Language department threatened at Carleton University

[D & E Loewen]

Dear Colleagues,

I recently received the following message regarding the closure
of graduate and undergraduate language & comparative literature & classics
programs at Carleton University in Ottawa.  As a Canadian graduate student
enrolled in a U.S. university and currently doing research in Russia, I
think that it merits attention beyond Canadian academic circles (I received
it via the Canadian Association of Slavists).

If you wish to reply, do so to the addresses at the end of the message.

Donald Loewen
Dept. of Slavic Languages
Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

**********************************


Dear Colleagues,
        This is a short version of a longer text which I have already sent
but has not yet been distributed by the server.
        On Thursday, Nov. 20, the Dean of Arts and Social
Sciences convened a meeting of the School of Languages, Literatures and
Comparative Literary Studies to announce that he would recommend to Senate
the closure of all our graduate and
undergraduate programs in: German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Comparative
Literature and Classics.
        The reason given was financial: we are too expensive because the
total enrolments are small. Without going into details, I assure you that
not only were the Dean's figures false, but that we are quite normal in
student numbers when compared across Canada and the USA. Despite declining
Arts enrolments, we have held steady. But no numbers we produce have any
impact. Our MA program has appraised well with the Ontario Council of
Graduate Studies; academic quality is not the argument being used against
us.
        To give you an idea of the "reasoning" at work, here is a
quotation from the Ottawa Citizen, based on a press conference President
Van Loon held Nov. 20:
        "The cuts must be made and job losses are inevitable he [Van Loon]
said. `We can't play around with smoke and mirrors.' Some teachers who
lose full-time jobs could return as sessional instructors, who will play a
larger part in teaching at the university. This would be a big cost
saving, Mr. Van Loon said, since a sessional instructor is paid $7,000 to
teach one course, while a tenured professor making $70,000 a year might
teach two courses."
        Because of a special clause in our collective agreement, the
closure of this program would mean that all 22 full-time faculty can be
declared redundant and laid off as of May 1, 1998, even though they have
tenure. Includes me, folks. Our faculty association feels that this could
be the test of a new model for reorganizing Ontario universities: close
individual programs and thereby circumvent tenure.
        The Dean and Vice-President (Academic) are convinced that closing
the language and literature programs (including Classics!) will not have
negative consequences for Carleton's image. I
hope and believe that the German unit at Carleton has a good reputation
out there. If you could communicate that, as well as anything about how
such sweeping cuts might be seen across Canada in relation to Carleton's
image, it would be a help.
        Because of the postal strike, and because the Senate will make its
decision on November 28 (they moved the date ahead from Dec. 5!) I would
ask you to fax or e-mail the following people directly and immediately:
        Dr. Richard Van Loon
        President
        Carleton University
        fax: 613 520-4474
        email: richard_van_loon at carleton.ca

        Dr. J. W. ApSimon
        Vice-President (Research and External)
        Carleton University
        fax: 613 520-2689
        email: john_apsimon at carleton.ca

        Dr. G.S. Adam
        Vice-President (Academic)
        Carleton University
        fax: 613 520-2536
        email: stuart_adam at carleton.ca

        Dr. R.C. Blockley
        Dean of Graduate Studies
        Carleton University
        fax: 613 520-4049
        email: roger_blockley at carleton.ca

If you email, add me to the
list of addresses and I will forward copies to the other members of
Senate:
        arnd_bohm at carleton.ca

Please give this appeal wide
distribution. Many thanks, and best wishes, Arnd Bohm