In an effort to cut costs, Carleton has reduced the number of proctors hired to supervise exams, replacing them with instructors and teaching assistants, a move that has been opposed by unions representing TAs and undergraduate students.
Vladimir de Baghy, co-president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4600, said he is concerned about the impact the new policy could have for teaching assistants and contract instructors.
“We are very worried about the potential for overwork by teaching assistants and reduced exposure to students. We are concerned that in replacing proctors you are going to put people in exams halls that are not qualified.”
The decreased funding for hiring proctors was part of the 2009-10 budget that was approved by the Board of Governors in August.
The budget requested roughly $220,000 for proctors and received $100,000 this year, down from last year’s funding of $300,000, according to e-mail correspondence between Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) computer science councillor Nicholas Osborne, vice-president (finance and administration) Duncan Watt and associate vice-president (student support services) Suzanne Blanchard.
Carleton is one of the only universities in Ontario to have full-proctor exams, Blanchard said.
The funds from the proctor policy were relocated to student staff in the library and library materials, Watt said.
Baghy also noted that there has been absolutely no planning by the university in regards to TAs.
“There has been no discussion with us, with the contract instructors, about how this policy will be implemented,” he said.
A major concern of CUPE is that the hours required for training and proctoring will reduce the amount of office hours that teaching assistants would spend with students.
“A lot of the administration seems to think that that is hours that teaching assistants don’t work. I don’t know any teaching assistants that aren’t willing to spend time with their students,” Baghy said.
Baghy also mentioned a condition of CUPE’s collective agreement is that teaching assistants may not be asked to proctor during a period of their own assignments. Many teaching assistants are also undergraduates, so there is concern that their time to pursue their own studies may be afflicted, he said.
These concerns have also prompted CUSA to oppose the change in the proctoring policy.
In a motion passed Oct. 27, CUSA resolved to lobby the administration to reverse the decision and implement a policy that ensures properly trained, qualified proctors are available to oversee examinations.
“It provides a mandate that lets the university know that we are quite concerned about the quality of our education. It’s a good indication that students take our exams quite seriously,” said Erik Halliwell, CUSA president.
Halliwell noted several ways in which undergraduate students will be directly affected by the policy, such as a fewer exam supervisors per student.
There is also the possibility of a conflict of interest if undergraduate TAs are supervising undergraduate students, the motion said.