arts // Giller >> Nova Scotian receives prestigious award; pg. 8 Volume 144 · Issue 12 • November 24, 2010
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Accessibility scarce at UNB
Internationalization initiatives key for UNB
Alex Kress and Hilary Paige Smith News Department Facilities Management knows accessibility is a problem on campus, but for now, it’s a problem to be left unsolved. Craig Hickey, acting project manager for Facilities Management, acknowledged that accessibility is a problem for physically disabled students on campus, but said the university has no long-term plans for making every building accessible. “(There’s) nothing with a timeframe. It’s just as funding permits. We will try – we’ve taken a lot of steps over the last several years with the addition of ramps, the addition of elevators in buildings, I guess it comes down to funding,” he said. When asked which buildings on campus are wheelchair accessible and accessible to those on crutches, for example, Hickey directed The Brunswickan to the most recent campus map available online. The printable version of the map details buildings, walkways and streets on campus. An access key and corresponding letters show readers if there is an elevator, a wheelchair access bathroom, a level or ramp entrance, a one step up to entrance and no curb breaks from the parking lot in each building. Of the 79 buildings listed, only 18 have a level or ramp entrance, an elevator and an accessible restroom. The majority of residences are inaccessible, save Magee House and the Suite-Style Residence. 32 of the buildings listed have only one facet of accessibility, such as a level entrance or a ramp. 21 buildings have no accessible resources listed at all, including Sir Howard Douglas Hall, where the administrative offices are housed, and the Electrical Engineering portion of Head Hall. Some buildings, however, are not meant for student use, such as the Salt Storage building or the Central Heating Plant. An elevator is currently being installed in Bailey Hall and the Currie Center is expected to be entirely accessible. Hickey expects there will always be a problem with accessibility on campus because of UNB’s geography. “There are going to be challenges even if all our buildings are accessible. It’s just the lay of the land that’s going to make it a challenge for somebody to get from
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Silke Klenk, UNB’s international relations coordinator, is pleased with the new goal having international students comprising 20 per cent of the student body between UNBF and UNBSJ, but feels strong retention policies are needed. Andrew Meade/ The Brunswickan Colin McPhail Editor-in-Chief As global linkages become integral to the prosperity of a university, UNB is taking a direct approach in improving its internationalization initiatives. The university’s Strategic Plan has been enduring an extensive revision process before its approval and several areas have been scrutinized under the microscope of many university boards. The most recently revised copy, dated Nov. 5, was disputed and discussed through six lengthy senate and board meetings and open houses. The Strategic Planning Committee also received over 120 pages in written replies. UNB President Eddy Campbell is excited as the plan progresses and the responses the meetings garnered. He said the discussion offered a valuable insight into areas that needed revision. “In the course of the input, we sat down and had note takers at the live events and had the written submissions and we reformulated the bit about internationalization in that way,” said Campbell. Dr. Campbell explained that UNB has a
rich international history that lives on today as the university has over 2000 students currently completing UNB degrees overseas. However, as the Strategic Plan indicates, stronger, more modern internationalization initiatives are needed. “We will increase opportunities for people at UNB and in our host communities to engage with other cultures, further developing our relationships with international communities.” Silke Klenk, UNB’s international relations coordinator, is pleased with the new revisions that were addressed in the written replies put forth by the International Relations Office and the International Advisory Committee, a committee consisting of 25 faculty and international student representatives. Since its formation in 2004, the IRO has centralized and overseen all of UNB’s international activities. The new office allowed Klenk and the university to build upon their existing internationalization policies. Today, the revised plan offers a more concerted effort in recruiting international students by aspiring to have 20 per cent of the UNBF and UNBSJ student body coming from overseas.
Klenk is satisfied with the goal, but acknowledges that recruiting is only half the battle. “It’s one thing to say we want to increase our international student numbers by 20 per cent between the two campuses, but we also want to make sure that these students graduate with a UNB degree and that we retain them.” She noted that the many support services for international students offered by various faculties and the IRO are essential to retention and should not be overlooked by the plan. The Strategic Plan also vows to increase opportunities to study abroad for students by four per cent. “It’s becoming increasingly important in today’s world,” said Klenk in respect to the increased international opportunities. “When you graduate from university, you need to have global competence. That’s what employers are looking for. The ability to spend a semester overseas or to do an internship over the summer somewhere internationally… It’s a great a building block for our students.” Jenna Culberson, a fourth-year Arts student, studied at the Vrije University in
Amsterdam and felt that her experience abroad was a positive one. “My time abroad not only influenced me personally by meeting new people from all over the world and creating friendships but by seeing the world from my own eyes, not simply from a textbook. Being submersed in a culture is an amazing experience, you learn by seeing and doing. Even taking part in classes at Vrije University provided me with a different way of learning and the European perspective on the same topics we discuss in our classes here at UNB.” The plan also focuses around developing strong relationships between UNB and the international community through these opportunities. “We live in a global village. The better you are linked internationally, the stronger you can be,” said Klenk. Dr. Campbell and the Strategic Planning Committee are excited to begin to achieve this goal and have already begun engineering an implementation strategy upon its approval. “It’s actually a university that has great strength in respect to internationalization and it’s going to continue to be important to us.”