J.'/y/3
VOL 1 NO 2 7

1995

VANCOUVER
COMMUNITY

COLLEGE

iMUy Ck
Tl'IS

il)>' I ] V

'i! on I

Vancot've,/ II c. Vi-rJ bTO

Safety tips for working women
Part 2: Workplace Action
Inside

Alone and Alert
Be aware
• Know staff in other stores and business
[and departments], be aware of their sched¬
ules.

• If you are suspicious of people hanging
around or strange phone calls—notify the

Education

Council Report

police and staff in neighbouring stores [and
departments]. Try to get a description of
the person and the car.
• Be assertive and confident, look at and
greet customers.

you are in a place where you feel uneasy,
phone your own workplace when you ar¬
rive and again before you leave.

Keep persona/ information
at a minimum
Avoid discussing where you live, after-work
plans, or vacation plans in front, or with, cus¬
tomers or with anyone who makes you feel
uncomfortable.

Aware in the office

Announcements

enters, trust your instincts. Look directly
at the person, make it clear you are in

• Trust your instincts. If somebody you work
with makes you uncomfortable, discuss the
situation with a co-worker you trust, and

Policy Review

charge and cannot be intimidated. Phone

plan your response to potential problems.

• If you feel uncomfortable after someone

for help.
• Make sure that back doors or secondary
doors are locked.

6

• Check all lighting before it gets dark.

Classifieds

• Ask about the risk assessment plan at your

Plan ahead
workplace.
• Plan emergency exits, know about safe

Celebrating

so
Years

places and pay phones.
• Try to imagine an appropriate response to
various situations and decide ahead of time
how you will respond.
• If your work takes you to new or different
settings, be alert and make mental notes
of your surroundings when you arrive. The
first time you go into a new setting, or if

%

Use assertive behaviour with
co-workers who are a threat
• If you feel threatened, make a scene, yell.
• When you enter an office or meeting place
alone, be aware of your surroundings.
• If you must meet new work contacts out of
the workplace, meet at a public place. Keep
personal information private.
• Avoid having new work contacts walk you
to the car or escort you to your home or
hotel room.
• When entering an elevator, stand next to
the controls. Wait for the next elevator if
you feel uneasy about the occupants. If
someone makes you feel uncomfortable,
continued on page 2

push the button for the next floor or push
the alarm and all buttons (except stop).

If you are working late
• Let security or a friend know, tell them
when you expect to leave.
• While another co-worker is present check
that all doors are locked and make sure
washrooms/storage rooms are empty.
• If you suspect someone is lurking outside,

uote
Pessimist:
one who,

when he has
the choice of
two evils,
chooses both.
—Oscar Wilde

tomers will not be setting them off acci¬
dentally, but where staff can reach them.
• Install several buttons—put them by all
doors, store rooms and coolers.

Increase the visibility in work
areas

• If you enter a washroom and suspect some¬
one might be in there, don't call out. Back

• Install good outside lighting and train staff
to check lights before dusk.
• Ensure the service desk is visible through
windows and is well lit.

out, go to a safe area with a lockable door

• Make sure windows are not obscured—

call policy/security officers.

uick

• Attackers expect alarm buttons to be at the
desk—place them elsewhere—where cus¬

and phone for help. (Plan ahead for safe
places.)

Challenging strangers in the
workplace

ensure passers-by can see in.

• Make sure there is a clear exit route from
the service desk to the door.

Share the responsibility for
awareness

• If you are alone or working late, and you
encounter someone unfamiliar, indicate
that you are not alone. Say "my supervi¬

• Set up a business watch or mall watch pro¬
gram with neighbouring businesses.

sor will be right here and will be able to

• Develop a buddy system for employees to

help you."

get to bus stops or their cars after work.

• Use assertive, but respectful, language.

Taking action against

What employers can do an attack
Worker's Compensation Board guidelines

The most important defence tools you have

call for employers to do a workplace risk as¬
sessment to determine how much risk there

are awareness and action. Only you can

may be of a violent incident occuring, and to

how to respond if the attacker has a weapon.
Use whatever force you feel is necessary to

identify appropriate prevention measures.
There are some basic steps that employers
can take to increase workplace safety. Here
are some ideas:

Install extra phones and
alarm systems

decide how you will respond to an attack and

escape the situation and be ready to take the
first opportunity to take action and get away.

Don't freeze. Act.
• If you are grabbed don't freeze or panic.

• Pre-program phones to 911 or local po¬

First, breathe deeply to calm yourself, then
try to get attention. Yell loudly and repeat¬

lice emergency numbers.
• Install phones in isolated areas such as

edly. Try shouting words like FIRE, HELP,
NO and STOP. Blow a whistle, push a

storage rooms.

• Have an alarm installed that rings in the

workplace and in a neighbouring business
or household.

personal safety alarm, bang on something.

BE LOUD AND PERSISTENT.
• If there is anyone nearby, give them in
structions to help you. Single out somecontimed on the next page

PAGE 2

J U LY 1 3 1995

one and send them for help—"You, in the
red jacket, call the police." This will en¬

courage bystanders to get help when they
may not know what action to take.

* If you decide to fight back, remember

around you. Learn to be aware and recog¬
nize risk.
• Be observant and aware of your surround¬
ings. Walk with a purpose. Keep your head

up, look around and directly at people to

there are many effective ways of respond¬
ing to each type of attack. Prepare your¬

self to fight back, do whatever feels right
to you. Try to imagine yourself respond¬

ing successfully to different types of at¬
tack situations. Practise taking deep
breaths to keep calm. Self-defense courses

can teach you valuable skills and help you
learn about vulnerable points on the body,

assess them, but don't stare.

® When you feel something just isn't right,
trust your feelings.
• Digging in your purse, wearing head¬

phones or struggling with heavy brief¬
cases/luggage and uncomfortable clothing
reduces your ability to be prepared.
• Have your keys ready. Keep them in your
pocket, but as you approach your car or

but the best defense is to be vigilant and

door have the right key positioned to open
the lock immediately.

ready to respond.

Basic prevention
Increase your personal awareness—every¬
where. Your risk of attack increases if you
appear to unaware of what's going on

• Carry a personal safety alarm on your key
ring, or wear it around your neck or pinned
to your clothing.
• Report any suspicious incidents to employ¬
ers or police.

Office
Security
Notice
AH KEC faculty
and staff are re¬

minded to lock
their office doors
when the room
is unoccupied.

This will aid in
deterring theft
of personal and
college items.

Security will
secure any of¬

Education Council Report
Education Council has met three times since the inaugural meeting of April 4,1995. We have
held two regular monthly meetings and one special meeting to discuss terms of reference for
the Council.
On a trial basis, we sent minutes of the April 4 meeting to all departments. We have now

fice door found
open> with the
area unat¬

tended. Your
cooperation Jn
the matter is
much appreci¬

decided to opt for economy and efficiency. A summary of Education Council business will be
published each month in Connections. If, however, you want to obtain a full copy of the

ated.

minutes, please contact Vivienne Garrott at 7159.

Bldg, Services Mgr.

Much of our work during these first months
has focused on the following issues:

Terms of reference
A committee consisting of Paul Hunt, Pat
Kennedy, Laraine Niewinski, Sandra North,

draft our own terms of reference document.

Thanks to their excellent work, we should
be able to make good progress on this issue
by the Fall. We have already reached deci¬
sions on some items: for example, the fact

Stuart Scholfield and Celeste Tsuyuki has met

that Education Council should operate year
round in this College (not ten months a year

several times to review Education Council
terms of reference from other colleges and

continued on page 4

VOL 1

NO 27

Bill Miller

PAGE 3

Education Council (continued from page 3)
as the Bill 22 guidelines suggest); the need
to elect a Vice-Chair; and establishing an

voting member of the College Board and pro¬

Agenda committee to ensure that Council

To date, Hilary has attended three Board

works efficiently and effectively. Other is¬
sues are still under discussion: planning the
timing of elections to facilitate full partici¬

meetings and two mini orientation sessions
for Board members. Lee Anne Wilson, a
Board member, attends Education Council
meetings (as a non-voting member) and gives
a report from the Board.

pation on the part of students in particular;

considering how to maintain continuity by
having varied terms of appointment for Edu¬

cation Council representatives; looking at the
type of standing and ad hoc committees that
Education Council may want to establish to

Holiday
Notice
Mark Goertz,

KEC Library,
will be on holi¬

day from July 13
to August 12,
1995. For ur¬
gent matters,

Please contact

Aphrodite
Harris, 7319,

In May, the Chair and several Education

Council members met with the College Board
Chair, the President and the three Vice Presi¬

Relationships with

dents to begin discussions on joint authority.
Further meetings will need to take place on
joint authority and on establishing a process

other committees

for the advisory role of Education Council.

assist effective operation.

Establishing the role and function of Educa¬
tion Council initially raised a fair amount of
confusion (not surprising, in view of the fact

that as a College we have recently gone
through major restructuring). Defining how
and where Education Council fits within the
existing committee structure and what

changes may be implied is still under debate.
We need: 1) a coordinated and efficient struc¬
ture without duplication and without the risk
of being "committeed" to death, and 2) ef¬
fective communication channels to ensure
that Education Council members have the in¬

formation they require to make appropriate
decisions and recommendations to the Board.

Linda Martin has provided Education Coun¬
cil members with a list of existing college
committees and is compiling a package de¬

The VCC Planning Package
At the May 2 meeting the VCC Planning
Package was circulated to Council. At the

request of the Academic/ABE/ASE Division
their Council representative provided the
Divisions response to the planning document
at the May 30 meeting. Several other re¬
sponses to the planning package have been

copied to Education Council. The President
outlined the responsibility he holds for Col¬
lege planning and confirmed his intention to
bring the planning document to Education
Council for review and recommendation to
the Board once he has received community
input.

Policy and program/
curriculum changes

tailing terms of reference for these

To date, Education Council has reviewed and

committees. We are receiving minutes of

approved three policies: Standards of Student
Conduct, Admissions Appeal, and Approval

meetings of the Education Administrators
Group and Linda Martin will give a regular
update on Operations Council at Education

Procedure for Artwork Requests. These will

be taken forward to the Board for approval

Council meetings.

or information as appropriate. Information on

Relationship with the
College Board

program/curriculum revisions have been

As provided for in Bill 22, the Education
Council Chair (Hilary Pearson) sits as a non
PAGE 4

vides a regular report on Council business.

brought forward from the last meeting of the
Academic/Instructional Council and from the
Education Administrators Group.
continued on page 5

J U LY 1 3 1995

Education Council (continued from page 4)
Externa/ liaison

Education Council

So far, Hilary has had two brief meetings with

Representatives:

Education Council Chairs from other Col¬

• ABE Rene Merkel
e Applied Arts Bob McAuliffe
• Hospitality Settimio Sicoli

leges and Institutes and further meetings will
be planned in the Fall. The Chairs are mak¬
ing a concerted effort to keep in touch and
share information and resources. CIEA is

planning to hold a Governance Workshop on
August 26, 1995 and AECBC is hoping to
facilitate a meeting of the Education Coun¬

cil Chairs in September.

Future meeting dates
Two meetings of Education Council will be
held in August: a short business meeting, fol¬
lowed by terms of reference discussion on

August 2 in room 5025 at KEC, and a spe¬
cial meeting dedicated to terms of reference

on August 23 in room 240 at City Centre.
Both meetings will start at 2:00 p.m.
The next business meeting of Education

Council will be September 5, 1995 at 2:30

» Business Paul Hunt
« Counselling Hilary Pearson

8 Health Pat Hartley
• ESL Pat Kennedy
• Library Brenda Appleton
• KEC At Large Stuart Scholfield
• CC At Large Bob Aitken
• VMREU KEC Sandra North
• VMREU CC Wynn Keenan
• KESA Cassandra Crooks,

Euclides Garrigo
• CCSA Angela Flores,
Celeste Tsuyuki
• Administrators Dale Dom,

Laraine Niewinski,
Linda Martin,
Gail Rochester

p.m. in room 220 at City Centre. Any inter¬

• Board Member Lee Anne Wilson

ested members of the College Community are

• President John Cruickshank

Recycle!!!
Recycle!!
Recycle!
at

City
Centre
Please drop off
your old tel¬

ephone books
(white or yellow
pages) in the appropriate
recycle box be¬
hind Receiving,
Money received

welcome to attend.

from the recy¬

cle will be

At last! VCC policy review
Many of you are aware that a complete
review of all VCC policies and proce¬
dures is planned, to begin in earnest in
September. Some initial steps have al¬
ready been introduced to initiate the
process. Sharon McClure, Manager,
Classification and Special Projects in Em¬
ployee Relations, will coordinate the

project and will be responsible for the
currency, accuracy and consistency of

policies, both hard copy and on-line.
Sharon will ensure that an approval proc¬
VOL 1

NO 27

ess is established and adhered to. She will
also be a resource person for the policy
writers. All policies will be written in
"plain" English and a set format, ap¬
proved by both Operations and Education
Councils, will be implemented. Now that
Operations Council and Education Coun¬
cils are in place, we are well positioned
to embark on the revitalization of our very
outdated policy manual.

donated to the
BC Lupus Asso¬
ciation,

John Cruickshank

PAGE 5

moM
New Books at CC Library
• Advanced Microprocessors

« Design and Problem Solving in Technology
• Experiencing and Counselling Multicul¬
tural and Diverse Populations
• Hors d'Oeuvre Bible
8 Hotel Management and Operations
8 International Trade Business Plan
8 Management of Maintenance and Engi¬

Connections
Editor, Design
and Layout:
Dale Rasmussen,

PR Dept
Campus Contacts
Ngee-Moi Voon

(CC),
Manijeh Golkhizi

(KEC)
Communications
Coordinator
Sarah Lucas, local

7158
Please recycle
this newsletter.

neering Systems in the Hospitality Industry

MOSAIC Navigator
Multimedia: Gateway to the Next
Millenium

8 Canada's Changing Families: Challenges
to Public Policy
8 Collaborative Learning: Underlying Proc¬
esses and Effective Techniques

8 Collaborative Peer Review: the Role of
Faculty in Improving College Teaching
8 The Program for Deaf and Hard of Hear¬

ing Adults at VCC: an Historical Exami¬
nation (Leanor Vlug)
8 The Usenet Book: Finding, Using and
Surviving News Groups on the Internet
8 Fostering Student Success in Quantitative
Gateway Courses

New Classic Desserts

Practical Troubleshooting with the Ad¬
vanced Video Analyzer
Quantity Food Purchasing (4lh ed.)
Sick Building Syndrome
Speech Recognition
Voices 3: Canadians Who Made a Difference

*4ew Books at KEC Library

Don't miss

the plane!
Last call for Interna¬

tional Opportunities. If
you are interested in interna¬

tional project work and have not yet
submitted the Questionnaire and/or your
resume, don't delay. IE is now tabulating the

Assessment and Testing: Myths and Re¬

information and will be registering the Col¬

alities
Developing Administrative Excellence:
Creating a Culture of Leadership
History and Feminism: a Glass Half Full

lege's and its employees' credentials with the

International Funding Agencies by the end
of September. Since this process is time con¬

suming and costly it will only be done once

Parenting Teenagers

a year. You will not be registered unless you

Wedded to the Cause: Ukrainian Canadian
Women and Ethnic Identity
Beyond Alienation: Political Essays on the
West
Canadian Business Guide to Using the

respond by September 15,1995. For a copy
of the questionnaire or more information, call

Hilary Wong at 7490 or Fred Wuhrer at 7492.

Internet

'mz
|OB POSTINGS ^
Bookstore/Stores Clerk, KEC. Closing: July 19.
Bookstore Cashier, KEC. Closing: July 19.

PAGE 6

VM Westfalia, 1993, red, loaded, low milage,
extra clean. $29,900. Phone: 464-4041.

J U LY 1 3 1995