YUFA
External
Communities and Universities: Partners in Education
Simon Fraser University
October 22- 23, 2006
By: Joan Allen: Sociology, York University
10 Jan 07 - YUFA was well represented at this unusual and refreshingly small conference which involved primarily representatives of eight colleges and universities and members of community groups and social justice groups that interact with them. Much positive comment was made about the fact that our group was sponsored by a faculty association. We were joined by Sue Levesque, who does community outreach from the York President’s Office, and Glenn Stuart of the Community and Legal Aid Services Program of Osgoode. The schools involved were Simon Fraser University, York University, George Brown College, Frontier College, the University of Pennsylvania, University of New Mexico and Columbia University, and the Universidad Iberamericana Ciudad de Mexico and some associated Jesuit institutions in Mexico.
Community workers included representatives from the East Vancouver Sex Workers, Regent Park Neighbourhood Initiative, Jane-Finch Caring Village, Black Creek Community Health Centre, and Driftwood Community Centre, to name a few.
The York group’s presentation was notable in that the community leaders spoke for an equal amount of time as the academics.
David Maurasse, former Columbia faculty, and President and CEO of Marga Inc., a consulting firm which aids the development of partnerships, spoke at the opening plenary. He wrote Beyond the Campus, a compilation of case studies of universities who integrate their resources with those of communities. He spoke of how communities “want more than use of the gym”, a reference to the Columbia University strike of the late 60’s which erupted over the denial of the Morningside Heights community’s access to the Columbia University gym. One question he raised was that of how to do sustainable partnerships, as opposed to “drive-by” partnerships. He focussed on issues of finding ways to make universities become more accessible to the socially excluded. Maurasse asked: “Why, when we are so good, are conditions so bad around us?” As society becomes more integrated, and boundaries between sectors, nations, and industries blur, we are in greater need of companies that can navigate such complexity. Marga Incorporated specializes in forging the kind of partnerships that leverage the best of all worlds, drawing upon the strengths of various institutions and industries for a broader social benefit.
Representatives from the universite Ilbero America belonged to the organization AUSJAL which includes twenty-nine Jesuit universities. They have worked with universities from Santa Fe to Chiapas, and have accomplished initiatives such as setting up nurseries for garbage collection workers.
Debbie Bell, Program Director of the Community Education Program in Continuing Studies at SFU, spoke of the need to find ways to prevent communities’ loss of ownership of the research about them. She referred to the “episodic education” of many community members. Regarding university mandates she spoke of:
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The need to engage beyond our own self-interest (unencumbered participation)
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The need to move beyond thinking of community needs to thinking of requirements to make communities flourish
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The use of the language of the heart in describing the outcomes of these partnerships. She spoke of friendships developed beyond the social capital and economic spinoffs of the formal university and community relations.
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The need to develop long term projects
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The need to think of universities as creative altruistic organizations.
Ira Harkavy from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the fire and brimstone conference orator, chiding all present to become more activist and to feel shame for what universities do not do in spite of what they preach.He stressed the need to integrate academic research and teaching. Schools should act as community building institution, with 24 hour access. University assisted public schools were a topic.
While most of the York group attended the session of superstar Ira Harkavy from The University of Pennsylvanian at Philadelphia, I attended a session to see what our George Brown colleagues were involved in. Their project is the George Brown College and Regent Park Neighbourhood Initiative. Presenters were Brenda Pipitone and Bethany J. Osborne.
Their programs concentrate on building confidence of the long term unemployed, many of whom do not have Social Assistance.
Some of the examples of their programs include assistant cook training for immigrant women which encourages catering out of the house, aboriginal carpentry programs which involve building in the local Toronto Community Housing Projects,
They see college accessibility as key to sustainable community engagement. Part of the uniqueness of their program’s institutional structure is the involvement of all levels, for instance, George Brown cleaners sit on the organizing committee.
They discussed their frustrations with existing granting agencies, and stressed the need for internal support structures within educational institutions.
It was quite positive to have made this link with the George Brown initiatives and we have promised to consult further.
Another local Vancouver group presented on the link between sex workers and SFU. 90-99 such workers are missing from Eastside Vancouver in recent years, demonstrating the need for action. Such students’ schedules do not allow for a typical classroom environment. They spoke of their alienation from a top-down authority structure. They stressed the need for an informal atmosphere, with a bottom-up authority structure.
Presenters from the The University of New Mexico New Mexico and the United South Broadway Corporation raised the question of dirty money in helping communities surrounding universities. They noted the limited access to capital in low-income neighbourhoods, and the predatory lending practices of conventional financial institutions there. Their 400 year old neighbourhoods contain 28 different indigenous tribes. The majority are a racial minority. Their communities are populated predominantly by persons of colour, with few of Anglo-American background. Their initiatives are funded by Levi-Strauss. They topicalized pockets of poverty and poor performing schools. The stressed that the zone outside of schools should be used as learning spaces, such as parks, museums, learning centres, libraries. Examples were the Saturday academy in the bookstore, and artwork displays in parking lots. The support a Youth Conservation Corps.
All speakers noted the problem of universities not reporting back to communities with studies.
The York group raised issues for youth such as suspensions, neighbourhood turf wars, and alienation from the university property. YUFA has membership in Caring Village; it is not a partnership. In schools, one issue is students who are transferred but not promoted, due to either failing English or Math. Glenn Stuart of Osgoode spoke of the need for “rebellious lawyering.”
The York group stressed that we go to the community rather than having them come to us. We need charismatic leadership to remove longstanding problems, and to be as catalysts for change in institutions. Successorship issues were discussed. They provided models for York’s ongoing development of community relationships.
The concluding session discussed future possible meetings, and suggested ways of involving universities more directly, including tracking more diligently the myriad of community research projects that are occurring, and improving on the dissemination of this research.
Other Reports from this Conference:
Don Dippo's Report
Sheila Lewis' Report
David McNab's Report
Deena Yanofsky's Report