Universities aren’t supposed to find us jobs—they’re supposed to teach us how to learn
The discussion about whether an undergraduate degree is useless or not is somewhat redundant. Just like many other points of societal disagreement, this is a systemic issue as well as an individual one. Speaking as a millennial, which Time magazine defines as someone born between 1980 and 2000, I think talking about the “point” or “usefulness” of an undergrad is elitist.
Imagine posing this question to someone who never had the opportunity to go to university. Attending university, or any other post-secondary institution, is a very important and privileged opportunity. In 2017, however, I believe our focus is on making sure we aren’t “behind,” especially when we compare ourselves to our peers and where they are career-wise. We seem to be constantly striving to be more successful than our neighbours.
I believe a fear of inadequacy is what leads to money being wasted and university degrees feeling useless. A person might end up completing a degree they are not passionate about or that doesn’t really interest them. Yet some may feel that if they don’t have a bachelor’s degree, then they are not as smart or as important as others.
According to a feature on millennials in Time, “millennials have come of age in the era of the quantified self, recording their daily steps on FitBit, their whereabouts every hour of every day on PlaceMe and their genetic data on 23andMe.” Comparing your career fulfillment and career success is no exception to this trend. Speaking from my experience in a Canadian individualist society, the norm has been to look for a career that fulfils you. It’s a privilege to find a job that brings you fulfillment. But I wonder: are there really less jobs available or are university graduates just soul-searching for a job and labeling it as “failure” when they can’t find one?
Being able to study something that interests you is a privilege in itself as well. In many areas of the world, one might not have a chance to pursue something they excel at and find interesting.
A 2016 Ottawa Citizen article reported that “only 58.3 per cent of high school graduates land a job without any additional qualifications, while nearly three-quarters of all university graduates find work after completing their degree, according to Statistics Canada.” Personally, I think there is a misconception for a lot of people studying at university. University is not necessarily a place that will lead you directly to a job.
According to Todd Hirsch, a reporter for The Globe and Mail, “your university education, at least at the bachelor of arts level, was never intended to land you a job. It was intended to make you a more complete thinker. It was intended to teach you how to absorb complex information and make reasoned arguments. It was, quite simply, intended to teach you how to learn. Those are skills that you’ll use in any field of work.”
It is important for me to understand that, when I speak about my degree, I am speaking from a position of privilege. For those living in Canada, education is more accessible than many other areas of the world. Furthermore, being able to afford university and access resources to help finance your time at university is also a privilege. During my time in university, I think I have developed skills that have increased my ability to be objective, critical, ethical and analytical. These things are not specific to my degree, and I think this is important to note.
I am a journalism student, and I am not sure where my degree will take me. I have switched programs and universities a lot, and through these opportunities, I have been lucky enough to find an undergrad program that interests me. With my degree, I hope to improve my writing, professional and social skills, while learning about interesting and diverse stories and how to write about them.
I’ve come to learn that, whether you are in sociology or nursing, your undergraduate degree can teach you to be organized and methodological. We are entering a changing workforce. Due to this transitional time, I think that, while it may be harder to get a job with just an undergraduate degree, this degree is still valuable.
The stigma around mental illness needs to end, and the conversations need to start
Full disclosure: I suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). If I’m not medicated, it will take me 20 minutes or more just to get out of my apartment in the morning. I will check to make sure the back door is locked several times over. I will check repeatedly that the stove and oven are off, despite having eaten cold cereal for breakfast.
Then I need to verify that nothing near the heaters could start a fire, even in the summer when I know the heaters are off. Finally, and most importantly, if I cannot see the cat when I close the front door to leave, I assume that he has escaped and is lost somewhere outside. All the while, I keep my right hand on the pocket where my keys go to make sure I haven’t left them inside (and won’t be subsequently locked out).
I know a lot of people have morning routines, and they may even have similar rituals themselves. However, in my daily life, I must do these things. It’s not just a habit—it’s something that releases a pressure inside me and satisfies a seemingly physical need. Now, keep in mind, this is just my attempt to leave home. None of this says anything of the day-long struggle to keep everything and everyone doing what I need them to do in a way that appeases these compulsions. That is the most exhausting part.
This is my everyday experience if I am not medicated. It is a pain in the ass, but my symptoms are mild compared to many others who suffer from OCD. I take medication for these symptoms, and I am not ashamed of that because they tell my brain that many of these silly rituals are unnecessary. Therefore, medication gives me the option to focus on what’s really important, like going to school and doing reasonably well. So, am I crazy? Am I a lunatic not worthy of anything more than a life of seclusion and shame?
I’m not embarrassed about having OCD, nor should I be. Just as someone with a physical disability shouldn’t be embarrassed either. This is how we need to start thinking about mental illness. The stigma of “weakness” or “lunacy” are old and outdated, just as the terms “invalid” or “cripple” are. The time has come to talk about mental illness in a constructive manner. And so, I am putting myself out there to say that I am not crazy—my brain just works in a different capacity than others, and I will not apologize for that. I am not responsible for the position I have been put in, yet, I’m responsible for managing it.
So, why are some people scared to talk about mental illness? Perhaps it’s because they cannot see it. Or perhaps they simply fear the unknown. Well, I’ve got news for you: it is visible and we can see it all around us. Unfortunately, though, it will remain unknown until we talk about it.
You know some of those folks living on our city streets, right near Concordia’s downtown campus, talking to garbage bins and yelling at shadows? That’s mental illness. And until we educate ourselves, they will continue to be marginalized by society. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, nearly 40 per cent of the homeless population in Montreal suffer from various forms of severe mental illness. They are not evil, they are not crazy, nor are they possessed (by anything other than the socially-constructed prejudices of others). They are examples of what happens when people fear you or don’t understand you.
Perhaps I could be one of them. Luckily, I have a network of understanding people around me and access to healthcare that keeps me in school and possibly off the streets. This is not afforded to everyone, but it needs to be. You can help just by talking about it. I want to talk about this, and I want to talk about it now. My hope is that this will get things started.
Taking a look at some of the universities Concordia has international partnerships with
Concordia International will begin offering information sessions for students interested in studying abroad, as the application deadline for the 2017-2018 academic year is due Feb. 1.
For those who need help completing their application, Concordia International staff will be available to students on Jan. 18 during a Concordia Student Exchange Program (CSEP) application workshop. Participants are encouraged to stop by the workshop in H-517 at the downtown campus anytime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Concordia is partnered with 150 universities across 35 countries. The Concordian has compared, cost of living, education, food and more for five locations.
Graphic by Florence Yee.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
University of Western Sydney (UWS)
UWS has more than 44,000 students and more than 3,000 thousand staff members, according to the UWS’s official website. The university has seven different campuses with a shuttle bus service to travel to and from them. In a rank conducted by the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, UWS was ranked the 78th best university worldwide in 2017.
UWS offers a variety of courses under the subjects of health and medicine, applied and pure sciences, social studies and media, business and management, computer and IT, and creative arts and design.
University of New South Wales (UNSW)
UNSW has three campuses and was ranked the 46th best university in the world in 2015 by QS World University Rankings. UNSW was also ranked the number one choice among Australia’s highest employers in 2015 by LinkedIn. More than 52,000 students attend UNSW, including 13,123 international students from more than 120 countries.
Within the nine faculties at UNSW, there are 900 academic degrees offered to students. The nine faculties include the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UNSW Business School, UNSW Art and Design, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Built Environment, Science and UNSW Canberra—the Australian Defence Force Academy.
The city of Sydney
According to The Economist’s 2015 Safe Cities Index report, Sydney is the sixth safest city in the world. There are many activities and social events for students, including biking along the city’s cycling paths, exploring bushwalking—an Australian term for hiking/backpacking in natural areas—camping and surfing at beaches such as at Bondi Beach. For sports lovers, Western Sydney offers local community competitions you can watch or participate in, for sports such as cricket, basketball and soccer. Sydney is home to a large number of bars and clubs open 24 hours.
BEIJING, CHINA
Communication University of China (CUC)
CUC has an enrollment of 15,000 full-time students and approximately 1,000 international students from more than 110 countries around the world. CUC has been ranked the number one university in China for journalism and communication studies, as well as theatre, film and television studies, according to the latest National Discipline Evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Education in China.
Renmin University of China (RUC)
RUC is research-oriented with a focus on humanities and social sciences. In 2015, RUC was ranked China’s 26th out of 196 universities by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. RUC has approximately 24,522 students, including 1,113 international students. There are 23 different departments offered with a variety of programs amongst each department. Some of the departments include: Philosophy, Liberal Arts, Chinese Classics, Arts, Foreign Languages, Journalism and Communication, Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Public Administration and Policy, Economics, Finance, Law, Marxism Studies, International Studies, Science and the Sino-French Institute.
The City of Beijing:
An inexpensive activity students can participate in are morning sessions of Taichi held in parks across the city, such as in Ritan Park. Those who are looking for a place to drink should visit Sanlitun Bar Street, located just south of the embassy district. It is one of the more popular spots for nightlife in Beijing, open until 2 a.m. Those who plan to stay abroad in China should be mindful that various social media websites are blocked from use by the Chinese government, such as Facebook and YouTube.
PARIS, FRANCE
Institut d’Études Politiques (IEP) de Paris
The Paris Institute of Political Studies in English or nicknamed “SciencesPo”—has seven different campuses across France. There is one in Paris, Poitiers, Menton, Dijon, Reims, Le Havre and Nancy. The same bachelor’s degrees are offered at each campus, allowing students to choose their prefered campus. However, doctoral programs and master’s degrees are only offered at the Paris campus. The 2016 World University Rankings rated SciencesPo as the 4th best university for politics and international studies.
Université Panthéon-Sorbonne
Also known as Paris 1, this university has a capacity of 1,183 faculty members and 32,564 students. Paris 1 has been rated by QS World University Rankings as the 228th best university in the world. The same source rated their archeology program as the 12th best worldwide, their history program as the 18th best, their law and legal studies programs as 20th best and their philosophy program as 23rd best.
The City of Paris
Paris is filled with many historical gems and beautiful architecture for anyone visiting the city to explore. There are also many markets around the city selling local food, inexpensive books and various second-hand items. While going out at night can be pricey, students should check out La Zorba, an inexpensive bistro open at 5 a.m., for an early bite or late-night partiers for a drink.
REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
University of Iceland (UoI)
UoL is one of Iceland’s seven universities, however Concordia only has a partnership with one—which is in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík. The first language taught at UoI is Icelandic, however some programs are offered in English, but mostly at the graduate level. There are a variety of courses offered in English in the engineering and natural sciences, education studies, health sciences, humanities and social sciences.
The City of Reykjavík
Those looking to live in the city should beware that food prices are quite high in Reykjavík, since Iceland imports most of its goods. In the mid-winter months, there are only four to five hours of solid daylight, while from mid-May to mid-August the sun sets for only a few hours per day—this is called the “midnight sun” by many. For less than $10, those who want to see Reykjavík from the tallest part of Iceland can visit Hallgrímskirkja Church, the tallest building in Reykjavík with a lookout at the top.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
LMU has a faculty of 3,506 and 35,809 students and is recognized as a leading research and academic institution in Europe. QS World University Rankings rated LMU as the 68th best university in the world, ranked as having the 13th best physics and astronomy program and the 33th best faculty of natural science.
Technische Universität München (TUM)
TUM has a staff of 5,675 and 37,483 students with campuses in Munich, Garching and Freising-Weihenstephan. While the university has a research focus, it offers 13 different faculties for students to choose from. QS World University Rankings rated LMU the 60th best university in the world, and ranked it as having the 27th best engineering program and the 30th best faculty in natural science.
The City of Munich:
There are many free activities offered in Munich, such as visiting Olympiapark—the location of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games—and attending their free concerts during the summer months. Daring individuals can also try river surfing. You can also watch river surfers in Eisbach in downtown Munich. Although swimming in this river is prohibited, many do not follow this rule. Museums in Munich offer “one euro Sunday” entry, where it is just one euro for the day for you to marvel at Monet, Rembrandt and Warhol.
Comparing numbers from each location
One pint in neighbourhood pub:
Graphic by Florence Yee.
One cappuccino:
Graphic by Florence Yee.
1 bedroom apartment:
Graphic by Florence Yee.
Transit:
*Sydney and Beijing transit does not offer monthly passes. Instead, the system charges users for the length of time one is on the transit. Estimates are based on the use of an average commuter in Sydney.
Basic lunch menu with drink in business district:
Graphic by Florence Yee.
*All of these rates are based on approximations according to Expatistan and comparisons of different cafés, bars, real estate agencies and transit operators in each location. These numbers are a suggestion towards the average price in each city.
The first information session will be held on on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at Concordia International’s office at 2080 Mackay, Annex X, room 103, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
There will also be information sessions hosted at the same place and time on Wednesday, Jan. 11; Thursday, Jan. 12; Tuesday, Jan. 17; Wednesday, Jan. 18 and Thursday, Jan. 19. For those who cannot attend in the afternoon, there will be evening sessions held on Monday, Jan. 16 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Why having a sexist sense of humour is dangerous as an educator
The one thing most students can agree on is that your professor will either make or break your overall experience in a class. Genuinely interesting content can be ruined by a monotonous, non-engaging professor, or a tedious, boring subject can be brought to life by an engaging teacher.
But what do you do when your overall experience in a class with a prof was treacherous, flabbergasting and just downright insulting, yet some of your classmates enjoyed the course for the very same reasons you despised it? Well, for starters, you write an article about it.
Last winter, during my first year at Concordia, I took MARK 201: Introduction to Marketing Strategies as an elective, thinking I’d enjoy it. From an objective standpoint, I did enjoy the content of the class, the projects and all the different types of networking that came from it. It was all extremely interesting, however, attending lectures became not only a chore I grew to despise, but listening to some of the things the prof would say were both shocking and saddening.
A male professor who has been part of the department for many years ended up being my professor for those long, cold, dreary winter months. In a nutshell, he had an ostentatious sense of humour that was almost solely comprised of sexist jokes.
As a disclaimer, I should mention I don’t have any recordings or documentation of my experiences in this class—this is a personal recount. However, if I did possess any I’d likely have enough content to fill an entire book with the number of times this professor degraded his wife and their marriage, and even mocked his own children in front of our class of more than 150 students.
The professor would joke about how, once you’re married, your wife never touches you and about how a man needs to keep his wife happy, or be prepared for the worst—to which he’d allude to that the only way to satisfy a wife is by buying expensive baubles. Literally, every class, multiple times per class, jokes of this nature and worse were made with zero regard for how his students felt about them.
The worst part about these jokes wasn’t how stereotypical they were about women, but how much the class actually laughed along with them. Sometimes it was a mixture of males guffawing and women giggling, although it is safe to say women, generally, weren’t the ones to laugh.
The professor’s jokes also went far beyond his wife and his marriage—any class discussion about cosmetics, accessories or even cookware was partnered with a slew of one-liners and anecdotal stories about women and their follies. He even made blonde jokes. Yes, a professor working at a progressive, liberal and an otherwise amazing educational institution in 2016 truly thought blonde jokes appropriate during a lecture.
One particular instance stands out in my mind as the moment when any of my remaining respect for this professor was catapulted out the window. The class was having a discussion about the marketing strategies of CAA, the roadside assistance service. The professor started pitching CAA’s services to the class by describing a scenario in which a person has to call for help because their car has broken down. He said women benefitted most from these services, indicating that at some point, every woman would find themselves stranded on the side of the road with a broken car they essentially knew nothing about, without a man at-the-ready to save us.
To my absolute shock, this comment was met by either giggling or absent-minded head nodding by a good number of my classmates, both male and female. I remember feeling two things: first off, I was really disappointed a professor would make such an ignorant, blanket statement so casually, particularly because I worked at an auto repair shop. The second thing I remember thinking was I was probably taking this too harshly, and I shouldn’t speak up, even though I had a personal experience that would disprove what he said.
Thankfully, a girl sitting ahead of me raised her hand and said, with applaudable sass, that women are just as capable of fixing cars as men. Hats off to you, girl. This reaffirmed that others likely felt offended or fed up with the jokes this professor was making, that this wasn’t simply me needing to learn how to take a joke.
There’s a time and a place for certain types of jokes. I mean, I think we can all admit to smiling at a properly-executed or well-timed “…in the kitchen” or “my wife…” joke at some point in our lives. However, for a professor to employ that sense of humour in every one of his classes with absolutely no consideration for how it will affect the overall educational experience of his students is completely unacceptable.
Canadian education needs more involvement and influence from Indigenous culture
Indigenous education is becoming a greater priority amongst educators and the Canadian government, following calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC).
The TRC calls to action asks the federal government to implement a new legislation regarding indigenous education with the full inclusion and consent of indigenous peoples. The TRC first released these calls to action in 2015, which reinforced many high schools across the country to include the history of residential schools in their curriculum.
Some of the other demands include improving education and student success rates, creation of a culturally appropriate educational program, to preserve indigenous language by offering language classes as a credit course and valuing and recognizing Treaty relationships.
“This is kind of an expansion of some of the work that I’ve been doing at our faculty level,” said Fast, as she was originally just an associate professor for applied human sciences before being offered this position.
“Essentially over the next three years we’re hoping to explore, identify and recommend priority areas,” said Fast. She said currently she and Lyn are in the process of creating a leadership group to assemble and help guide them in identifying what the university should be focusing on in terms of indigenous representation.
“A lot of things are still unknown right now, but we really hope to set up a process with indigenous leadership in order to help guide us, including faculty, staff, students and elders,” said Lyn.
She said they are seeking improvement on indigenous student support across the university and increasing the amount of and degree to which all educators include indigenous perspectives in their courses—not only in regards to content, but in the ways and lenses these histories are taught.
“Everything is going to be including the [indigenous] leadership team, but Charmaine and I really have the mandate to coordinate and move on things that the leadership team is identifying and recommending to us,” said Fast.
Along with the hiring of these advisors, the university will soon release an online indigenous hub on Concordia’s website which will provide an online environment for communication.
The appointing of these special advisors was initiated through the First Peoples Studies Member Association meeting with Concordia president Alan Shepard. Shiann Wahéhshon Whitebean—president of the First Peoples Studies Member Association and founder and main organizer of the Indigenous Student Council at Concordia—was involved in the push for this change.
“We did a petition and it resulted in a meeting with president Shepard in May, where we were able to talk openly for a couple of hours face to face about the things we’d like to see,” said Whitebean. “Concordia’s seriously lacking in terms of indigenous presence, voice and all around indigenous engagement initiatives.”
Whitebean is also a part of an indigenous Concordia working group, to which she said the group initiated in response to the TRC’s suggestions. Faculty, alumni, staff and students came together across campus to address their common concerns over the lack of indigenous immanence on campus. “We were really working together to push administration to push indigenous engagement initiatives in the strategic planning,” said Whitebean.
Whitebean said she was invited by Fast to join the Truth and Reconciliation Leadership Group. “I know from my part I would be able to just contribute my perspective and my experience as an Onkwehón:we:* person,” said Whitebean. She said, with this position, she will make sure student voices are part of these student initiatives moving forward.
She said she sees the hiring of Lyn and Fast as a positive move. “It definitely demonstrates the commitment of Concordia as an institution and the administration to really engage with indigenous initiatives and people,” said Whitebean.
“The university picked two fantastic people for special advisors,” said Karl Hele, associate professor and director of First Peoples Studies at Concordia and member of the Garden River First Nations community of the Anishinaabeg people. “An advisory committee has been created—finally, I wait to see if the university will actually do more than engage in endless meetings, committees and reports.”
Hele said he would like to see concrete action made by the university, beginning with financial support. He said the university should support First Peoples Studies financially and all First Peoples on campus. In terms of the university funding First Peoples Studies, Hele said this includes funding resources, awards, research, elders involved, mentors and tenure stream hires.
Hele said he has heard the university and the Faculty of Arts and Science treats First Peoples Studies equally with all other programs and departments. “Problem is when you have a program that starts from a lesser unequal footing and then reduce it, the faculty and university is reinforcing inequality masquerading as equality,” said Hele.
Concordia needs to realize it will take time and money to create indigenous presence and resources on campus, said Hele. However, he is doubtful the university will spend much time and money on this. “Hopefully the committee is more than an effort at publicity by the university,” said Hele.
Whitebean suggested the university can still improve with the implementation of a First Peoples House. She described this as a central space where the First Peoples Studies program could be potentially housed, along with an aboriginal student resource centre and a space for ceremony and other indigenous events. “Really, it marks a presence, acknowledgement and respect of first peoples and it’s a physical reminder for people on campus about the history, the [politics] and the people that the university occupies that space,” said Whitebean. She said McGill University already has a First Peoples House.
“A First Peoples House is one of the possibilities that will be explored by the special advisors to the provost on indigenous directions,” said university spokesperson Chris Mota. “All options are on the table.”
In a CBC article, it was mentioned educators would be implementing the history of residential schools within high school curriculum, as per the TRC’s calls to action.
“There’s huge movement in all the provinces and territories in the continued development of this curriculum around residential schools,” said Charlene Bearhead, education lead for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR). “But also around the history and culture of First Nations and Inuit people.” Bearhead added the work involved in this initiative is ongoing.
“There’s huge work being done across the country at the National Education Roundtable since then and, in fact, we’re planning for our second [roundtable] in January of this year,” said Bearhead. The National Education Roundtable is a gathering that discusses heritage preservation education and training in Canada.
Graphic by Florence Yee.
Bearhead identified the losses experienced by First Nations people as a result of residential schools including personality, knowledge, language and indigenous sciences. “Not only are indigenous people worse off for the loss of that knowledge, but all Canadians would benefit from those understandings,” said Bearhead.
Bearhead said there is a gap in the involvement of indigenous people in society. “The gap isn’t in the people, the gap is in the system,” said Bearhead. She said education including an indigenous perspective will be more relevant, meaningful and useful to indigenous students if they actually can see themselves in the education. “How do students see education as valuable when they don’t even see themselves in it?” Bearhead questioned.
Bearhead said indigenous students don’t see a reflection of themselves in their educators, worldviews, science, health, literature, music or art. “How is that different than residential schools? It’s still assimilation,” said Bearhead.
Hele is skeptical as to whether the inclusion of indigenous history into the curriculum will extend beyond First Nations contribution to the fur trade. “I doubt it will do actually very much on aboriginal history,” said Hele.
Hele said indigenous history should be taught in elementary schools. “It’s hard to teach the really rough history or rough politics.” However, he said there are certain parts of indigenous history which can be shared with elementary students. “Not everything in the past is negative,” said Hele.
For example, he explained Kahnawake community members were great boatmen in the Montreal river over the Lachine Rapids—a series of rapids on the Saint Lawrence River—where these boatmen would cross to transport tons of goods. He said when the Lachine Canal was constructed, the industrial development of these canals ruined the industry for these communities.
“That’s the negative story—industrial development ruined their industry,” said Hele. “The positive is they were the best boatmen on the river for like 100 years.”
Hele believes there should be mandatory courses at Concordia across all departments, with a focus on indigenous culture. “I say that because the English department should have a mandatory course in aboriginal literature,” said Hele. “First Peoples Studies is only a program.”
He said if some departments feel they cannot provide courses with content on indigenous peoples then they should require their students take an indigenous course outside of their discipline.
“It’s definitely about time they change the curriculum, and I think it is a good thing to incorporate more indigenous history, knowledge and perspective,” Whitebean said. “I think it’s also equally important that it’s done in cooperation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people … or otherwise it just becomes another form of misrepresentation.”
“My experience in high school history classes, the image that they [have] given of us and the way that there’s that colonial history,” said Whitebean. “We’re made out to be as victims or as savage.”
“Indigenous studies is a growing field in education so I think it demonstrates that people are open to it,” said Whitebean. However, she said she believes there is caution needed in terms of respectfully approaching the issue.
She said Canada is forced to implement the teaching of residential schools after the TRC calls to action, after the Canadian government issued a public apology in 2008 for residential schools. Whitebean said the educational system in Canada needs to have a more meaningful development towards this issue.
Culturally-based models of teaching and learning by indigenous communities were not accepted, appreciated or valued, said Whitebean. “It’s like they’re perceived as flawed in that colonial lens.”
While attending Concordia and being engaged in the university, Whitebean said she has dealt with racism, ignorance and inappropriate comments. “I think that’s part of educating people for respect and respect for our cultures and for who we are,” said Whitebean. “We have a long way to go in that sense.”
“I think we could be that school that really can take on a leadership role in Quebec in terms of engaging with Indigenous people, implementing these recommendations from the TRC and all of that,” said Whitebean, adding that Concordia is currently the only university in Quebec to offer a major or degree program in indigenous studies. “I think that we’re just well positioned to take that on.”
*Onkwehón:we: is defined as the original, indigenous peoples, mainly of Turtle Island.
A Concordia student distributes education in Greece. Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar.
A group of Montreal students travelled to Greece to help educate young refugees
A group of Montreal students, including one from Concordia, travelled to Greece over the summer with a goal to educate and help young adults from refugee camps in the Northern part of the country. Concordia student Joelle Assaf and three of her friends felt personally affected by the current refugee crisis. “We knew we wanted to do something to help out, but we were not sure exactly how to approach it,” said Assaf.
The group initially wanted to work in a Lebanese refugee camp, due to their personal attachment to the country, as three of them are Lebanese. However, this proved to be too dangerous due to constant war attacks occurring in Syria, she said. After doing their research, they chose work at a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Greece, very close to the Serbian border.
In order to pay for the trip and supplies, the group started crowdfunding. They received approximately 3000 euros. “We didn’t know exactly what to do with this money, and so working with the NGO really helped us see what these camps had and what they needed,” said Assaf.
They visited several refugee camps, including Idomeni, the largest in Greece. They spent about a week distributing food, clothes and various other necessities.
They eventually ended up in a refugee camp called Echo. “We saw all of their very interesting projects going on, for example there’s a group of volunteers that were working in the [Echo] kitchen so all the refugees could eat,” Assaf said.
She also worked on building a shower for babies at the camp. “The hygiene was very bad, with eight plastic bathrooms for a thousand people,” Assaf said. “It’s not easy to shower, especially if you have a baby.”
The group also noticed there was a lack of focus on education, Assaf said. “Teenagers and adults were not doing anything. They started university but had to stop because of the war,” she said. This is what gave the team the idea to build a library close to Echo, at Vasilika refugee camp, home to 2000 Syrian, Iraqi and Kurdish people.
“By building one, it would help young people figure out what they want to do for their life,” Assaf said.
The library aims to provide a reading space, access to online courses, learning tools and tutoring, according to the library’s website.
The process of building the library was not easy, though. All of the projects in the refugee camps must be approved by the Greek government. To avoid such issues for now, volunteers decided to rent land very close to Echo and use it to run projects independent of the Greek government. Once they get approval from the government, they will build a library in the Echo camp.
Now that Assaf is in Montreal, she is looking for Arabic-English dictionaries to bring back to the library so that refugees coming to North America know enough of the language to communicate effectively.
The group is currently back in Montreal, organizing different fundraisers to raise money for more books. The group already has an active Facebook page and a website. They hope to start recruiting more volunteers as the project progresses.
The transition to digital information keeps challenging universities to stay relevant. Graphic by Jennifer Kwan
Information technology and the progressive evolution of the digital age is all around us. Every day we consume thousands of lines of text dedicated to keeping us up-to-date on topics that are meaningful to us.
The transition to digital information keeps challenging universities to stay relevant. Graphic by Jennifer Kwan
Those who have had the privilege of being born amidst this technology have the advantage of better understanding and manipulating it.
At the academic standpoint however, this creates a paradigm shift. Students not only understand, but expect technology to match their expectations with immediate access to data, minimal time spent in “meat space,” and a growing trend for students signing up for courses available online.
These topics are serious concerns for universities like Concordia and McGill, and are precisely what Anthony Masi, professor and provost at McGill, addressed in his conference this Thursday, titled “Are Universities Obsolete?”
Like most sociology papers, the answer to that question would be a resounding “no,” but the details of Masi’s presentation gave way to some in depth review of the struggles universities now face with the growing popularity of MOOC’s (Massive Open Online Courses) like Coursera and Udacity.
These free, open-ended and high quality courses are produced and assessed by university professors, assembled with advanced artificial intelligence that recognize where students make mistakes in their self-assessments, and offer them a different explanation for the material, just like an in-class teacher would.
This format of classes proves to be a significant challenge for universities that are still operating under a fundamentally flawed system that has had difficulties adapting with this rise in information technology.
Campuses are limited by antiquated funding opportunities, poorly organized campus spaces, and hardware that is often grossly outdated, or simply poorly supported. A prime example of this would be the growing rise in usage of the library buildings; students are visiting libraries more and more, but leaving with books far less often.
The transition to digital information has left libraries with stacks of books that are collecting dust, whilst students peruse the latest editions on their laptops.
“MOOC’s are shaping up to be a game-changer,” said Masi.
Giving students the option of participating in high quality courses without being on campus, and offering these courses completely free of charge are some of the reasons why administrations, boards and professors alike are turning their attention to these learning tools.
Although these cannot currently provide you with the necessary credits to graduate in a program, MOOC’s could fundamentally alter the accessibility and economy of education in the future by offering the very best course, with top of the line experts, and phasing out local institutions in favour of those with a more prestigious budget.
There’s no denying that fundamental changes are coming to the way courses are given in universities. The bottom line is that the students are the ones who will benefit the most from this competition in business models, by offering students better access to education at affordable prices.
In an age where the simplest of tasks are being made easier through online access, it would only seem natural that even our education would adopt a place online. Well it has, for a while now, with online classes. Although it does have its advantages, it also has certain issues that have some students, including myself, thinking twice before registering for them.
Graphic by Jennifer Kwan
There are two types of students who take online classes. There are the disciplined ones, the ones that set a day to complete assignments and go over the weekly chapter. Then, of course, there are the ones who can’t learn a thing without teachers constantly reminding them what their homework is.
“Courses delivered solely online may be fine for highly skilled, highly motivated people, but they are inappropriate for struggling students who make up a significant portion of college enrollment and who need close contact with instructors to succeed,” said a New York Times editorial from earlier this year.
Online classes are much more difficult for the second kind of student. A lack of discipline when taking an online class is like travelling down the most slippery of educational slopes. Therefore, it isn’t recommended if you have trouble staying on top of assignments, even when you have a teacher to constantly remind you.
Getting in touch with the teacher can sometimes be exceedingly difficult. Due to the fact that there is no face-to-face contact throughout the semester (except perhaps during final exams), getting questions answered is more difficult than one may think. Teaching assistants become overwhelmed with the number of emails they receive, and some may end up going unanswered. The last thing a student really needs is to end up on a wild goose chase looking for their TA or their teacher for a simple question that can be answered in two minutes.
Also, what if a student has connection issues during a quiz and ends up failing because of it, despite their best efforts? This is a serious issue that deserves the professor’s attention, and yet can take weeks to fix.
“I’ve had so many issues with online classes, I don’t think I’ll be taking one again any time soon,” said JMSB student Panagiota Papagrigoriou, who enrolled in Concordia’s “Chemistry in our Lives” (CHEM 208).
“I missed a quiz once because of scheduling issues, and didn’t get an answer for weeks,” she said. “It’s stressful not knowing what’s happening with a huge chunk of your grade.”
Montgomery College located in Maryland, just outside Washington D.C. recognizes the disadvantages to these classes, and makes them known to those interested in enrolling in an online class through a top “Ten Disadvantages of Online Classes” list on their website. This type of precaution is a good idea for classes that are still somewhat new to our education system. On this top 10, the warnings vary from procrastinators beware, to the fact that these classes often create a sense of isolation for the student. The main warning is to be careful what you do with the excess freedom these classes give you.
According to Columbia University’s Community College Research Center, which has completed nine academic studies on online classes, results show that they do not provide a better education than traditional classes, and that online classes aren’t more advantageous for low-income students.
Overall, make sure you know what type of student you are before you enrol in one of these ever-popular online classes. It just might be the opposite of what you expected.
With the goal to improve the Canadian academic industry, on Sept. 9, Ontario university students officially launched Cooplearn, a website designed to help students keep in contact with each other regarding school affairs.
The free website was founded by childhood friends Bassil Eid, studying economics at the University and Ottawa, and Robin Defaye, a student at the University of Waterloo. They came up with the idea in October of last year.
On the website, students can create an account, select their school, then form Studyrooms which are virtual spaces that mimic the classes offered at a given school. This is where students share notes, help one another study or work on assignments.
“We came up with the idea of Cooplearn when myself and a few friends were sitting around thinking of how dependent we are on each other when it comes to completing assignments and studying for exams,” said Eid.
By allowing students to take control of their education, the founders hope to achieve their goal of improving the national school system – a goal they feel should be shared with students around the country.
“We all need to come together,” said Eid. “Cooplearn simply provides the meeting place.”
He feels the collaboration the website allows can help better students’ work, while also making the studying process more fun.
“Going through a tough experience with others who are in the same situation as you always makes the experience a lot easier,” said Eid.
Before officially launching the website this fall, Eid and Defaye tested it out on their friends who were enrolled in summer classes. Eid explained that they’re still testing the website and taking in feedback from users to make improvements.
Cooplearn becomes more beneficial as more students sign up, explained Eid, as it allows for the sharing of knowledge.
He said just under 700 students use Cooplearn, while the amount of users is quickly increasing.
“The students have really been great at getting this website out there,” said Eid.
Cooplearn is now mostly geared towards Canadian colleges and universities. It’s also available in some schools in the U.K. and the U.S., while the founders expect it to continue to grow in the future. So far, there are only a few students at Concordia using Cooplearn.
“[A] cool feature is that we have control over everything we do,” said Concordia economics student Kevin Smith. “We create the Studyroom, we add in the assignments, we invite our friends.”
Smith said seven of his friends collaborated in a Studyroom to complete an assignment but he hopes more people will join the website so that more students can help each other out.
Eid stressed that Cooplearn is different from other websites like Yahoo! Answers, Ask.com and Allexperts.com because of its focus.
“While other [websites] just offer a free-for-all of questions and answers, we offer organized study with friends and classmates in a centralized location,” said Eid.
Cooplearn is for students in any area of study, from economics to drawing. There’s a math toolbar and image uploader on the website for students in technical and arts programs.
“This is a website created by students for students. It is created so that we can have control over our own education,” said Eid.
The Concordia Student Union will start campaigning for student involvement in order to hold a vote related to the provincial government’s upcoming education summit scheduled for mid-February.
The CSU will launch a website within the next two weeks that will allow students to pitch their concerns with higher education and specifically the governance of Concordia. In order to reach out to as many students as possible, the CSU chose to have undergraduates participate online and vote on positions proposed by fellow students.
To submit a position, students must support their claims with academic research consisting of three articles. According to VP external Simon-Pierre Lauzon, who is co-ordinating the initiative, the CSU will help individuals with research if they request it.
The website will also allow for discussion of the proposals put forth on the four themes to be discussed at the summit including quality of post-secondary education, the accessibility of higher education, the governance and financing of universities, and the contribution of research establishments to the development of Quebec. Then students will have the opportunity to vote on what they believe should be conveyed to the provincial government at the summit.
The Parti Québécois promised the education summit would address the concerns and issues that arose during the student strike movement. Lauzon hopes the CSU will compile 10 proposals per theme, allotting for a total of 40 positions to represent the opinions of the undergraduate student body at Concordia.
One concern is the participation of students. In order to meet quorum, at least 450 students must participate in the vote and it must be done by the end of the month. The CSU will encourage students to participate by campaigning in classrooms, buildings, online, with posters and purchasing advertising space.
“Everybody is going to hear about it if they are anywhere on campus,” said Lauzon. “We’re hoping two to three thousand people participate.”
Student Senator Wendy Kraus-Heitmann said she is worried about the details of the campaign proposal, stating it posed “major problems as written” and that she is concerned with time constraints. In an email to Lauzon, she suggested that the CSU hold a series of town halls and bring positions and stances by the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec to students for them to vote on. The lack of time will make it less likely to hold a “meaningful” consultation according to Kraus-Heitmann.
Lauzon said that certain student faculty associations, specifically the Arts and Science Federation of Associations and the Engineering and Computer Science Association have already taken steps to contact their students to voice opinions. In September, ASFA’s executive took a strong stance in ensuring Arts and Science students would be heard in the upcoming conference.
While the CSU will not be present at the education summit itself since it is invite-only, Concordia students will be represented by the FEUQ. The results of the vote will be communicated to the university association so that Concordia-specific concerns may be voiced at the summit. Lauzon clarified that the CSU may also send a memo to the organizers of the summit if there is something they feel wasn’t addressed by FEUQ.
Some students like Mike de Sévigné, an independent student at Concordia, don’t have any concerns he wants brought to the summit.
“I’ve always been happy with what I have,” said de Sévigné. “But I do hope they [the government] listen to the concerns of other students and fulfill those needs.”
The education of Quebec students may have a stronger focus on the history of the sovereignty movement and fewer early English language classes based on comments recently made by Quebec’s education minister.
In an interview originally published in Le Soleil, the Parti Québécois’ Education Minister Marie Malavoy said that she wants to hold off on the previous Liberal government’s plans to have intensive English language classes for sixth grade students in French elementary schools. Malavoy desires to strengthen the emphasis of Quebec sovereignty in history classes in order to highlight how it has shaped the province.
Shortly after the statements were made, the English Montreal School Board issued a press release in which it stated that “more than adequate attention is already being devoted to this dossier” with regards to the approach to Quebec nationalism used in secondary institutions’ curriculum.
Angela Mancini, the EMSB chairperson, believes that the curriculum sufficiently addresses national unity and Quebec. In a statement, Mancini said she consulted the school board’s pedagogical services department on the subject, and the material dedicated to Quebec sovereignty is “quite extensive.”
Katie Shea, a second-year McGill University education student majoring in history, says she is unsure of how the provincial government plans to change the curriculum.
“We learn it from the point of view of the French and no one else,” Shea said. “We don’t even learn the history of Canada, we only learn about Quebec.”
Shea went on to explain that all history lessons offer a certain bias and that if the curriculum were to change, secondary education teachers will have to emphasize the PQ’s opinions and ignore other aspects of Canadian history.
“What is the provincial government going to do, not talk about other provinces at all?” asked Shea.
Tina Christensen, a mother of two from the West Island, does not believe that the separatist movement needs any more attention in history class.
“I think it’s fine to make kids aware of it, but to actually teach it in schools?” said Christensen.”I think that political views should be the parents’ choice.”
Jean-Michel Nahas, spokesperson for the Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys, said in a telephone interview that the change of plans for advanced English courses has had little impact on the school board as the previous government was slow to communicate the specific details they required to move forward.
“We decided that for the first year this program would be on a voluntary basis, and we had only one school who said [they] would like to try it,” said Nahas. “Last summer we were waiting for more information on the future of this program, … but we did not receive any other information.”
According to Nahas, the project proposed by the former Charest government was flawed since it provided few directives for interested schools. Since the CSMB has elementary schools located in the West Island where many students possess advanced English language skills, the school board was uncertain if they could modify the program to meet the skill levels of the students.
“Can we adjust the program for them as they already speak English and write in English?” said Nahas. “For that kind of question we had no specific answers.”
Until clear policies are in place and instructions are handed down by the PQ government, the CSMB will not be making any concrete plans.
