Article appeared in the Nov 24, 2011 issue of the Interlake Spectator…
In the longest university strike in Manitoba’s history, about 3,000 students attending Brandon University have been waiting in vain for a timely return to classes, since professors there walked off the job on Oct. 12, in demand of better wages.
At the latest check, the two sides appear to be at an impasse. With talk that the union would challenge a request for arbitration if it came to that, it is difficult to predict just how much longer students will have to wait to resume their studies.
While many argue that stronger wages for professors may be a safeguard the quality of education in the long run, the fact is that this strike has put a lot of students’ lives on hold, creating hardship for many, and possibly jeopardizing some students’ ability to continue on with their education.
The Brandon University strike is not just a local problem. It has had silent ripple effects throughout the province, including here at home in the Interlake. It has affected students taking distance courses, or earning credits through community based programs in smaller centres which work in partnership with Brandon University.
In Ashern, Fieldstone Ventures Education & Training Centre Inc. currently has about 20 students enrolled in its Interlake Teacher Education Program (ITEP). The centre has been in partnership with Brandon University for the last three years to deliver the program to adults from Interlake communities spanning from Dauphin River to Lundar, to Waterhen, and everywhere in between.
In this unique program students are enrolled part-time, mainly during evenings and weekends, as they work towards their Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education degrees. They continue to work at their day jobs in their respective communities, many as educational assistants or in daycare centres. A full time 5-year degree program will take an additional two years to complete.
“The goal of the ITEP program is to grow our own teachers, to fill vacancies in rural communities with local professionals who will continue to live in the area,” said Shelley Bjornson, Business Manager of Fieldstone Ventures.
“Students are frustrated and don’t know when they will resume their studies. This makes planning difficult for the remainder of the year as it will push back the other courses expected to start the first week of January,” Bjornson said.
Students at Fieldstone had just completed their first Field Experience as student teachers, on Oct. 20, one day before the strike began. However, the next course, Environmental Geology, that was expected to start the weekend of Oct. 21 and run every second weekend until Dec. 17, has been put on hold until the strike comes to an end.
“Outreach programs are so dependent on the schedule. It’s going to screw things up,” said Tracy Parkes, a graduate of the ITEP program who was recently hired as a term literacy instructor at Fieldstone Ventures.
“I know the importance of getting those prerequisites in place, because there’s no options here. You don’t have a campus to take other courses. Not everyone can travel. Local people are very grateful to have something at home,” Parkes said.
Stephanie Russell, a student currently enrolled in ITEP, has mixed feelings about the strike.
“I want to support the teachers. I don’t want to be negative,” she said. “I just hope that they will resolve it soon, soon, soon…Drawing it out any longer is difficult for us. We are already behind because of some scheduling issues last year. This year was supposed to be a catch up year.”
