Dear Editor:
In 1968, North and West Vancouver, Squamish, Pemberton and Sechelt participated in a referendum. The Howe Sound school district required a "yes" vote so that local residents could attend what would become Capilano College. With the exception of Sechelt, all communities voted overwhelmingly in support of the creation of a community college. Communities also agreed to pay a two per cent tax to fund the creation of Capilano programs in the regions.
When Capilano became a university, legislation also allowed it to maintain its degree-granting status. This status maintains Capilano's duty to serve the Howe Sound Corridor.
The legislation specifies that institutions like Capilano that serve geographic regions must provide Adult Basic Education (ABE).
However in 2011, ABE at the Squamish campus sustained a 38 per cent cut in programing. In spite of these cuts, ABE accounted for half of the students enrolled at the Squamish campus. ABE has the only supervised science lab accessible to adult learners in the corridor.
Adults pursue ABE to earn prerequisites for degree studies as well as health care and trade programs. Adults also take ABE as a step in skills upgrading and career changes, or WCB retraining agreements. Because of these needs, Capilano has been a fixture of ABE in Squamish for more than 40 years.
On April 26, Capilano administrators proposed the elimination of all ABE at the Squamish campus. These cuts are significant for our community and our region.
Susan Le Blanc, executive member, Capilano University Faculty Association
