the
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
Nick Shorten
VP (Finance)
Mary Koziol
President
Joe Finkle
VP (Education)
John McIntyre
VP (Administration)
THE STATE OF ACADEMICS AT MCMASTER
The annual State of the Academy address responds to student concerns regarding contract
and sessional professors, student services and overall infrastructural funding on campus
Joe Finkle
VP (Education)
[email protected]
ext. 24017
Last week, the Provost and
Vice President (Academic) of
McMaster University, Dr. Ilene
Busch-Vishniac, delivered the
annual State of the Academy
address.
This talk served to update
the University population
on the current health of the
institution. In attendance from
the McMaster Students Union
(MSU) were President Mary
Koziol and myself. Dr. BuschVishniac covered a host of issues
from the student population
to technology infrastructure.
The MSU was encouraged by
the majority of the highlighted
points, but were left with some
concerns in other areas, namely
funding numbers for student
services and the need to upgrade
technology, both within and
outside the classroom.
Since the beginning of my
term, and extending back for
as long as I can remember, the
influx of Contractually Limited
Appointments (CLA) and
sessional professors has been a
top student concern. Dr. BuschVishniac explained that the
number of CLA’s and Sessionals
have significantly decreased
over the past few years and are
consciously being replaced with
‘core-faculty’. This includes
tenured, tenure-track, Special,
CAWAR, teaching-track, or
teaching with permanence.
The Provost went on to state
“...numbers can be misleading
because we don’t retain CLAs
and Sessionals at the same rate
we retain core faculty members. Thus, although it might appear
that we hire more CLAs and
Sessionals, the new hires are
replacing people who’ve left and
their relative proportion in our
faculty ranks has been going
down.”
Personally, I was inspired
MSU Features: McMaster Marching Band
As one of the most visible
and more specifically, most
audible clubs, the McMaster
Marching Band is quickly
becoming a cherished part of
the university community. The
McMaster Alumni Association
(MAA) rallied behind the newly
created club to provide $3000
of support last year and another
$4500
this
Homecoming
weekend. In its second year, the
band was also awarded the title
of the MSU’s “New Club of the
Year” 2009/2010.
David Adames, pictured
above, the MAA president
remarked that, “the marching
band brings a wow-factor that
adds to the experience and
increases school pride at any
game or event”.
The Alumni Association
presented a cheque to the
marching band on September
25th, Homecoming Saturday.
After the ceremony, the
50-person band pumped up the
crowd to the tune of “Thriller”
and “Final Countdown” as
the McMaster Marauders
destroyed the Windsor Lancers.
Neil Depass, president of the
marching band, explained that,
“in addition to being another
great opportunity for students
to get involved, we add a lot
of hype to the atmosphere
wherever we go.”
Now a well-established
club, it is hard to imagine that
the McMaster Marching Band
originated from a facebook
group two short years ago. After
much planning, preparation and
organization, the band officially
by the information that
full-time faculty and tenure
professorships have risen 22% in
the past decade, which is among
the highest in the province.
The MSU has consistently
supported increased access
to full-time instructors as a
necessary component of a
quality education.
Another pressing concern
for students is the prevalence
of student services on campus.
We were very pleased with the
opening of the new Student
Success Centre in Gilmour
Hall and the resources the SSC
provides. We asked the Provost
specifically about the funding of
student services on campus. In
looking at the operating budget
of the University, it seems
that the funding has not risen
significantly in the past few
years, despite the fact that the
undergraduate population has
risen by 62.5% since 2000/01.
As it turns out, much of the
funding for student services
formed as an MSU
club in September
2009. Today, the
club continues to
grow and improve
with the support
of the MSU, the
Student Services
Committee,
Athletics
and
Recreation
and
the
Alumni
Association.
Depass
admits
that,
“Without
these
great
supporters none
of this would have
been possible.”
With
the
recent donation from the MAA,
the marching band hopes to
purchase more instruments and
full uniforms. Depass hopes
to use the support to build an
inventory of music equipment
to ensure that students can
participate in the club regardless
of whether or not they own
instruments.
Applications for club
sponsorship* can be found
on the McMaster Alumni
Association website. Term 1
applications are due October
1st, 2010, available on the
Alumni website.
*Note: Sponsorship is typically
between $250-500.
Ishani Nath
MSU PR Volunteer
comes from student fees and
government grants. Therefore,
despite the fact that on paper
it appears that funding in this
area has remained stagnant in
relation to a student population
increase, the total spent on
student services for this year
alone is close to $80 million.
Of particular note, the
MSU was very pleased with the
Provost’s comments regarding
innovative teaching methods,
infrastructure funding and the
University’s focus on hiring
a strong base of tenured (and
tenure-track) professors.
When questioned about
the discrepancy in quality
teaching facilities on campus,
the Provost responded that
the University is pursuing a
massive improvement in their
technological
infrastructure,
including the replacement
of the student information
system and the student financial
payment system. The Provost
lauded the current relationship
Avoid costly bylaw
infractions
Be aware of the risky behviour that could
get you a hefty fine from the City
Hamilton
Bylaw
Enforcement Officers are no
longer giving warnings for
noise complaints - if they
visit your house, it could result
in a ticket for each tenant.
Being a little more
conscientious
when
you
are throwing a party could
potentially save you from a
ticket. Consider giving your
neighbours
some
notice
ahead of time and they will be
much less likely to report you.
Closing your windows can
also help ward off the noise
by-law violation that you will
incur if noise can be heard
off your property. Another
good idea is to host a predrink so that your party is on
the way out by the time your
neighbours are going to sleep.
Lastly, be sure to clean-up in
the morning - if neighbours
wake up to red cups or litter
strewn about their property,
they will definitely not go easy
on you any time in the future.
Another
common
violation implicates cyclists
who do not observe the laws
of the road. Law enforcement
The President’s Page is sponsored by the McMaster Students Union
to communicate with the student body about the projects, goals and agenda
of the MSU Board of Directors.
www.msu.mcmaster.ca
between the administration and
student leaders, particularly the
MSU.
One of my passions in this
position is the quality of your
education. Since large class sizes
in lower years are here to stay,
one of the points I will continue
to raise is the improvement of
classrooms across campus. It
was really great to hear that staff
at the University are working
towards this goal as well. I
would love to see a campus
where every lecture hall looked
like MDCL.
Overall, we agree that
this institution holds a unique
place in Ontario being
research-intensive, as well as
an innovator in teaching. I can
assure you that I personally,
will continue to work towards
making your education and
educational experience here the
best possible.
If you have any concerns or
questions, please do not hesitate
to contact me.
have been handing out tickets
for cyclists who do not stop
at stop signs This by-law is
for your own safety, as well
as the safety of others on the
road. If you are caught riding
through a stop sign, the result
will be an automatic $90
fine plus (up to) two demerit
points on your driver’s licence.
Another common violation
that cyclists incur is failing
to dismount and walk bikes
when crossing the street – law
enforcement has been striking
down and handing out tickets
for this violation, particularly
at busy crosswalks.
Staying on top of city
bylaws may seem tedious, but
there are lots of resources to
help. Check out the SCSN
website and come out to Bylaw 101 Night on Tuesday,
October 5th to gain an
understanding of the bylaws
in your area and help preserve
the relationship between
students and the community.
Laura Stevens
SCSN Director
[email protected]