Farm Auction

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

March-April, 1972, Vol. 5, No. 2

CREDITS: Design: Cover, Ken chamberlain. Photography: Cover, pages 5, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, David Nasby; 21, Audio Visual Services, University of Guelph; page 23, Mr. Hiliiard's photo by Ashley-Crippen.

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

HONORARY PRESIDENT: Dr. W. C. Winegard.

PRESIDENT: DR. V. C. R. WALKER, OVC '47.

SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT: T. R. Hilliard, OAC '40.

VICE-PRESIDENTS: Mrs. J. D. (Virginia Shorn Bandeen Mac '57, Dr. C. R. Buck, OVC '46, D. W. ~ d ~ o n e l l , OAC '70, and T. B. Radford, Well '67.

SECRETARY: Mrs. G. M. (Joan Anderson) Jenkinson, Mac '66.

TREASURER: J. J. Elmslie, Development Officer, University of Guelph.

DIRECTORS: Miss Elizabeth Brandon We11 '70; Dr. Sandra J. (Kelk) Chemesky O ~ C '63- MP. R. R. Patricia Schoenau) bavies ~ b c '57; MISS Jean bewar, Mac '28. Dr. G. R. boidge OVC '52- J R FIe we11 '68; Miss ~a t r i c i d Moll w i l l '17$ A. p ~ c ~ a art, OAC '35; Dr. J. H. MIIII~ on, OVC '#; Dr. W. H. Minshall, OAC $3; and G. C. Trivers, OAC '67.

EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS: R. G. Bennett, OAC '43, President 0.A.C Alumni Association* Miss ~osbmarv 'Clark. Mac '59. ~resibent. Macdonald lnit i tute i lumnaa 'Association: P. 0. ~ e r ~ u s o n . Well '67. President. A M and 'A-l"-h-ici- rssociitio-n-; Dr -7 -6- -Ho-&ey OVC '51, President, O.V.C. ~ i u m h i hs;ociationi and J. K. Babcock. OAC '54. D~nctor. Alumn~ Affairs and Development.

The Guelph Alumnus is published by the Depart- ment of Alumni Affairs and Development, University of Guelph.

The Editorial Committee is c o m p r i e of. Editor- D. A. Bates OAC '69, alum?^ Offtcer; Art Director- Prof. k. E. Chamberlain. J. K. Babcock OAC '54 Director of Alumni Affairs and ~evelopkent. D. L. Waterston, Director of Information; ID. W. Jose, OAC '49, Assistant Dlrector of information.

The Editorial Advisory Board of the University of Guelph Alumni Association is comprised of: Mrs. G. M. Joan Anderson) Jenkinson Mac '66 chairman; Jrs. J. M. (Kay Murdoch) Little ad '59 vice-chairman. Dr. A. E. Austin, Dept. &f Enklish; Miss ~o&mary Clark Mac. '59; G B Love We11 '69. Dr. J. H' Miil~ngton, O ~ C ''69; ahd G. B. bowell, OAC '62.

Exofficio: J. K. Babcock OAC '54 and Dr. V. C. R. Walker, OVC '47. ~orrebponding membem D R Baron OAC '49 G. M. Carman, OAC '49, a i d H. G. dodds, O A ~ , '58.

Undelive-pd copies should be returned to Alumni House University of Guelph, Guelph, ~ntar io , Canada.

A disappointing document

The Draft Report of the Commission on Post-Secondary Education in Ontario is a disappointing document not only because of what it says but also because of what It fails to say.

We need not be told that the "veritable vortex of changes" and the "giddy gyration of growth" that characterized the 1960s have produced in higher education an apparently insatiable demand for taxpayers' dollars; that the bureaucracies permeating our society are stifling, top-heavy structures that alienate people; that education Is no longer regarded as a panacea for our social and economlc 111s.

Yet the report recommends both educational reforms that will not come cheaply and the centralized control of post-secondary education under a bureaucracy with jurisdiction over every imaginable educational institution in the province: universities, colleges, agricultural schools, museums, theatres, and art galleries. And for idolators who have permitted educationai background to cloud the more logical hiring criteria of experience and initiative, the report recommends legislation -seemingly difficult and impractical to enforce, we feel - that would prohibit job discrimination based on "attendance or non-attendance at educational institutions."

We are equally concerned with the report's retlcence on certain issues.

in proposing to make Ontario's educational services availabie to all interested citizens, the report does not mention quality of education. We are left to presume that quality is either not part of education's "inner logic" with which the report states it is dealing or an inherent part of higher education that requires no further comment.

To relieve the pressure on post- secondary institutions of educating masses of students, the report recommends increased support for viable alternatives to attending universities and colieges. Despite, however, the resources available to the commission, the report can do no better than recommend support for established programs: Canadian University Service Overseas, Frontier College, and Opportunities for Youth. We doubt expanded support for these programs would substantially reduce post-secondary enrolment, and with respect to CUSO and Frontier College, the volunteers are

teachers as well as workers, so some post-secondary education is necessary.

in recommending educationai opportunities for ail Ontarians, the report glosses over the prospects of ever opening the doors of higher education to the poor, suggesting that "the depth and spread of credit among all classes" of citizens belies the observation that the poor are afraid of the high costs involved in getting an education. The report briefly concedes a more realistic conclusion might be that the poor do not value education to the same extent as middle and high-income families, and that something should be done to help the children of low-income families.

in fairness to the report, some of the theory Is laudable. The concepts of universal accessibility, study leaves for workers, relaxed admissions standards for mature students, and improved means to assist students financially -grants and/or loans - would undoubtedly result in educational opportunities being available to more Ontarians, and equally Important, being available at whatever times in their lives they wish to take advantage of such opportunities.

Of the report's 72 recommendations, two predominate: The University of Ontario proposal and the establishment of coordinating boards which represent new controls on post-secondary education.

Although the University of Ontario concept is certainly worth looking at, the costconscious report says little to justify it. The U of 0 wouid be the piece de resistance of universal accessibility, and would provide via television, radio, and correspondence educationai services at the post-secondary level. It wouid also award degrees and diplomas, and provide an evaluation service upon demand, granting degrees based an home-study and experience. However, the report does not detail the costs of such a program, and does not discuss a less obvious question, namely who would really benefit, answers for which can be provided by a look at Britain's Open University.

The Open University began in January, 1971, with a freshman class of 25,000. Initial costs were $26 million, including a $10 million headquarters located at Milton Keynes, a new city about 50 miles north of London. A general degree requires six credits, each credit being a 36-week course; an honours degree,

eight credits. It is presumed that each course requires 10 hours of work per week and that an average citizen will take between four and eight years to obtain his degree. There are 200 faculty and 540 support personnel at Milton Keynes, and about 250 study centres throughout Britain open three or four nights a week and manned by 3,000 part-time tutors.

Operating at full enrolment, the Open University's cost per student compares favourably with established institutions. However, the high dropout rate, caused by long hours and many years of study, (6,000 quit soon after the first classes started) which could run as high as 80 per cent according to one observer, dramatically increases the cost per student

And the soclal aim of weighting enrolment In favour of those who had left school early, and were trapped in manual or seml-skilled jobs was not realized. Sixty per cent of the freshman class were teachers and professionals. About 1500 were low-income earners.

Although It can be argued that those who graduate represent only the tip of the iceberg; that social benefits cannot be measured In terms of the number of graduates; and that posslble break- throughs In educational technology may have cost-saving features applicable to the entire educational system, certain negative features must also be considered before Ontario adopts such a plan.

While the U of 0 proposal could be an exciting innovation, the new controls are frightening.

Within the Department of Colleges and Universities, the report recommends the creation of three coordinating boards; one for universities, one for colleges, and one for the open sector-museums, theatres, and art gallerles.

The coordinating board for universities would have the power to establish or abolish faculties and programs, and establish a general admissions policy for all of Ontarlo's universities. Such a centralization of power within Queen's Park, we feel, would ultlmately lead to in-fighting and mediocrity that would repel the public rather than invite them to partlclpate in post-secondary education. That would be a tragic legacy for a costly report which could have had so much more to offer us all. DAB

DRAFT RGPORT

II

Contents

Editorial

A dbappolntlng document

Guelph's researchers involved with preserving our environment come up against many problems, including indestructible women's panty-hose.

Giving Mother Nature a little boosWGinty Jocius

Quiet, dedicated research is the key to solving pollution problems says Toronto's metro chairman.

Fanatical demands are lmpractlcai/Albert Campbell

There are too many bandwagon environmentalists who aren't as dedicated as they think they are..

Lip crewice is Insufflcient/Arthur Latornell

The $1.3 million report intended to guide Ontario's post-secondary institutions through to 1990 receives a lukewarm reception.

Offerlng all things to all people/Mary Cocivera

A student's brief to the commission.

The wasted year and cerebral stupor/John Bowles

A pictorial essay on the vanishing family farm.

Fann auction/Davld Nasby

Gif ye want ae friend thars true, I'm on your list.

1971 Alma Mater Fund Annual Report

Campus Highlights

Alumni News

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Environmental studies at Guelph

" Giving Mother Nature a little boost"

" I T'S ALL OVER; pollution and the environment are dead Issues. We must move on to another cause - as far

as the media is concerned." During a recent visit to the University, Dr. Arnold Edinborough, Financial Post columnist and former publisher of Saturday Night, pointed out that future popular press coverage of environmental issues will relax. He hastened to add: "This does not lessen the University's responsibility - we (the press) documented the problem, you better get on with it."

Two colleges within the University are doing just that; OAC and Biological Science are faced wlth the mandate of providing some tangible solutions to environmental problems. Though all faculties within the Unlversity provide input, these two colleges bear the brunt of this challenge.

"We, as a University, must change people's attltude to the environment," says Dr. N. R. Richards, OAC '38, dean of the Ontario Agricultural College. "One of the best ways to accomplish this Is by relating the- University's philosophy to students. Through the classroom experience you will expose a large number of people to a philosophy, who wlli in turn communicate it to those they come In contact wlth."

Thls approach has proven successful as far back as 1940. Then, public anxiety was expressed concerning sol1 erosion. The Sol1 Conservation'Servlce of the U.S. Department of Agriculture was born out of that concern. Dean Richards adds: "Over 30 years later, the attitude toward land resource use is one of using i t for which it is best sulted, the result

Ginty Jocius, OAC '70, is a radio-television editor, Information Branch, Ontario Department of Agriculture and Food.

being we now hear very little concern expressed about soil erosion."

With pressure mounting to prevent ecoioglcai ruin, an obvious frontal attack by the University would be to offer undergraduate programs qualifying specialists in envlronmental sclences. Both Dean Richards, and Dr. K. Ronald, dean of Biologlcal Science feel specializing at the undergraduate level is not enough.

In addition to post-graduate studies available In both Colleges, Biological Science has proposed a vigorous post- baccaleaureate program encompassing a full year of resource management. In Dean Ronald's words: "We would retread or reshoe a man to environmental thinking."

Traditionally, OAC and now the University have offered leadership in Important, controversial questions of the day. With the 1972 enrolment over 7,000 full-time students, how does an academic Institution continue presenting its philosophy to an ever-growing student body? Dean Richards says: "There should be 'awareness courses' at the University to which many students are exposed. Social science, fine arts, and veterinary students should all be aware of renewable resources such as forest-cover and Its relatlon to non-renewable resources such as land. These courses should be University-wide."

Of the three major roles of the Unlversity -education, research and the ongoing discussion of problems - certainly the education of students wlth problemoriented training is one of the most valuable results of a program concerned with environmental quality. Certainly to lnstlll a problemoriented philosophy requires research which itself has this goal.

Answers from research aimed at solvlng ecological problems can be recycled Into classroom discussions and learning experiences. This "problem-oriented" philosophy becomes an intricate part of a student's academic makeup.

Problem-solving has become second nature to the Land Resource Science Department of OAC. An experiment presently underway attempts to utilize pulverized municipal garbage on agricultural land. According to Professor L. R. Webber, OAC '39, this method of waste disposal has several advantages over landfill disposal. With proper timing of refuse application and cropping, the land can serve as both crop land and disposal site.

Municipal waste for the experiment is imported from St. Catharlnes. Since munlclpal refuse has a large percentage of carbon and a low nltrogen percentage, the application of refuse to agrlcultural land would require a simultaneous addition of nitrogen. "This could be a problem," states Prof. Webber. "However, sewage sludge, another product of 20th century technology Is rich in nitrogen. So It seems logical to combine sewage sludge with pulverized municipal waste into agrlcultural land."

Dr. Larry King, who Is working with Prof. Webber on the project, uses liquid sewage sludge from the Gueiph pollution control plant along wlth the St. Catharine's garbage. Research data lndlcates that rye grass planted on the experimental site Is doing exceptionally well.

lmplicatlons of the research are enormous. A typical Ontario city of 100,000 people produces 500 tons of garbage per week. With the present increase in population levels of 2.3 per cent annually, by 2072 we will have 10 times the number of people inhabiting this earth. Thls in turn compounds the garbage problem 10 times.

"However, such a project does have problems," admits Dr. King. "There was a considerable amount of unpulverized plastic and essentially whole pieces of clothing. These large Items were difficult to Incorporate into the soil, and large plastlc pieces were carrled by the

wind." An amusing aspect of the research involved women's panty-hose; it wouid not yield to pulverizing, soii incorporation was fruitless, and It refused to decompose in the soii.

Economic feasibility of incorporating municipal waste and growing a commercial agricultural crop will depend on data obtained from the 1972 corn crop to be planted in the research plots. Both professors are quick to add that the merits of this approach require an overall appraisal before the system couid be considered saleable.

How couid municipalities go about adopting such a system? "Initially," says Prof. Webber, "dlsposai areas could be owned and managed by the municipailty. Private farms should not be depended on as disposai sites for waste. "However," he adds, "acceptance of this disposai method by fanners wouid be tempered by the presence of non-decomposables such as cans and plastics, and the unsightly appearance of fields receiving high rates of refuse."

Although agriculture may not provide the required land mass immediately, "rural space" -that area beyond the cities -will become more widely employed for the Integrated use of resources for people, be it recreation or waste dlsposai.

But resources are not just for the use of man. "Thls has been one of our major mistakes," states Dean Ronaid. "Resources should be available to ail anlmals- we here believe In the total energy concept, not a single species approach. Our feelings on thls are strong enough that we have embarked on the 'politics of biology'." As an example, Dean Ronald cites the polar bear research project. Studies on thls mammal Involve discreet diplomatic approaches to such countries as the Soviet Union. in this instance, the problem is one whlch requires both academic and political ingenuity.

Political biology draws support from dignitaries such as Prince Bernard of Holland who suggested using the polar bear as an "indlcator of environmental degradation" for animals at the top of the food chain. These indicator mammals which suffer detrimental effects from pollution couid then act as early warning systems for man.

Another indlcator is the harbour porpoise. This wary, 150-pound herring lover Is being studied by Biological Science Zoologist, Dr. D. E. Gaskln. Part of the porpoise population spends the summer months in the Bay of Fundy. During the winter, the animal apparently migrates to near the Grand Banks.

Several summers of porpolse hunting and tissue analysls have revealed to Dr. Gaskln that unusually' high levels of DDT, dieldrin, mercury and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenols) are found In the harbour porpolse.

Where do the chemicals originate? "Thls is one of our main concerns," states Dr. Qaskin. "it Is a natural assumption that the New Brunswlck and Nova Scotla river systems, along with the St. Lawrence, would be the source of chemical pollution; but the porpoise could just as well pick i t up during the winter. in that case, the Gulf Stream is involved. Consequently the Mlssissippi River might be one source of chemical pollution. Since DDT and dieldrin have been used extensively In parts of the southern United States, the hypothesis seems feasible," he says.

Conclusive evidence of either river system as the poilution source is not yet available. "However," he states, "it is rather hard to swallow any assertion that Eastern Canadian rivers can be totally responsible.

During the summer months, Dr. Gaskin bases himself with five summer assistants on Deer island in the Bay of Fundy. A successful summer involves capturing on the average 30 porpoises. "It may seem glamorous," he says, "but it is a long term project which presently needs more funds for a complete analysls."

Working with Dr. Gaskin, Dr. Richard Frank of ODAF and his team analyze various organs of the porpoises for chemlcal levels during the long winter months. Data collected over several years reveal DDT levels in the blubber fat are the highest recorded in the world second only to the California sea lion.

Chemicals, whether used for Industrial, agrlcultural or private use are now being questioned, even by individuals who gain a major source of their Income from these products. Society in general agrees, however, that it cannot exist without some chemlcal assistance. Problems arise when chemlcais or their breakdown products assimilate into the environment.

Over the last seven years, Dr. Walter Wlide, Deparhnent of Environmental Biology at OAC has studied reduced chemical usage in Ontario orchards. Using sticky boards, bait pails, sex attractants and human resourcefulness, Dr. Wilde has arrived at a complicated mathematical formula for the controi of one particular insect pest in Bartiett pears. Thls Insect - the pear psylla - secretes fluids whlch can develop into an unsightly sooty fungus on fruit. While the formula is specific for this pest, Dr. Wiide says it couid be a forerunner of programs to controi apple maggot, codling moth and other traditional crop pests.

Commenting on the future of biological controi, Dr. Wiide feels it is a decade away. "With increasing emphasis on the use of biological and integrated or corrective pest and disease controi systems In food production, it is still too early to assume that such entitles as viruses, bacteria, or radiation can replace many of our chernlcal control systems. in some instances these "third generation insecticides" have worked well but their role Is still being extensively studied. As yet we are unable to abandon the use of chemicals for our food needs," he says.

Another problem in chemlcal control methods Is "shooting accuracy." Chemical application on food and fibre creates a drift problem. Dr. Wllde has zeroed in on this by concentrating on ground pollutlon by chemlcals which do not land on target trees. "There are at least 10 miles of atmosphere that can support life but only three to six Inches of top soil. Therefore aquatic and terrestrial contaminatlon aggravates the problems of environmental quallty much sooner and to a greater extent than atmospheric contaminatlon."

Aircraft, ultra-low and low volume spraying recommendations proposed by Dr. Wllde to Ontario's commercial fruit growers have resulted In substantlally lower chemical rates belng applied.

Although optimlstlc about the future role of biological control, Dr. Wllde says environmental improvement costs money, more extension personnel wlll be needed, and research at the academic level wlll have to be geared to problem-oriented thinking.

Dr. Edinborough's challenge Is belng met at Guelph. At the student level, University officials have created new departments and currlcula. New courses proposed for 1972-73 Include Land Resources and Man, Natural Chemicals in the Environment, and Agricultural Geography.

In a brief to the Senate's board of undergraduate studies concerning resource development, Dr. Murray Miller, OAC '53, of the Land Resource Science Department, capsullzed the University's envlronmental commitment.

"Our approach has been to take the natural and human envlronment apart and look at the pieces; the smaller the pieces, the better. We must now learn how to put the pieces together In such a way as to produce the most desirable living envlronment."

Fanatical demands are impractical

By ALBERT CAMPBELL

ACED AS WE ARE wlth the tremendous challenge to save our natural environment, we should

realize that concern for its protectlon did not spring up overnight.

I remember very clearly, as a student on this .campus, walking across the football field from Mills Hall to the Physics building to listen to Rodney Graham's famous lectures on "P. & S." (Ed. Note: Pumps and "outm-houses.)

Progress was then defined as having running water and a septic tank In the farm home. No one worried unduly about the pollutlon effects of the many privies and cesspools which were in common use.

Interest in preventing soil eroslon was mainly academic, for until a few years before, our fathers had cleared their fields by burning off some of our best timber. Little thought was given to the effects of pollutlon on water and aquatic life, of the dumping of factory waste lnto our rivers and lakes, or the effects the belching smoke from those same factories had on the air around us.

Over the years, however, a change has taken place. Since my student days the rural population has declined; 70 per cent of Canada's population now lives In urban areas. As clties coalesce lnto a metropolis and the metropolis merges with others to become a megalopolis, environmental problems multlply accordingly. Housing, transportation, social and recreational needs must be met. Open space in clties must be preserved. Garbage and waste have to be dlsposed of effectively. The pollution generated by noise, noxious gases and chemicals, has to be kept at an acceptable level. Man always has polluted his envlronment, and pollution to some extent may be unavoidable. The question, therefore, before our clties today Is not so much, "How can we eliminate pollutlon?" but, "How can we keep it from Increasing, and

how can we perhaps decrease its present levels?"

Metropolitan Toronto, contrary to the clalms of Its ardent crltics, has been fighting pollutlon ever since its Inception. In the early 1950s, an aggressive sewage development program was inaugurated and has been expandlng ever since. Today, more than 90 per cent of Toronto's sewage Is processed through primary and secondary treatment, and Toronto's water pollution control plants are among the most modern on this continent.

Toronto's next priority Item In envlronmental control is waste manage- ment. In spite of fanatical demands by some people for perfection - right now1 -there are practlcal limltatlons on what Toronto can reasonably achleve in as short a time as possible. Every week 32,300 tons of garbage have to be dlsposed of In Metropolitan Toronto, and this volume of waste Is rapidly increasing on a per capita basls. For such a volume, the best methods of disposal at the present time are inclneratlon and sanitary land fill. Crltlcs say inclneratlon pollutes the air, and sanitary land flil pollutes the soil and creates undesirable nelghbourhoods In the vlclnlty of land fill sites. Recycling experiments are receiving great impetus and crltlcs maintain that recycling Is the answer; but the hard fact Is that recycling technology is not capable of handling the volume of garbage that Metropolitan Toronto generates.

Before recycling becomes practlcal, therefore, It wlll not only be necessary to develop new technology, but also to educate the public to conserve.

The best answer to our pollutlon problem lies In research, research not only In the unlversitles, In Industry, but In all levels of government. Quiet, dedlcated research Is the key to the solutlon.

In my view, we need fewer alarming statements and more hard factual knowledge If we are to come to grip wlth our pollutlon problems.

Albert M. Campbell, OAC '33, is chairman of the Metropolitan Toronto Council.

Lip service is insufficient

By ARTHUR LATORNELL

N OT LONG AGO, few people knew or cared what conservation meant. In contrast, these days almost

everyone seems to be concerned. Pollution groups, nature groups, cltlzen groups, students and academics protest dam sites, highway rights-of-way and power line routings. How much of this action is dedicated to rational investigation of the problems and realistic solutions, and how much Is merely lip service voiced from a bandwagon? One hopes for the former but suspects the latter. i suspect that if all the well-meaning lips that serve conservation were placed side by side they wouldn't stretch too far.

Conservation problems, or environmental Issues as they are now called, ail stem from technologlcal advances which have brought their blessings but also unwanted and often unexpected by-products. Technology creates even greater pressures upon our natural resources making their conservation increasingly more complex.

Despite the current emphasis on its physical and economic aspects, conservation is basically a social problem. To achieve lasting and meaningful environmental improvement will require change In our hablts and thinking. It will require payment not only in dollars, but in choices and freedom of social action. Are we ready, as citizens and taxpayers to accept both the economic and social costs of environmental Improvement? Or are we satisfied to pay lip service through protest and then go away satisfied that we have served a cause?

Social change is a slow process.

Arthur D. Latornell, OAC '50, is supervisor, Field Services Section, Conservation Authorities Branch, Department of the Environment.

The longer i t takes, the higher the environmental Improvement bills will be. Processes, procedures, hablts of soclety, business, and government have been developed and established over the years without regard for the environment. They seem as Immutable as the very laws of nature. Can we change these ingrained habits and practices? Can business, government, and taxpayers look beyond the dollar as the only measure of cost?

I believe that indlvidually and collectively we are now convinced that this planet earth is our home, and that Its environment must be maintained and Improved. We have reached the realization that this Is a necessary step in the preservation of a life quality that is essential to the continuance of a sound productive society. We don't yet know the price in money or in social terms, but I believe we are ready to start making the down payment. We have decided that lip service is insufficient and that effective conservation requires support and action.

Conservation is and will be costly. It will be costly in terms of funds required to support necessary programs at local, provincial and national levels. It will be costly in terms of lost economic opportunities when public use of resources is deemed to have precedence over private development. It may be costly in social terms requiring the development of new attitudes and approaches to our environment.

it has been suggested that the environmental furor of these past two or three years has now peaked and that public interest is already waning. This may well be so and It may well be good. The often emotlonal concerns of recent years have frequently been much talk with small amounts of solid accomplishment. Talk is relatively inexpensive. Actlon takes more real effort both of mind and of pocket book, and Is usually less nolsy.

DRAFT REPORT "Offering all things to all people"

By MARY COCIVERA

T H E UNIVERSITY system as we

Commission on Post-Secondarv ~ d u d d t ~ ~ I S ~ 0 W ' t ~ i o , educational ex~ertences includlna store-

rec Dn Dn.

numerical targets, but a process which will facilitate and encourage the responsiveness of post-secondary education to social needs."

Few have criticized the commission's basic premlse - that the individual must be central in any educational system. The report calls for a frame of reference "which is human-centred, which places its weight not upon the educatlonai institution per se, but upon the delivery of educational services to human learners in search of knowledge, skills and wisdom."

In this frame of reference, three facts are implicit in the recommendations: "Education must be mancentred." All aspects of the system should be devised to help the student "evaluate himself and facilitate his learning." Second, the individual "must have the opportunity and the responsibility to decide what educational experlence is best for him." Third, "educatlonai services should be available to ail citizens throughout their lives, not just for a number of years immediately following high school graduation."

Likewise, little critlcism has been directed to the ideals of the educational system envlsioned In the report: - Universal accessibility to ail ages,

through part-time attendance and new ways of delivering educational services;

-Openness to the public and integration within the general cultural and educational activities of the community;" - Diversity of instltutlons, admission

standards, programs and lengths of courses;

-Flexibiilty to respond to new sociai demands; - Transferability between institutions, programs, professions and; - Public accountability recognizing that

practically all educational costs are borne by taxpayers.

it's improbable that all 72 recommenda- tlons made by the commission wiil see the light of day -some are certainly workable and desirable; others, impractical. Educators, students and university administrators have lashed out at the report's shallowness in certain aspects, notably the flnanciai end, and at its internal contradictions. It recommends more diversity, yet brings all post- secondary institutlons under one control. It attacks bureaucracy, yet embellishes the already considerable bureaucracy of Ontario post-secondary education system. it laments the taxpayers' slzeabie burden, yet proposes new, more costiy programs.

Dr. M. W. Waldron, Gueiph's director of continuing education, says that the report lends support to a concept of continuing education in which individuals "can participate in learning situations in different ways, at different times and in different environments." He hopes it wiil encourage government financial support and co-ordination of adult learning experlences, Improving the present "cafeteria" approach.

Jlm Ashman, chairman of the student Committee of College Presidents, takes issue with the principle of universal accessibility. He hopes it means "anybody with the proper intellect and abiilty can come." But the report doesn't specify this.

President Winegard has reservations in the same vein. "in principle, it is fine to offer ail things to all people, but there are two factors to consider: is the person capable of success in his educational endeavor? Can society afford this philosophy?" The report doesn't take these factors into conslderatlon.

After establishing an almost universally acceptable framework, the commission attempts to provide, through Its recommendations, a machinery of implementatlon. This is where it runs afoul of critics within the present system.

The most significant recommendatlon and potentially the most costiy Is a University of Ontario which wouid provlde post-secondary education via television, radio, and correspondence, and would provide a testing and evaluation service on demand. This proposal borrows heavily from Britain's Open University.

How such a system wouid work in Ontarlo Is open to speculation. Vice- President (Academic), Dr. J. P. Smith, doubts the demand in Ontario would warrant the cost. President Wlnegard and Vice-President (Administration) W. W. Bean, feel it should be introduced as a pilot experiment to determine the demand and cost.

The University of Ontario is designed to make post-secondary education accessible to everyone in the province who desires it. Ian Easterbrook, producer/ director, television, of the University's Audio Visual Services, says on the basls of similar plans in Britain, he suspects the University of Ontario would not attract "everyone" as intended, but would involve those already involved in education. It wouldn't, in other words, brlng education to a wider segment of the population.

Mr. Easterbrook disagrees with the concept of an entirely audio visual approach to education. "Students want face-to-face contact with professors; that's what education is ail about. For every hour of technology, you've got to provlde an hour with the professor. if technology can allow the students time with the . professor, fine. The proposed University of Ontario doesn't introduce that element; it doesn't suggest using technology and human resources."

Along with the University of Ontario, the commission recommends satellite campuses of existlng universities, temporary or store-front colleges, and university courses offered through

ewperatlon 4 t h Colfeger of kpqlled Arts and Technol* Thrauph these lnnovatlolldi aed ffia Unlveraliy of Ontarlo, the m m l s r s t ~ n at0empEs to m a b W aecondafy dwatton mom e b b to mom wple ufWr mare varied condltlolw.

The commlsabn emphasb part-%me a w , mommendlng #Id all d q m p m s be -18 to ~ ) ~ - t f m ~ students, and thni crmployem m-upemte by W d l n g atudy kww.

The "port omm mends that p d h lm ma& w "sllt'lst" by allowlng entrance to the professlcne through 6xamlnatiom and experience. Gonoeivabiy, a nuw, tor exampk could learn enbuoh through exm~%nee and salf%ludy to paw the necessary emlnatton and become a doctor.

Qulta u n d e ~ l y , thh te~ommendaHon has brought flre from wlthln the profe&orrJ ranks. Dr. D. 0. Howell, dean oi OYC, sap the danger In the report Is the! It wuld cause "~dQfl sy8tWl W h k h there a army of portals of snhy to pmfmsbnnl praetla, borne of which may be Less Wr&h than dhen." He e x p l a l d that requtrlng unlverslty prufaslonnl tralnlno @s well as p d n g an ~ m t n a f i b m aaMguarcte We pubflc, not the pr-on.

The report's mwt aont~~tlous recommendatkns deal wlth what the report calls "Instrument8 of ImplemenEa tbn", or, in mom xWIMle terms, a bureaucracy to govern the enrrlstoned qaem, It warns thrrt bumaucmtlc control stlfles "the dfvenlly aod flexlbtllty ol post-smbndary educatim~' And yet. the mcommendatlomr Increase gmrernmrrntal m W over dl tym of m-ebcrcondary education and Mng ail InstUutlons under a Hnqb control. T h Depettmprnt d Catleges and UnhmHka would be glum lurkdktton wer such Imtlhttlwm aa the

khnology, ieachers' colleges, d s c b l s of nurbhg. R atmion, the &prtmmt would amad museums, thedrea, I lbmka end art g ~ e ~

fhfw coordinating bmrds-one for universltb, one tor colleges and q third for the tmwlplnduded Idtutlonst the " o m =tor",-wwld b C-, hp additlofi to a senlor advlaory commitb whkh would a d v h the mlnlam oi collegm and unhgFdittledl on alloc8tlons of funds.

What t h e w mmmmmdatlww would do, Vlee-President Bean, Is add another

"layer of bureaucracy with the Inwitable extra handllng of mat#rlal and delaya ha! are lnwhred In maklng dOcl~tOne. I'm alwaya aclny to see thls h a m n In any orgrmlzatlm."

The eoordln~ing board far unfvedflw would ham broad powera-aver admksssbns, acadernlc programs, faculty appalntmenta and dbtrfbutlan ol opetetlng and capita1 funds among the unlverdtles. Thls Infrlngas upon the freedom unlversltles have enjoyed In Internal mattem, says A. G. Holmes, OA& '62, MgIstrar. He Is ooncemed that by piaclng formal wntml of admhlans wlth the ~lordinatlrag board, the unlvemltles wlll haw to accept all comers md will suffer In quatlly. 'The mYvemHles," aaya Dr. Smlth, "would h m b dlstrlbuta thelr effort over a much w b r range d d m aapacltles and of pmparatory &ueatkin or experiafm-" Thls W l d adverseiy ah%& the quatlty of InstruetIon.

Another hotly dlsputd rscflon In the rewrt is that dealing wtth dnming. The oommtsalm attempts to Improve upon the p m m t formula financing aystsm to unbraltles, but hasn't evolved anything bsthr. "Thl whole arm of the mport to wry dlsappojntlnp*' aaya Mr. Bean. "It hm come to s e v d rxrnclualow without mr)c mu& In ths way ol tack"

U n M t t y 01 Gwlph admlnestraton have c~ltlcbd Ihe r%ommmd&tlo# sepamtlng mamarch fun* from

Instructional hmtla. they gee a wbstantlal rsdtb$Ion In mmwch If thk pal@ wen st$opted, and an lndhbh decline In =fch wlthln the untue*. Dr. W l n w feels that thla nmm- mendatlon b one of the mwt cn~clal for the unlveniltlea.

"Whlte I agree In prIncIpla that it may be a g o d thlng to wpamke w h f n g and ms%erd~ Yttpds, I ieel that the reasarch budget could k e o m a matter of dlspute behaen leded and provhrcld ~wernmnts.''

Mr. Bean sap that such a spllt would bs arbitmy because the unlmmitlw donT have the capaclfy to clearly dlffsrsntlate w r e h from f w M n p

Or. W. E. Toaaell, OAC '47, dean d n h , -ria that research and teachlng &re Inseparable. Cumkierlng a1 mruramh hon-edu&atlanal, he mw, would "dormgrada our unlverslly educatlm." He Jtes, for example, the greduade t k l s mearch aa an aswnffal part d a greduate edumlon. Reducing tundlng for thla typb d miaamh would '*undermlnate" gduete pmgms. He also stmsm the mesrrlty of a ~ u l t > r member c~nducting resaarch to stq "right at the fomfmnt of knowledge sa WlI be wlt l rrg as a teacher and retevm in hls muma materlah"

The Draft Rem has al- IW up to thet ~ommblon's Intent that H sllmulate dscusslon. W h l o n from the puhllc and the unhrslly eommunffy may fnflusnce the mmlsdoners to mvlb the anal set of rec~mmendatlons.

At the Unlversrty, a we la l wmrnitW d Senate Is etudylng the mpOrt and wlU submlt mommndatlons for Senate eansMeratlon whlch will Urm the Unlverstty's anlclal reply to the Or& Repart. u

The wasted year and cerebral stupor

By JOHN BOWLES

T 0 THE BEST of my knowledge, all Ontario universities offer both a General BA and an Honours BA, the

main difference between them being the former normally takes three years to complete and the latter four years. There are, of course, other differences. For example, the Honours BA requires the student to achieve an academic standing which is higher than the General BA requirements, and at some universities an honours student must take a certain number of senior courses, and may be required to write a thesis.

Why should the honours student have to work an extra year for his degree? In my observations, outstanding students, and therefore those capable of graduating with honours, view that extra year with a singular lack of enthusiasm. Because of their academic ability, honours students soon come to grips with the fundamentals of their particular disciplines. By the end of their third year they desire greater mental challenges -challenges that are not available at the undergraduate level. Completing a fourth year, which often Is in reality little more than an extension of the third year, is not satisfactory.

We have, then, a situation in which a student can achieve honours standing throughout his undergraduate program, yet is prevented from graduating with an Honours BA degree if he terminates his undergraduate studies after three years. In practical terms, he Is thus prevented from entering a graduate program without completing a qualifying year. And, if the student prefers instead to apply for a job, he is likely to find his General BA viewed as a rather shabby substitute for an Honours BA.

It is obviously an absurd situation.

John Bowles, B A '72, is majoring in political studies. This article is adapted from his brief to the Commission on Post- Secondary Education in Ontario.

I contend, as do others, that the honours student should be recognized for the quality of his work and not the quantity. If he achieves honours standing in his courses, then he should graduate with an Honours degree after three years.

Neither Britain nor the United States, which possess some of the best universities In the world, make a temporal distinction between the Honours BA and the General BA. May I respectfully suggest that the Commission urge Ontario universities to do likewise.

The Trimester System In its Statement of Issues, the

Commission asks whether the trimester system (i.e. three semesters per calendar year) is the "only alternative" to the academic-year system. Undoubtedly it is not, but it could be the alternative chosen by provincial governments. Already two universities in Canada - Simon Fraser and Guelph - are on this system and Prime Minister Trudeau has spoken publicly in favour of it.

It is evident that the trimester system permits more extended use of universities and offers greater flexibility to both students and teachers than is available in the academic-year framework. These benefits are desirable. But before administrators and government officials advocate that more universities adopt the trimester system, it would be well to consider - and to consider with great care - the system's disadvantages.

It is often pointed out that the trimester system allows students to complete a General BA In two years instead of three by enrolling in six consecutive semesters. A significant number of students do, in fact, go "straight through." The danger here, however, is that these students have been "educated by the cram method. Like preparing food in a pressure cooker, these students are "done" in two-thirds of the time. But the result Is often dubious.

Studying nonstop leads eventually to cerebral stupor. By the time they reach the fifth or sixth semester, students are completing assignments in a mechanical

fashion. They are no longer using their creative and analytic capacities; they are mentally exhausted. In other words, going straight through virtually prohibits any meaningful reflection by the student on the work he has completed, and does not give him enough time to regain his mental vigour and enthusiasm.

Another disadvantage is the length of the semester. Each represents half an academic year, 13 weeks. However, semester courses often cover anywhere from two-thirds to three-quarters of the material covered in comparable academic- year courses at other universities. This probably results because professors are the products of universities on the academic-year system; they simply haven't adapted to the shorter period of the semester. But the student, who is expected to cope with this, is overburdened with as much as five 4000 to 5000 word essays, seminar papers, mid-term and final exams, and a staggering amount of required reading-all within 13 weeks. It is no wonder that students are in a daze by the 10th week.

Trimester students are under such pressure they cannot enjoy as much extra-curricular activity as their academic- year colleagues. This is a serious drawback, for the learning process in a university is often enriched by social activity and active membership in student organizations. It is perhaps significant that the Colleges of Arts and Social Science, which account for the bulk of Guelph's enrolment, have no viable student government. And the student newspaper has been steadily declining in quality because of a lack of competent students who can afford the time to work on it.

The problems I have mentioned are not insurmountable. This system does have Its advantages -advantages that are too important to be ignored. But If the Commission should recommend that other Ontario universities change to the trimester system, may 1 suggest that it also consider carefully the disadvantages. .

Farm Auction By DAVID NASBY

David Nasby, BA '71, is presently participating in a graduate workghop in photography and media studies at Ryerson Polytechnlcal Institute in Toronto.

The photographs on these pages were taken at farm auctions in Wellington and Waterloo Counties during 1971 and 1972.

They are part of a continuing project to record and depict vanishing rural lifestyles in Ontario.

Photographs copyright O 1972 by David Nasby.

Alumni News Biggs Hilliard Kenney

Dr. K. F . Wells, OVC '38, addresses OVC alumni at annual meeting in London, Ont.

The O.V.C. Alumni Association annuai meeting was held February 2 in conjunction with the Ontario Veterinary Association annuai convention at the Hotel London, London, Ontario.

Guest speaker was Dr. K. F. Wells, '38, veterinary director-general of Canada.

Dr. F. D. Homey, '51 was elected president succeeding Dr. 1. L Jones, '34. Other officers and directors for 1972-73 are:

Dr. D. G. Howell, honorary president; Dr. D. W. R. Bailey, '54, vice-presldent; Dr. R. V. Hemsley, '54, secretary-treasurer; Dr. C. R. Buck, '46; Dr. B. Anne (McLeish) Croy '69; Dr. J. P. Lautensiager, '63; Dr. H. J. Neeiy, '51; Dr. 0. A. Scroggie, '56; Dr. J. W. Waye, '55; and Dr. W. G. Whittick, '55.

The 85 members present aiso voted to establlsh an advisory council comprised of veterinarians around the world to improve communication and liaison among members of the Association. Members of the advisory council are:

Dr. J. C. Mclrsac, '55, Saskatchewan; Dr. W. D. Persson, '40, British Columbia; Dr. R. H. Henry, '31, New Brunswick; Dr. A. R. Mitton, '52, Nova Scotia; Dr. A G. Misener, '38, Illinois; Dr. V. W. Ruth, '38, Pennsylvania; Dr. L G. Anderson, '36, Great Britain; Dr. C. C. Gay, '80,-Australia; Dr. 1. L Jones, chairman; and Dr. F. D. Homey, ex-officio.

E. M. Biggs, OAC '48, and T. R. Hilllard, OAC '40, senior civil servants at Queen's Park, have been named to key posts in the restructured Ontario government.

Mr. Biggs has been made deputy minister in the Department of the Environment while Mr. Hilliard has been appointed deputy minlster in agricuiture and food.

Named deputy minister of agricuiture in 1961, Mr. Blggs Is a past-president of the Agricultural institute of Canada. He Is aiso a director of the Canadian National Exhibition and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. .

Active in aiumni affairs, Mr. Hilliard is senior vice-president of the University of Guelph Aiumni Association. He is also a past-president of the Ontario institute of Agroiogists. He has been deputy minister of public works since 1967.

James C. Kenney, OAC '44, has been named campaign chairman of the 1972 Aima Mater Fund, University of Guelph Aiumni Association President Rowan Walker, OVC '47, recentiy announced.

Campaign Vice-Chalrman is Dr. E. B. Williams, OVC '41, and division chairmen are: Prof. E. W. Franklin, OAC '47, and Prof. G. R. Couilng, Dept. of Fine Art, campus co-chairmen; Mrs. L (Berenice Kerry) Webber, Mac '40, class agents chairman; Derek French, OAC '58, direct

mail chairman; N. C. Darrach, OAC '42, century club chairman; and G. L E. Nixon, OAC '37, and G. S. Best, OAC '48, chairman and vice-chairman respectively of the OAC centennial project.

The Aima Mater Fund campaign committee will be initiating its fourth annual drive to raise money for projects not eligible for formula financing funds.

The Honours and Awards Committee of the University of Guelph Aiumni Association recentiy announced it is now accepting nominations for the 1972 Alumnus of Honour and Alumni Medai of Achievement awards.

The Alumnus of Honour award recognizes annually an alumnus for his contribution to a national cause for Canada, service to his community, scientific and educational achievements, and leadership in business, industry, or aiumni affairs.

The Alumni Medai of Achievement is presented to an :,iumnus who has graduated withln the past 10 years, and is awarded for contributions to country, community, or profession.

Nominations previously presented are held by the committee for review up to five years.

New nominations should be mailed to the committee, c/o Aiumni House, University of Guelph.

Deadline for nominations is June 30.

April 28-29

Coming Events

April 11 O.A.C. Alumni Association Annual Seminar

Macdonald Institute Alumnae Association Annual Seminar

April 28 -May 13 Guelph Spring Festival

May 13-14 Green Thumb Day (see back cover)

May 24, 25, 26 Spring Convocations

June 16, 17, 18 OAC-Mac Alumni Annual Weekend

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