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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1987-04-29, Page 5Conestoga College THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 1987. PAGE 5. Bringing education to your doorstep BYTOBY RAINEY Close to 50 part-time students have recently embarked on the Spring session of Conestoga Col­ lege Continuing Education classes in Brussels, marking one full year that adult classes have been offered in the area. The village has been the site of a unique experi­ ment, one which has proven so successful that the “Brussels experience” will be used as the model in other communities and other counties for many years to come. The community, with a popula­ tion of just over 1,000, was selected as one of two pilot projects when the college decided to wide its mandate of fulfilling the adult educational needs of its people by making courses available in a smaller centre, one without formal campus facilities. Milverton, in Perth County, was the second Ontario community chosen fora similar role. Conestoga College, with cam­ puses in Stratford, Guelph, Cam­ bridge. Kitchener (Doon), Water­ loo and Clinton, has an enrollment of 4,500 full-time and more than 30,000 part-time students, as well 'Brusse/s very progressive for its size' as a staff of 600 full-time employ­ ees. With an annual budget of $40 million, it offers more than 100 academic and technical programs, as well as an endless variety of hobby, leisure-time and home­ making short courses. Brussels was chosen to take part in the experiment, according to Conestoga’s community co-ordi­ nator in Stratford, Jane Huffman, because it had been identified by the college as being “very progres­ sive for its size,’’ but more particularly because it is home to the one person who, through her own interest and vitality, could practically ensure the success of the project - former village acting clerk-treasurer Ruth Sauve. “I’ve known Ruth for a number of years,’’ says Mrs. Huffman. “She impressed me right from the start; I knew if this project was going to work, Ruth would be the one to do it.’’ However, she is quick to add that if the people of the Brussels area had not so quickly identified the need for adult education opportun­ ities within their own community, the project would not have been so successful so soon. Justoverayearago, the local “contact committee,” chaired by Mrs. Sauve and assisted by Mrs. Huffman, prepared and mailed out a “Community Learning Needs Questionnaire” to every house­ hold in Brussels and along the rural routes up to and including the hamlets of Walton, Cranbrook, Ethel, Jamestown, Bluevale and Belgrave, nearly 1,000 copies in all. Although it was the first time that Conestoga had ever compiled and used this type of survey, 124 copies came back by deadline, a rate of return considered excellent by those involved. Tabulating the results, organizers found that an overwhelming number of respon­ dents wanted courses either in occupational training of somesort, or in the leisure-time activity range; that four times as many women as men responded; that most people who answered were either full-time employed or home­ makers; and that most people wanted evening courses made available in the fall, winter or spring. Eighty-one Brussels peo­ ple returned the survey, as did 14 from Belgrave, 12 from Bluevale, nine from Walton, four from Ethel, two from Jamestown and one each from Cranbrook and Blyth. Following up the returns by phone, the contact committee found that the greatest number of people wanted a bookkeeping/ac- counting course, which became the first course offered in the Spring of 1986. By fall of the same year, still using survey results and further word-of-mouth comments to make their decisions, the committee decided to continue to offer a further bookkeeping course, and to add several more courses in both academic upgrading and in arts and crafts. Since that time, more and different courses have been added, and others discontinued as it was felt the demand for them had passed. “The people around Brussels have the right to choose the courses they want; they have the right to say ‘We’re different,...’ Mrs. Huffman says. “The college is here to serve you, but you have to tell us what you want us to do.” Made up of five local people who represent a broad cross-section of the Brussels-area population, the contact committee is uniquely tuned in to the needs of the community, as well as being able to suggest local people as instructors wherever possible. A class of adult students listens attentively during the continuing education course in municipal government offered every Thursday evening at the Brussels Public School, Students who successfully complete the 180-hour course may apply to the Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario [AMCTO] to sit a challenge examination at McMaster University leading to certification as a municipal administrator. Preferring local instructors, Conestoga College offers free personal development training to prospective teachers who have not had classroom experience pre­ viously, as well as upgrading seminars to instructors already in the system, usually in the form of easy-to-schedule one-day sessions at one of the college campuses. However, if there is sufficient demand for a course for which no local instructor can be found, the college will supply one at no added cost to participants. Fees for each course are deter­ mined by the college, and vary considerably with the course. Some classes, such as those leading to possible employment, are subsidized by the provincial government or by professional associations, while others may require a higher investment in materials used by the student. Instructors are paid by the college, at an hourly rate largely determin­ ed by the individual’s qualifica­ tions and/or related experience. The variety of courses offered through this unique institution spans nearly the entire spectrum of human interest, ranging from the leisure-time activity or personal improvement classes - everything from bartending to a large number of personal computer courses - right up to the part-time Certificate programs, which lead to such things as provincial certification as a fully-qualified health care aide after completing 120 hours each of classroom theory and clinical experience. In between, a Conestoga part­ timecontinuing education student can take courses in supervision and personnel management, any num­ ber of health courses, post-secon­ dary courses in several disciplines, and the prestigious courses offered in co-operation with such profes­ sional associations as the Insur­ ance Institute of Ontario, the Ontario Real Estate Association, the Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors and the Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers (AMCT). Unit II of the AMCT municipal administration course, taught by Mrs. Sauve, is now going on every Thursday evening at the Brussels Public School; while an advanced bookkeeping/accounting course, taught by Sheila Mullin of Sea­ forth, goes every Tuesday evening atthe school. Aswell, the final unit of the Health Care Aide program, taughtbyJane Smith of Listowel. is held at the Brussels Library every Tuesday evening. In theory, any course, long or short, thatcould possibly be taught within the mandate of Ontario’s largest provider of part-time, continuing education could be put on in Brussels - or at any other community that has people who will take the time, on a volunteer basis, to make sure that the effort is well co-ordinated, has an adequate number of students to make the course feasible, has qualified instructors, and has the physical facilities in which to hold the class. Next time the Conestoga Con­ tinuing Education catalogue comes out - which it does every spring, winter and fall - look through it carefully: it may contain something that will change your life. Or else get in touch with a member of the Brussels Contact Committee.askthemwhatis being offered .... or suggest something yourself, and see what they can do about making learning available right on your doorstep. In Holland they've got too much of a good thing BY RAYMOND CANON One of the joys of writing a column about things international is that you have such a wide variety oftopics from which to choose; this week’s is certainly going to be one of the most unique I have ever done. I never thought that I would see thedaywhenlwouldbewriting seriously about manure in Hol­ land, or any other country for that matter, but that is precisely what I am going to do but not from the point of view that you might think. Holland has about five million cows and 12 millions pigs; between them they produce some 96 million tonnes of dung, much of which is liberally spread over the fields to fertilize crops. Unfortunately the Dutch farmers do not need quite all those 96 million tonnes; there are about 15 million tons of the stuff left over. Out of that come two problems. What does one do with the surplus and what are the effects of using approximately 80 million tonnes of fertilizer? Toa considerable degree the two problems are rolled into one but let’s see if we can tackle them separately. The animal waste is loaded with chemicals which are frequently to be found in enriched animal fodder and some of them, such as nitrates and phosphates, are in harmful concentrations. This has caused something of a problem in a land which is, after all, about one-tenth rivers, lakes and canals. Two years ago a government advisory council found that the concentration of nitrates in the water often exceeded the maxi­ mum acceptable levels set by the European Community. The Dutch take such things very seriously and so it was decided that measures had to be taken. On May 1 of this year each farmer must report how many animals he israisingand how much land he is cultivating. This infor­ mation will be used to enforce new phosphate levels and a levy will be imposed on any manure output which exceeds the amount which the farmer is permitted to use on his own land. Each farmer will be required to keep detailed record of sales and purchases of animal manure to make sure that nobody is exceeding the limit. The government had already set up in the early 1970’s a number of subsidized “manure banks’’ where farmers could pay to deposit surplus excrement. The stuff could then be carted off to those areas of the country which needed it. Shortly after came another law which forbade the expansion of pig and poultry farms; this was an efforttokeep the manure under control although poultry produces only about five per cent of all the animal wastes. I am not sure whether I can expect to see a lot of constipated farm animals the next time that I go to Holland. The farmers are going to have to do something to cut back on the amount of dung which their animals produce. They have the satisfactionof knowing that the governmentisgoing to set up a national manure bank which will promote the efficient use of any surplus that is sitting around. While this is being done, the same farmers are having to learn new methods of applying fertilizer so that the pollution can be minimize- ed. Th>s is not small potatoes or should I say tulips. Thecurrentccsi of storing the dung is in the neighbourhood of half a billion dollars a year; even transporting the stuff for storage costs a farmer ontheaverageof $3,000 a year. Some research is in the offing; the amount of over $50 million has been allocated for that purpose. Whileallthisisbeing sorted out, I have one small consolation for the Dutch farmers. At least their fertilizer does not smell as horrible as what the Swiss farmers use. There is nothing I hate more than driving through the beautiful scenery in Switzerland, enjoying theviewwhen,allofasudden, I find myself on the verge of fainting. Some farmer is out spraying his fields and while he and the contented Swiss cows may be used to it, I most assuredly am not. Maybe the Dutch farmers can put their surplus manure on barges, floatituptheRhineand sell it to the Swiss!