Folio Nov26 (p01).pm65 - University of Alberta

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NOVEMBER 26, 1999Volume 37 Number 7

http://www.ualberta.ca/folio

U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L B E R T A

Sprucing up campusProvince doles out infrastructure package.

2

Managing Alberta’s black goldAre we giving oil royalties away? The Parkland Institute says yes—

about $4 billion.

The search for truthPhilosophers Café draws a crowd off campus.

4

Task force examines access to educationSenate ‘to take hard look’ at the issueBy Geoff McMaster

The Senate has created a task force toevaluate access to education at the Uni-

versity of Alberta.Addressing the Senate last Friday,

task force chair Shirley Stilessaid the task force will “high-light the positive effects ofaccess, while critically exam-ining the challenges in thisregard and proposing solu-tions to overcome them.” Shesaid the study will also ex-amine the university’s abilityto “fill a much-needed role asfacilitator of economic pros-perity for the province.”When the study is com-pleted, results will be re-leased to the public.

Graduate Students’ Association Presi-dent Laura Bonnett said she welcomes thetask force but says more attention must bespent on the specific impact of skyrocket-ing tuition.

“The task force is widelydefined in terms of accessibil-ity of education, and I thinkit’s a really useful goal for theSenate to pursue. But the is-sue of student debt loadneeds to be included in thatagenda.”

Last week the GSA re-leased a report indicatingAlberta leads all other prov-inces in Canada in tuitionincreases over the past dec-ade—at just under 200 percent.

“What this means is [theprovince of] Alberta nowranks third in terms of post-secondary tuition costs,” saidBonnett. “What we’re seeingnow are staggering debt loadsas students attempt to borrowto finance the high cost oftheir education.”

Vice-President (Academic) DougOwram explained accessibility has be-come “a very important issue and a high

priority” since post-secondary educationin Alberta has been moving away from a“low user-pay,” taxpayer-subsidized feestructure towards an American-style

“high user-pay” systemover the past decade.

While tuition has beenrising sharply, he said, suffi-cient support systems are notyet in place to help studentsfinance their education. Hesuggested parents may needto re-examine their responsi-bility for their children’s edu-cation and begin saving yearsin advance to cover the costof tuition.

He said the U of A willcontinue going after the

“best students we can get” rather thanbecoming an open-access university. “Ifeel much more comfortable, given theevolution of the university over the last

few years, to say that we’rean elite university.

“I don’t ever want to getinto a situation where we’reshutting out students with areally solid shot,” he said,but added failure rates be-come a problem when en-trance grades are muchlower than 65 per cent.

Learning Minister LyleOberg was at the Senatemeeting and commendedthe body for looking intowhat he called one of themost important issues inpost-secondary education.But he also raised eyebrowswhen he suggested univer-sities and colleges in theprovince need to workharder at co-operating.

“Getting students is notthe issue,” he said. “I thinkit’s time to work towards a

collaborative model…That is the way weare going to move forward. For us tofractionate even more is divisive.

“I am not going to be the one to forcethis—I’m not going to be the one thatcomes up with solutions. That’s yourjob,” he told the Senate. He said there’salways been an “us and them relation-ship” among post-secondary institutionsin the province—and that needs tochange.

Dean of Science Dick Peters, arguingthe U of A has “the best transfer system inthe country,” told Oberg, “We do workvery hard in terms of interacting with ourcolleagues at other universities and col-leges to make sure curriculum is transfer-able.

“This is a very collaborative model.It’s not an ‘us and them’ situation. So I

FAMILY HAT TRICK AT CONVOCATIONThe Shaw family picked up three master’s degrees last week. See “Convocation” on page 7.

don’t understand where you get thisidea…I frankly don’t believe it’s anissue.”

Senate member Yvonne Lemay wasalso concerned with Oberg’s remarks,saying she didn’t see a problem in gettinguniversities and colleges to work to-gether. “I guess I’d like to see you addressthe real problem, which is the absoluteunder-funding by the Alberta govern-ment of universities.”

Explaining that this was clearly healthcare's year, Oberg promised to fight formore education funding in next year'sbudget. He also said he'd rather help stu-dents through the government's studentfinance program than freeze tuition. ■

“The task force is widely

defined in terms of

accessibility of

education, and I think

it’s a really useful goal

for the Senate to pursue.

But I think the issue of

student debt load needs

to be included in that

agenda.”

—GSA PresidentLaura Bonnett

Rich

ard

Siem

ens

Learning Minister Lyle Oberg

Kari

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dor

folio November 26, 1999University of Alberta 2

By Randy Pavelich

Volume 37 Number 7OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS,400 ATHABASCA HALLUNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA,EDMONTON, ALBERTA T6G 2E8

LEE ELLIOTT: Associate Director,Office of Public AffairsBRAD HESTBAK: Associate Director, Marketingand CommunicationsLUCIANNA CICCOCIOPPO: EditorGEOFF MCMASTER: Assistant EditorCONTRIBUTORS:Margaret-Ann Armour, Gilbert Bouchard,Dan Carle, Phoebe Dey, David DiCenzo,Rod Fraser, Randy Pavelich, Dan RubinsteinGRAPHIC DESIGN:Ray Au, Susan Hunter, Marion McFall,Annie Schroeder, Dennis Weber

Folio’s mandate is to serve as a credible newssource for the University community bycommunicating accurate and timely informationabout issues, programs, people and events and byserving as a forum for discussion and debate.Folio is published 20 times per year.

The editor reserves the right to limit, select, editand position submitted copy and advertisements.Views expressed in Folio do not necessarily reflectUniversity policy. Folio contents may be printedwith acknowledgement.

Inquiries,comments and letters should be directed toLucianna Ciccocioppo, editor, [email protected] advertisingDeadline: 3 p.m. one week prior to publicationKatherine Irwin. 492-0444

Classified AdsDeadline: 3 p.m. one week prior to publicationCora Doucette, 492-2325

TalksDeadline: 9 a.m. one week prior to publication.Brenda Briggs, 492-5044 Fax: [email protected]

ISSN 0015-5764 Copyright 1999

The University of Alberta maintains a database ofall alumni. This database is used to send you newsabout the U of A, including Folio and New Trail,invitations to special events and requests forsupport. On Sept. 1, 1999, post-secondaryinstitutions were required to comply with theFreedom of Information and Protection of Privacylegislation of the province of Alberta. Inaccordance with this legislation, please respondto one of the following options:

❏ Please keep my name, or❏ Remove my name from the Folio list.

SignatureNo response means the University of Albertaassumes an individual wishes to remain on themailing list.

Future scientists Pehowich and Chowdury: working in the lab with U of A professor Dr. Sandra Davidge (far left).

Meghan Pehowich participated in WIS-EST two summers ago, working at the CrossCancer Institute.

“Within days,” Pehowich recalled, “Ifound myself conducting my own experi-ments using expensive, high-tech equip-ment … without even having graduatedfrom high school. It gives you a great senseof independence and self-worth.

“It’s more than just a way to makemoney,” she said about HYRS, which willoffer participants a minimum wage hono-rarium. “It’s a step in the right direction.”

Application forms—which call for atleast an 85 per cent average in Grade 11math and science, an essay demonstratinginterest in biomedical and health research,and teacher references—will be sent toschools in February. For more information,visit the AHFMR website atwww.ahfmr.ab.ca. ■

Mark Wilson’s Home Pagehttp://www.biology.ualberta.ca/wilson.hp/wilson.html

Dr. Mark Wilson is a professor in theDepartment of Biological Sciences whosespecialty is vertebrate paleontology. Theillustrations are intriguing and the site iswell laid-out except for some minor spac-ing issues related to the use of frames. Thenavigation menu along the left side isfairly standard and has a nice variety ofexternal links.

Starting science careers earlyAHFMR launches paid summer research programs for studentsBy Dan Rubinstein

students from around the province a realexperience of research. In many cases,HYRS students will be participating inresearch endeavors so leading edge theyaren’t described in textbooks.”

HYRS, which will cost about $157,000for start-up and first-year program deliv-ery, is funded totally by the AHFMR. Butscience teachers throughout the provinceare also key collaborators: the ScienceCouncil of the Alberta Teachers’ Associa-tion has formed a sub-committee to helpchampion HYRS through school systemsand to adjudicate applications, which aredue by the end of April.

HYRS is modelled after the ongoingWomen in Scholarship, Engineering, Sci-ence and Technology program (WISEST),which has operated a successful summerresearch program for high school studentsat the U of A for the last 15 years.

Jeeshan Chowdury’s eyes light up whenhe talks about someday making high-

tech research his full-time pursuit.The Grade 12 student at Edmonton’s

McNally High School is interested in can-cer research and biochemistry. He wants toproduce important data and make a contri-bution to society.

A new program launched by the Al-berta Heritage Foundation for MedicalResearch (AHFMR) can now helpChowdury achieve his goals.

Starting next summer, the HeritageYouth Researcher Summer Program(HYRS) will offer 30 bright, science-minded high school students throughoutAlberta six-week paid research jobs in thelabs of top-notch AHFMR scientists.

The program, offered through the Uni-versity of Alberta and the University ofCalgary, is intended to give studentsfirsthand experience in biomedical andhealth research—and introduce them toresearch career opportunities.

“The experience is going to be invalu-able,” said Chowdury, who hopes to par-ticipate in the inaugural program. “It willprepare me for and help me choose a ca-reer in science. I would do it voluntarily.I’d even pay for something like this.”

Chowdury, first year U of A sciencestudent Meghan Pehowich, AHFMR presi-dent and chief executive officer Dr. Mat-thew Spence, and northern Alberta HYRScoordinator Grace Ennis unveiled thementorship-style internship at a news con-ference on campus Nov. 10.

“[The] AHFMR is about investing inpeople,” said Spence. “What better way toensure Alberta continues to have the high-est calibre of home-grown research talentthan by giving exceptional high school

Delta Upsilon Fraternityhttp://www.compusmart.ab.ca/cmackendrick/du/

A stylish introduction to the fraternitystarts with an animated sequence that leadsinto a JavaScript-powered homepage. Fromthere, visitors can view a variety of pagesdescribing the history and current activitiesof the fraternity. DU’s photographs man-age to evoke a bit of frat life and help ex-plain the philosophies underlying the or-ganization. This is an effective site.

If you know of an interesting U of A Web site, forward your suggestion and comments to: [email protected].

Tina

Cha

ng

The holiday season started off a littleearly on campus, with a provincial gift of

more than $13.5 million to spruce up build-ings and tackle badly needed facilities re-pairs.

The U of A’s share was part of a one-time $35 million infrastructure package to22 post-secondary institutions across theprovince, announced earlier this week byLearning Minister Lyle Oberg and Infra-structure Minister Ed Stelmach. The dollarsrepresent the learning department’s portionof the $600-million infrastructure allotment,which so far has $425 million put aside forroads and bridges, $151 million for K-12school boards and $90 million for healthcapital projects.

“Any money is good news, but whenyou look at the needs on this campus, morethan $38 million is needed for the U of Aalone,” said Students’ Union PresidentMichael Chalk. Chalk said the provinciallyheld Growth Summit, which sought publicinput on the direction of government

$13.5M to spruce up campus facilitiesProvincial government doles out infrastructure packageBy Lucianna Ciccocioppo

spending, indicated infrastructure wasfourth in priority. “People development,which includes universities, came in first,”said Chalk. “Everyone benefits from aneducation.”

Vice-President (Academic) and ProvostDoug Owram welcomed the news, whichhe said was not a surprise. “We knew thegovernment was looking into this.”

As for top priorities, “There are awhole number of deferred maintenanceissues, such as upgrading of classroomsand upgrading the Dentistry/PharmacyBuilding.” Owram pointed out the moneywas not nearly enough for a new buildingfor the pharmacy faculty.

“The funds will also help support thefederal chairs program. We’ll need to up-

grade labs to attract good people to the Uni-versity of Alberta,” added Owram.

Graduate Students’ Association Presi-dent Laura Bonnett said, while she’spleased with the infrastructure funds, “thisjust brings us up to the present. It still doesnot address university operating costs.

“It definitely shows the priorities of thisgovernment. It shows learning beyondGrade 12 has not been prioritized as an issueyet.” Pointing to the significant dollars theelementary and secondary school systemshave received, Bonnett added, “It’s one morerealization universities sit at the bottom ofthe pile when it comes to funding.”

Owram shared the concerns of the stu-dent representatives. “We have to reallywork hard to get post-secondary education

right up there on the government’s prior-ity list. Sure, we’re making some progress,but we still need to work at it.”

The post-secondary grant was dividedamong institutions based on their condi-tion and square footage. As Alberta’s old-est and largest institution, the U of A re-ceived the largest amount.

University of Calgary landed slightlymore than $6 million, the University ofLethbridge received $1.47 million andAthabasca University pulled in $132,500.The remainder is divvied up among col-leges (with Grant MacEwan CommunityCollege getting $1.2 million and MountRoyal College in Calgary receiving $1.6million), technical institutes and the BanffCentre. ■

Visual Musichttp://www.absolutvodka.com

Billed as "An Experiment in CreatingVisual Music," this site stretches the con-cept of interactivity beyond almost anyother site on the Web. Extensive use ofShockwave technology builds a gorgeoussite where you can literally create yourown music or listen to mixes other usershave created. Creativity is king here - thatthe site's sponsor is a major distiller is sec-ondary.

Web Watch


“These resources are

non-renewable. When

they’re gone, they’re

gone, and we should be

thinking of our children

and grandchildren, and

putting something

away for when

resources are more

depleted than now.”

—Dr. Gordon Laxer,director, Parkland Institute

folio

The Parkland Institute has a knack forruffling feathers. The latest study re-

leased by the left-wing think tank claimsthe Alberta government has “given away”the province’s much-hyped advantage tothe tune of almost $4 billion in lost oil andgas royalties per year between 1992 and1997.

Had the provincial government underPremier Klein collected the same percent-age of revenues as during the PeterLougheed administration in the 1970s,we’d have that much more in the AlbertaHeritage Fund, contends the study. And toput that in perspective, the total annualbill for health care in Alberta is currentlyjust under $4 billion.

But the authors of the study them-selves say historical comparisons are prob-lematic since times do change. As a result,James Daniels, Dr. Gordon Laxer andBruce Macnab also compared Alberta’s oiland gas royalties to those in two otherjurisdictions—Alaska and Norway. Theyfound Alaska collected about 1.6 timesmore than Alberta in royalties for everyunit of oil and gas produced, and Norwaycollected 2.7 times more.

Fluctuating prices and productioncosts will account for some of the shortfall,they admit. Oil prices have indeed fallenover the period of their study (ending in1997). But the main reason for such a dras-tic drop in royalties is the new GenericRoyalty Regime, amounting to a 100 percent write-off on capital costs for oil sandscompanies until a return on investmentcan be guaranteed.

Klein responded to the study by claim-ing the break is necessary to encourageinvestment in a risky industry, and in theend, by 2015 or so, the government will getits “pound of flesh.”

But while the market for oil improvedin the mid-’90s, Klein’s government didnot adjust royalties to reflect the increasein revenue, says the study. “The publicshare of Alberta’s oil wealth has continuedto decline, even while prices and industryprofits soared.”

Such drastic royalty holidays for oilcompanies are completely unnecessary,

Managing Alberta’s black goldAre we giving royalties away?By Geoff McMaster

but that the government should provideenough information on the oil and gasindustry to allow for free and open publicdebate.

It states: “Albertans need to under-stand their economy and fiscal environ-

interests of any firm to go and do this ex-traction.”

Oil profits have indeed soared in thepast two years as the price of oil has con-tinued to rise. But that’s after the period ofthe study, he says, and royalties have alsobeen high since 1997—around $5 billionlast year alone.

Also harshly critical of the Parkland’sstudy is Rick Hyndman, who spent anumber of years with the provincial en-ergy department (now the Department ofResource Development) and was largelyresponsible for designing the provincialroyalty regime. He works for the CanadianAssociation of Petroleum Producers andteaches part time in the business faculty.

“I think the Parkland Institute has atotally simplistic concept,” he says. “It’slike saying if the Banff Springs Hotel couldsell their rooms in November for the sameprice they can sell them in July or NewYear’s Eve, just think of how much moneythey could make.

“This government didn’t solve thedeficit on the backs of civil servants’ pay.It came from oil and gas production goingup and royalty rates going up with highprices. This year the profits are way up,but royalties are way up.

“Oil companies can’t survive on oneyear’s profit…The Alberta regime, thoughfairly complex, has done a reasonable jobof allowing the industry to carry on andallowing the government to get quite a bitof money out of [oil companies].”

The conclusion of the Parkland’s studyis not that we should necessarily increaseroyalties to Alaskan or Norwegian rates,

grandchildren, and putting somethingaway for when resources are more de-pleted than now … that’s the foresight ofthese other jurisdictions.”

Mark Anielski, director for the Centrefor Performance Measurement and Man-agement in the Faculty of Business, agrees.He says while royalty holidays are part ofthe history of resource development inWestern Canada, there is no reason forgiving oil companies such huge breaks,especially as production costs havedropped in recent years.

“It’s true that the history of resourcedevelopment in Western Canada has beenone of providing subsidies or incentives todevelop the frontier. But we’re in the sec-ond phase of oil sands development. We’rebeyond the pioneering phase.”

Dr. André Plourde, an expert on re-source economics in the business faculty,says the Parkland’s report is misleadingand inaccurate. The assumption produc-tion prices have fallen, he says, has simplyno basis in reality.

“You know it’s not true. Part of thereason is that towards the end of the pe-riod, things like oil sand and bitumen pro-duction have risen as a proportion of totaloutput of crude oil in Alberta, and theseare very high cost productions.”

He says the study “assumes you cantake all the royalties collected by theLougheed government and still observethe same kind of production. And the an-swer is, not in your dreams. If you try tocharge higher royalties on this very highcost production, it would simply not oc-cur, because it would not be in the best

Anielski and Plourde: disagreement in the oil sands royalty debate, but agreement on the need for transparency in Alberta’s resource economy.

Phot

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: Ti

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Ann

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ment relative toothers in order tomake more in-formed decisions…Just as inves-tors receive an-nual reports fromcorporations thatprovide informa-tion on their re-turn-on-invest-ment, so shouldAlbertans, asshareholders innatural resourceassets, receive anannual account ofthe returns re-ceived from theirdevelopment.”

And on thatpoint, at least,Plourde agrees. “I think that’s bang on. Ireally do think all of us as owners of theresource would benefit a lot if we knewthe rules under which this is being pro-duced. That kind of performance is to beexpected on the part of the government ina democratic state…

“The issue is more what kind of infor-mation should be forthcoming from thecompanies producing this, and that’s amuch more difficult question.” ■

says Laxer, theParkland Insti-tute’s director.“This is way toosweet a deal forthat. I could seehaving some-what lower roy-alties for thefirst few years.But the mainbeneficiaries arethe existing pro-ducers,” he says.“They’ve al-ready paid offtheir capitalexpenses.

“There’s alot of capitalinvestment thatis coming in, butthe question is,did you have tohave royalties this low to bring it in?” Theanswer, as Laxer sees it, is surely not. Oiland gas belong to all Albertans, he says,and we deserve a fair return.

“These resources are non-renewable.When they’re gone, they’re gone, and weshould be thinking of our children and

“I think the Parkland

Institute has a totally

simplistic concept. It’s like

saying if the Banff Springs

Hotel could sell their

rooms in November for

the same price they can

sell them in July or New

Year’s Eve, just think of

how much money they

could make.”

—Rick Hyndman, instructor,Faculty of Business


Everyone wants to be a winner—or atleast to be closely associated with win-

ners. A winning reputation speaks vol-umes, travels many miles and attracts al-lies who are only interested in leaders.

To be indisputably recognized as oneof Canada’s finest universities and amonga handful of the world’s best means wemust be aware of those who would dis-pute our winning reputation. This is whywe cannot ignore Maclean’s annual univer-sity rankings.

As we compete for the world’s bestand brightest students and staff, this onepublication has the power to close doorsthat should be open to us. And that impactis not only in Canada as our internationalrecruitment officers attempt to convince

Indisputable recognition versus Maclean’sthe world’s best students that the Univer-sity of Alberta should be their school ofchoice.

In terms of our fundraising competi-tiveness, donors also want to align them-selves with a university on the move to beamong the top two or three in Canada, andamong the top 35 universities in the world.

We must own this issue. We must takefocused action to ensure our reputation ofexcellence and our tremendous accom-plishments are not overshadowed by datathat are subject to potentially creative in-terpretations of questions.

When we consider readily availablepublished data, such as the 3M TeachingFellowships, the CD Howe Memorial Fel-lowships, the CIAU Academic All-Canadi-ans and the American Association of Re-search Libraries rankings among others,

we would appear to be in fourth place, ifnot third, among Canada’s research-inten-sive universities.

I have charged our administrativeleaders to know unequivocally where theUniversity of Alberta stands in relation toour peers—within a data set that is unam-biguous and recognized as credible.

With this knowledge in hand, we willclearly identify our areas of strength andweakness—and take action. If we truly arelagging in certain areas, in relation to otherCanadian universities, we need to knowand acknowledge this.

In addition, this knowledge will enableus to work with Maclean’s to secure morereasonable measures of excellence andreputation. Undoubtedly, we have con-cerns about the inflation of high schoolgrades in other provinces that do not havestandardized province-wide exams. No

adjustment for grade inflation continues tobe a disservice to the quality of Alberta’shigh school students.

As well, many of the questionsMaclean’s poses are subject to creative in-terpretation. This potential discontinuitymakes the playing field uneven, and hascaused us to twist our ankles as we at-tempt to predict how our competition isreading these questions.

Simply dismissing this annual publica-tion as “biased” or “flawed” or “not worthfighting about” is out of the question. It isa far-reaching element of internationalreputation that exponentially feeds backinto itself. Our goal must be to achieveour vision, as judged by published per-formance data, of being one of the topthree universities in Canada and of striv-ing to have Maclean’s similarly recognizeour status. ■

The search for truthAmateurs and professionals seek answers at Philosophers CaféBy Phoebe Dey

Although many people didn’t leavewith any concrete answers, several felt thediscussion raised some good questions.

“I am always looking for the truth andI thought I’d find it here,” said MarleneFormanski. “For me it was how to arrive atthe truth as an honest statement. Afterlistening to this I’m getting the feelingtruth has a lot to do with faith, andwhether or not something is actually trueisn’t so important.”

Jim David said just hearing others vali-dates his own thoughts.

“I’m getting different views. Some Iagree with and a lot I don’t,” said David.“I have my opinion and it’s being rein-forced when I hear the same one and it’s

On a nippy November Saturday after-noon, swarms of people are emptying

their wallets on Whyte Avenue, bustling tofind that perfect Christmas gift. But insidethe Continental Treat Bistro on that samestreet, about 45 people were feeding theirminds and souls at the university’s firstoff-campus Philosophers Café.

Sponsored by the university’s Office ofPublic Affairs, the café’s debut discussionprobed the age-old question “What istruth?”

“People apparently enjoy discussingphilosophical issues and we are used tolecturing students, but would like to dis-cuss these issues with adults as well,” saidmoderator and U of A philosophy depart-ment chair Dr. Bernie Linsky to the gath-ered crowd. “What is truth is not a burn-ing issue but we at the University of Al-berta have been wondering about this foryears.”

During the 1 1/2-hour session, bothwould-be and professional philosophersheard a range of views about truth.

“I would like to suggest there is yourtruth, my truth and what really hap-pened,” said one woman.

A man argued truth is individual anddepends on how people perceive a state-ment, object or event.

“Everybody lies and our world is builton lies,” he said. “For example, if you arein a really bad mood and someone asks,‘How are you?’ and you say,‘Fine, how are you?’ well,you are lying. But it worksfor me and it works for youat that particular time andplace.”

A handful of peoplecompared it to science, say-ing medicine or physics canoffer proof and facts whiletruth is subjective. Othersdisputed that comparison.

“If you compare thetruth of science of today to that of 100years ago, they are completely different,”said another participant. “For example, allalong we thought ulcers are caused bystress when it turns out they might becaused by a bacterium. We believed for along time what we thought was the truthabout ulcers and now we find out thatmedical fact may not have been so true.”

still being reinforced when I hear somearguments I don’t think are right.”

Right or wrong, having the chance todiscuss such philosophical topics is benefi-cial, said Wendell Kisner, who heard aboutthe event through a friend in the universi-ty’s philosophy department.

“Too often these discussions arebrushed off in a relativist way which Ithink is just an excuse not to think aboutit,” he said. “We may think our own view-point is not problematic until we givevoice to it. As well, many people are afraidtheir long-time viewpoint may be wrongand they might have to change their wayof thinking.”

Dr. Jennifer Welchman (above) addresses truth-seekers gathered for discussions at the first off-campus Philosophers Café.

By Dr. Rod Fraser

Linsky was pleased with the café’sstrong turnout.

“I wish students would talk more likethis. It would be more fun,” he said, addingolder people share their opinions more read-ily than their younger counterparts. “Plus, inclass we’re also trying to teach things so itlimits how much discussion we can have.But it’s been good for me to realize otherpeople have some of the same views that I’vebeen thinking about for years.”

The next Philosophers Café is Dec. 4, 2:30p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Continental Treat Bistro,10560 Whyte Ave. The topic is TechnologicalAdvances: Should we do all that we can do?

Davi

d W

illia

mso

n

“I am always

looking for

the truth and

I thought I’d

find it here.”

—MarleneFormanski


folio

at the examples he used to make sure theywere relevant to the lives of his students,and he introduced essay questions into hisassignments. The chemistry instructorchose to change the way he taught sometopics. He would begin with an applica-tion of the concept he was teaching, andthen would move on to discuss the theorybehind the concept. He also tried ways ofreducing what he saw as the barriers be-tween himself and the students. For exam-ple, he made a point of standing in front ofthe desk rather than behind it. He stoppedwearing a tie.

Evaluations of these two coursesshowed the only difference in student re-sponse based on gender concerned theintroduction of the essay questions. To thequestion, ‘Should the essays have beenweighted more heavily?’ a much higherproportion of young women than youngmen said ‘Yes.’ However, even with theserelatively minor changes, both of the in-structors told us they were rated signifi-cantly more highly by the students than inprevious years. This may in part reflect thefact the instructors were thinking moreintentionally about their student audiencewhen lecturing.

Science will be strengthened if we canalso attract some of the very gifted stu-dents who are turned off by thereductionist, non-contextual teaching ofscience. These are the people who willbring breadth to science and who maywork in other disciplines but will takewith them a knowledge and understand-ing of science. Last, but not least, we owe itto all our gifted students to ensure they arenot diverted from science before they havehad any opportunity to experience its crea-tive excitement. ■

Bridging the ‘two cultures’of science and humanitiesDry, non-contextual teaching style turning away gifted studentsBy Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour, Department of Chemistry

of choosing a science career. If we missthem, we will lose the diversity which canbring strength to the fields of science.

How then can we change the teachingof science to attract this ‘second tier?’ In asmall pilot project undertaken by WISESTthree years ago, two instructors of first-year science courses—one in physics andone in chemistry—discussed with thethen WISEST coordinator, Dr. DorothyTovell, ways in which they might makemodest changes in their style of teachingto make science more relevant to thewomen in their classes. The physicistmade two changes. He looked carefully

very interested in science but had success-fully completed degrees in other disci-plines—to take and critique a first-yearuniversity chemistry or physics course.

These seven students completed thecourses with grades at or near the top ofthe class, yet they were not very positiveabout their experiences. They describedthe classes as a litany of dry informationwith little effort made to provide the con-text for it and few opportunities for inter-action within the class. There was littlecommunity, discussion or collaborationamong the students. They found the class-room atmosphere dampened the spirit ofintellectual adventure. Instructors werereluctant to present intellectual or histori-cal background to the material so that stu-dents never got the big picture andshowed none of the eager curiosity abouttheir subjects that marked their peers inthe humanities. Thus, if these seven peoplehad been considering studies in the sci-ences, they would have been turned off.

There is a group of academically verybright students who revel in this way ofteaching science. They love the challengeof solving problems which have a rightanswer and they will remain in the sci-ences and be highly successful in thecourses they take. Sheila Tobias visualizesthem as a small central group of studentswho will be interested in science regard-less of how it is taught.

Surrounding these people are otherswho learn in a different way, who are notcommitted to rather dry theoretical prob-lem solving. They are no less gifted. Theremay be a larger proportion of women inthis group. These are the students whomwe should at least make an effort to teachin such a way that they have some chance

The idea of the ‘Two Cultures’ was popu-larized by C.P. Snow more than half a

century ago. The sciences and the humani-ties each belonged to a different culture,and there was little crossover betweenthem. At least in the educational field, itused to be accepted that since there was aspecific culture associated with science,how it was taught would have little effecton students who were not attracted by thatculture. Therefore, there would always behigh achieving students who loved scienceand high achieving students who dislikedit and there was little that could be doneabout it.

In our technological age, we needhighly trained scientists and engineers. Iftoo few of our gifted students are choosingcareers in the sciences, we may ask if weare turning off some of these students be-cause of the way we teach science.

A group called Women in Scholarship,Engineering, Science and Technology(WISEST), formed at the University ofAlberta in 1982, looked at why womenwere not entering scientific fields, and onearea in which much research has beendone is the influence of classroom teachingon young women’s career choices. SheilaTobias, an Arizona-based education re-searcher, broadened the study to bothmale and female students in science. In1990, she published They’re Not Dumb,They’re Different: Stalking the Second Tier. Init she describes the results of a project inwhich she invited six graduate studentsand one professor—all of whom had been

As you are all too aware, there havebeen major problems with implementationof the new Human Resource Services andPayroll software. This has resulted inmany missed, delayed, and incorrectcheques for both employment and scholar-ship earnings. In addition, tuition fee de-duction transactions are unreliable. Most(but not all) problems were associatedwith graduate student payments. We ap-preciate the impact on individual graduatestudents has been terrible, in terms of anxi-ety and frustration in addition to financialhardship. For this, we sincerely apologize.

In truth, we were inadequately pre-pared for the wave of GTA/GRA appoint-ments and new scholarship appointmentsin September. The root of our problem isthat typical graduate student appoint-ments are complex, often with more thanone funding source. This resulted in morework than anticipated and more codingerrors. In addition, limitations and bugs inthe new software were encountered.Please be assured that it is the nature ofgraduate student appointments that is

A response and apology to graduate studentscausing the difficulty. It is no way due tolack of priority compared to other employ-ment groups on campus.

As the payment crisis developed, wewere inadequately prepared to deal withthe problems that arose. We regret the lackof direction and information that charac-terized the last few days of September andearly October. In particular, we regret thetreatment that some of you experienced intrying to resolve your problems in person.While we felt that we were better preparedfor the end of October, it is clear that thereis still room for improvement.

Please be assured that this crisis is be-ing treated with the utmost importance bythe university administration. Staff in Hu-man Resource Services, Financial Servicesand in the Faculty of Graduate Studies &Research are working together to resolvethe current problems.

Our immediate goal is to quickly pro-vide appropriate payments to studentswho have had problems with their scholar-ships or other payments. We now havemechanisms in place for providing stu-

dents with emergency funding throughHuman Resource Services. Any studentswho have not received correct paymentsshould inform the Human Resource Serv-ices office if they have not already done so.

Any student who has incurred finan-cial penalties because of delayed paymentof funds from the University of Albertashould inform the staff in the Faculty ofGraduate Studies & Research. In cases ofpenalties for late payment charges nor-mally imposed by the University of Al-berta, the late payment charges will bereversed by the university administrationwhen students notify the Faculty ofGraduate Studies & Research. Such penal-ties levied by other organizations will bereimbursed to the student by the Univer-sity of Alberta following approval by theDean’s Office in the Faculty of GraduateStudies & Research. An associate dean inthe Faculty of Graduate Studies & Re-search is dealing with each of these re-quests on a high priority basis.

The Human Resource Services staffhave been working hard to resolve the

payroll problems of the last two months.Although many of the problems with stu-dent payments have now been resolved,we are acutely aware of the need to retainback up resources to deal with any furtherdifficulties with the continuing implemen-tation of our new payroll system.

Because of the situation faced by stu-dents in the last two months there will beno cancellation of graduate student regis-tration related to overdue fees. This will bereviewed again at the end of Decemberand students will be informed of reinstate-ment of fee-related cancellation proce-dures in advance.

The last two months have been verystressful for students and staff at the Uni-versity of Alberta. Staff members are doingtheir utmost to resolve the current prob-lems and appreciate the patience and sup-port of students who have been adverselyaffected.

Dr. Doug Owram Mr. Glenn HarrisVP (Academic) VP (Finance &

Administration)

Text of a presentation made at ‘Step Beyond’,the 10th Annual Conference of the Societyfor the Advancement of Gifted Education,Edmonton, Oct. 29, 1999.

Turning students onto science: Armour with elementaryschoolchildren during Science Week earlier this year.

Tina

Cha

ng


Fall honorary degree recipients

Balancing economic forces with broader social needsBy Dr. J. Fraser Mustard

What can we attempt to do during thisperiod of substantial technological

and economic change to strengthen ourcapacity to sustain tolerant, democraticliberal societies with strong humanitar-ian values?

One goal should be a high level ofcompetence and coping skills for all indi-viduals and prosperity for all. A secondgoal is to sustain and build civil, tolerantsocieties that provide the basis for anactive and civilized life for all citizens.We need the rule of law and politicalinstitutions that facilitate change buthelp us sustain civic democratic societies.To help achieve a balance among thesegoals and desires we could:

Introduce measures of societies otherthan economic GNP—some have arguedfor a social GNP. A proper wealth andwell-being audit should complementGDP, which is a single, simple and oftenmisleading figure. This will bring muchneeded attention to the relative health ofcivic society and political freedom and,at least from the perspective of informa-tion, balance these important concernsfor a society with that of economicgrowth.

Reduce the underclass. Cut the sup-ply route to the underclass. This requirespublic policies that provide a “hand up”beginning in the early years of life.

Sustain local communities. Globaliza-tion potentially could mean centraliza-tion. It individualizes and centralizes atthe same time. Competitiveness in worldmarkets could have negative effects oncommunities with negative consequencesto our continuing evolution. But thisdoes not have to be the case. It is possibleto counteract the simultaneous pressures

tion that has brought our species to whereit is…Ontario Premier [Mike] Harris ap-preciates the importance of the early yearson competence and coping skills through-out life and asked a group of us to preparea report.

In preparing the Early Years Report,we had to consider the new knowledge ofchild and brain development in the earlyyears and the effect on learning, behaviorand health throughout the life cycle. Wefound 35 per cent of children in families atthe bottom end of our socio-economicscale were not doing well. Surprisingly, 21per cent of children in families at the up-per end of the social economic scale werenot doing well. The largest number of chil-dren in difficulty is in our middle class.

To improve early child developmentand the future quality of our populationwe recommended our capacity to supportchildren and their families during the pre-school period at the community levelshould be enhanced. We set out a clearrole for government in helping both thepublic and private sector in our communi-ties build this capacity. Improving theopportunities for all children to developtheir full brain capacity in the early yearswill give them equality of opportunity todevelop their ability to their full potentialin adult life. This will have a substantialeffect on the future quality and compe-tence of our population. It will be interest-ing to see how we and our governmentsrespond to this new understanding andbalance economic forces with the broaderneeds of society.

All of you graduating today will in oneway or another affect the quality and com-petence of our population. ■

towards individualization and centraliza-tion by a new emphasis on local power.Local communities can provide a practicalbasis for vocational training, for small andmedium-sized businesses, for personalinvolvement and participation, forstrengtheningthe public do-main—in short,for civil soci-ety—withoutdetracting fromeconomic im-peratives. Somecountries likeSwitzerland, theScandinaviancountries, andsome parts ofGermany haveexperience inthis regard.

Recognizethe fact that intoday’s globalmarketplace,the actors are transnational companies,with a preference for the creative chaos offlexible unregulated society, which couldlead to a diminished role of governments.Yet governments clearly are not out of thepicture. At the very least, governments setthe tone for the economy and for societymore generally and must facilitate the con-tinuing evolution of our societies.

Some first steps:How we cope with the changes will

depend on how well our individual andcollective brains function. It is the evolu-tion of the human brain along with theresulting technological and social innova-

Learning keeps us aliveBy Harriet Snowball Winspear

proper campus. It was an event that spear-headed her life-long commitment to communityinvolvement. Her efforts throughout the yearshave been recognized with numerous honors,including the Edmonton YWCA Woman ofDistinction Award and the Edmonton RotaryClub Paul Harris Fellow Award.

What ever could I say that might make adifference? I could tell you about the

importance of being committed to yourcommunity, about volunteerism and giv-ing back to your community. I could tellyou about the importance of always be-lieving the best in people—if you believethe best, you’ll generally find the best.

But today, I want to talk to you for amoment about learning…and what couldbe more appropriate as we celebrate yourgraduation from this wonderful institutionof learning?

I am 95 years old and I love life. I havehad a very busy life, a very full life. I havetravelled the world. I have met wonderfulpeople in wonderful places. I have learnedso much in my lifetime.

And so, I want to talk to you aboutlearning, and about not ever being afraidto try something new. Most of you arestarting a new chapter in your life todayand you may have a plan for your life.And that’s good, but never be afraid to

adjust that plan. Something unexpected isbound to come along and if you can’t ad-just, who knows what you might miss?

Let me give you two examples.During the war my husband Harry

Snowball was with Vivian Engine Worksin Vancouver, a huge plant manufacturingengines essential to the war effort. Theplant had a cafeteria that fed 350 men.They needed someone to manage the caf-eteria and they asked me to do so. I didnot know anything about feeding thatmany men – how much food to buy, whereto buy it, when to buy it, what kinds ofmeals to cook. But this had to be done andwhen they asked me to help, what could Ido but try?

Well, I had no idea, but I just went towork. And I learned how to do it becauseit had to be done. And sure, some dayswent more smoothly than others, espe-cially at first, but we did it. And it wassuccessful. And it was fun!

Then we moved to Edmonton in 1960and Harry worked for Francis Winspear.In addition to building steel plants, Franciswas building an apartment building. Itwas the first luxury high-rise in Edmonton– seven stories high, it sits overlooking theVictoria Golf Course and it’s a fine build-ing and I live there still. When it was com-pleted, Francis needed a manager, some-

The following are excerpts from speeches of the University of Alberta’s 1999 fall honorary degree recipients. The third recipient,Laurence Decore, received his honorary degree in a special and private convocation ceremony Oct. 22, 1999.

one who could keep the building runningand running smoothly. Well, there was noone in Edmonton who had experience withthis; it was the first building of its type. Iwas asked to come andmanage the building,and once again, I hadno idea, no experience.But, once again, I tookit on. I had to learnabout furnaces andelectricity and plumb-ing and rents and taxesand I had to keep eve-ryone happy. I had tolearn all this on thespot, and I did. And itworked. And it wasfun!

So I want to say toyou today, always beopen to learning new things. Timeschange. And your life will be much fullerif you explore all the options along theway, if you are prepared to change alongwith the times.

Please, don’t ever shy away fromlearning new things. Learning is fun, itkeeps us alive, it makes us more interest-ing, and you will be the better for it, andyour family and your friends and yourcommunity will be the better for it. ■

Harriet Snowball Winspear

Dr. J. Fraser Mustard

Dr. James Fraser Mustard of Toronto,founding president of the Canadian Institutefor Advanced Research (CIAR), is a leadingresearch pathologist, academic statesman,policy analyst and adviser. He began his careeras a physician, then taught physicians at theUniversity of Toronto and at McMaster Uni-versity in Hamilton, Ont., where he helpedestablish an innovative medical school. TheCIAR, where he remains founding presidentand fellow, is an “institute without walls,” aresearch network involving more than 160researchers in Canada, the US, Australia, Eu-rope, Israel, Japan and New Zealand. He hasserved on numerous boards and commissionsincluding a post as co-chair of the Early YearsLearning Study for Ontario, which produced areport called, Early Years Study—Reversingthe Real Brain Drain. An insightful and vi-sionary scientist, Mustard has received numer-ous honors and was named a Companion of theOrder of Canada in 1994.

In her 95th year, Harriet SnowballWinspear hasn’t slowed down yet. She is acentral member of and a great voluntary con-tributor in the Edmonton community. She is amember of the Edmonton Opera board, theWinspear Foundation, and honorary chair ofthe Arts Development Council for the U of A’sFaculty of Arts. In 1922 she attended theUniversity of British Columbia and marched inthe “Great Trek” that helped prompt the B.C.government to provide the university with a

“Introduce measures of

societies other than

economic GNP—some

have argued for a social

GNP. A proper wealth and

well-being audit should

complement GDP, which is

a single, simple and often

misleading figure.”

—Dr. J. Fraser Mustard

“Please, don’t ever

shy away from

learning new

things. Learning is

fun, it keeps us

alive, it makes us

more interesting.”

—Harriet SnowballWinspear


Convocation is afamily affairCeremonies include first grads in education First Nation studiesBy David DiCenzo

“I had always tried to learn somethingnew everyday—I would search for it,” headds. “When I went back, that wasn’t aproblem.”

Despite her initial concerns, Janis wasthe one who completed her thesis first,thereby putting some pressure on themales in the family. “I take pride in thefact that I finished first,” she laughs.

AN EDUCATIONAL FIRSTA ceremony featuring mother, father

and son accepting degrees togetherwasn’t the only unique story at lastweek’s convocation. A trio of U of A stu-dents—Tracy Friedel, Noella Steinhauerand Patricia Steinhauer—was the first to

obtain masters in educationwith specializations in FirstNations studies. The programbegan in September 1997 withfive students. Two are in theprocess of completing theirtheses.

“It’s a really important pro-gram,” says Friedel. “It allowsyou to focus in on the issuesrelated to native education.”

It was by no means a sim-ple process for Friedel who

worked at a full-time job for approxi-mately 75 per cent of the course duration.Her work entails coordinating a post-secondary training program for nativewomen titled the Asokam Project(Asokam is a Cree word that means“bridge”).

With such a hectic schedule, Friedelfound the actual interactive structure ofthe course helpful in completing the re-quired work.

“The courses were set up to allow youto learn from each other,” she says. “Inretrospect, it worked well.”

Chancellor Lois Hole presided overfall convocation ceremonies Nov. 17-18and conferred degrees upon more than1,300 students. In addition, mathematicsprofessor Dr. Tony Lau received the firstAward for Excellence in Mentoring. ■

Don and Janis Shaw always dreamed ofseeing their son David graduate with

his master’s degree. They just probablynever imagined they would join him onstage to collect degrees of their own. Butthat’s exactly what the three Shaws fromSpruce Grove accomplished last Thursdayat the University of Alberta convocation,held at the Jubilee Auditorium.

“This has revitalized areas of ourlives,” says Janis, who completed her mas-ter’s in family ecology and practice. “Webecame convinced our brain cells were stillfunctioning.”

David, who now resides in Edmonton,was the catalyst in getting this rare projectoff the ground. After deciding to pursue amaster’s in physics two yearsago, he challenged his parents tojoin him. Don, a retired teacherwho just completed his master’sin education, was eager to hopon board, though there was sometrepidation felt from his wife.

“My sister Meredith (now afirst-year arts student at the U ofA) was going away to school,and Mom had said she wanted togo back when all the kids weregone,” recalls David. “I said, ‘Ifall of us were to go, we could graduatetogether.’ She was a little more reluctantbut dad was receptive. We just went fromthere and that was the goal that was set.”

Don says history was repeating itselfwhen he and his wife decided to return toschool. In 1968, both Don and Janis at-tended university together, so they knewthey could look to each other for supportthrough the tougher times. And there weremany of those. Having been out of the aca-demic environment for so long, the couplefelt as though there was a step missing interms of the learning process.

“Both Janis and I experienced some-thing David didn’t,” Don explains. “Thingsweren’t much of a change for him—it wasjust up a notch. We gradually workedthrough things, exchanging information onthe way to and from Spruce Grove.

Pursuing graduate degrees was a family affair for the Shaws: Janis, Don and David.

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We would like to thank all donors, students and on Campus businesses that generously

donated to the 1999 University of Alberta United Way Campaign. Your donations raised

over $298,000 and will help to reinforce the University’s vision for a greater role in

community service. As well, we would especially like to thank all sponsors who generously

supported the Campaign and the following individuals who gave of their time to serve on

the United Way Committee:

Ernie Barbazuk, Physical Plant

Monica Barclay, Office of the President

John Barry, Physical Education and Recreation

Kevin Campbell, Parking Services

Heather Clark, Students’ Union

Natalia Cotton, Supply Management Services

Flo DeCoteau, Registrar and Student Awards

Anita Deakin, Physical Plant

Pierre Dickner, Campus Recreation

Bobby Dosanj, Business Students’ Association

Laura Ferguson, Delta Gamma Fraternity

Lorna Hallam, United Way Loaned Representative

Hugh Hoyles, Campus Recreation

Katherine Huising, Students’ Union

Ayman Kamal, Graduate Students’ Association

Robert Lake, Computing Science

Moylum Lee, Technical Resource Group

Mona Liles, Faculté Saint-Jean

Allan Lim, Science Student

Wayne McCutcheon, Physical Plant

Marion McFall, Graphic Design & Photography Services

Bonnie O’Dwyer, Human Resources

Randy Pavelich, Public Affairs

Elsie Rubuliak, Physical Plant

Wendy Saunders, Housing and Food Services

Colette Sych, Supply Management Services

Fern Snart, Faculty of Education

Jerry Toupin, Faculté Saint-Jean

Randy Wimmer, Faculty of Education

Roderick Fraser, Susan Green, Anita Moore, Myrna Snart, Allan Tupper,

Honorary Chair Co-Chair Co-Chair Co-Chair Co-Chair

Congratulations to Debra Cairns, Music and Joyce Hiller, Education as the lucky donors who

were winners of the Early Bird and Final Campaign draws for two Canadian Airlines tickets.

Optimism sprouting inglobal warming issuesBut much research and political negotiations remainBy Gilbert A. Bouchard

nary approach to research, says Page, thefurther integration of the long-term pro-jections of climate scientists into the short-term time frames of modern politics is aserious hurdle. For example, climate-con-trol scientists who regularly project theirfindings up to 100 years into the futurehave to communicate with politicians whodefine long-term as “the period leading upto the next election.”

“Complexity of interdisciplinary sys-tems doesn’t lend itself easily to publicpolicy,” says Page. The onus remains forscientists to create hard credible science inthe field to best propel the debate forward.While they can expect fewer people over-all to question the science of global climatechange, there will be a heightened debatewith the remaining critics—some of whomwill be journalists taking a libertariantact—painting the environmentalismmovement in the same light as old-fash-ioned collectivism.

Page also sees challenges arising fromthe nations of the South fueled by a vastculture gap and differing views of thesocietal role of science. “There’s an intel-lectual disconnect between governmentsin the North as applied to the developingworld,” he explains. “The South sees west-ern science as serving western interests.We have to remember their first priority ispoverty and inequality. They see richcountries as having caused global warm-ing, and say they should be the ones fixingit.

“China and India in particular see theissue as leverage,” he says. “They will useit for all it’s worth. We should not expectto get off cheaply. The global climate issuelurks in the background of the WorldTrade Organization’s upcoming meet-ings.”

While “massive divisions” still remain,Page is confident an international agree-ment can still be reached by 2005, whichwould not be a moment too soon.

“I hope we can emerge and achievethe goals we are setting. Technologicalchanges will need at least a decade plus—it’s not just flipping a lever.” ■

Scientific progress is slow, internationalnegotiations are painful, but major

progress is being made in the battle againstglobal warming with University of Albertaresearchers in the forefront.

“The U of A is playing an importantrole in biological science and engineeringresearch and taking an important leader-ship role on the economics of climatechange,” says Dr. Robert Page, vice-presi-dent of sustainable development forTransAlta, an energy company. He is alsothe co-chair of Credit for Early Action Ta-ble, National Climate Change Process andthe vice-chair for the International Emis-sions Trading Association of Geneva, Swit-zerland. Page was on campus last week todeliver a talk on the international politics ofclimate-change science as part of the Envi-ronmental Research and Studies Centreseminar series.

“You have some extremely good peoplehere, one of the top four or five schools inthe country,” adds Page, who participatedat the fifth Conference of the Parties to theUN Framework Convention on ClimateChange held in Bonn earlier this month.“Alberta is playing a role outside of pro-portion to its population and it’s comingtogether more and more. The work the U ofA is doing in this field will be significant tothe economic future of the province.”

While optimistic in the long-term, Pageunderlines that an amazing amount of work,research and political negotiations still re-main before we can make significant head-way in the reduction of emissions called forat the first Conference of the Parties.

“When you’re dealing with climatechange, you’re dealing with a new era, anew type of environmental problem. Notonly is it the most complex of environmen-tal issues, you also have to recognize juris-dictional fragmentation with action beingneeded at a regional, provincial, nationaland global level. We need to find ways tohelp all these various levels of governmentintegrate to develop products.”

Not only are climate-control issueslinked to a myriad of other seemingly unre-lated issues necessitating an interdiscipli-

These facts and more can be found inthe 1999 edition of Research Works ’99, apocket-sized publication that acknowl-edges the numerous partners—industry,foundations, government agencies andother organizations—with whom and forwhom—University of Alberta researcherscarry out their work.

Among other highlights of ResearchWorks ’99:

•Economic Development Edmontonestimates more than half of the conven-tions and conferences held in the CapitalRegion involve the University of Albertain some way.

•New technologies brought to marketlast year netted the U of A $3.8 million, thehighest revenue for any Canadian univer-sity.

•The University of Alberta has 48 ac-tive spin-off companies, employing morethan 1,100 people directly and 2,200 indi-rectly.

For further information or to receiveyour copy of Research Works ’99, e-mail:[email protected] or viewwww.ualberta.a/~unihall/vp/vprea. ■

Impact of research expandingHandy publication highlights facts and growing numbersBy Lucianna Ciccocioppo

More than $170 million in externalresearch funding support. More than

9,400 direct and indirect jobs. More than3,200 of those jobs right here on campus.

Apparently, research works—and itsimpact reverberates throughout Albertaand Canada.

The $170 million in external researchfunding for 1998-99 includes clinical trialresearch and a partnership share in theresearch at Tri-Universities Meson Facility(TRIUMF) headquartered at the Universityof British Columbia. The dollar figure is anincrease over last year’s $146.3 million inexternal funding. Over the past five years,annual research funding has been in-creased by slightly more than 40 per cent.

Since 1998-99, the U of A has receivedmore than $1 billion in external researchdollars, reaching its goal of a billion by2000 one year early. The U of A is nowworking on attaining a cumulative total of$2 billion in external research dollars by2005.

The job number is up also, an increaseof about 1,500 over last year’s total of 7,900direct and indirect positions.


They came from nowhere seven weeksago to make history Nov. 14, 1999.

On a sunny Oct. 7 afternoon, the Pan-das rugby team was officially named the19th inter-university program at the Uni-versity of Alberta. On a blustery Nov. 14afternoon, the Pandas completed an unde-feated university season with a20-3 win over Guelph to claimthe university’s first nationalchampionship this fall. ThePandas finished the seasonwithout losing one game touniversity competition.

“Now that you’re makingme go back there I’m gettingall choked up again,” saidteary Pandas captain andCIAU Player of the YearHeather Denkhaus of herteam’s emotional and triumph-filled season. “You just lookedat all your teammates andthought ‘Wow, I am so proudto play with all these peopleand I’m so excited about whatwe can do here.’ You justwanted to give it everythingfor your teammates,” saidDenkhaus. “And you’ve mademe cry.”

Guelph, it seems, had the last tear,after winning the CIAU title the last twoseasons, and tooting at the pre-tournamentnews conference, before losing on the day.

“They were saying ‘Well, yes, we havethis speed, we’ve got these power players,’but really what we had over all of themwas the size and strength of the forwards.They just couldn’t win the ball off us,” saidPandas assistant coach Matt Parrish, who

History makers andnational shakers Pandas rugby rocked because they rolled—over everyoneBy Dan Carle

must have smiled as Alberta defeated theGryphons twice, including the nationalfinal, with a score differential of 47-10.“After the first day I think we all had anidea that we could win this.”

During the fall season there were sev-eral other teams who thought they could

win the big national prize, butsadly it just wasn’t meant to be.The Golden Bears and Pandassoccer teams ended their seasonswith a national silver medal, asthe Golden Bears lost 1-0 to West-ern Ontario (its second consecu-tive loss to Western in the na-tional final) and the Pandasdropped a 2-0 decision toDalhousie. However, the threeteams’ hardware, along with Pan-das field hockey’s nationalbronze, brought the University ofAlberta’s nationally leadingmedal total to four in the firstthree months of the academicyear.

At the front of the derby wasthe team that until recentlywasn’t. Pandas rugby made alasting mark, and history. Nofirst-year University of Alberta

team has ever won the national champion-ship, and no first-year team has ever goneundefeated.

“On this team, we were all together,”said Cara Denkhaus, Heather’s sister andthe CIAU Rookie of the Year. Cara scoredtwo tries in the national final. “We domi-nated in the scrums and the line-outs a lot,so that gave us a lot of ball to work with.Most teams couldn’t score because theydidn’t have the ball.” ■

Tin

a Ch

ang

The U of A Pandas rugby team made history when they claimed their first national championship this fall.

“You just looked at all

your teammates and

thought ‘Wow, I am

so proud to play with

all these people and

I’m so excited about

what we can do here.’

You just wanted to

give it everything for

your teammates.”

—Heather Denkhaus,captain, Pandas rugby


Please send notices attention Folio 400 Athabasca Hall, University of Alberta, T6G 2E8 or [email protected]. Notices should be received by 3 p.m. one week prior to publication.

CANADIAN FEDERATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN(EDMONTON)

The annual Christmas Social of the CanadianFederation of University Women (Edmonton) will beheld Monday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m., at the Faculty Club, Uof A campus, 11435 Saskatchewan Drive. Bell CantoEnsemble will present “Sounds of Christmas.” Allwomen university graduates are welcome to attend.Info: 439-4285.

STUDENT EXCHANGE TO GERMANYCampus Recreation is venturing into “Recreation

Tourism.” This coming May/June 2000, Campus Rec-reation plans to offer U of A students the possibilityof going to Germany for two weeks. Billeting will bein the homes of German students, who will then visitEdmonton for two weeks. An expression of interestis required by Nov. 30, 1999. Should there beenough interest, a meeting will be called to finalizeall the details. Sign-up at the Campus RecreationGreen Office in the lower level of the Van Vliet Physi-cal Education and Recreation Centre. Info: 492-2555.

GENERAL FACULTIES COUNCILMeeting of the GFC will take place Nov. 29, 2:00

p.m. in the Council Chambers (2nd floor, UniversityHall). Agenda items include Budget Principles 2000/2001; U of A Hiring Statement on Equity in Employ-ment; Student Records: Contents, Access, Use andProtection; and Open and Closed Meetings: Revisionsto the Terms of Reference of GFC Standing Commit-tees. For complete agenda/information, contact theUniversity Secretariat at 492-4965.

PHOTOCARD EXPIRATIONThe U of A ONEcard office reminds the campus

Dec. 24, 1999 is the last day to transfer funds fromthe old PHOTOCARDS to your ONEcard. Transfersfrom the old cards can be made at the ONEcard of-fice during regular office hours. To ensure funds arestill accessible, they must be transferred to theONEcard. No transfer will be made following the De-cember deadline. Info: ONEcard office at 492-7924.

W.O. MITCHELL COUNTRY: A SLIDE PRESENTATIONCome see behind the scenes of Courtney Milne’s

latest book, “W.O. Mitchell Country,” through a pho-tographic journey into prairies, foothills and moun-tains. At the Provincial Museum, 12845–102 Ave.,Tuesday, Nov. 30, 7:00 p.m. Tickets: $20.00 in supportof the Northern Alberta Brain Injury Society (NABIS)and the Hope Foundation of Alberta, and are avail-able through NABIS, #301, 10106–111 Ave., phone479-1757 (cash/cheque only) or Hope Foundation,11032–89 Ave., phone 492-1222 (cash/cheque/Visa/Mastercard).

Morefreebies:

Folio is giving away five copies ofWeathering Y2K in Canada, by AlanBibby and Akiyah Clements. Answerthe skill-testing question: What was theFocus feature in the last issue, Nov. 12?Answer by 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3 to:Folio, Office of Public Affairs, 400Athabasca Hall.

Name:

Department:

Phone:

A draw will determine winners, tobe announced in the last-Folio-before-Y2K edition, Dec. 10, 1999.

“Be ready if the lights go out inthe winter…”

deadly blood disease called myelodys-plastic syndrome, a condition in whichbone marrow doesn’t produce enough redand white blood cells and platelets. TheDana-Farber Institute has pioneered theonly bone marrow transplant of its kind inthe world, one that does not require aperfect match from a donor and has asuccess rate of just under 50 per cent.

Because the procedure is experimen-tal, Alberta Health and Wellness has re-fused to pay for the treatment, costingabout $325,000 Cdn. Last month, afterreceiving additional letters of supportfrom two prominent medical reseachers,Alberta Health and Wellness once againturned down Kostov’s request for fund-ing.

Kostov plans to appeal the decision,at which time Uglijesic says she will per-sonally address the appeal board. “I’mnot a doctor, but I can explain the humantragedy and personal story. Maybe thenthey’ll see things differently …OtherwiseAleks is going to be in a lot of troublefinancially.”

Uglijesic says about $70,000 has beenraised so far by the Lance Relland Medi-cal Foundation and others in the Edmon-ton community. The U of A has raisedmore than $7,000. Donations may be senteither to the Royal Bank of Canada, ac-count #4089-1011501, or by campus mailto Carol Ebert at the Faculty of Rehabili-tation Medicine. ■

Kostov’s recovery going wellRelease from hospital expected soonBy Geoff McMaster

Dr. Aleksandar Kostov, a professor in theFaculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, is

faring well, and his condition is slowly im-proving after a controversial bone marrowtransplant last September.

On the phone from Boston’s Dana-Farber Institute, Kostov said he wentthrough some “ups and downs” and highfevers in the weeks following his operation.However last week he was moved from aroom with a tightly controlled air environ-ment, which protected him from infection,to a less regulated and more comfortableroom in the intensive care unit.

He is also starting to eat some solidfoods and is doing mild forms of exercise.Recent tests indicate all new blood in hisbody is being produced by the marrow do-nated by his sister Karolina Uglijesic.

“This is very encouraging. It means I amone step closer to home,” said Kostov. “Ihave been on a no-food or low-food diet fora very long period of time …I have a greatappetite, and I feel quite well.”

He said he expects to be released fromhospital any time, after which he will re-main in Boston for at least a month as anoutpatient. “Everything depends on how Iadapt to the outside world. It’s one thing tobe in hospital where you can press a buttonand have a nurse or team of physicians; it’sanother to go into an [unharmonious] envi-ronment.”

Kostov received the marrow transplantafter it was discovered he had a rare and

ARTHRITIS STRENGTH MIGRAINESS P O R T S I N J U R I E S F L E X A B I L I T YBACK PROBLEMS STRESS ENERGYT E N S I O N A R T H R I T I S M I G R A I N E SRELAXATION SPORTS INJURIES BACK -P R O B L E M S S T R E S S P R E V E N T I O NTENSION HEADACHES RELAXATIOA R T H R I T I S M I G R A I N E S S P O R T SI N J U R I E S F L E X A B I L I T Y B A C KPROBLEMS STRESS ENERGY TENSIONHEADACHES RELAXATION ARTHRITIARTHRITIS STRENGTH MIGRAINESS P O R T S I N J U R I E S F L E X A B I L I T YBACK PROBLEMS STRESS ENERGYT E N S I O N A R T H R I T I S M I G R A I N E SRELAXATION SPORTS INJURIES BACKP R O B L E M S S T R E S S P R E V E N T I O NTENSION HEADACHES RELAXATIOA R T H R I T I S M I G R A I N E S S P O R T SI N J U R I E S F L E X A B I L I T Y B A C KPROBLEMS STRESS ENERGY TENSIONHEADACHES RELAXATION ARTHRITIARTHRITIS STRENGTH MIGRAINESS P O R T S I N J U R I E S F L E X A B I L I T YBACK PROBLEMS STRESS ENERGYT E N S I O N A R T H R I T I S M I G R A I N E SRELAXATION SPORTS INJURIES BACKP R O B L E M S S T R E S S P R E V E N T I O NTENSION HEADACHES RELAXATIOA R T H R I T I S M I G R A I N E S S P O R T SI N J U R I E S F L E X A B I L I T Y B A C KPROBLEMS STRESS ENERGYTENSIONHEADACHES RELAXATION ARTHRITI

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PROJECTS MANAGER RESEARCH IN PRACTICEAlberta Heritage Foundation for Medical ResearchThe AHFMR is developing, in partnership with other stakeholders, a comprehensiveapproach toward practice-based research. As a result, several major projects have beenidentified as essential to develop in key areas. We are seeking an energetic, talented professional to join the AHFMR team who will turn the vision into a reality.

The Projects Manager will be a key player in ensuring that projects identified asbeing of highest priority in the Research in Practice area are successfully conceptualized,articulated, and completed to meet the expectations of the major stakeholders.

If you have demonstrated successful experience in project completion in complex,multi-stakeholder environments, a broad appreciation of the health care delivery,research, and policy sectors, and are able to be flexible in a changing environment while working to deadlines, this position will be of interest. An understanding of thecurrent evidence base for research utilization is desirable, as is experience working withadvisory committees and/or in the knowledge management arena. A Masters Degree in a relevant field, plus 5-10 years experience is required.

This position is located in Calgary and is offered initially on a contract until March 30, 2000, and will be reviewed at that time. Interested applicants should providea career resume, including compensation expectations, by November 29 to:

Judy Birdsell, PhDDirector of DisseminationAlberta Heritage Foundation for Medical ResearchSuite 711, 933 17th Avenue S.W.Calgary, Alberta T2T 5R6

Established by the Government of Alberta in 1980, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) has supported more than $570 million in biomedicaland health research at Alberta Universities, affiliated institutions, regional healthauthorities and other health related organizations.

DECEMBER 10 • DEADLINE: DECEMBER 7This is the last edition of 1999.

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many generous people on campus. Itsends a message that people at the U of Acare about the community in which theylive and work.”

And student contributions, from suchevents as Super Sub, Rakefest and

Christmas tree sales, are a bigpart of this year’s success,adds Snart.

This time last year, theUnited Way total was about$271,000, with a 16.5 per centparticipation rate. In 1999,

about 18 per cent ofcampus participated.

“People give topeople,” says Snart.“We had more per-

sonal and group presentations this year. Itmakes people really understand how theUnited Way works and why it’s needed.”

Christmas tree sales run Nov. 26-Dec.23, 1999 at 8203-114 St. (SW corner ofCorbett Hall). For further information, callthe Forestry Society office at 492-5625. ■

Evergreens and theUnited WayChristmas trees on sale as most successful campaign wraps upBy Lucianna Ciccocioppo

Evergreen trees on campus are safe, since the trees for sale come from B.C. Sales-helpers Brent Fermaniuk andBecky Daub.

Tina

Cha

ng

Don’t think you’ve missed your chanceto give to the United Way. Kick off

your holiday season with a Christmas tree,on sale as of today on campus, and helptop up the United Way total to date of$295,652.

The U of A Forest Societyholds its annual Christmas treesale by Corbett Hall, and 10per cent of proceeds go to theUnited Way (the remainderhelps support the society andits activities).

Fourth-year for-estry student MartyHemsley says treeprices range from$20 and up, andthere are more than 1,000 from which tochoose: balsam and douglas firs, Scots andwhite pines.

Just because the campaign is slowingdown doesn’t mean people can’t give, saysco-chair Myrna Snart.

“We’re really pleased there are so


Submit talks to Brenda Briggs by 9 a.m. one week prior to publication. Fax 492-2997 or e-mail [email protected] .

CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF UKRAINIAN STUDIESDecember 9, 4:00 pmCelebration: 10th Anniversary of the Peter Jacyk

Centre for Ukrainian Historical Research and the Pub-lication of Volume 7 of Mykhailo Hrushevsky’s “His-tory of Ukraine-Rus’.” Faculty Club. Info: 492-2972 [email protected]

December 10, 2:00 pmDr. Paul Bushkovitch, Dept of History, Yale Uni-

versity, “Ukrainian and Russian Elites 1654 – 1725:Informal Relations and Formal Politics.” Room 352Athabasca Hall.

CENTRE FOR HEALTH PROMOTION STUDIESDecember 2, 4:30 – 5:30 pmAlison Barnfather, “Thoughts on Teen Sex: Ado-

lescent Perceptions.” Humanities L-4. Refreshmentsprovided.

DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGYDecember 6, 3:00 pmVisiting speaker: Jennifer Dickinson, “From Lem-

ons and Greens to Bunnies and Hryvens: Public Nam-ing and National Symbolism in Post-Soviet Ukraine.”Tory 14-28.

DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRYNovember 26, 3:00 pmDr. Paul Young, Queen’s University, “Stress and

the Cell Cycle.” Room 2-07 Heritage Medical Re-search Building. Supported by the Alberta HeritageFoundation for Medical Research.

DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCESDecember 2, 4:00 pmDavid Shorthouse, “Six Significant Landscapes.”

TBW-1.December 3, 2:30 pmMark Taper, “Statistical analysis of population

dynamics in space and time using estimating func-tions.” Room V-121 Physics V-Wing.

Plant Biology (part of the Botany 600 seminar series)December 3, 10:00 amJohn Addicott, “Cheating by mutualists: lessons

from Yucca baccata.” Room M-141 Biological Sci-ences Building.

Molecular Biology and Genetics Research Group (partof the Genetics 605 seminar series)

December 3, 3:30 pmRosemary Stuart, “Assembly of the mitochon-

drial chain respiratory complexes in the yeast, Sac-charomyces cerevisiae.” Room M-149 Biological Sci-ences Building. Funded by the Alberta HeritageFoundation for Medical Research.

December 10, 3:30 pmDiane Cox, “Copper Transport: Yeast, Dogs and

Humans.” Room G-116 Biological Sciences Building.

Ecology Seminar Series (part of the Biology 631seminar series)

November 26, 12:00 noonScott Stevens, “Swinging squirrels, but who gets

results?” Room M-137 Biological Sciences Building.December 3, 12:00 noonClaudio Celada, PhD candidate thesis defense,

“Territory choice and quality in the yellow warbler:spatial structure and social factors matter.” Room M-137 Biological Sciences Building.

Physiology, Cell and Developmental Biology ResearchGroup (part of the Biology 642 seminar series)

December 1, 12:00 noonJim Johnson, “Function- and agonist-specific

Ca2+ stores.” Room B-105 Biological Sciences Building.December 8, 12:00 noonPeter Andrew, “Septic Shock and the Spleen:

What’s the connection?” Room B-105 Biological Sci-ences Building.

DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERINGNovember 27, 5:30 pmVideoconference seminar from University of

Calgary, Peter Goldsmith, “Biomechanical Testing Us-ing Robots.” Room CEB 231.

December 15, 5:30 pmVideoconference seminar to University of

Calgary, Frank Witkowski, MD/FRCP, “Visualization ofVentricular Fibrillation.” Room CEB 231.

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRYDecember 13, 11:00 amProfessor Shariar Mobashery, Wayne State Uni-

versity, Detroit, “Structural and mechanistic implica-tions for evolution of ß-lactamases from penicillin-binding proteins.” Room V-107 Physics Wing.

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICSNovember 26, 3:00 pmKai Li, UBC, “An Econometric Model of Birth In-

puts and Outputs for Native Americans.” Tory 8-22.

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND CLASSICSDecember 2, 3:30 pmPaul Voisey, “What is the Purpose of a Rural

Weekly Newspaper?” L.H. Thomas Room, Tory 2-58.

DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL GENETICSDecember 1, 12:00 – 1:00 pmMedical Genetics Rounds: Dr. Mike Schultz, Bio-

chemistry, “What an immunosuppressant has told usabout the regulation of protein synthesis.” Room 2-07HMSC.

December 8, 12:00 – 1:00 pmMedical Genetics Rounds: Dr. Laura Shanner,

John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre, “The TentativePregnancy: hope, grief and the ethics of prenatal di-agnosis.” Room 2-07 HMSC.

CHRISTMAS MARKET PLACEDecember 6, 7, 9 and 10, 9:00 am – 5:00 pmPresented by The Friends of University of Al-

berta Hospital. “The entire Atrium level is trans-formed into a Christmas Wonderland for shoppers.”Different vendors each time, with homemade crafts,candles, chocolates, clothing, and gift baskets. Pro-ceeds from each sale enhance patient care and com-fort at the UAH.

CHRISTMAS TREE SALENovember 26 – December 23The U of A Forest Society will be selling Christ-

mas trees at 8203 – 114 Street (southwest corner ofCorbett Hall area). Hours: Monday – Friday, 4:30 pm –9:00 pm and Saturday – Sunday, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm.Price: Douglas Fir $20.00 and up; White Pine $7.00/foot. Info: Forestry Club Office 492-5625.

DEVONIAN BOTANIC GARDEN CRAFTERS’ ASSOCIATIONNovember 27 and 28, 11:00 am – 4:00 pmThe Crafters’ Association invites you to their an-

nual Christmas Craft Sale, to be held at the DevonianBotanic Garden, 5 km north of Devon on Hwy 60.Enjoy a free sleigh ride on November 28 from 1:00 –4:00 pm. Lunch and refreshments available on bothdays. Free admission. Info: Helga van Meurs at 987-3061 or [email protected]

FESTIVAL OF LESSONS AND CAROLSDecember 6, 5:00 pm and 7:00 pmPresented by the U of A Christian Chaplains and

the Department of Music. At Convocation Hall. Fea-tures U of A Mixed Chorus and Faculty of Education’sHandbell Ringers. Admission free but advance tick-ets required. Phone Tona Cota at 492-7681 ext 229 toreserve tickets. Donations to Campus Food Bankwelcome.

LIBRARY CRAFT SALEDecember 1, 9:30 am – 3:00 pmFree admission/door prizes. Professors Emeriti

Reading Room, 3-03 Cameron Library.

CONFERENCE

LAKE LOUISE WINTER INSTITUTEFebruary 20 – 26, 2000”From Particles to the Universe.” The LLWI is held

annually to explore recent trends in physics in an in-formal setting. Pedagogical and review lectures, aswell as a topical workshop, are presented by invitedexperts. Accommodation/meals provided to partici-pants. Early registrants (before Dec. 17) given prefer-ence. Info: (780) 492-8486, (780) 492-0714, (e-mail)[email protected] or viewwww.phys.ualberta.ca/~llwi/

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA AFRICA SOCIETYFebruary 25 – 26, 2000Two-day conference, keynote speaker Wole

Soyinka, 1986 Nobel laureate in literature, “Prospectsfor an African Renaissance: Culture, Development,Reconciliation.” At the U of A. Info: www.ualberta.ca/~afso/conference.html or U of A International Centre492-1134 or The Africa Society 438-5708/1-888-282-4005.

EXHIBITION

FAB GALLERYNovember 23 – December 5Julian Brezden, “Punctured Romance.” Final

visual presentation for degree of Master of Fine Artsin Painting. Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm;Sunday, 2 to 5 pm; closed Monday, Saturday andstatutory holidays. 1-1 Fine Arts Building.

Display advertisements: Camera-ready artwork is requiredto size, complete with halftones if necessary. Call 492-0444 for sizes, rates and other particulars.


December 15, 12:00 – 1:00 pmMedical Genetics Rounds: Dr. Moira Glerum,

Medical Genetics, “Cytochrome oxidase just can’t getitself together!” Room 2-07 HMSC.

DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES ANDCULTURAL STUDIES

December 1, 3:00 pmRussia and the West: Cultural Differences (infor-

mal seminar series). Speaker: Peter Rolland, U of A:“F.M. Dostoevsky, Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Ques-tions Posed by the Grand Inquisitor.” Room 3-03 Arts.

December 8, 3:30 pm Russia and the West: Cultural Differences (infor-

mal seminar series). Speaker: Peter Rolland, “East andWest, Latin and Orthodox Tradition in SymjaonPolacki’s Biography and Writings.” Tory 2-52.

DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHYDecember 3, 3:30 pmColloquium: Christopher MacKay, “Experience

and Authority: The Justification for Witch-Burning.”Humanities 4-29.

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL PLANTNovember 30, 1:00 – 2:00 pmYear 2000 Information Session: Kevin Moodie,

Rod Wolfe and Terry Nonay will provide informationand answer questions, “Y2K preparations for U of Afacilities.” Room V-107.

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICSDecember 3, 3:15 pmColloquium: Dr. Janet Conrad, Columbia Univer-

sity, NYC, “All the Good nu’s from NuTeV.” Room V-129.

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGYNovember 29, 3:00 – 4:00 pmDr. Lawrence M. Resnick, Wayne State University,

Detroit Medical Centre, “The ionic basis of syndromeX: model and mechanisms.” Room 207 HMRC.

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCEDecember 2, 3:30 pmPolitical Science Speakers Series: Fred

Englemann, TBA. Tory 10-4. Co-sponsored with theCanadian Centre for Austrian and Central EuropeanStudies.

December 3, 2:00 pmPolitical Science Speakers Series: Julian Castro

Rea, “The New North America: Conflicts and Oppor-tunities.” Tory 10-4.

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Centre for Research in Child DevelopmentNovember 26, 1:00 – 2:30 pmElena Nicoladis, “The Speech-gesture System:

Evidence from Bilingual Children.” P-218 BiologicalSciences Building.

December 3, 1:00 – 2:30 pmKathrine Peters, Faculty of Nursing and Perinatal

Research Centre, “Growing Up in Strange Places: Ef-fects of Stress on the Infant in the Neonatal IntensiveCare Unit.” P-218 Biological Sciences Building.

DEPARTMENT OF RENEWABLE RESOURCESDecember 2, 12:30 – 1:50 pmDr. David C. Sego, Professor, Dept of Civil and

Environmental Engineering, “Soft TailingsStabilization by Natural Processes.” Room 2-36 EarthSciences Building.

December 9, 12:30 – 1:50 pmDr. Joe Toth, Professor Emeritus, Dept of Earth

and Atmospheric Sciences, “Groundwater as a Geo-logic Agent: An Overview of the Causes, Processes,and Manifestations.” Room 2-36 Earth SciencesBuilding.

DEPARTMENT OF RURAL ECONOMYDecember 6, 3:00 pmSabina Shaikh, UBC, “Theoretical and Empirical

Results of a Time and Money Constrained RecreationDemand Model: The Case of California Gray WhaleWatching.” 550 GSB.

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Centre for Research on LiteracyNovember 26, 3:00 pmResearch Seminar Series: Dr. Judy Thistleton-

Martin, University of Western Australia, “AustralianChildren’s Literature – Issues, Trends and Challenges:Past, Present and Future.” 651a Education South.

Centre for Research for Teacher Education andDevelopment

November 30, 12:30 – 2:00 pmDr. Jean McNiff, visiting professor. This seminar

will focus on Dr. McNiff’s ongoing work in NorthernIreland and the in the Republic, on the knowledgebase of professional education. 633 EducationSouth. Info: D. Jean Clandinin, 492-7770 ext 290.

December 9, 12:30 – 2:00 pmSeminar discussion: Dr. Lynn Butler-Kisber,

McGill University, “Alternative Representation inQualitative Research.” 633 Education South. Info: D.Jean Clandinin, 492-7770 ext. 290.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR QUALITATIVEMETHODOLOGY

November 30, 12:00 – 1:00 pmDrs. Louise Jensen and Marion Allen, “Issues in the

Synthesis of Qualitative Findings.” IIQM, 610 UniversityExtension Centre, 8303 – 112 St. Everyone welcome.

TEACHING SUPPORT & RESOURCE OFFICE, FACULTY OFNURSING

December 9, 12:00 – 1:00 pmTeaching Matters Series: Bev Williams, Faculty of

Nursing, “Thinking Styles.” THIS TALK HAS BEENCANCELLED.

MCMULLEN GALLERY AT THE UAHNovember 20 to January 30, 2000The Immigrant Artists’s Project: Lost and Found.

McMullen Gallery at 8440 – 112 Street. Info: SusanPoints, 407-7152.

GENERAL LEADERSHIP ANDMANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

BANFF CENTRE FOR MANAGEMENTNovember 28 – December 2 “Managing in the Middle.”December 6 – 10 “Certificate in Strategic Planning.”Info: Phone 1-800-590-9799 or Web site

www.banffmanagement.com. Win your tuition byfilling out survey at www.banffmanagement.com/survey_form.asp

MUSIC

DEPARTMENT OF MUSICNovember 28, 8:00 pmOpera Scenes: Harold Wiens, director. Program

TBA. Convocation Hall. Admission: $5/student/senior,$10/adult.

December 4, 8:00 pmCentre for Ethnomusicology presents “World

Music India: Celebrating Diwali at the University ofAlberta.” Admission: $5/student/senior, $10/adult.Info: 492-8211.

PHILOSOPHERS CAFÉ

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES: SHOULD WE DO ALL WECAN DO?

December 4, 2:30 – 4:00 pmThe University of Alberta invites you to attend

an afternoon of thoughtful conversation at Continen-tal Treat Bistro, 10560 – 82 (Whyte) Avenue, to dis-cuss the topic, “Technological Advances: Should wedo all we can do?” No formal philosophy trainingrequired; real life experience desired. Info: 492-0443or 492-2325.

THEATRE

STUDIO THEATREDecember 1 – 11George F. Walker’s “Zastrozzi.” Box Office:

492-2495. Timms Centre for the Arts.

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES CHAIR SELECTION COMMITTEE INVITES INPUT

The Chair Selection Committee for the Department of Biological Sciences

has been established. Suggestions and comments to this committee are to

be made before Friday, December 3, 1999 by writing to Dr. R. E. Peter,

Dean, Faculty of Science, CW223 BioSciences.

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Discover the rich tapestry of Alberta’s place

names. Order your set today!

Call the Friends of Geographical Names of

Alberta at 431 2349


The University of Alberta is committed to the principle of equity in employment. As an employer we welcome diver-sity in the workplace and encourage applications from all qualified women and men, including Aboriginal peoples,persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities. In accordance with Canadian Immigration require-ments, preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

The Health Sciences Coordinator must have agood understanding of health-sciences education andthe health-service system. Exceptional analytical, writ-ing and interpersonal skills are required. Experience indeveloping policy papers and working in a matrix or-ganizational environment is essential. This is a one-year term position. The salary range for this position is$35,000 to $52,000.

Interested persons are invited to submit applica-tions by Dec. 17, 1999 to:

Dr. Don PhilipponExecutive Director of Health Sciences andProfessor of Strategic Management andOrganization2-141 Clinical Sciences BuildingUniversity of AlbertaEdmonton, AB T6G 2R7

FACULTY OF ENGINEERINGELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERINGADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONAL OFFICER(Please note change in salary)

The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Al-berta invites applicants for the position of Administra-tive Professional Officer in the Department of Electrical& Computer Engineering.

Reporting to the Chair of the Department, this newAPO position is responsible for providing a wide-rangeof support in administrative matters including budgetplanning. Particular duties include assistance andpreparation of new initiatives and funding proposals,counseling of undergraduate and graduate students,involvement with teaching assistants and course as-signments, in addition to coordinating various studentactivities.

Applicants for this challenging and rewarding po-sition should have:1. a university degree, preferably in engineering or sci-

ence2. knowledge of the engineering program3. at least five years of relevant experience, preferably

as an APO, is desirable4. a thorough understanding of university policies and

procedures (academic, financial, human resource)would be an asset

5. strong interpersonal and organizational skills6. demonstrated competency in written and oral com-

munication.

HEALTH SCIENCES OFFICEHEALTH SCIENCES COORDINATOR

The Health Sciences Office (HSO) supports theCoordinating Council of Health Sciences (CCHS) andsenior administration at the university where mattersof interest to several health science faculties are in-volved. Headed by the Executive Director, the HSOcomplement currently includes, among others, aHealth Sciences Coordinator.

The HSO is now seeking a second Health Sci-ences Coordinator whose responsibilities will be de-termined in consultation with the Executive Directorand the existing Health Sciences Coordinator. Theseresponsibilities will include selected elements fromthe following range of activities performed by theHealth Sciences Coordinator:• Gathering and analyzing information from several

faculties to support interdisciplinary and/or multi-faculty initiatives;

• Developing draft policy positions for review on awide range of matters pertaining to health sci-ences education and research where internal Uni-versity decisions are required or where input togovernmental and other external processes is inorder;

• Serving as an alternate to the Executive Directoron a wide range of committees both within theuniversity and externally;

• Overseeing the work of the Executive Secretarywith respect to financial and budgetary responsi-bilities of the Health Sciences Office;

• Developing a communications strategy to publi-cize new interdisciplinary activities at the univer-sity, including overseeing the updates to theHealth Sciences Web site, preparing publicationready documents and presentation materials;

• Supporting the work of specific committees/taskforces which are charged with developing newapproaches to interdisciplinary education andresearch;

• Supporting the Executive Director in the adminis-trative functions required to support the centresand institutes falling under the jurisdiction ofCCHS, including business plan development,budgeting and space planning.

• Supporting the Executive Director in the adminis-trative functions required to support CCHS, in-cluding agenda development, tracking progresson initiatives and facilitating follow up action.


Ads are charged at $0.55 per word. Minimum charge: $3.00. All advertisements must be paid for in full by cash orcheque at the time of their submission. Bookings may be made by fax or mail provided payment is received by mailprior to the deadline date. Pre-paid accounts can be set up for frequent advertisers. Call 492-2325 for more info.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR RENTCALL NOW! To buy, sell, lease a condominium.

$49,000 to $450,000. Please ask for Connie Kennedy,condo specialist/consultant, 25 years expertise.Re/Max, 482-6766, 488-4000.

RIVERBEND, BRANDER GARDENS CONDO INHEARTHSTONE – three bedrooms, two storey, fin-ished basement. Single garage, $1,300 includingutilities. Furnished. December 1 – April 15, 2000.Janet Jenner-Fraser, Gordon W.R. King and Associ-ates Real Estate, 441-6441.

COUNTRY CLUB AREA – executive four bedroom,two storey on Wilkin Road. Large family room withfireplace. Fully finished basement. December 1,$1,700/month. Call Janet Jenner-Fraser for details,Gordon W.R. King and Assoc. R.E., 441-6441.

GLENORA – bright remodelled bungalow withhuge open plan kitchen. Formal livingroom anddiningroom, $1,500/month, December 1, 1999. CallJanet Jenner-Fraser, 441-6441.

RIVER VALLEY VIEW – spectacular executivecondo. One bedroom and den with sunroom,airconditioned, many extras. Furnished, immediate,$1475/month. Janet Jenner-Fraser, Gordon W.R. Kingand Associates Real Estate, 441-6441.

CRESTWOOD – University 10 minutes, profes-sor’s furnished home. January – March, 2000. Threebedrooms, $750/month, including utilities. Non-smokers, no pets. References. 452-8224.

VANCOUVER ISLAND – fully furnished smallhouse in large garden. September 2000 – April 2001.Near Duncan, one hour north of Victoria. Rent nego-tiable. Call (250) 748-5373.

CHARMING GLENORA HOUSE to share, 10 min-utes U of A. January – April. $350/month includingutilities, 452-1286.

TWO BEDROOM MAIN FLOOR HOUSE – Decem-ber 1, five appliances, garage, non-smokers, 108Street - 32A Avenue, $850/month. Call 436-9808.

MILLCREEK – beautiful 1913 character home,4+1 bedrooms, den, formal livingroom anddiningroom, hardwood floors, clawfoot tub, Frenchdoors to garden. January 1 – June 30, 2000. $1,500including utilities, 441-6441.

SPACIOUS BI-LEVEL DUPLEX – Greenfield. Appli-ances, yard maintenance. No pets. Nonsmoking,older couple, 435-5778.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR SALEVICTORIA PROPERTIES – knowledgeable, trust-

worthy, realtor with Edmonton references. Will an-swer all queries, send information, no cost/obliga-tion. “Hassle-free” property management provided.(250) 383-7100, Lois Dutton, Duttons & Co. Ltd.#101 – 364 Moss Street, Victoria, B.C. V8V 4N1

BELGRAVIA/U of A area – delightful condo in theStratford. Two bedrooms, two full baths. Corner fire-place, spacious kitchen with eating area. Steps to

Saskatchewan Drive and river valley. Janet Jenner-Fraser, Gordon W.R. King and Assoc. R.E., 441-6441.

MILLCREEK OLDER TWO STOREY – fabulous ra-vine location. $155,000. Ed Lastiwka, Royal LePage,431-5600.

HOME WITH A VIEW of treed, private yard. Com-pletely updated interior. New Corian white kitchen,new bathrooms, new hardwood, etc. $298,500. LizCrockford, Re/Max, 438-7000.

WINDSOR PARK – gracious 3,121 sq. ft.architecturally designed two storey home. Built 1988.High ceilings, hardwood, beautiful conservatory,large pie-shaped backyard. May look at a smallerhome in trade. Liz Crockford, Re/Max, 438-7000.

ACCOMMODATIONS WANTEDEXPERIENCED HOUSESITTERS WHO CARE – Re-

sponsible, warm, Christian couple willing to providelive-in housesitting with TLC for 4 months or more.Non-smokers, no children, no pets. Will do mainte-nance, yard work, shovelling, etc. Great references.Call Bob or Lenora, 434-6588.

VISITING SCHOLAR FROM MOSCOWlooking for accommodation, January – April 2000.Housekeeping possible. References available.E-mail: [email protected], phone: 492-5688 (of-fice), 436-9629 (home).

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT MOVING TO EDMON-TON – (one year contract) with wife and family (tri-plet girls age 2 1/2). Looking for bright house fromJanuary 1, 2000 – January 1, 2001 (dates negotiable).References available. Call 483-8813 (ask for Ellie).

GOODS FOR SALECASH PAID for quality books. The Edmonton

Book Store, 433-1781.SEE THE MURALS in historic Stony Plain and visit

BRIM HANDWORKS on Main (50th) Street, just northof the tracks, offering the best of local crafters in clay,wood, fibre, and metal. 968-1944.

POTTERY BY AKIKO KOHANA – Sunday, Decem-ber 5, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., 12512 – 66 Avenue.

MISCELLANEOUSCRYSTAL AND GEMSTONE SALE, Parkallen Mas-

sage, 6523 – 111 Street, Nov. 26/27, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.Free chair massage. Gift certificates available.Claressa, 437-4850.

SERVICESTECH VERBATIM EDITING – APA, Chicago; medi-

cal terminology; on campus. Donna, 465-3753.DAVID RICHARDS CARPENTRY. Certified journey-

man, NAIT. Complete interior/exterior, residential,commercial renovations including plumbing/electri-cal. No job too big/small. References available.436-6363.

WEALTH CARE INFORMATION SPECIALIST – call1-800-995-0775, ext.1300.

This Administrative and Professional Officer po-sition has a salary range from $39,559 to $59,335commensurate with qualifications and experience.The deadline for this competition is Dec. 3, 1999, andapplications including a résumé, and names of threereferees should be sent in confidence to:

Dr. C.E. Capjack, ChairDepartment of Electrical &Computer EngineeringUniversity of Alberta238 Civil/Electrical Engineering BuildingEdmonton, AB T6G 2G7

DEPARTMENT OFBIOLOGICAL SCIENCESTRUST POSITION: PART-TIME LAB MANAGER

A part-time position (approximately 60 per centof full time) is open for a lab manager in a cell andmolecular biology research laboratory in the Depart-ment of Biological Sciences. The incumbent will beresponsible for a variety of administrative tasks, in-cluding organization of laboratory activities andtraining of laboratory personnel. The incumbent willalso be responsible for performing research projectsthat require molecular biology procedures and pro-tein chemical analyses, including isolation andpreparation of samples for amino acid analysis, pep-tide analysis, microsequencing, mass spectroscopy,and other high sensitivity characterization tech-niques. Minimum requirements include: a master ofscience degree, two years’ experience managing alaboratory and developing research protocols, andproven expertise and experience in analytical proteinchemistry. Applications should consist of a CV andthree names of referees, and should be sent to Dr.Warren Gallin, Department of Biological Sciences.Closing date is Dec.10, 1999.

TECHNICAL RESOURCE GROUPMANAGER, EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE ANDSUPPORT SERVICES

The University of Alberta’s Technical ResourceGroup invites applications for a full-time position asManager, Equipment Maintenance and Support Serv-ices.

This Administrative and Professional Officer po-sition reports to the Director, Technical ResourceGroup and is accountable for the following:

• managing divisional resources (personnel, mer-chandise and contracted services),

• assessing client (individual and community)requirements and developing appropriate servicestrategies, and

• supervising the implementation and mainte-nance of the university’s classroom enhancementprogram.

Candidates should have extensive technicalbackground and experience in electronics, telecom-munications and instructional technologies, as wellas proven ability to effectively manage a multi-fac-eted service team. Thorough knowledge of the uni-versity’s research, teaching and administrative envi-ronments will also be an asset.

It should be noted the current Acting Manager,Equipment Maintenance and Support Services, willbe a candidate for this position.

Effective Date of Employment: Dec. 15, 1999Salary Range: $46,194 - $69,294Applicants are asked to submit a résuméby Nov. 30 to:JE Ross, DirectorTechnical Resource Group101 Industrial Design StudioUniversity of AlbertaEdmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1

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James Dempsey, an instructor in the School of Native Studies.

folio

It’s probably fair to say most Canadiansoldiers who fought in the First WorldWar were more than ready to return

home by 1917. They’d had enough of thestench of muddy trenches, nerve-wrackingrumble of guns and endless mortar fire.They’d also become profoundly disillu-sioned with the heroic ideals that hadspurred previous generationsto battle.

Curiously enough, how-ever, many of the 3,500 nativesoldiers who fought in theCanadian forces didn’t sharethe bleak view of their whitecomrades, explains nativehistorian James Dempsey inWarriors of the King (publishedby the University of Regina’sCanadian Prairie ResearchCentre). As the letters of theseyoung men to their familiessuggest, conditions in thetrenches were generally re-garded as tolerable.

“We are living in dugoutsonce again; it’s just great thesedays,” writes one surprisingly cheerfulsoldier. “Nothing much to do, just sitaround and write letters or read novels.Some of the dugouts are very comfortableindeed…”

Some native soldiers even expresseddisappointment when the armistice endedthe war, says Dempsey. The last thing theywanted was to return to life on the reserve.Their strength of spirit and resilience wasindeed remarkable, but what accountedfor it? And why were they so hungry todefend a government responsible for their

oppression?These questionshave haunted Dempseysince his undergraduatestudies in history at the Uni-versity of Calgary and hehas steadfastly pursuedthem into graduate work.“Unlike most students, I

knew what Iwas going to dofor my MA thesis when Istarted,” says the instructor inthe School of Native Studies.

His interest in the subjectwas partly per-sonal, since hisgreat-uncle andgreat-grandfatherboth served in thewar. But he alsoknew his thesiswas a study thatbadly needed tobe done, as pre-cious little infor-mation existed onthat period of

native history. So he set aboutinterviewing native veteransin Alberta and Saskatchewanto record what they remem-bered.

What he discovered isperhaps not all that surpris-ing. There were three mainreasons for the eagerness ofyoung men to enlist. The firstwas sheer boredom, adesire to escape “thestagnant re-

“It appeared that

Indian soldiers were

good enough to fight

and die for Canada, but

they were not ‘civilized’

enough to have the

rights of Canadian

citizens.”

—James Dempsey

“You’re talking about

one generation away

from pre-reserve life, in

which much of what

makes a man a man in

that culture was gone.

Here was a way to

legitimately get it

again.”

—James Dempsey

By Geoff McMaster

serve life, compared to what their fathersand especially grandfathers had experi-enced.” The second was an inexplicableloyalty to the Crown inherited from their

grandfathers.But natives born at the

turn of the century werealso driven by what he callsthe “warrior ethic … You’retalking about one genera-tion away from pre-reservelife, in which much of whatmakes a man a man in thatculture was gone. Here wasa way to legitimately get itagain.” As Dempsey pointsout, the Plains Indians of the19th century had “an aggres-sive warrior” tradition, hun-gering for opportunities todistinguish themselves onthe battlefield.

Ironically, the govern-ment had done all it couldto stamp out the native war-rior ethic in the years beforethe war. But after heavy

losses at Ypres, Festubert andGivenchy, “the reluctance to

Mike Foxhead (centre), a member of the Blackfoottribe, was killed in France by a sniper's bullet inOctober 1917 (courtesy Glenbow Archives).

Stoney Indians with ranchers and friends gatheredwest of Calgary to celebrate the end of the war inNovember 1918 (courtesy Glenbow Archives).

Cowhide robe (left) decorated byMike Mountain Horse.

recruit Indians vanished,” writesDempsey. Suddenly native warriors werehot property.

When they arrived in Europe, theyperformed exceptionally well. One Henry(Ducky) Norwest from the Edmonton areabecame arguably the best sniper in theentire British Army with 115 recorded hits,the most recorded.

But for all of their success in battle andconsiderable sacrifice for their country (thenative casualty rate was a staggering 52per cent), veterans received very little inreturn.

“While conditions for the majority ofCanadians improved, the same could notbe said for natives. Even though they sur-vived the war, many Indian veterans con-tinued to live at the bottom of the eco-nomic ladder and as the years passed theirsituation did not improve…It appearedthat Indian soldiers were good enough tofight and die for Canada, but they werenot ‘civilized’ enough to have the rights ofCanadian citizens.”

What did change, however, was nativepolitical awareness. Many young men hadnow seen the world, had met their broth-ers from other parts of Canada and hadbecome enlightened and convinced of theirself worth. In short order, they helped tocreate the League of Indians of Canada,“the first pan-Indian political association.”The government again tried to stamp outnative solidarity and its accompanyingwar ethic in the years following the FirstWorld War, but with little effect.

By 1939, western natives were ready toenlist in large numbers once more. ■

Folio Nov26 (p01).pm65 - University of Alberta

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