Staff stats

Sigaty researches women in trades

Here’s CE program assistant Bonny
_ Sigaty’s account of an interesting
research project she conducted:

Last semester I interviewed six of the
eight women who were pursuing
non-traditional occupations and registered

_ in various programs offered through

Trades and Technology. I did this in part —

to complete a project for SOC 220

(Sociology of Women in Canada) and, for ~

personal interest, since I work closely -
with the faculty and staff in that
department, to confirm or deny the
perception that the Trades and
Technology department was not a very
welcoming place for women students.

Each woman had many reasons for.
making their choices; they ranged from
information they received through
educational counselling, to hanging.
around construction sites with Dad as a
youngster. One had been encouraged to
enrol in the Employment and Educational
Access for Women program offered at
Kwantlen University College because she
was unskilled and had held a series of

minimum-wage jobs, none of which had a -

’ future. She credited this program as the
most empowering and enabling influence

_ she had ever experienced. Her desire to

enter carpentry was reinforced when Harv

McCullough and Richard Janssen

permitted her a one-week work placement __

' here in the Trades and Technology ~~
department. She described the experience
as an extremely positive one. She is now
looking forward to entering the workforce
as a skilled worker.She hasan

~- exceptionally positive attitude, convinced

that if one door closes, another will open “
...and if an opening isn’t.
immediately apparent, I’1l make one —

somewhere else. “

you can do that when you’re in carpentry!”

Another of the women, registered in the
Parts and Warehousing program, was on a
definite career change. Banking and real

‘estate satisfied her desire to work with —

people, but she found the odd hours she
kept interfered with the raising of her ~-

' daughters, After researching the various

options available, she chose the one that

_ would satisfy all her needs and it appeared

to me that what got her what she wanted
in the past, is the same thing that will get

- her where she wants to go in the future — _
her strong interpersonal skills, passion for

her work, and engaging personality.

When asked if they were treated
differently by their classmates and/or.

instructors, or if they had to change in any

way (body language, grooming, etc.)

~ because of their gender, the answer was -

“absolutely not.” They found the
atmosphere welcoming and supportive

- with no hint of either chauvinism or -

sexism. There were no “shrinking violets”

_-— they were all assertive enough to tell
-. the men when they felt uncomfortable.
- with inappropriate conversations and most —
of the men respected that — they all, both.

the men and women, know the limits.

Each of the women interviewed was
aware of the barriers she faced asa *

_ woman in non-traditional occupations; but

all agreed that we should be celebrating ©
our differences rather than competing with

_ them.

- HeadlinesiJune 12,1 997.

Koerner Foundation
grant tofundnew _

lecture : series.

Once again UCFV has been successful
in its bid for a grant from the Leon and .
Thea Koerner Foundation to present a.
free community lecture series. The grant a
of $2,500 will be used to produce a series
entitled “Challenge and Change: face to. -
face with the future in the Central and
Upper Fraser Valley”. The proposal was -
developed and submitted jointly by the:
new Environmental Institute and the
Development Office. Members of the’
Environmental Institute Rose Morrison
and Tom Baumann (Agriculture) and Tan
McAskill (Economics) drafted the
proposal which includes lectures and
panel presentations on topics such as
transportation, air and water quality, and

visions of the future. The first event in the

series is expected to take place in :
October. Last year a similar grant funded -
the very successful series on “Religious
Experience —BC Style, ”

Jeans day raises cash
for food bank:

At least 34 jeans- “loving UCFV employees :
dug out their denim on May 23 and wore ..

jeans to work fora day (of course, that

wasn't as biga leap for some as others).

All paid $5 for the privilege.to
Employee Relations. A total of $170 was
raised, and it will be distributed in
proportion to the number of employees.
participating to food banks in Abbotsford, ©
. Chilliwack, and Mission. Another j Jeans
day will be held i in n the fall. we

— Nursing instructor Joyce Stewart got a bonny surprise
recently when her colleagues threw her a wedding tea.

‘Joyce (seated, centre, first row) is from Scotland, so
all present, donned tartans and tams borrowed from .
the Theatre department (remember Macbeth?). .

Having won the consent of her grown daughters,
~ Joyce will be marrying Rick Barnes on July 12, and. -
‘will be known as Joyce Barnes afterwards:

-UCFV employees Janice and Gilles Corbeil will be
_ their attendants. .