering
      pro-
     
     
      grams
      runs
      out,
      he
      added,
     
     
      graduates
      will
      still
      have
      other
     
     
      avenues
      to
      get
      certification
      as
     
     
      professional
      engineers.
     
    

    
     
      Memorial’s
      faculty
     
     
      council
      of
      engineering
      has
     
     
      since
      passed
      a
      resolution
      de-
     
     
      manding
      the
      association
      rein-
     
     
      state
      consent
      for
      accreditation.
     
    

    
     
      Student
      groups,
      for
     
     
      their
      part
      have
      been
      support-
     
     
      ive
      of
      the
      body’s
      actions.
      The
     
     
      engineering
      students’
      associa-
     
     
      tion
      has
      asked
      Memorial’s
     
     
      senate
      to
      consider
      a
      motion
      at
     
     
      its
      next
      meeting
      that
      would
     
     
      drop
      the
      word
      “engineering”
     
     
      from
      the
      name
      of
      software
      en-
     
     
      eo.
      and
      would
      require
     
    

    
     
      university
      to
      abandon
      its
     
     
      trademark
      rights
      to
      the
      term
     
     
      software
      engineering.
     
    

    
     
      Memorial’s
      student
      un-
     
     
      ion
      also
      voted
      at
      its
      last
      meet-
     
     
      ing
      to
      support
      the
      proposed
     
     
      motion.