November 2, 2020
THE VARSITY The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
Revamped PEY program draws backlash for increasing fee by 2019–20 227 per cent $1,100
Vol. CXLI, No. 8
2020–21
$3,600
Engineering Society president narrowly avoids removal at recall meeting Hannah Carty News Editor
The Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (FASE) has instituted many changes to its Professional Experience Year (PEY ) program that have drawn criticism from many students for increasing the cost from $1,100 to $3,600 and not reflecting what students wanted to see. The changes to the program were passed at the Faculty Council meeting on October 23 and apply to students entering the faculty starting in fall 2020. Students voiced concerns at the annual accountability meeting that their elected representatives of the Engineering Society (EngSoc) did not do enough to oppose the revamp. The EngSoc president was nearly voted out of office at the meeting. The PEY program allows students to take a 12- or 16-month work placement while on leave from school. Many students participate in the program as a way to fulfill their required hours of engineering experience needed to graduate. The FASE has been working to revamp the program since 2016. Students have also criticized the existing program for several years — an EngSoc report in 2017 revealed concerns directed toward the faculty’s career advising centre, the Engineering Career Centre (ECC). The ECC runs the PEY program, has a job board, and offers information sessions
to help students get placements. Students felt that the ECC workshops were outdated, and 71 per cent were unhappy with the fees that they were paying to the ECC. The report had also laid out the main changes students wanted: more flexibility in length of placements, more accountability and oversight of the ECC, and more ECC staff members that are engineers or have engineering experience. Backlash toward the fee increase Previously, students who wanted to register for the PEY program had to pay $125 to register and paid the remaining $975 after they accepted an offer, for a total of $1,100. Under the new plan, students have to pay $450 each semester of their second and third years, and two installments of $900 each after they accept their offer, for a total of $3,600. The installments paid in second and third year do not guarantee a PEY placement. The higher fee “poses a huge accessibility barrier for low-income students and unfairly penalizes students who do not find work terms,” wrote engineering science student Armin Ale to The Varsity. Now, if students do not find work placements, they still have to pay the $1,800 to register for the program. This represents an approximate 1,300 per cent increase in the fees paid before a student finds and accepts their offer. Much of students’ concerns about the in-
ENGSOC SURVEY ON CHANGES TO PEY PROGRAM 5: strongly in favour 1: strongly against
creased price stem from their discontent with the ECC. However, students expressed that the services and advice of the ECC are not always of good quality and have, in some cases, even hindered students; many students seek help from the student-run You’re Next Career Network (YNCN) instead. Students fear that simply paying more for the ECC’s services will not automatically improve their value. Mechanical engineering student Savo Bajic thinks that, even separately from the total amount of fees, the fee distribution should be that students pay a majority of the fees after they accept a placement. Shifting the fee structure to have most fees paid after a student accepts their offer gives students more flexibility to decide later on in the process if they end up choosing not to do a PEY, and costs them less money if they are unable to find a placement. In addition, students argue that having the ECC charge most of its fees after an offer is extended would demonstrate confidence that it can help most students find placements successfully. Upper-year mechanical engineering student Sourabh Das wrote, “There are existing problems with the quality and quantity of services which make it difficult to see any sort of massive expansion by the faculty in good faith.” He added that he would like to see more flexibility in work terms, meaning that students could take multiple shorter placements rather
than being confined to 12– 16 month ones. Roger Francis, Executive Director of the ECC, wrote to The Varsity that multiple student groups were consulted in the changes, including EngSoc and YNCN, and that “the costs are directly related to delivering the various aspects of an official co-operative education program.” He added, “An assessment and design process was initiated to create a co-op program that was in keeping with student demands and satisfied all requirements of an accredited Co-operative Education.” Under the new plan, the ECC hopes to hire more staff members, institute new professional development and career programming, and provide more support for students during their work placements. “As the program continues to develop and evolve, feedback is continuously being integrated into the future program,” wrote Francis. Some students also expressed concerns about the attitude of certain faculty administrators toward student criticism of the revamp. One student, Muskan Sethi, and two others, who wished to remain unnamed due to involvement in faculty governance, attended a meeting in February where they recalled a conversation about the PEY changes. According to the three students, ViceDean Undergraduate Thomas Coyle made insensitive remarks about low-income students and dismissed students’ concerns about the increased cost by comparing it to the increase in the price of his Netflix subscription. Coyle is also a proponent of the final report on the revamp. The Varsity has reached out to Coyle for comment. Cont’d, p. 2
YES/NO RECALL VOTE RATIO
no VOTES NEEDED TO PASS: 67%
Yes