Daily News

May 3, 2001

The Board of Governors met April 26 and discussed the following items: President's report President Peter George said he has "guarded optimism" the provincial government will solve the dilemma of providing universities with adequate operating funds when revenues are decreasing. There are no signs yet as to what the federal government plans are for university funding although the University is hopeful Ottawa will address the indirect costs of research. George said he was delighted the University and the McMaster University Staff Association agreed to voluntary arbitration to solve the recent labour dispute. He said he had been "very frustrated" because he could not speak about the situation. "The overriding concern that I have and that we not lose sight of is that this is not just about a disagreement between the university and the union, it is also about people. The cost and pain of this is significant. There is no doubt that tensions exist. An early resolution can only help us." George said he wanted advice from the University community on how to establish a "better code of civil and courteous debate" and expect a higher standard for discussion. He noted some members of the University's bargaining team were subjected to "extremely unfortunate, distasteful personalization of the issues" during the strike. He said, under pressure, some people "denigrated into blaming, fingerpointing and discourteous behaviour that has no place at a university.'' He added, "There are bridges to be rebuilt. I am committed to making this happen." The McMaster University Faculty Association (MUFA) provided a letter to the Board asking that the University consider not using the services of "strike circumvention companies such as Accu-Fax in the future." Mark Haley, assistant vice-president human resources, said the Hamilton-Wentworth regional police advised the University to use a security services and surveillance during the strike. MUFA president Bernadette Lynn, responding to a Board member's question, said the association is opposed to the University using firms that bill themselves as "strike breaking organizations." Debbie Nifakis, a non-teaching staff representative, told Board members she was asked to convey some staff's concerns about the University's actions during the McMaster University Staff Association strike. "They have felt very disillusioned and dissatisfied," she said, adding she had met with President George earlier in the week and returned gifts from about 30 people that had been given to them by the University over the years. Risk Management Services report Department director Ron Angus reported there is an air quality study going on in the Arthur Bourns Building (ABB). Environmental monitoring results for ABB were reviewed, confirming there are no unusual levels of biological contamination in the air handling system. The results also confirmed there is no asbestos in the samples. Angus said work responding to the air quality study in the John Hodgins Engineering building continues. New filtration equipment, humidification equipment and steam supply coils are ordered. Angus said the Ministry of Labour visited campus in March in response to anonymous complaints about ergonomic conditions at a food serving station and ventilation in the kitchen and washrooms in the Commons food service areas. He said ministry officials did not issue any orders and concluded the issues should be dealt with by the University's Joint Health and Safety Committee and Risk Management Services (RMS). The ventilation systems were inspected and were functioning as designed and not obstructed. RMS is studying the ergonomic issue. Changing Tomorrow Today Campaign report University Advancement executive director Roger Trull said the campaign has raised just under $112 million to date, adding "We're quite pleased." He said about $84.5 million of the total has been received in cash which is a much larger percentage than was expected. The campaign officially ends June 30.

May 3, 2001

The McMaster Students Union's new president pronounces bruschetta, prosciutto and bocconcini with the flair of someone who grew up speaking Italian and who loves to cook. "I'm not the typical MSU president, I don't really fit the mould," says Sam Minniti, who received more than twice the votes the other candidates garnered in the February election. Minniti, formerly MSU vice-president administration, took office on May 1. Born in Welland, Minniti grew up in Fort Erie, Ont. He is an only child and has a close relationship with his parents who immigrated to Canada from southern Italy. When he started university four years ago his parents would visit him once a week and he'd return to Fort Erie every month to play the piano at his father's Italian Pentecostal church and interpret his father's sermons into Italian or English. His parents still visit regularly and, when he can, he goes home to play the piano and to interpret at the church.

May 3, 2001

Undergraduate tuition is going up two per cent for the 2001-02 academic year. The increase of $74.70 will mean full-time undergraduate tuition in the Faculties of Humanities, Science, Social Sciences and the Arts & Science program will be $3,931.50. The two per cent increase will put full-time undergraduate tuition in the School of Business at $4,305.60 and the Faculty of Engineering at $4,675.77. In the Faculty of Health Sciences the increase will put tuition for nursing students at $3,931.50. The fee for medicine students is unchanged at $13,500. Last year the Board of Governors approved a government-mandated tuition increase over a five-year period for most undergraduate programs. "McMaster continues to offer tuition fees that are lower than most universities in the province," said Fred Hall, associate vice-president academic. The tuition increase revenues will be divided with 40 per cent going to the Faculties for programming, 30 per cent to bursaries and 30 per cent for allocation by the Board's budget committee. The University will continue to charge a student levy (the amount ranges from $26.10 to $31.02 depending on the Faculty) for the Quality Enhancement Fund. This fund, established last year for a five-year period, supports improvements to facilities that directly affect the quality of academic programs. For example, last year the funds were directed to the University Library and associated learning technologies such as LearnLink. Graduate tuition fees are frozen at 2000-01 levels, $4,422 annually, except for the School of Business' MBA program. The Board of Governors approved a 25 per cent fee increase for the MBA program to $3,350 per term at its April 26 meeting. Vishwanath Baba, dean of the School of Business, said the increase in the MBA program fee will be used for a variety of purposes including a faculty hiring initiative devised to increase full-time faculty by 15 to 20 during the next four years to maintain effective student to faculty ratios. As well, the tuition increase will go towards increasing sessional teaching fees to attract high quality instructors and will aid the school in supporting information technology infrastructure projects and initiatives such as the Educational Trading Centre and the e-commerce annex. In addition to tuition fee increases, some students will see an increase in the miscellaneous fees they pay depending on the Faculty they belong to and whether they are enrolled full-time or part-time. For example, full-time undergraduate students will pay about 2.5 per cent more in mandatory supplementary fees for various McMaster Students Union items including the organization fee, the health insurance plan and the University Centre building fee as well as the Ontario Public Interest Research Group fee. The University collects these fees on behalf of student organizations and student societies and remits the money to them.

May 3, 2001

McMaster University's Undergraduate Council Awards Committee has awarded travel scholarships to 10 students to enhance their educational experience with travel abroad: Nisha Thampi, honours Arts & Science (biology), received the Russell T. Wilkins Travel Scholarship of $6,000 to travel to Zambia. Thampi plans to study the psychological problems facing orphans whose parents have died from AIDS. Thampi will work in four orphanages in the capital city of Lusaka and will live in one of the orphanages. Her work with the orphans will be considered fieldwork for her undergraduate thesis. Tania Wong, honours biology and psychology, was awarded the Russell T. Wilkins Travel Scholarship of $6,000 to travel to the Mount Everest region of Nepal. She will spend a month with Envirotreks Canada giving environmental workshops to elementary school children in the region and helping to clean up the Everest base camp. When she returns to McMaster in the fall she has volunteered to present her Mount Everest experiences to the university community. Aimie Johnson, honours French and modern languages, was granted the A. G. Alexander Travel Scholarship of $5,500 to study in Paris, France. She plans to pursue her interest in Blaise Pascal, in addition to attending language classes and volunteering at the Paris YMCA. She also will live with a family to improve her conversational skills. Johnson hopes her experiences in France will help her prepare for her chosen career as a French teacher. Claire Knight, honours history, was awarded the A. G. Alexander Travel Scholarship of $5,500 to study at Oxford University in England. She plans to take part in Oxford's Summer Program in History, Politics and Society and take courses entitled "Modern Russian Politics" and "The Fall of the British Empire, 1945-1997." Her long-term academic goal is to pursue graduate work in international relations. Elena Mallard, honours modern languages and linguistics, received the A. G. Alexander Travel Scholarship of $5,500 to study in Paris, France and Rome, Italy. She plans to study the Italian language and literature at Studioitalia in Rome for six weeks and then to travel to Paris, France to spend four weeks studying French at the University of Paris-Sorbonne. Upon graduation, Mallard plans to complete an International Master's of Business Administration. Angelika Sellick, honours English and history, was granted the Joan Jackson Dunbar Travel Scholarship of $3,500 to study Shakespeare at the University of Cambridge in England. She will attend Cambridge's Shakespeare Summer School during the month of July. Sellick plans to pursue a master's degree in history after graduating from McMaster.

May 2, 2001

Captains of industry, humanitarians, scientists, scholars, a tenor and comedian Martin Short -- McMaster University will honour a diverse and distinguished group of individuals at this year's Spring Convocation. The University will present honorary degrees to the following at eight Convocation ceremonies this spring: Divinity College (May 8, 8 p.m., Convocation Hall) Theodor Angelov, president, Bulgarian Baptist Union (Doctor of Divinity)** Rick Tobias, executive director, Evergreen Mission (Doctor of Divinity) Faculty of Health Sciences (May 11, 2:30 p.m., Hamilton Place) John V. Basmajian, McMaster professor emeritus, rehabilitation medicine (Doctor of Science) Richard Heinzl, MD, founder of the Canadian chapter, Midecins Sans Frontihres/Doctors Without Borders (Doctor of Laws) James Orbinski, MD, founding member of the Canadian chapter, Midecins Sans Frontihres/Doctors Without Borders (Doctor of Laws)** School of Business (May 30, 9:30 a.m. Hamilton Place) Anthony Fell, chair and chief executive officer, RBC Dominion Securities (Doctor of Laws) Ron Foxcroft, president, Fluke Transport**(Doctor of Laws) Faculty of Humanities and Arts & Science Program(May 30, 2:30 p.m. Hamilton Place) Pierre Conlon, McMaster professor emeritus, 18th-century French scholar(Doctor of Letters) Richard Margison, world-renowned tenor (Doctor of Letters) Martin Short, comedian and actor (Doctor of Letters) ** Faculty of Social Sciences (May 31, 9:30 a.m., Hamilton Place) Robert Giroux, president and CEO, AUCC (Doctor of Laws) ** Colin Millar, law enforcement educator and Hamilton's former chief of police (Doctor of Laws) Faculty of Social Sciences (May 31, 2:30 p.m., Hamilton Place) Mary Buzzell, teacher, scholar, clinician and advocate for the elderly (Doctor of Laws) Jack Pelech, lawyer, inductee McMaster Sports Hall of Fame (Doctor of Laws) ** Faculty of Engineering (June 1, 9:30 a.m., Hamilton Place) William Sinclair, co-founder JDS Optics (now JDS Uniphase)(Doctor of Science) Joseph Wright, president and CEO Pulp and Paper Research Institute (Doctor of Science) ** Faculty of Science(June 1, 2:30 p.m., Hamilton Place) James Bruce, meteorologist, senior associate, Global Change Strategies (Doctor of Science) David Strangway, president, Canada Foundation for Innovation (Doctor of Science) ** ** will give the Convocation address.

May 1, 2001

The employment market looks good for McMaster's graduates and for students seeking summer employment. "Overall the job outlook for students is really positive", says Karen Johnson, manager of McMaster's Career Planning and Employment Centre(CPEC). "Summer jobs look good, full-time and part-time jobs also look good An economic downturn may affect graduates in the future but we haven't experienced it yet." The campus employment centre posted 4,313 jobs from May 2000 through March 2001, almost 1,000 more than last year and not all of this year's job postings have yet been counted. Summer job postings have doubled over last year and full-time job postings are up by 400 positions. "Everything has increased," says Gisella Oliviera, employment operations co-ordinator, who keeps track of the statistics for the career centre. Oliviera predicts the rosy outlook will persist because she already has employers booking now to come to campus in the fall to interview future graduates. "They have new positions to fill and they want to hold information sessions," says Oliviera. Photo(l-r):Edward Baker,political science; Nicole Frocking,commerce, and career counsellor David Lawson review job postings in the CPEC office. Photo by Ron Scheffler.

May 1, 2001

The hype surrounding the Olympics has been turned up a notch in Canada with the announcement recently that Dick Pound, our own Olympian and Canadian representative on the International Olympic Committee, is a candidate for the IOC presidency. Pound is currently vice-president of the International Olympic Committee. Pound was the guest speaker last week at McMaster's Toronto alumni branch spring luncheon at the Royal York. The event drew more than 160 McMaster alumni and friends, providing an opportunity for graduates to network with fellow graduates and chat informally about, among other things, Toronto's odds for hosting the 2008 Olympics. Chair of the marketing commission and television negotiations committee, Pound spoke on the Commercialization of the Olympic Movement. He told the lunch-hour listeners that with the advent of the IT revolution many internet giants were urging the Olympic committee to air the competitions on line rather than on screen. The IOC, he said, went ahead with its own research and its own plan after learning that three billion people watched the games on TV versus 25 million online information seekers. Pound says the IOC has been able to help smaller countries finance the Olympics due to the progress it has made in the past few years. The Olympics are the only sporting competition of its calibre that doesn't include branding or sponsor logos in facilities or on the backs of athletes. Pound, vice-president of the IOC, led the Salt Lake City corruption-inquiry panel and investigated the secret negotiations behind the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. He competed in the Rome Olympics in 1960 and became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1978. Photo (l-r): Earl Cochrane, president, McMaster Alumni Association; Mel Hawkrigg, University Chancellor; Gary Collins, president, Toronto Alumni Branch; Richard (Dick) Pound, vice-president, International Olympic Committee; and Lance Trumble, member, Toronto Alumni Branch executive.

April 30, 2001

It's going to cost you more to park on campus this fall. The rates are going up for monthly parking permits at McMaster beginning Sept. 1. The cost of parking in Zones 2 and 3 on central campus is increasing by $3 to $36 per month. Monthly parking permits for all other zones will go up by $2. It will cost $15/month for a permit that allows drivers to park on West Campus in Zones 6 and 7 and on any lot after 4 p.m. Permits to park in Zone 1 to the north of the tennis courts and in Zones 4 and 5, west of Cootes Drive, are going up to $22/month. The annual rate for motorcycle parking will increase to $75 per year (from $50). The central campus daily rates will remain the same at $8.50. To park after 4 p.m., drivers will have to pay $3 per entry, an increase of 50 cents. On west campus, the daily rate will go up to $3 per day. The Saturday flat daily rate for central campus will also go up to $3. The surplus generated by these increases will go into Parking & Transit Services' reserve account to pay for capital improvements. The new funds will help pay for the redesign and expansion of the surface lot and fund the anticipated costs for a new Main Street entrance. (END OF STORY)

April 27, 2001

Professors from the fields of comparative literature and chemical engineering are the 2001 recipients of the President's Awards. Jean Wilson, a professor of comparative literature in the Faculty of Humanities, has won the President's Award for Excellence in Instruction. She will accept her award at Spring Convocation. Tom Marlin, a professor of chemical engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, will receive the President's Award for Excellence in Course or Resource Design. He will accept his award at Fall Convocation. Both recipients will also receive a $5,000 honorarium and will have their photos mounted on the Wall of Recognition in Gilmour Hall. In a congratulatory letter to the recipients, President Peter George said: "McMaster has been well served by your continuing efforts on behalf of teaching and learning and our University is very fortunate to number you among our most celebrated colleagues."

April 26, 2001

McMaster University and the McMaster University Staff Association reached an agreement yesterday to achieve a first collective agreement through voluntary arbitration. Voluntary arbitration, an alternative to compulsory arbitration, involves a third party who acts first as a mediator to assist and enable further agreement between the union and the University, and then, if any issues remain unresolved, as an arbitrator to resolve these issues through a binding arbitrated award. The two parties have agreed to the appointment of George Adams as the mediator/arbitrator for the process. Adams most recently assisted the Hamilton Board of Education and its elementary teachers. July 31 has been set as the date by which Adams will render a final award, although he may extend this date if he considers it necessary. To view the Memorandum of Agreement reached yesterday by both parties on the process, click here. University President Peter George commended negotiators for both parties for agreeing to this process and called the agreement an extremely positive step. "I am very hopeful that we will be able to come to terms quickly so that we can successfully conclude negotiations and implement the first contract's pay increase and improvements in working conditions for MUSA members." George says the University's work does not end once a collective agreement is achieved. "There are bridges to rebuild and fundamental changes will need to be made to achieve a positive and progressive work environment at McMaster. I am committed to making this happen. Our senior team is committed to making this happen and I trust that MUSA members and others at the University will work with us to make this happen." (END OF STORY)

April 26, 2001

[img_inline align=”” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/agreement1.jpg”]

April 26, 2001

The voting threshold has been reached to allow the University and the Plan member representatives to proceed immediately with the next steps of the Surplus . . .

April 26, 2001

Five researchers studying areas such as vision science, spatial analysis, blood clots and radiation treatments for cancer patients are McMaster's newest Canada Research Chairs. The . . .

April 25, 2001

The University and the McMaster University Staff Association will appear today (April 25) at the Ontario Labour Relations Board for a pre-hearing meeting. The pre-hearing meeting was scheduled in response to MUSA's application for a compulsory arbitration board to bring to closure the ongoing negotiations for a first collective agreement. Both the union and the University have indicated in writing that each is now prepared to consider voluntary arbitration, of the mediation-arbitration type, as a process to resolve their first contract negotiations. Voluntary arbitration is an alternative to compulsory arbitration. The mediated-arbitration type would involve a third party who would first act as a mediator to assist and enable further agreement between the union and the University. In those cases where agreement was not achieved, that same person would have the power to issue a binding award on the parties. The parties will meet today to attempt to agree to the details of who will act as the mediator/arbitrator and to other aspects of the process. (END OF STORY)

April 25, 2001

As many of you know, the financial markets have generally performed poorly over the last several months. Concerns have been raised by some surplus sharing . . .

April 24, 2001

The old saying goes that "one person's trash is another's treasure." This adage will be put to the test with the launch of McMaster's first Dump and Run. Student volunteers spent part of last weekend delivering fliers to the residents of the community bounded by Main Street West, Dow Street, Highway 403 and Rifle Range Road. The area is the site of a pilot project that will run from Monday (April 29) to Sunday (May 5). This project partners students, the community and the City of Hamilton Waste Management Division in an effort to encourage the reuse of household items. The fliers were produced by the McMaster Students Union (MSU) Environment Committee to inform residents about Dump and Run, a student driven initiative inspired by the desire to do something about the amount of garbage produced by the campus community during the student move-out in April and May. Joanna Ranieri, chair of the MSU Environment Committee, says, "We recognized the need for proactive measures to prevent the massive amount of waste produced during the student moveout." Students and residents living in the pilot area are encouraged to place their unwanted items curbside so that they can be picked up and reused by other students or members of the community. Ranieri adds,"We thought that this was a great opportunity to prevent things from going into the landfill, and so did the City of Hamilton Waste Management Division, who has been instrumental in the development of this project. They've taken care of all of the technical aspects and given us tremendous help in terms of resources and support."

April 23, 2001

The vote by members of the McMaster University Staff Association on the University's final contract offer was released by the Ontario Labour Relations Board this evening (Monday) at approximately 8 p.m. The vote result was: 318 Yes 1086 No 1408 MUSA members cast ballots. Total MUSA membership is 1,695. "Our goal has always been to reach a fair contract with MUSA," says president Peter George. "After collective bargaining failed to reach an agreement, we believed the final offer was the best and quickest way to try to settle the dispute. It also ensured that each MUSA member had the opportunity to have his or her say on the offer. That has now happened." George says it is important that the University finds the next most timely and least confrontational way of reaching a first contract with MUSA. "We believe the next step should be arbitration. But our preference is for voluntary arbitration, of the mediation/arbitration type and using an agreed upon Board of Arbitration or a sole arbitrator, rather than compulsory arbitration. We have asked MUSA to consider this form of arbitration." MUSA has filed an application with the Ontario Labour Relations Board for compulsory arbitration. There are significant differences between the two forms of arbitration: Compulsory Arbitration Voluntary Arbitration A lengthy process that often takes many months Can lead to a quicker resolution Arbitration panel is appointed The union and the University jointly choose the arbitrator Process is prescribed in legislation The union and the University jointly choose the process to meet their needs Labour Relations Act requires that the final contract run for two years from the date the arbitration board issues its decision Contract length is agreed to by both the union and the University Decisions on the content of the final offer are made by a third party with no guarantees that either the University's or the union's proposals will be accepted. Process can more closely resemble the collective bargaining process

April 23, 2001

The polling locations for today's vote by McMaster University Staff Association members on the University's final offer are: *Poll 1: 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., First Floor Lobby, Ewart Angus Centre *Poll 2: 1 - 5 p.m., First Floor Lobby, Togo Salmon Hall *Poll 3: Travelling poll to area hospitals, as follows: 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Conference Room "A" (Cafeteria), Henderson Hospital 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Conference Room F134, Fontbonne Building, St. Joseph's Hospital 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Pillar's Room (Cafeteria), Hamilton General Hospital 4 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. Patterson Boardroom, Chedoke Hospital Voting will also take place at McMaster sites in Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, Collingwood and Chalk River.

April 20, 2001

Human Resources has posted a document on its Web site containing Frequently Asked Questions About the Final Offer and Vote that will be held on . . .

April 20, 2001

When they vote on Monday, MUSA's 1,650 members will answer yes or no to the following question: “Are you in favour of acceptance of the . . .