|
UBC's Educational and Community Roles
- a Letter from a UBC Professor Emeritus:
Printable Version 
Letter
from a UBC Professor Emeritus
Date: Mon Jan 28 (22:51:30 PST 2008)
From: "Ned Glick"
Subject: UBC’s Educational and
Community Roles
To: Stephen Ttoope, UBC President, Stephen Owen, VP
External, Legal and Community Affairs, UBC Board of Govenors,
Head of Math Department
On January 25, two top executives of The University of
British Columbia issued two public statements. Reading them
together makes me ask: What has UBC become?
UBC's president, Stephen Toope, sent a "broadcast
e-mail" reminder that March 7, 2008, will be the 100th
anniversary of "an inspired act of forward thinking"
– the provincial legislation that established a university
to promote education and the future of BC. "Thanks
to the foresight … and to the continuing efforts of
our community," the president writes. "The party
has already begun…. [with] centenary academic and community
events … now happening."
Sadly, the UBC centenary date may coincide with decisions
at the Vancouver School Board, under some duress, to close
and sell a superb, cost-effective elementary school, the
Queen Elizabeth K-3 annex. UBC can prevent the loss of this
school. Just two weeks ago the VSB proposed its sale specifically
to pay part of $30 million (or more) for school construction
to accommodate UBC's massive real estate developments –
for profit (and endowment).
Disposal of a neighbourhood school would mock the spirit
in which UBC was founded. And land sales would be the opposite
of foresight with regard to financial sustainability of
the school district. UBC would not relinquish a proposed
new school site, but only give the VSB a lease there.
In December 2005, UBC adopted a South Campus plan that
said: "The school will be built in the first phase
of construction of the neighbourhood. If government funding
for the school is not available at this time, UBC will build
the facility. The University would lease the school to the
Vancouver School Board to operate the facility."
On January 25, in response to questions about UBC's role
– and particularly this plan – UBC's vice president
for "legal and community relations," Stephen Owen,
addressed a letter to "Dear Concerned Residents."
His message is disappointing. The vice president says, "There
appears to be a misunderstanding" – "as some
have interpreted" the 2005 plan. But the plan's language
quoted above seems clear; and for years UBC did not implement
the plan – not even the vice president's interpretation
of it. UBC still seems not forthright about the full history
of the former NRC structure (built and vacated within a
decade?) – the site UBC proposed for renovation as
a school. On January 15, at a VSB public forum that I attended,
the head of UBC Properties Trust suggested that UBC is like
any other Vancouver real estate developer with regard to
school site obligations. This notion is nonsense, because
UBC is a tax-privileged institution, the recipient of public
largesse, and exempt from City of Vancouver zoning or governance.
As part of its "Mission" UBC proclaims that
"graduates of UBC will ,,, work with and for their
communities, and ... strive to secure a sustainable and
equitable future for all." UBC executives now should
fulfill these same ideals, and honour the UBC centenary,
by supporting educational priorities (and future UBC students)
in all BC communities.
-- Ned Glick
|
