Vancouver Community College9 Volume 1, Number 17 • June 75,1993 Help Wanted: Ways to save! VCC employees are being asked to find ways to improve the college's efficiency, or face substantial layoffs. In two separate meetings Monday—first at Langara and then at the Queen Elizabeth Playhouse—all employees received the same message: the only way to soften the blow of up to 200 layoffs will be throughinnovatJvemeasures to reduce VCC's budget deficit. That deficit, which stood at $2.1 million on April 1, will climb to about $9 million by April 1, 1994 without improved effidendes and re¬ duction in faculty and staff. The Ministry has said that the defidt must be eliminated by April of 199S. "We are asking employees to help find ways to reduce the costs of delivering educa¬ tion while continuing to serve the same number then those PTEs will be transferred to institu¬ tions in the Lower Mainland that have excess capadty. He has made it very clear that fiscal goals are not to be achieved at the expense of students and that he has the full support of the cabinet in his position." Smith added that Perry has promised to terminate the appointments of the board members and appoint a trustee ifmeasures are not taken to eliminate the deficit. The meetings were told that the defidt is growing by $575,000 per month, and that ownership of the projected $9 million total defidt would be assigned equally to the new VCC and the soon-to-be Langara College. (Acting Langara CEO Linda Holmes said that Langara will appeal that division of the defi¬ cit). of students,"said President John Cruickshank. "The college is fadng serious finandal difficulties and we can no longer look to the government to solve all of them. What's For daily news updates phone 7099 needed is some creative thinking-and sacri¬ fices—from both the unionized staff and man¬ agement." VCC Board Chair Bob Smith said the In the event that other measures to re¬ duce costs can't be accomplished, the worst case scenario for the loss of jobs is as follows (all losses in Full-Time Equivalents): City Centre 33 7 College is faced with an "intractable" problem KEC that will see some degree of layoffs. 31.5-40 "We are obliged as a Board to operate this institution in such a way that the budget is balanced. It is the opinion of the Ministry that ¥ CC has been dealt with not just generously, after butovergenerously. There will be no bailouts. 2:30 pm produce PTEs (for which the College is funded) "The Minister has said that if we don't 24 10-12 VCCFA jobs VMREU/Admin, jobs VCCFA jobs VCCFA people not hired VMREU/Admin, jobs Langara 39,5 16.5 4 9 LFA jobs LFA temporary jobs non-replacements VMREU jobs Continued on the other side... College Resources 7-18 Jobs weeks this year and next. Requiring employ¬ ees to pay for parking is another short-term recommendation. Continuing Education Cruickshank also called for increased 2 Administrators' jobs service delivery to the College by instruc¬ There is also expected to be a net reduc¬ tional programs. This may include the Culi¬ tion in Administrative Services resulting from nary Arts Program operating the KEC cafete¬ Langara's separation. International Education ria, the Building Services Program undertak¬ will see a "rationalization"—or reduction—of ing janitorial services or the Graphics and services to visiting students. Printing Production Programs handling the In total, the worst case scenario could College's printing needs. affect over 2,000 student PTEs. A critical factor in reducing the deflcit- Examples of long-term solutions were: * Reduce instructional delivery costs through -i.e., whether the government will pick up such measures as less release or professional severance costs-is still unclear, although Perry development time; seems to have left the door open to some level of relief. In a June 10 letter, Perry wrote: "I would be prepared to review a request should there be cause for considering some excep¬ tional circumstances related to severance." In the same letter, Perry reiterated that * Reduce service costs; using less paper is one of potentially hundreds of small ideas that would add up; * Adjust the profile mix to offer more pro¬ grams that tend to be better funded than only an additional $850,000 to the base budget others; would be available for "covering the adminis¬ * Increase space utilization to accommodate trative costs of (Langara's) separation." This more of CE's revenue-producing classes. amount would provide for only a partial sepa¬ ration of VCC-Langara on April 1, 1994. The timetable for taking action is short. This week will be devoted to receiving budget- The College received a further setback reducing ideas from employees: contact your last week when the Ministry disallowed a 125 supervisor or phone the ideas into the Ex¬ per cent multiplier in counting student con¬ change Line on Local 7099. On June 22, the tact hours. The extra percentage was used to Board's Co-ordinating Committee will meet reflect non-assigned, unscheduled time that with the Minister, and on the following day instructors work in ABE and ESL programs. there will be a public meeting of the full Board Several short and long-term measures to consider the alternatives. On the following day "consultation and notice" will begin with for reducing the deficit were presented to the meetings. the unions, although ideas to reduce the im¬ pact will continue to be sought from employ¬ One suggestion from Cruickshank calls for all employees to work without pay for two ees. Continued on the other side... 1 iT There vut nunpLiinis at both meet¬ ings directed at the government. At Langs uiTi.ui.sm Iiijilriu tortlcrry cut. And now we can't pav for what's left. We're here to train people, not to put them out on the street to col'i ct '.vell'are.1' was being singled out for Smith agreed, at least in part: "I am political reasons; aid I'ui-ut: "We (Langara) were the first co" in B. C. to go to Victoria and rattle their ains about education. We aghast at what the parly [ have supported is doing to public education. And as voters we asked them to t kc care of die college-wide is dear to me that the governmenl is not shortfalls, whic -i b.ive hjMi'iilly bt-rn liaiulled fooling around ami llial's the issue before us Porter said Lanj by Langara, and ilu'y .irr jjuni.shing us now. < Porter said the eovcrmm-nt ha?, in- creased its eci'.i .iliDii funding by 10 jut i-ent this year and is c unvmlv "pouring million of dollars into the University of Northern B.C., ! which doesn't servo one student." "This is bare-knuckled politics. I ask you (the Board) lo go public and say this should not be dc Langara Instructor Michael Sharzer criti¬ cized the 50-501 '.plil in mviu'r>l-.ip .)!' ihc deficit: "The formula does not adequately fund the ESL and vut .uional portion of our programmixan4ihi n-loiv nioiu-y tliai w ould have been generated by Langara's program profile was used to support all of the pro¬ grams of this Col'igi'. "I liis is not a di-bi lli.it we (Langara) incurred." At the after (jon nu-i-iing, Auto IVdi Instructor Dennis O'Neill also blamed this and previous governments for being shortsighted. "Training pr igrams can't be treated in If you have any comments or the same way as others. They cost more (in questions, please send them to equipment)to operate, but those apprentices Chuck Pouhen, Manager of The are outthere lOmonlhs of the year earning an Exchange, in care of College income and paying taxes. The more this colAdministrative Services, lege grew, the more high cost programs it w ill all do evervihing we feel we must. But it ^¦ Dial toll-free to Victoria H'you are calling a government office in Victoria, vou can save long distance charges by phoning: 660-2421. This is the number for l:iu|uirv B.C. and they will connect you for Update on Langara CEO position Since April 1, 1993, Linda Holmes has been acting CHO at I tngara, reporting to the Board. She will act in this capacity until die position has been tilled The Search and Reconimendation Committee has a candidate short-list and will begin interviewing next week. The process is expected to be com¬ pleted by the end of July.