CAPILANO COLLEGE

...communicates

Principal’s Newsletter

— Capilano College —

1770 Mathers Avenue, West Vancouver, B.C.

VOLUME 3 — NUMBER 4

APRIL, 1970

EDITORIAL

Don't shackle our colleges

..., they must be free to grow

Regional colleges, for many decades. an inde-
pendent and important link between secondary
school and universities in the United States, took
a long time to be accepted by the government in
British Columbia.

However, the log jam was broken in 1968
when Capilano college was granted permission to
hold a plebiscite to open in available facilities.
Other regions followed and many colleges are
opening or will open shortly under these condi-
tions.

As a pioneer in this situation, we feel Capilano
can better assess the implications of the School
Act revisions put through the present session of
the Legislature.

The revised act prepares the way for vocation-
al schools and colleges to work under one juris-
_ diction. We find no fault with that. It simplifies
the taxcollecting structure.

What we do seriously question is giving this
jurisdiction to local school boards and the Depart-

ment of Education. It is regrettable when British
Columbia waited so long for this post secondary
facility it appears that it must now operate at the
elementary and secondary jurisdigtional level.

Colleges must have independence to grow, to
show leadership in the community, to experiment.
We are not serving under-age youngsters. We are
dealing with adults, moving out to-second and
third year university or other institutions, or into
the world of commerce.

In the United States college districts operate
independently and have done so efficiently for
many years. They are members of the post-
secondary family and are in charge of their own
fund-raising and programs.

All thoughtful educators must ask why British
Columbia colleges have been placed in this old-
fashioned stock.

ALFRED H. GLENESK

Principal