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Vancouver Community College«Volume 1, Number 13 - May 13,1993

Budget

The Transition Council will develop an
"open and up front" communications plan on the

information

College's financial position—and the effect on

plan 'open and
up front'

employees and students.

"We will be accountable for providing in¬

for every KEC and City Centre employee and
every VMREU member at Langara to play a part
in designing what the new VCC should look like
in the next three to five years, and the steps that
need to be taken to get there.

formation as it becomes known, and decisions as

By now you should have received an appli¬

they are made," said President John Cruick shank.

cation form to attend this day-long Issues Forum

"This will be a continuation of the style which has
been developed through the Exchange line and
Exchange newsletter. We will provide clear and

at KEC. Because not enough time was originally
provided for replies, the deadline for return¬
ing theapplicadon has been extended from
May 7 to May IS.

honest information, without minimizing the im¬
pact."

If youhave an application form, please fill it

Cruickshank said that this "state of the
economy" approach will be launched through the
Exchange next week. He said that although mes¬
sages on this subject won't be a daily event, full

in and return it to the appropriate person men¬

communications on the budget will occur over

ately.

tioned on the covering letter. If you don't have
the application form, call Dale Rasmussen at Lo¬
cal 7168,,.he'll send a copy out to you immedi¬

the next seven to 10 weeks, as events unfold.

He said that information and comment will
be provided on;

Fairness checklist
for administration

* The College's current deficit position, projec¬
tions for 1993-94, and a vision for 199S

The Administration Council was provided
Monday with a "Administrative Fairness Check¬

* The roles of those involved and the time lines for
making decisions.

For

daily
news

updates
phone

7099
after

2:30 pm

* The effect of decisions on all constituents, nota¬

bly students and employees.

list" from the B.C. Ombudsman's office.

While the primary role of the Ombuds¬
man's office is to investigate complaints of unfair¬

ness made by individuals against government and
government organizations, such as the College, it

* An explanation of the Ministry's directives un¬
der which the College must operate.

is also the Ombudsman's job to advise those

* A view of what will be required to achieve longterm stability and success for the College.

ness.

organizations on how to avoid systemic unfair¬

The fairness checklist, which is designed as
a framework in which specific policies can be

Deadline extended

written, includes 34 suggestions. Here are a few

for Issues Forum

excerpts from that checklist:

An important reminder that we have an

opportunity on May 28 to begin shaping the future
of a new VCC. This is not just an opportunity for
administrators to shape that vision, but a chance

* Are our information brochures, applications

forms and personal letters written in plain, easily
understandable language without legal, technical
or bureaucratic jargon? Are all of our communi¬
cations clear and courteous?

Continued on the other side...

* Do we provide adequate telephone access,

July 1. The guide will provide the details, includ¬

including toll-free or collect long distance serv¬

ing information on how to set up a personal

ices?

identification number based on birth date--and

* Do the current or planned physical facilities

accommodate accessibility for the disabled and
the health and safety of the staff?

the exact date on which each student should
phone in. These staggered dates will spread the
process over a much longer period than the old
system.

* Are all parties adversely affected by a decision
given timely and complete reasons for, and details
of, the decision? Do they have adequate opportu¬
nity to present evidence in support of their posi¬

tions or to seek remedies through appeal?
* Do criteria for the selection, deployment and
evaluation of personnel take into account the

skills necessary to deal fairly and effectively with
the public?

The student mustalso paya $ 100 deposit on
his or her fees at least five working days before
registration. This payment can be made to Langara
or through any branch of the Bank of Montreal.
Valerie Nielsen, Acting Dean of Adminis¬
trative and Student Services, said that when LARS
is fully operational it will offer a number of other
features for students, such as dialling in for tran¬
scripts or financial balances owing.

* Are personnel training programs adequate to
meet performance expectations of management

Welcome aboard!

and the public? Are all front line staff properly
instructed regarding the importance of treating
all individuals with respect and courtesy?

A welcome to the newest member of the
College Board, Kehar Sekhon.

* Are there appropriate mechanisms for the mean¬

Sekhon has 24 years of teaching experience

ingful participation of affected individuals and
groups in the planning of program initiatives and

with the Vancouver School Board. He serves on

modifications?

various community-based committees, including
the School district's Staff Race Relations Com¬

mittee and the Race Relations Committee of the

Down with line ups

B.C. Teachers' Federation.

thanks to LARS

He also teaches family life skills, decision
making skills and conducts both sexual abuse and

A major prerequisite for registration at
Langara—namely the patience andstamina to stand

through monstrous lineups—is about to go the

alcohol and drug prevention programs. Sekhon

joins the Board following the recent resignation of
Ruth Preston.

way of telephones with dials.

This is thanks to LARS—the acronym for
Langara Automated Registration System. LARS
will allow students to register for this fall's term

If you have any
comments or questions,

please send them to
Chuck Poulsen, Manager
of The Exchange, in care
of College Administrative
Services.

from the comfort of their homes...or for that
matter, from Timbuktu if that's where the stu¬
dent happens to be for the summer. All that's
needed is a touch-tone phone.

Hansen elected

toTC
The VMREU election for the union repre¬
sentative on the Transition Coundl was as close as
possible... a one vo te win for Jo Hansen, with Paul
Boissonnault finishing the close second. Hansen,

Here's how it works: As usual, students

now known as landslide Hansen, had been the

study the Langara calendar. They then pick up the
LARS guide book, which will be coming out by

cil since it was formed about three months ago.

temporary VMREU representative to the Coun¬