Headlines/May 6, 1993

Day focusing on pay equity started as

employee idea

After next Friday, those of us who
attended the Pay Equity Day workshops
and talks will have heard a lot about the
issues Surrounding pay equity, and might
have gained some understanding about
the objectives behind the pay equity
funds received by UCFV from the
provincial Ministry of Women’s
Equality.

The idea for having such a day came
from FSA second staff vice president
Pam Mercer, who lobbied successfully
for funding from the FSA and joint
professional development committee.
The idea came to Mercer when she was
part of a committee planning the
dispersal of the $80,000 UCFV received
in pay equity funding.

“When I was involved in the $80,000
hoopla, I felt that people needed to be
better educated about why we were
getting the money,” says Mercer. “In
retrospect it would have been better to
have had the day first. Some of the
women receiving the funding didn’t
understand why they were getting it, and

some of the employees who didn’t get
any didn’t understand why they
shouldn’t have.”

Mercer adds that she’s “really pleased
at how supportive people are of the idea.”
Pay Equity Day is open to all UCFV
employees, and will take place May 7 at

the Abbotsford campus.

The morning talks will focus on the
wage gap, job evaluation, and the
struggle for pay equity.

In the afternoon, participants will
choose one workshop. Topics are
backlash and communications, closing
the wage gap, and gender bias in job
evaluation.

Presenters will be Ted Byrne from the
Trade Union Research Bureau, human
resource consultant Karen Clark, and
CIEA representative Linda Sperling.

If you haven’t yet signed up for the ©
day and want to, call Pam Mercer at
local 4283.

Dental assistant Jackie Watson practices her

| «eraft on a young patient at a free children’s

dental clinic held at the Health Sciences
Centre recently. Local dentists and assistants
volunteer their time to inspect the children’s
teeth and teach the UCFV students at the
Clinics.

W&P sponsors ‘swellegant soiree’

By Richard Dubanski

The success of the Writing and Publishing
Studies program was toasted with
champagne in the Abby boardroom on the
evening of April 28, as co-hosts Catherine
McDonald and yours truly welcomed guests
from our departments and the community to
salute a unique partnership.

Representatives from CE and
Communications included Susan Witter and
Ken Fernstrom. Screenwriter Gordon Roback
and Freda Vasilopulous, who has just had her ninth romance novel published, also
attended; both will be teaching in the program next term.

White napery, bouquets of alstroemeria, bottles of champagne on ice, and a French
cream cake emblazoned with the W & P logo gave the boardroom an appropriately
festive air. Over coffee and even more cake, a lyric note was sounded by Myron Neville
and Chad Norman, who read from their poetry collections — turning the evening into a
fitting celebration of both the written and spoken word.

In a frenzy of self-congratulation, all present agreed that the Writing and Publishing
Studies program has established a high profile in its inaugural year. Next term we will
double our course offerings; look for exciting notices upcoming right here.

~ PrRiisnne

STUDIES PROGRAM

International Headlines

seeks feedback

By Linda Toews

From time to time throughout the
1992-93 year a copy of /nternational
Headlines has been attached to
Headlines.

International Headlines included
articles on events at UCFV which were
sponsored by our department, articles of
interest on other cultures (e.g. a
description and explanation of Chinese
New Year festivities), and articles of
general interest relating to International
Education (e.g. “Why Homestay?”’).

The International Education
department would like to have some
feedback from the reading audience. Did
you read and enjoy the articles? Were
the topics of interest to you or was our
time, effort and use of paper wasted?

Please let us know your opinions. Call
Linda Toews at local 4361, or 4544, or
visit her in Room E240.