The Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA) hosted a discussion panel Nov. 24 on the prospect of establishing an on-campus international recruitment agency, Navitas.
Navitas is in talks with the Carleton administration to set up a facility on campus that will recruit and train international students who do not have the requirements needed to directly enroll in university studies. After completion of upgrade courses and with sufficient grades, the students could move into second-year studies at Carleton.
The panel discussion was held off-campus at the Westin Hotel because of the possibility of a Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) strike, according to Patrizia Gentile, chair of internal relations for CUASA. Panel organizers invited Peter Ricketts, vice-president (academic) and provost, and Brian Mortimer, clerk of the senate, but both were unable to attend.
CUASA members have opposed such an arrangement, and are trying to open up broader discussions on the impacts and implications Navitas could bring to Carleton students and faculty.
Gentille said students and faculty are not being included in the discussions.
“One way to look at Navitas is as an acronym: Not a Viable Initiative to Aid Students,” said Peggy Hartwick, an English as a second language instructor with the School of Linguistics and Language Studies at Carleton.
Hartwick said she is concerned about the job security of instructors within her department.
“Is there going to be pressure on instructors to pass students in order to keep tuition money coming in and to keep their jobs as a sessional instructors?” she asked.
Cam Morrill, president of the University of Manitoba Faculty Association, echoed Hartwick's concerns, saying that he has heard reports from some Navitas instructors that they were pressured to increase student success rates.
Navitas has operated at the University of Manitoba since 2008.
“Essentially, Navitas buys the brand-name of an established university, which gives them a leg-up in what is a very competitive international market for the recruitment of students,” said David Robinson, associate executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers. “It sets them apart from other recruitment agencies,” he added.
Additionally, Robinson said the promises made to these international students are often misleading.
“Students are told they are taking university-level courses, when in fact they are taking foundation non-credit courses that may or may not be recognized,” Robinson said. “This is a back-door way into university for those who can afford to pay extraordinarily high fees,” he added.
According to James Meades, co-president of CUPE 4600, the Carleton administration has said Navitas students will have access to clubs and societies, but they are not clear on whether they will be compensating student associations for the costs.
“What we will see are cash-strapped student associations being further pressured, contract instructors more precariously employed, and international students used as cash-cows for increasing the operating budget of the university,” Meades said.