THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2013 • EXTRA EDITION • SYDNEY, NOVA SCOTIA • A CAPER MEDIA NEWSPAPER • CAPERMEDIA.CA

SYDNEY, NS – After months of negotia-tions with Cape Breton University manage-ment, the Cape Breton University Faculty Association (CBUFA) has voted overwhelm-ingly in favour of taking strike action.

92% of those voting – comprising faculty, librarians, lab instructors, and nursing practice educators – supported the motion to strike.

While the vote does not mean members of the CBUFA will strike immediately, it gives CBUFA the right to call strike action without another vote or general meeting.

The dispute started in June, when the contract covering the terms of employment for CBUFA members expired. Talks between both CBUFA and CBU management stalled two weeks ago over an issue over workload.

Management had put an offer on the table whereby the standard teaching load would be set at four fall courses, four win-

ter courses, and two spring courses. The CBUFA rejected this offer, and no new offer has been as of yet presented to them.

A press release by the CBUFA stated that “the Association [CBUFA] is seek-ing a teaching load that is, according to Professor [Allan] Fraser, ‘consistent with similar sized universities in the Maritimes, and in fact across the entire country.’”

According to the press release, CBU management is seeking to double the work-load of “as many as 30% of the faculty.”

Barry Moore, an Assistant Professor at CBU and representative of the CBUFA, said that what happens now depends on how CBU management reacts to the situ-ation, and hopes that the vote will be enough to bring CBU management back to the negotiation table with a new offer.

If the issue continues to stagnate, a con-ciliator will be called in to bring the two sides to the table for negotiations; if this fails, after a two week cooling-off period, CBUFA will have the right to strike or be locked out of their employment by CBU management.

It is unknown as of yet how this might affect the students of CBU, with strike action potentially delaying graduation for some, and extending the study period for those who will still be attending CBU.

The contract for the faculty of Cape Breton University, including 150 faculty, librarians, lab instructors, and nursing prac-tice educators, ended last June. Since June 30st there have been talks about renewing the contract but they have reached impasse concerning the teaching load that the pro-fessors were being asked to take on. The teaching load would double for about 30% of the faculty and would be much larger then professors in other Atlantic universi-ties would have. While the strike will not go into effect immediately it is likely to start in the winter semester if a compromise is not met before then. The question some stu-dents will ask of course how will this affect those planning on graduating this year?

One thing that will definitely affect stu-dents who are gradating this year and are planning on applying to graduate school or other programs is the access to transcripts. Transcripts will not be accessible to students seeking them as part of their applications. Stu-dent services will likely be closed during the strike. This means that for the winter semes-ter that those who are seeking registration for winter classes will be unable to do so in the Student service center. It is unclear whether online registration could still go through.

If classes were to be cancelled at dur-ing the strike period then this means that we either lose that class time, which are in fact still paying for, or CBU will have to extend the semester into May. This could push up when the Spring course would be offered, if they are offered at all. Considering that convocation is set for May 10th this could cause trouble for potential graduates who have set the date of graduation as the date in which they will receive their degree on graduate school applications. If plans have already been made for family to travel into town to attend graduation events this could cause issues for those unable to attend a new date. The students from away who have already booked flights home after classes end will also have to change plans, if they can afford to stay for an extended semester.

This could cause a lot of trouble for students who need this year’s course load to graduate. While students understand that faculty are being asked to take on an unfair workload, students also are thinking of their own futures after they have finished at CBU. For some doing another year is just not financially feasible. If the classes are can-celled for an extended period will students be reimbursed for the class time lost? Money can be returned to students but the time lost before graduate school applications cannot be, especially when seeking advice, refer-ence letters, thesis meetings, and class time.

Until we know more we just have to wait and see, but students should be advised to register for classes and get transcripts now before the strike occurs.

CBU professors, librarians, and lab assistants vote to strike; students anxious

How a strike could affect graduates

Vanier College condemns Charter of Values Protests in opposition occur every Sunday

MONTREAL (CUP) — Opposition continues to mount against the highly-contentious Charter of Values with Vanier College the most recent post-secondary school to take an official stance against the provincial government’s proposal.

Vanier released a statement Tues-day morning (Oct. 22) condemning the Parti Québécois’s latest project that aims to promote a secular state. The CÉGEP’s Board of Directors passed a resolution a week earlier on Oct. 15 to denounce cer-tain sections of the charter, emphasizing that the proposal will result in “stigma-tization and job discrimination,” as well be problematic for students during stages.

“With such a varied student body, Vanier is especially mindful of providing a safe and respectful learning environment, a space where tolerance and dialogue are prized above all, and where support mea-sures are in place to ensure all its students succeed in their studies,” said Director General Gilbert Héroux in the statement.

Vanier is the most recent educational

institution to voice its opposition, along-side McGill University and Dawson Col-lege. Concordia University, according to spokesperson Cléa Desjardins, will not release a statement until the proposed char-ter is decided upon in the National Assem-bly in Quebec City while the university’s undergraduate and graduate student unions have taken stances opposing the project.

“Concordia has power to do so much,” said Amrit Kaur, the president of the Con-cordia Sikh Students’ Association. “Hope-fully they will when the time is right.”

French universities and colleges have largely remained silent on the issue since it was introduced in September.

However, Vanier will also hold multiple events in the next few weeks so students can explore the proposed charter from different sides. This includes a student panel on Nov. 7 hosted by the CBC’s Nancy Wood so that can college students can debate the advantages and disadvantages of the PQ’s proposal.

The opposition follows weeks of pro-tests in the downtown core of Montreal. Several hundred gathered last Sunday to oppose the provincial government’s proj-

ect to promote secularism by prohibit-ing civil servants from wearing “ostenta-tious” religious symbols, limiting time off for religious holidays and amending the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms to clarify reasonable accommodations.

Claire Cormier, who recently moved to Montreal from New Brunswick, said she has been attending several marches to criticize the charter and said Premier Pauline Marois was trying to “divide and conquer” the people of Quebec.

“This is pure racism,” said Corm-ier. “Where I come from we function in French, English, a multicultural back-ground. The only thing I can see here is that Marois wants to divide and con-quer — she is giving a license to hate.”

The Charter of Values is expected to be presented in the National Assembly in the next few weeks. Rumours have suggested that the project might be a ballot question in what may be an upcoming fall election while more protests are planned in the coming weeks.

FREDERICK BOUTILIER NEWS EDITOR

KALINA LAFRAMBOISEQUEBEC BUREAU CHIEF

92% of those voting – comprising faculty,

librarians, lab instructors, and nursing

practice educators – supported the motion

to strike.

ALLISON REDMOND FEATURES EDITOR

92% OF FACULTY VOTE “YES” TO STRIKE

Caper Chronicle makes early appearance

In a new venture Caper Media is starting the Caper Chronicle. Unlike the Caper Times, the Caper Chronicle is only going to be distrib-uted on campus. This will allow Caper Media to present a more campus centric news on a regular basis, such as lectures, strike votes, and events. The Caper Chronicle was slated to

begin being printed in January and was to be printed every second week. Due to breaking news, it was released early to inform students of the possibility of an impending strike.

The name chosen for the new release, the Caper Chronicle, is a throw-back to what the Caper Times was known as in the seventies. The name was changed to the Caper Times when the switch was made from a Xeroxed newsletter to news print. The name was cho-

sen to honor the past of the Caper Times.Further release of the Caper Chron-

icle will depend on further develop-ments on the strikes and is set to be released regularly starting in January.

CELINE COOKEARTS AND LIFESTYLE EDITOR

The Caper Chronicle is published by Caper Me-dia, a news organisation owned collectively by the students of Cape Breton University and managed

on their behalf by a publishing board, with the chair of the board holding the title of publisher.

The Caper Chronicle is published and distributed on the Campus of Cape Breton University only.Ms. Patricia McCann

Publisher

Mr. Mitch Mäder, UEEditor-in-Chief

Contributing Editors:Frederick Boutilier

Celine CookeAllison Redmond

Ads: Holly Kennedy

OTTAWA (CUP) — The notion of today’s youth being the “lost generation” is being challenged by a new report from TD Eco-nomics. Published Oct. 22, the study focused on the skill mismatch and labour shortages in the market over the last 10 years. It found the picture is not as grim as it has been painted.

“The notion of a severe labour market skills mismatch has topped the headlines,” reads the report. “With data in hand, we debunk the notion that Canada is facing an imminent skills crisis. At the same time, there is some evidence of mismatch across certain occupa-tions and provinces, but the sparse, non-time series data prevent us from saying whether the situation today is worse than in years past.

The report looked at three key areas: the Canadian labour market over the past 10 years, whether there’s a skills mis-match and what should be done about it. It honed in on areas where there are com-monly perceived skills shortages or sur-pluses, including the trades and arts degrees.

“Some have been labelling the current youth generation as the lost generation,” said Sonya Gulati, senior economist at the TD Bank Group who co-authored the report. “For us, while we determined the unemploy-ment rate is higher, part of the reason for that is where we are in the economic cycle.”

According to StatsCan, in 2012 the youth unemployment rate was 14.5 per cent compared to 6 per cent for work-ers aged 25 and up. However, the rate is historically low for those aged 15 to 24 not only in Canada but across the globe.

“Occupations widely thought to be in shortage have recorded considerably lower unemployment rates than their counterparts in the surplus camp,” reads the TD Economics report. “Still, vacancy rates outside of some pockets (e.g., trades) are not significantly higher than the national average. They also have not accelerated over the past few years.”

Gulati explained one of such exam-ples is graduates with arts degrees.

“What we found in terms of the arts degrees is typically people graduated with a lower labour market outcome in terms of salary and it usually takes them a longer time to get a position, but overtime that difference between specific fields begins to narrow,” she said.

The TD Economics report gives a num-ber of recommendations for governments, employers and potential employees. It says job training is not happening at the same rate as it used to be. While the Conservative govern-ment’s newly introduced Canada Jobs Grant is a step in the right according to Gulati, more can be done to improve Canada’s job market.

“[Employers can] provide incentive to a worker for taking on the job train-ing,” she says. “For instance you may get a tax break if you seek training above and beyond what you already have. You can give employers incentives to make sure the skills workers have are aligned with what the needs of the general labor market are.”

Students need to look for prospects before they enter a field of study to make sure they can get employment after graduation. Despite prospects not being as bleak as pre-dicted, both Canada and its citizens should take steps to safeguard their employment.

New report disputes grim job prospects for youthJANE LYTVYNENKO OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF

Taking time to Remember

HAMILTON (CUP) — One of the tens-est moments of my first year at McMaster didn’t happen when I was writing exams, or fighting with my roommate, or handing in a late assignment. It happened on a Nov. 11 when I was sitting in a basement lecture hall.

The professor was lecturing straight through the 10:30 a.m. class. When 11:00 a.m. rolled around, the time traditionally reserved as a minute of silence in respect for those affected by war — through com-bat or collateral, a student raised her hand. “Shouldn’t we stop lecture for a minute right now?” she said, and outlined her case — that would be the most respectful thing to do.

There was a long, awkward silence. Then, the professor said no. I don’t remember her reason; it was long and convoluted, and very passionately against recognizing the moment. But then the student argued back, and more students jumped in, until finally, several minutes past the 11:00 a.m. mark, the room lapsed into 60 seconds of awkward silence.

While that particular minute was spent more in embarrassed quiet for the uncom-fortable circumstances than in thought-ful contemplation, it has come back to me every November since, as I dwell on war and peace, Remembrance Day, pop-pies and everything this time represents.

The squabbles of that morning seem petty in comparison to what it was like to be on campus in the war-torn days of yesteryear.

There was a time on McMaster’s cam-pus when the impact of war was not a once-a-November focus, but rather a daily occur-rence. Old Silhouette headlines from the Second World War call for blood donors during a European shortage. In desperation, they appealed to women to donate, as men were traditionally the exclusive donor group.

One front-page article from Nov. 3, 1944 warned that the military status of all male students would now be checked, and “every student must have on his per-son at all times either a postponement, a discharge, or a rejection paper.” If it was found that any men were “unable to produce

these necessary qualifications, their names will be turned in to N.M.R.A. immediately. Within a few days they will receive their military call-up.” (The N.M.R.A. was the National Resources Mobilization Act, which recorded and policed conscripted Canadians for military service at home and abroad.)

The paper from that time period is also peppered with lists of fallen alumni and stu-dents. It serves as a sombre reminder for all we take for granted today as students.

For the first time in several years, I’ll be in a position to actually attend a Remem-brance Day morning ceremony. But if you’re in lecture (and whether or not your professor pauses), at work, at home or elsewhere, I still encourage you to stop what you’re doing for a moment. Not to glorify war but to be thankful for all that we have today, the people we owe that to, and what we want tomorrow to be.

KALINA LAFRAMBOISEQUEBEC BUREAU CHIEF

Anxiety in the classroom: a call to action

BRANTFORD (CUP) — The thought didn’t really pop into my mind until I ran-domly read it one day on Twitter. Class pre-sentations are brutal for a lot of us, having to do countless hours of work (sometimes, with a partner that does nothing to help) and planning exactly what to say. But imagine if you had a looming cloud of concern over you that no one else had to deal with, that the pro-fessor may or may not have thought to con-sider. I’m sure there could be a lot of loom-ing concerns, but the one I’m specifically thinking of is an anxiety disorder. Although “anxiety disorder” is an umbrella term that can refer to a variety of specific things, in this instance I’m talking about an indi-vidual with diagnosable levels of increased anxiety, meaning “an abnormal and over-whelming sense of apprehension and fear.”

I’ve unfortunately heard of such over-whelming cases that individuals can hardly make it through an exam with such high lev-els of anxiety plaguing them, which effects their marks drastically. I’ve heard of indi-viduals who can’t make it to a class where they don’t know someone else, since there would be no anchor present, meaning some-one to be there and give a sense of comfort. But even that is an individual battle. Hav-ing to suffer through it is hard, but I’m sure

the battle gets insurmountably larger when you’re face to face with anywhere from 20 to 250 strangers, solely waiting on the words you’re about to utter. There, in the front row, the professor waits with pen and paper in hand ready to evaluate. Your body slightly shaking and sweat appearing could lead to a grin, “stage fright,” but in reality, you could be trying to fight the urge to pass out. That’s the thing, we live in a society that doesn’t assume psychological disorders right away. Maybe they shouldn’t be our first assump-tion, but they shouldn’t be ignored either.

Since I am not diagnosed with any form of anxiety disorders, a lot of the results I’ve discussed so far are mainly just assumptions and my own attempt to put myself in some-one else’s shoes. But, I decided to do some research as if I did suffer from an anxiety disorder, some research to see possible things around the Wilfrid Laurier University Brant-ford community that may help. Luckily there were some results, but not really the ones I had expected. First, by searching very basi-cally about “anxiety, Laurier Brantford” all I found were crisis intervention services. This, in my opinion, is rather sad. It seemed there were pointers on what to do once someone was suffering an anxiety attack, what to do when it reached its worst (and even then, their response is giving you a number to call). I then found mental health services at Laurier Brantford, which is for sure a good thing, but I question how it would help in sit-

uations inside the classroom. Finally, some-thing that may have benefit, the extension for the “Student Support Team” which you’re to call for issues regarding “Intersection of: Mental, Health, Security and/ or Academic Concerns.” It seems we do have solutions in place, albeit ones you need to dig a bit for.

That’s where issues related to mental health and psychological issues can appear. What happens when the individual doesn’t believe they have a problem? What happens if it’s one that they think “isn’t that bad,” that they should just work through? Cir-cular thinking ensues: “stage fright”, grin, “maybe I should call for help”, “my problem isn’t a problem”, low marks, “stage fright.” The only concern is, what do you do? Dras-tically altering the classroom experience, changing examinations or banning class presentations are improbable, blanket solu-tions. The Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada states that 12 per cent of Cana-dians suffer from anxiety issues a year, an amount large enough to consider how our system could change, but not large enough for immediate radical change. Educa-tion and anxiety seems to be a conundrum.

A solution to this problem needs to be discussed, for it’s a major deterrent in the universality of our education system. We no longer live in a society where education is available to all. Something needs to be done. But, the massive question is, “What?”

CODY GROATTHE SPUTNICK, CUP NEWSWIRE

“As students at Cape Breton University, a strike action on the part of our faculty will not only add a new level of stress to our already stress-ridden

lives, but could potentially be detrimental to our education if it is not dealt with immediately and diligently by both the faculty association and

the university administration. With utmost respect for both the Cape Breton University Faculty Association and the Cape Breton University

administration, we sincerely urge both sides to negotiate a solution that does not end in endangering our education. We hope the situation can be

resolved as soon as possible.”

A statement from CBU Student’s Union president Matt Latimer:

CBU student thrilled for strikeWith potential strike action on part

of the Cape Breton University Faculty Association (CBUFA) looming over his head, senior Cape Breton University stu-dent Thomas Johnson couldn’t be happier.

Johnson said the prospect of delaying his summer plans was “absolutely thrilling,”

adding that he “would much prefer spend-ing time with [his] university pals instead of seeing his pesky, loving family anyway.”

“I am very glad that I don’t live in an alternate universe where professors are happy to accept more work for the same pay,” the liberal arts major surmised.

The senior student was reported to have been bookmarking travel sites at press time, excitedly preparing for the possibility of cancelling his plane tickets he had ordered months ago and preparing to do that stack of papers he’d very conveniently put off.

FREDERICK BOUTILIERSATIRE KING