Letter:UBC/OUC Bad

I'm sorry Ruth Rochlin but your letter about the hostile takeover of
OUC by UBC is nothing but fiction. First of all, you ignore the fact
that there are many community members that have been providing
university training to the people of this valley for some time. You
ignore the fact that the research faculty of OUC have attracted
millions of dollars in Federal, Provinical and private money to the
valley, you forget or don't know that in many areas, the educational
experience obtained at OUC is BETTER than that provided by UBC, you
fail to realize that if OUC were to become a full-status university on
its own merits that the Provincial government would also have to invest
$50 million dollars in order to support a wider variety of more
advanced programing, more students... I'm sorry, but many of the
people that worked so hard, as you say, were misguided and misinformed
about what the real goal was. The goal was to get a University Charter
for OUC. The takeover of the north campus of OUC by UBC fails to
recognize that there is already highly qualified faculty providing
quality university education and conducting world-class research. Why
should anyone celebrate the fact that these people the achievements
made by OUC faculty, staff and students are being ignored?

Finally, UBC is certainly one of the biggest universities in Canada,
but it is not necessarily the best in Canada in all aspects of
university education or university research. However, the point is
that recognition is earned not bestowed by the government or by the
president of another institution. UBC had to earn it's reputation
after it was established by McGill. OUC deserves a chance to earn it's
own reputation for what it does or doesn't do. Your comment about
"instant recognition" is nothing but fiction. If and when UBC grants
Kelowna a satellite campus (like nothing ever existed here in the first
place), do you think there will be an "instant" change in the programs
offered at NKC? Do you think there will be an "instant" change in the
faculty at NKC? Do you think there will be an "instant" new
educational building on campus? I don't believe it's possible.
Therefore if nothing changes but the name, why would anything else,
such as reputation, change?

Only the future will determine if the obliteration of OUC by Dr.
Martha Piper and Gordon Campbell will have a positive or negative
impact on our community (remember the takeover of Western Star?).
Similarly, there is no way of knowing whether granting OUC it's own
university charter would be a positive or negative change for our
valley. Unfortunately, we will never have the opportunity to be in
control of our own destiny. Rather, Ruth Rochlin and others want the
Lower Mainland to control even more of our future and our money.

-Scott Reid