Daily Bulletin

Wednesday, November 20, 1996

Profs picket at Trent

Leaders of TUFA, which represents some 200 Trent professors and librarians, are advising their members to "enjoy" their time on the picket line: "Savour this new twist on collegiality while you can," a bulletin says, and remember that "The key to comfort on the line is dry socks." The Peterborough forecast for today is occasional flurries with a high of 0.

The union's advice to Trent students:

TUFA is eager to see students crossing the picket lines to use the resources of the campus. We know that some of you live here. We know that you want to use the library. We want students to keep learning. Take this opportunity to catch up on your studies or to read ahead. If you have scruples about crossing picket lines, that's OK too. In fact, you can come and join us on the picket lines whenever you want.

And what's the strike about? Three things, says the union. (The Trent administration has made no public statement.) Briefly, the issues are "parity", the principle in previous contracts that Trent faculty should be paid at the average salary for faculty in other Ontario universities; the total number of faculty ("Administration have been slashing faculty numbers 2-3 times faster than necessary to downsize the overall budget, with terrible consequences for the quality of education"), and control of the pension fund.

Hagey Lecture is this evening

He will also present a student seminar tomorrow morning at 10 in the Student Life Centre.

The Hagey Lectures were established in 1970 to honor Gerry Hagey, UW's first president. They are co-sponsored by the University of Waterloo and the faculty association. Speakers have included philosopher Patricia Churchland, biologist David Suzuki and writer Margaret Atwood. The purpose of the lectures is to bring to the university and the community individuals who have distinguished themselves in some scholarly or creative field, and whose work cuts across traditional disciplines and national boundaries.

Saul "is known for tackling large ideas without pulling his verbal punches", says a news release from UW's news bureau. More about tonight's speaker:

His widely read books have drawn critical responses ranging from the jubilant to the enraged, but even a hostile reviewer has conceded his courage and breadth of vision.

His latest book is The Unconscious Civilization, delivered on CBC Radio as the 1995 Massey Lectures. Its central theme is that one ideology -- "corporatism" -- dominates our age. By corporatism, Saul means the development of large groups -- not just big business but bureaucracies and interest groups of all kinds -- that try to impose their own agenda on society and subvert the loyalties of their members from the common good.

Saul describes corporatism as fundamentally anti-democratic. Its drive to dominance produces weak governments, ravelled social safety nets, an ignorant workforce, a degraded environment and a culture in which the individual is defined as consumer or employee. All of these are stages in the destruction of civilization.

The proper response to this state of affairs, he says, is to keep a sharp and doubting eye on those in authority. He promotes the idea of the individual as citizen: not detached but skeptical, moderate and willing to participate in government, and with the good of society as a whole at heart.

The Unconscious Civilization, for which Saul has just won the literary award, develops themes first explored in Voltaire's Bastards (1992) and The Doubter's Companion (1994). In brief, Saul argues that Voltaire's determination to shine the light of reason into every corner of politics, society and religion was a good idea that went badly wrong among his intellectual descendants.

Reason, once used to question authority, is now a tool of scientific management, a means to suppress the consciousness of the people. Consequently the people must respond by doubting everything including, perhaps especially, reason.

Other things today, briefly

Venerand Karimwabo, a former member of parliament in the troubled land of Burundi, visits Conrad Grebel College today -- under the auspices of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies -- and will give a talk at 12:00 on "War and Crisis in Central Africa".

Hot water and heat will be turned off in the new wing of Matthews Hall from 3 to 5 p.m. this afternoon, for repairs to a high-pressure steam line, the plant operations department says.

On Friday afternoon, the teaching resource office sponsors another session for teaching assistants, this one on "documenting your teaching. . . . We will focus on the teaching portfolio as one valuable tool you can use to document and think about your teaching," and maybe also use in getting a permanent academic job. The session will run from 2:30 to 4 on Friday in Engineering I room 3516. Information: phone ext. 3132.

CAR

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca -- (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004 Comments to the editor | About the Bulletin | Yesterday's Bulletin Copyright 1996 University of Waterloo