PAGE TWO

Garth Edge looks back at a year's
Community Services experiment

When Capilano college decided to launch a
Community Services Program last September,
who better to organize it than a faculty member
who had worked in the community before coming
into education?

So Garth Edge, co-ordinator of the depart-
ments of History and Economics, and former em-
ployee of Standard Oil, found himself elected
director and grasped the opportunity to create
some history in communications,

He did. And the community will not soon for-
get the impact of some of the programs. Instead
of a timid thrust in a new field, Garth flung him-
self and the college into a full-scale operation. The
schedule read like the timetable of a busy rail-
road.

In the month of February, for example, there
were two sessions on trade unions; four on In-
dians in B.C.; a series of four talks given by mem-
bers of the faculty and four debates on religion.

STIR CONTROVERSY

Garth Edge, who has reluctantly handed in his
director’s badge due to pressure of time, looks
back with nostalgia on his programs.

“It was a real experience, not done in this
depth by any college,” he said. ‘““‘We structured it
this way because there is a varied night school
pragram on the North Shore and we did not want
to duplicate the vocational and enrichment
courses, ~

“TI believed we had a role in establishing a
program that would stir controversy and interest.
We tried to get good speakers who would stimu-
late the audience to become involved.

“Reporters came from press and radio and
where caught up in the themes and gave us great
coverage. It showed the college as a vigorous,
enthusiastic entity in the community, not just
four walls,” Edge said, “and I feel this was an
important step for a young college.”

GENERATION GAP

What drew the best crowds?

Edge said the Generation Gap series brought
out young and old into the auditorium at Park
Lanes, packing the place.

“T asked Mike Humphries, co-ordinator of our
psychology department, to stage the series. He
had a showman’s flair for drama and had student
groups from Carson Graham put on skits as il-
lustrations. Some of them were hilarious.”

GARTH EDGE ... organized it

Edge said the pollution series was well attend-
ed and the theme “Indians in British Columbia”
brought a good turnout.

As the series continued more Indians became
involved, coming from as far away as Alouette
Lake,

Under the title “Has God a Heart?’, the series
on religion was the most successful Sunday night
series.

“This series was a revelation in what the
church was doing in a changing world”, Edge
said. “The ministers were tremendous speakers
with great social concern.”

POLITICS FAILED

The failures?

“Yes, we had them too,” he said. “The political
series was a disaster. A program on trade unions,
scheduled for 7 p.m. to catch the students, failed
to attract them.”

Edge said he regretted this because it was a
wonderful series, well worth hearing.

He admitted with a grin that the series entitled
“The College Talks”, with faculty as speakers, was
a mistake. The first night saw one speaker, some-
one’s father and a stranger who had wandered
into the building by mistake.

“But looking back, I would program another
community services program much the same way
if I were doing it again,” Edge said.

“T see our role as a catalyst in the community.
stimulating controversy by asking the top men in
their field to speak to let us find new approaches
to current problems.”