Arts, Faculty of
Social Work, School of
DSpace
UBCV
Thomasson, Augusta Margaret
Master of Social Work - MSW
University of British Columbia
In 1945 the University of British Columbia set up a number of temporary residential areas for the students who flocked to the University at the close of the war. Acadia, the first of these, is particularly interesting because it housed both men and women residents, because it acquired some of the elements of a residential community, and because it was close to the main campus. Accordingly, an analytical study has been made of the first four years of its development. Three main sources of material were utilized: (l) Personal contacts with the students living at Acadia in various years, (2) The minutes of the Student Council meetings, (3) Questionnaires on the pros and cons of residential conditions, student activities, etc., filled in by 244 students (70 per cent of the total of 292 men and 88 women resident in 1948). The study describes the physical features and development of the area from the original army "camp"; the characteristics of the student residents; student participation in campus activities; the functioning of the Acadia Council, and administrative problems of a student residence as exemplified by this experiment. The indications are that (a) the physical facilities were severely limited, but accepted cheerfully by most residents; (b) a majority of student welcomed and benefitted from the community aspects of Acadia; (c) only minimum supervision is called for, and a good deal of self-government can be developed, but (d) it is important that lines of administrative responsibility be clearly drawn. The "cottage type" of student accommodation and non-segregation of men and women students, both gained heavy votes from the Acadia students, among the preferences suggested to them for a future permanent type of residence.
ACADIA CAMP A study of the Acadia Camp Residence at the University of British Columbia from September, 1945 to May, 1949 by Augusta Margaret Thomasson Thesis submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK in the School of Social Work 1951 University of British Columbia ABSTRACT ACADIA CAMP A Study of a Mixed Student-Residence at Un i v e r s i t y of B.C. In 1945 the U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia set up a number of temporary r e s i d e n t i a l areas f o r the students who flocked to the Univer-s i t y at the close of the war. Acadia, the f i r s t of these, i s p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t e r e s t i n g because i t housed both men and women residents, because i t acquired some of the elements of a r e s i d e n t i a l community, and because i t v/as close to the main campus. Accordingly, an" a n a l y t i c a l study has been made of the f i r s t four years of i t s developments Three main sources of material were u t i l i z e d : ( l ) Personal contacts with the students l i v i n g at Acadia i n various years,, (2) The minutes of the Student Council meetings, (3) Questionnaires on the pros and cons of r e s i d e n t i a l conditions, student a c t i v i t i e s , e tc., f i l l e d i n by 2^4 students (?0 per cent o f the t o t a l of 292 men and 88 women resident i n 1948). The study describes the ph y s i c a l features and development c f the area from the o r i g i n a l army "camp"; the c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the student residents; student p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n campus a c t i v i t i e s ; the functionirsg of the Acadia C o u n c i l , and administrative problems of a student residence as exemplified by t h i s experiment. The in d i c a t i o n s are that (a) the ph y s i c a l f a c i l i t i e s were severely l i m i t e d , but accepted c h e e r f u l l y by most r e s i d -ents; (b) a majority of student welcomed and be n e f i t t e d from the commun-i t y aspects of Acadia; (c) only minimum supervision i s c a l l e d f o r , and a good deal of self-government can be developed» but (d) i t i s important that l i n e s of administrative r e s p o n s i b i l i t y be c l e a r l y drawn. The "cottage type" o f student accommodation and non-segreg-a t i o n of men and women students, both gained heavy votes from the Acadia students, among the preferences suggested to them for a future permanent type of residence. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to acknowledge great indebtedness to Dr. L.C. Marsh, of the School of Social Work who gave generously of his time and professional advice during the preparation of this study. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1, A New Residential Area The post-war problem of housing students at the University of British Columbia. The method employed by the university to solve the housing problem. The origin of a new residential area. Chapter 2. Acadiat The Physical Setting The camp as i t was at the beginningj the changes brought about during the course of four years. The accommodation and services supplied at Acadia. Chapter 5« The Student Residents Students backgrounds} their activities and social l i f e . Chapter 4. Administration and Student Government The university administration of the camp and the students opinions regarding the administration.. Student organization: the work and lessons of the Acadia Camp Council. Chapter 5« Student Viewpoints Features favoured by the students; advantages and handicaps of living at Acadia. Chapter 6. Lessons for Student Residence The verdict of expressed preferencesj things to avoid in future residences. Need for improved administration. TABLES AND CHARTS IN THE TEXT (a) Tables Page Table 1. Furnishings Found Lacking 11 Table 2. Age and Service Background of Residents 21 Table 5. Location of Homes 22 Table 4. Place of Study 25 Table 5. Social Life at. Acadia 24 Table 6. Hours Employed 28 Page Table 7. Types of Work 29 Table 8. Amounts Spent in Excess of Grants 50 Table 9 . Worst Features at Acadia 48 Table 10., Best Features at Acadia 49 Table 11. Sources to Which Students Referred Their Complaints 51 Table 12, Student Opinion Re Camp Conditions 52 Table 15. Student Government 54 Table l 4 . Residential Preferences 55 (b) Charts Figure 1, Suggested Administrative Set-up 6 l 1. CHAPTER I A NEW RESIDENTIAL AREA Few fieldsof activity have not been affected- by the war. Full employment and high wages broadened the experience of working men and women so that at the war's end there was what amountedto a mass movement into new jobs. The individual now felt able to plan his future and many civilians and men and women from the forces decided that what .they wanted was a higher education that would f i t them for better jobs; perhaps this decision was influenced by bitter experiences of "the depression that immediately preceded the war. The Government - who was. in any case responsible for the re-establishment of veterans in c i v i l life - approvedof this wish for increased education and money grants-were accordingly made to suitably qualified applicants. So i t happened that the increased wage earnings in civilian life and the grants to veterans caused a large and sudden increase in the number-of students wishing to enter the Universities. Need for Housing As one would expect with the rise in earnings and the increase in security, standards of living were raised. Housing, plentiful during the depression years, became very scarce as every family that could got itself a home of its own. People flocked to large centres and the, problem of finding housing accommodation for the increased number of students: became acute even in the universities where there:were residences on the campus. At,U.B.C. i t had been the practice for a l l out-of-town students 2 to board in homes but after the war, in addition to the housing shortage, i t was found that householders often refused to take in students as boarders because i t was more convenient for them to rent their extra rooms to people who wanted no services. Students were admitted to Canadian Universities in such numbers that the universities could provide neither adequate-housing nor class-room facilities for them. The entire higher education programme needed to be expanded i f i t was even to begin to cope with the problem. The difficulties were so great that the universities appealed to their, provincial governments for help and, when these could not do a l l that was needed, to the Dominion Government. _ At the University of British Columbia the problems of housing ; and of class-room space were acute. The question of providing student residences on the campus had been discussed for many years but, owing to lack of funds, had been allowed to drop so when i t became evident that accommodation in approved homes was going to be entirely inadequate, there was no other housing accommodation to f a l l back on. As the university policy was to admit a l l qualified students who wished to enter and as large numbers of these men and women were veterans who, under the re-establishment schemes, were entitled to a month of education for each month spent in the services, i t seemed logical to call on the Department of Veterans' Affairs for assistance. The President of the University appealed to the Provincial Government andproposed that army huts should be taken over for living quarters as well as for class-rooms and laboratories. Premier Hart announced,on July 21, 19^5* that the British Columbia Government would: back the university in spending $50,000 on emergency quarters and facilities for returned men and women attending the university.* A further appeal was made to the Dominion Government for help in the housing project and this was received.under the Emergency Housing Regulations in the form of a number of huts which had been used fori housing service personnel during war years. Dr. Shrum, the Director.of the Department of University Extension, supervised the moving of these huts to a site close to the university and at this point the residences for veteran students began. The Site and the Buildings Actually the nucleus of a residential area already existed on the campus within convenient walking distance of the university. During the depression the Dominion Government had erected nine huts on a site near Chancellor Boulevard and Acadia Road. These huts were cheaply constructed of wood, were covered with black tar-paper, had small windows and were originally intended to house men of the Non-Permanent Active: Militia. This group of buildings became -known as "Acadia Camp". In 1957 when youth training was started as an unemployment measure under the Dominion-Provincial Youth Training Plan, the camp was used to housey unemployed youths who were studying forestry. When war was declared:"the hut8 reverted to use as an army training camp and continued in this form during the war years... In 19^5t the great advantage of the accommodation •Vancouver Sun, July 21, 19^5 1 4., was that i t was immediately available. Besides being suitably located, i t had served for both civilian and army personnel in the past. Here; was at least an adequate nucleus around which to expand further housing facilities. In September 19^ 5» the President of the University announced: that there were s t i l l hundreds of recently discharged veterans (whose.: homes were too distant to permit them to commute to and from thee university) who had been unable to find lodgings through the regular, channels. Acadia, equipped to house 250, would take care of some of them and applications which had already exceeded the accommodation available were handled on a priority basis. Veterans were given first: claim in date order of application. Any space available after veterans had been accommodated was given to non-veterans, also in date order. The hut residences for women were fi l l e d within a day or two of the receipt of the f i r s t applications and Dean Mawdsley stated that at the beginning,; of the term she had 75 applications which could not be accepted fori lack of space. Although the work was not complete and there was l i t t l e more than sleeping accommodation to be had, the fi r s t occupants moved into Acadia in the middle of September. Although the housing in the beginning was far from sufficient to meet the demand, i t was known that the demand was bound to increases s t i l l further with the progressive demobilization of the forces. In an effort to close the accommodation gap, further army huts were added. In November 19^5, ten additional army huts were purchased by the university from War Assets Corporation. These were moved from New Westminster by giant trucks and trailers. The following month, 11 army huts from Lulu Island were added to the university's emergency accommodation for ex-service students. Huts to be used for single students were to be ready for occupation by January 1, 1946. In addition, university officials had received furniture and equipment from the Army and the Air Force, to furnish the kitchen, dining-room and dormitories. The site lay-out of Acadia provided a central driveway with the huts, dining, sleeping and recreational, lined up on each side. During the first winter none of the walks or roads were paved and on wet days (which were frequent) the universal mud became an integral and undesirable part of the community. But before the end of the university year the roads and paths were a l l hard-surfaced and this added to the general comfort as well as to the appearance of the camp. Although the huts stood on cement foundations their wooden construction made them extremely inflammable and i t was an accepted fact that any of them could burn down in less than ten minutes. Students were accordingly cautioned about the use of cigarettes, matches and the care of heating faci l i t i e s . A well-planned student residence is one that provides for the needs of the individual student in his every day l i f e . In laying out accommodation i t is easy to think of students as a homogeneous body and to forget that requirements will differ from one person to another. Buildings - which cost so much are very important - are only the basis of the life of the group which depends on the services that go with the buildings and the extent to which individual needs are looked after. Analysis of backgrounds outside the university have shown that i t is not necessarily fine houses that provide a f u l l andhappy l i f e . For this reason the writer has given as much weight to the human and personal factors as to the physical layout of the community. First i t should be remembered that during theyears thati immediately followed the end of the war, the majority of the residents of Acadia were veterans from the forces. They had been accustomed to the discomfort of barrack li f e and the ye ars of living in groups, to take the rough with the smooth and adjustment to Acadia conditions probably came easier to them than to the usual run of university students straight from home. When we evaluate the early success of Acadia we must consider the contribution of the veteran residents of the f i r s t years. In order to obtain a picture of the operation of Acadia, i t is proposed that this survey shall examine the physical conditions together: with the services that go with them. These will include room accommo-dation, laundry facilities, telephone services, dining-room services, recreation and study facilities, etc. In evaluating these i t should be remembered that amenities are very important to students working amongst strangers on an exacting university curriculum, even though those Bame students could, in the forces, adjust to almost anything. A definite administrative policy and a clear line of authority are essential in any organization. In Acadia they were particularly important as - although there was self-government in the community - in the last analysis the university was responsible and there had to be definite channels by which suggestions, criticism and complaints, could be conveyed from students or employees to the authorities. The success of Acadia should be reckoned by the.success and: happiness of the students who have lived there. Difficulties need not necessarily be considered shortcomings i f they were surmounted as time went on. 8 CHAPTER II ACADIAt THE PHYSICAL SETTING When i t was started, the Acadia "student quarter" consisted of nine army buildings lined up on either side of a central driveway. These were unattractive, temporary buildings of cheap wooden construction, the ii i walls covered with black tar-paper; their windows were small and partitions divided each hut into several rooms. Although the buildings, stood in a pleasant wooded setting, they offared.by no means ideal orr even comfortable accommodation for students with an exacting university curriculum to tackle, but at least they offered shelter and to veterans;; turned students - a much appreciated element. They were screened from the highway by a belt of trees and they were within walking distance of the main university campus. Units of various sizes were put to different purposes. Six huts at the north-east corner of the campsite were allocated to women; eleven huts at the south-east corner went to the men. From the f i r s t , the project had been planned to include both men and women, and this distribution of the huts:provided some segregation between their living quarters. The remaining buildings were converted for use as recreation rooms, dining-room, office, canteen and washing and toilet facilities. Again the generally bleak picture of physical conditions at Acadia, i t is fair to add that the university authorities were aware of the deficiencies. Improvements which were carried out as time went on added gradually to the comfort of the residents and to the improved:. a. appearance of the settlement. Roads and paths were hard-surfaced, and new buildings added. There were delays, of course, and i t was noti necessarily the students who lived at Acadia during the trial-and-error period of its growth who reaped the benefit of the improvements. A willingness to put up with difficulties alone carried the "settlement" through this early period. The interiors of the huts, and even the individual rooms, were generally speaking, as drab as the outside. The huts were more or less standardized and the major variation between the rooms was t h a t l 6 2 2 of them contained one bed only while 108 had two. With this exception a detailed description of one hut holds good for a l l the others. The hut entrance led into a long narrow corridor with the doors to the individual rooms on either side and, at the far end, an emergency fire exit leading into the open. Interior walls were painted, a shade of green that is usually acceptable to civilians but which veterans, because of past associations, found as unpleasant as the tar-paper on the exterior of the huts.. Each hut had a room equipped with laundry and bathroom facilities. The partitions between the rooms were almost paper thin so that when many students were indoors - during long winter evenings or on Sundays - i t seemed that the only thing that could not be heard from the next door student was his thoughts. In fact, whatt privacy there was to be had in these rooms amounted only to being out of sight; not out of earshot. There was some variation in the sizes of the rooms, though in general they were very small. Single rooms measured approximately 10 by 10. . 12 feet while double rooms were 10 by 14 feet. The furniture supplied, to each student consisted of a bed, a table and a chair. A limitedcnumber of wardrobes and chests of drawers were available, but these were generally seized.upon by the first arrivals in each term, as there was no plan for their distribution. To the observer in these fi r s t post-war. years, the similarities between student's rooms would have been more, obvious than the differences. The rooms were furnished with beds, tables, and chairs. From each ceiling there hung a central light, seldom with a shade; additional light could be obtained from the two wall outlets which allowed the students to plug in their own reading lamps and these were almost a necessity.. It was hard to avoid the stark and bare: appearance. Some students managed by their ingenuity to create a sem-blance of comfort, but generally once the students arrived at Acadia their thoughts were taken up with their studies. All too frequently the limited, income on which the veteran students lived would not stretch to provide any extras. In addition to his room, bed, mattress, table and chair, the, student upon entering the Camp was given three blankets, two sheets and: a pillow case. The linen was laundered weekly and the students made responsible for getting i t to the office in the required way for laundering. Soap, towels and other necessities were not supplied to the students.. Because of the scanty furnishings, resident students were:asked by mean8 of questionnaires to give.their opinions on this aspect of.their housing.. The results of this inquiry were interesting because of the practical suggestions received: 11... TABLE I FURNISHINGS FOUND LACKING Items Mentioned As Lacking Drawer Space Cupboard Space Comfortable Chair Mirror. Desk Lamp Good mattress Storage Space Book Shelvea Total Students w°men Number 25 11 9 4 5 1 o o 52 15 15 6 4 1 0 0 100 Men Number 66 44 17 9 6 5 2 29 59 |25. 10 5: 4 5 1 17 100 Among the men, one-third;of those who had experienced war li i. service and lived in army barracks, thought the furnishings were adequate; but this view was held by only one-sixth of the total number of non-veteran students, who were mostly younger, and looked at the furnishings: with "civilian" eyes. The women, however, were more satisfied, perhaps.: because they were given fi r s t choice of any new furniture to be di s t r i -buted. With good reason,,both men and women students considered the shortage of drawer and cupboard space to be the greatest inconvenience. At the beginning of the opening term, the Acadia dining-room was not completed so, for a short time in the f a l l of 19^5» residents'; had their meals in the university cafeteria. The resultant over-crowding caused great loss of time both for study and for relaxation; the fact of 4 2 . eating in the larger university community also meant that the group entity that was later to play an important part in Acadia social l i f e had no chance to develop. While the dining-room huts were being set up, the head of the Department of Home Economics was asked to assist in obtaining the correct kind of management. The result was that a home economist, Miss. Mary Holder, (a dietetics graduate of Mt. Allison) arrived at Acadia in September 19^ 5» just a few days before the army huts allotted to become a dining hall were moved, to their central location. It was with great pleasure that the early students watched these developments and recognized that although many re-adjustments would have to be made, the important i n i t i a l steps had been taken. Dining Room Dining and kitchen furniture and equipment at first consisted: of army stock. The kitchen had an impractical coal stove and the heater for the dining-room f i l l e d the air with billows of smoke. These inconveniences could not be.immediately remedied as at that time there was a shortage of the type of equipment needed. However, the kitchen did have the advantages of a refrigeration room and a vegetable storage room. There was a hatch between the kitchen and dining-room through which meals were served. In the early days there were no lunch checks as i t was presumed that the kitchen help would be able to recognise the students who, as residents, were entitled to meals. Six tables and 46 chairs, a l l of the folding type, provided adequate though not comfortable, dining-room furnishings for immediate needs; though as more and more huts for housing students were moved to the camp in the f i r s t year neither. 15. these furnishings nor the kitchen equipment were adequate. Also in these early days Miss Holder had great difficulty in getting and keeping an efficient staff; on many mornings the employed staff members would f a i l to appear and Miss Holder would be obliged to rouse students and call for volunteers to help prepare breakfast. Because jobs were plentiful some of the workers felt very independent and did not hesitate to make students feel uncomfortable i f they asked for more to eat, and Miss Holder was helpless to discipline this intransigence. Perhaps more voluntary co-operation from students during this period would havehelped to relieve, the strains the students, who did actually cooperate, felt themselves rewarded by the new friends they made and by a sense of satisfaction in having "lent a handB"in an emergency. During the f a l l of 19^ 6* many improvements were made which helped to lessen the discomfort of the previous year. A second dining-room was added ..increasing seating from 40 to. 128; the folding type tables and chairs were replaced by more substantial tables and more comfortable, chairs; and, through the efforts of Miss Holder the dining-rooms were made attractive with painted walls, curtains and pictures. The kitchen, too, was equipped with more convenient additions: a baking room, steam-tables, a dish washer, steam heat, and gas cook-stoves. With a l l this new equipment and the acquisition of a better staff, many dining-room problems were solved. Miss Holder, with her perseverance and industry, certainly deserves a great deal of credit for the well set-up dining-room which is now a feature of Acadia. Today the dining-room has a dietician in charge, an assistant dietician,.three cooks, ten female and six male 14. general workers, making up a staff of 21 persons as compared with the. original nine workers. Students are employed to help with dishwashing and are paid 60 cents an hour, a sizeable increase (of 20 cents) over, the 40 cents per hour paid during the f i r s t year of operation. Cafeteria style of serving eliminated the need for waitresses, and this method is s t i l l found very satisfactory. Students line up for meals and i t has been found that 40 can be served in five minutes; accordingly, the maximum time spent by any one student waiting for meals, seldom exceeds 15 minutes a day. Before being served each person passes a porter or a commissionaire seated at a cash register. Students whose monthly boardhas been paid have meal passes, which they present; non-residents pay separately, at the rate of 45 cents for breakfast, 50 cents for lunch, and 55 cents for dinner. The student pass system was set up in the third year to prevent non-residents from coming in for free meals and in this way reduced the loss that had been incurred through this abuse. But even the pass system is not entirely satisfactory as i t is s t i l l possible for dishonest students to lend their passes to others. If the pass cards had provided for a space to be punched at each meal, this misuse of passes and the resulting, financial loss, could have been eliminated. The present high standard of cleanliness is one of the great assets of the dining-room. Staff members are always dressed in clean white uniforms and the floors are always immaculate, offering a pleasant.. contrast to other eating places. Little things like tray covers and serviettes help to impress boarders and non-residents alike with the 15. quality of the dining-room. The meals themselves addto this impression. Certain eatables are placed on the tables before meals begin, giving a homelike appearance of plenty. Large pitchers of milk and bowls of salad, for example, are already at appropriate places when the individual brings-his tray to the table. For breakfast there is fruit or fruit juice, hot or cold cereal, toast,eggs, and milk, tea, or coffee. It is served from seven o'clock until 8»50, the latter being a lengthening of one-half hour oyer the first three years. Lunch (served from 12 to one) consists of soup, salad, main dish, dessert, and tea or coffee. Dinner (served from 5 to 6»50) is made up of a main dish of meat, potatoes, vegetable, dessert, and tea, coffee or milk. As each student is allowed as many servings of the main dish and dessert as he desires,, the dining-room presents a great attraction to outside students. The management deserves credit for its flexibility in this and in other ways. Students who require special diets for reasons of health can be. served here without cost. Also those who are unable, for legitimate reason, to be present at meal time can arrange with the dietician for a later serving. This privilege is particularly helpful to men and women who do considerable laboratory work. A recent survey showed that the majority of residents were satisfied with meals and operation at the Acadia dining-room. The only complaint came from a minority group and concerned packed lunches, which they claimed to be dry and unappetizing. Suitable operation of a food unit is one of the most important aspects of resident l i f e and, judging from student opinion,it is a service which, overcoming i n i t i a l difficulties,has been particularly well handled at Acadia; 16. Study and Recreation Facilities The need for accommodation for recreation and study was recognised in the original plan, and to this end three huts were set aside for these purposes. Students sharing living quarters found the study hut a great convenience because i t enabled them to continue working as late as they felt inclined. However, in the spring of 19^7 the hut was allocated to the married men living in the trailer camp at Acadia, who had a much more pressing need for the space. Single students at this time were given the use of the dining-room after seven p.m. for study purposes. While recreation units are now established these perhaps took a considerable time to evolve into what they are today. One of these buildings became known as the "Women's Lounge" mainly for two reasons: first because i t was situated in the centre of the women's quarters; and second because i t contained the apartment of one of the women members of the faculty who resided there as Dean Mawdsley's representative at Acadia. In the beginning, the hut was an unlovely place with two drab chesterfields and folding type tables and chairs and while i t was like this it was not very popular. Ironically the installation of a telephone later in the term made the building less popular. One such instrument to be shared by so many women gave no one proper service and its frequent ringing brought confusion and annoyance. However, the incentive to make the lounge moreinteresting and attractive came-to the women when the men decided to move pool tables into the moreor less discarded .hut... At least appreciating the potentialities of the space, the women went to work to 17. improve i t . The chesterfields were brightened with cheerful slip covers; drapes of monk's cloth were hung at the windows, a large fibre mat was used to coverthe shabby floor; end tables were obtained and decorated: with rejuvenated service lamps; glass covered coffee tables were placed in front of the chesterfields; and a large beautifully polished table, which Dean Mawdsley secured for the room, was used for magazines. Un-fortunately one outstanding problem remained: how to keep the place clean. The janitor insisted the responsibility was not his and the only arrange-ment made to take care of this work was to a l l o t i t to the girl who was on telephone duty, but this proved to be thoroughly unsatisfactory. Although the lounge was used more extensively after the alteration, i t was always untidy and frequently dirty. Apparently no one had authority to get the cleaning done and the students themselves never bothered to cooperate to keep "their lounge" in order. The other hut set aside for recreation was used from the beginning by both men and women, possibly because the original camp telephone was in this building. However, overcrowding made i t necessary to turn the space into a men1s dormitory for about the fi r s t half of the 1945-46 term. The telephone s t i l l in the same corner added to the condition of "life in a goldfish bowl" for these men until other accommodation wasi-provided. Recreational furniture was then moved into this hut and the: place became exceedingly popular because of the two billiard tables, the two ping-pong tables, and the piano. Two le ather chesterfield suites and. a few occasional chairs completed the i n i t i a l furnishings. In 19^ 7* the students hung drapes and.the university bore the expense of covering the 18., damaged floor with inlaid linoleum. As the room was used for dances, students built a sound-room for records and loud-speaker. This sound-room became exceedingly popular and seemed to be always f i l l e d with students playing records. Staff Reference has already been made to the dining-room staff. Also employed were three janitors whose duties were to remove garbage; clean the bathrooms and hallways daily; and to scrub and wax rooms once a month.. Two other employees known as "commissionaires11 acted as night watchmen. They were required to punch clocks at certain intervals in the night, watch for fires, to see that cars were not parked in such a way as to obstruct fire engines, and to report any unseemly conduct. During the first year, these men also tried to discipline students but as discipline, was out of their jurisdiction several students complained until eventually the commissionaires were required to refrain. The task of supervising., the general maintenance f e l l to an ex-sergeant employed as the represent-ative at Acadia of the University Housing Administrator and was respons-ible to him. His exact t i t l e was not clear although he was called;, "porter" by the students. He had multiple duties which included keeping records (e.g. the signing in and out of students), supervising thee janitors, stokers and night watchmen, supervising laundry and acting as intermediary in despatching and receiving clothes to be dry cleaned, distributing registered mail, parcels and periodicals, and attending to the wants of the students in connection with accommodation, checking meal tickets and receiving meal money from non-residents. Because so much of 19. the porter's work dealt; directly with the students, his office was open to them three hours a day, with an extra two hours one day a week for. laundry distribution. Acadia, U.B.C.'s first student residence, grew up between 1945 and 1948 from a bare barrack settlement to an established student community. When the camp opened, students had to put up with muddy roads, noisy rooms with no place for their clothes, a badly equipped! dining-room, and an administrative policy which was extemporaneous and not always clear. Improvements were made and all these drawbacks (except the noise in the huts and some faulty aspects of administration) were removed. Additional buildings were provided for recreation and, as time went on their function was defined and their equipment improved. It takes more than buildings to create a community and in this respect Acadia was definitely handicapped. Army huts can never, really be per-manently satisfactory. But, within these limits, the history of the physical conditions has been one of steady improvement. The other aspects of the community development will be reviewed in the succeeding chapters. 20 CHAPTER III THE STUDENT RESIDENTS Into Acadia Camp,, when i t opened, came a diversity of men and women students with a common objective of obtaining the university education necessary for the careers they had chosen. As well as Canadians from every province, there were American, English, Chinese, Central Europeans and South Americans. Their courses covered almostL every field offered..by the university; pre-medieal, agriculture, law, teaching, social service, engineering, nursing and general "Arts" or "Science11. Their ages at entry ranged from 18 to 45 and their back-ground from poverty to riches. The majority were single veterans of many branches of war service, but there were also non-veterans and a number of married veterans who had been unable to find suitable accommodation for themselves and their families within reach of the university. The following table gives a picture of the age and service background of the residents. 21. TABLE 2 AGE AND SERVICE BACKGROUND OF RESIDENTS Sex and Age-Group Non-Veteran Veteran Air Force Army Navy Other(a) Total Men 20 yrs. and under. 14 0 0 0 0 14 j 21 yrs. to 25 yrs. 14 57 23 15 5 95 26 yrs. to 5° yrs. 5 20 22 6 1 52 Orer 30 yrs. l 6 1 1 0 9 Total :. . 52 • . 6 3 51 20 4 170 Women 20 yrs. and under 4 0 0 0 0 4 21 yrs. to 25 yrs. 6 9 4 4 0 2? 26 yrs. to 30 yrs. 1 15. 5 5 . 0 24 Jl yrs. to 35 yrs. 0 8 4 5 1 16 Over 35 yrs. 0 3 2 0 0 5 Total ....... .11 55 ' 15 12 1 72 (a) 4 men were frjlom the Merchant Marine; . with the A .T . S . one of: the girls had been Many different religious and political beliefs were represented but as these were never questioned except in friendly discussions, an atmosphere of mutual tolerance was maintained. It would seem that the harmony at Acadia grew from the fact that the students had more in common than would appear from their difference in age and background. All were working for degrees, the majority were discharged service personnel (to whom group li f e was an old experience), living on government grants supplemented by what they could earn and most of the students came from homes in British Columbia outside Greater Vancouver. 22. TABLE 5 LOCATION OF HOMES Location of Home Women Students . . Men - -Students Total Vancouver City 10 14 Greater Vancouver 1 8 9 Other B.C. 141 Outside B.C. 24 7 8 Total 72 170 242 Activities (a) Study Acadia Camp was the home of these students and as most people, prefer to study in the familiarity of their own homes and this was equally true of Acadia students. They valued the companionship and liked to study in their own hut rooms where they could relax in old clothes or lie down when they were tired. The students of each hut laid down their own rules for study and these differed from hut to hut. Some huts insisted upon certain times being kept quiet for study and some posted notices to this effect. In other huts there were no rules for quiet and a student who wished to study was expected to go elsewhere. He had the choice of the study hut (when i t became available), the University Library (which was fairly close and offered quiet and reference books), the women's lounge (which was not quiet but where work could be discussed) and, in the evening, the; Acadia dining-room (which, with its banging door, was not much better: 25. than the living huts). The following chart was made up from a recent survey of residents* choice of study places. TABLE 4 PLACE OF STUDY ( Place of Study Men.". Students Women . Students Total Hut 125 58 161 Library 27 20 47 Dining Room (evening) 10 25 Elsewhere on Campus 7 4 11 Total .170 72 242. Study habits were much the same as those of students every-where » some1 worked constantly even to the point of excluding social l i f e , some worked when necessary and some very seldom. It is true that some of the students found the noise, the distractions of conversation and the accessibility of the canteens interfered with their study, but most of them agreed that their work benefited by their living at Acadia. This would seem to have been due to the spirit of helpfulness (rather, than competition) that existed among the students, and to the fact that the continuation of grants from the Department of Veteran's Affairs depended upon scholastic records. However, they had definite objectives and these were the main reasons why these men and women applied themselves wholeheartedly to their studies and that they did in fact do so is borne out by their recordsj nearly 75% of them never failed a final examination. 24. (b) Social It would seem, with so much studying to be done, that the provision of organized social activities would have been welcomed as offering relaxation without too much time being spent on arrangements. At Acadia, however, this was not the case and students generally showed very l i t t l e interest in organized recreation and club activities. Many felt they could not spare the time from their work and that living as they were in a large mixed group there was no need to join clubs for companionship. Itis possible too that service experience deterred many fr,om taking active parts in group activities! in the forces there had been l i t t l e incentive to organize social activities and potential leaders at Acadia may have been held back by the spirit of subordination which they had learnt there. Whatever the causes, the survey shows an attitude of apathy towards organized Bocial activity. TABLE 5 SOCIAL LIFE AT ACADIA 1 i Social Life Women Men Total Percent Number belonging to clubs 51 88 159 57 Number attending dances at Acadia Frequently 10 25 5 f 15 Occasionally 54 72 106 45 Never 28 75 101 M Number using Recreation Hut: Frequently 10 55 45 19 Occasionally 54 85 119 49 Never 28 50 78 52 Number holding executive positions outside Acadia 15 17 50 12 Number holding executive positions at Acadia 5 5 8 5 Total 72 170 242 100 25. The Acadia Council Constitution provided for an entertainment committee, whose main activity seemed to be the arranging of the dances which were held every two weeks in the recreation hut. The chairman of this committee was empowered to call upon student residents to serve on his committee to handle the actual work of the dances. This work in-cluded arranging for the decorating of the hut, appointing a doorkeeper and someone to run the record player (bought from the money raised by admission charges), serving a lunch and washing the dishes. Because of lack of cooperation these duties always f e l l to the same few willing and efficient students who, in consequence, lost much precious study time. To overcome this difficulty and to distribute the work of the dances more evenly various methods were employed. A fairly successful one was to make a particular hut responsible for a particular dance, but regard-less of a l l attempts to interest the students in these dances, 43 percent of the residents never attended them. The Sports Committee, also under the Council, received l i t t l e support at f i r s t though during 1946-7, i t had a fairly successful year, when its programme of tennis, ping-pong and billiard tournaments drew an enthusiastic response. During this same year an Acadia basket ball team was organized and even travelled as far as Nanaimo for a game. The Badminton Club, which charged a $2.00 entrance fee (for buying equipment) and met every Sunday in the university gymnasium was also very popular. Generally speaking, this committee succeeded in providing real interests for the students. 26. Attempts to organize other group activities had negligible, success. The attendance at the "Citizens' Forum" was so poor that the meetings were discontinued and the "Tinkerers* Club" (handicraft) also failed to get enough members to become active. Even the Protestant Chaplain who resided at Acadia for one year and was well liked by the students, failed to get a better attendance at his church services than an average of ten. S t i l l many students considered Acadia to have social advant-ages, and certainly its dining-room was a place where all students had a chance to get to know each other. Although some students complained of the line-up i t offered openings for conversation for those who wanted to take advantage of i t and the limited seating space sometimes obliged students to sit apart from their close friends and so enabled them to become acquainted with others. But the social possibilities of this crowding together in the dining-room were limited by the feeling that students should rush through their meals in order to give their seats to those who were waiting. Also the nearness of the dish-washing machine with its constant noise did not add to the ease of conversation. But the dining-room was only one part of Acadia and students also made social contacts in the recreation room and among the inmates of their own par-ticular hut. In fact as the classes at the university were so over-crowded and as most people had not the time for club activities, Acadia itself- with the variety of background, academic interests and views of life found among its students - became the framework within which many new friendships were made. One woman, for instance, who had had very l i t t l e 27 contact with men, was able to overcome her self-consciousness through the daily contacts of eating in mixedcompany which made i t possible for her to become a more active member in the community. On the other hand, another student claims that the lack of privacy, where every social activity was open to comment and discussion, made her withdraw from the rest of the group. There was also some strain in the relationship between the men and women students. Some of the women complained that the men were tun-friendly but the men* s defense was that as the women were of marriageable age and as they, the men, were in no financial position to consider marriage, i t was better to ignore the women as far as social contacts were concerned. That this opinion was not universal among the men is shown by the fact that 19 marriages took place among the students between 1945 and 1948. There is definite promise too that the marriages - built upon the common experiences of service l i f e , Acadia l i f e and university l i f e , will be successful. But in spite of the social advantages of Acadia and the Council's effort to provide recreation, some of the students were forced, for financial reasons, to use their recreational time to work for money. The firs t year at the Camp presented no great strain as most students had savings from service years and gratuities, with which to supplement the grant of $60.00 a month. However, by the second year, i t was found that summer earnings could not always provide for a l l student needs during the winter. Therefore, 54 of the women students and 57 of the men worked; part time. A greater percentage of women worked during the term than men 28. possibly because they earned less during the summer months. The number of hours the students worked varied as shown in the following chart, the women averaging eight hours of work per week and the men nine hours. TABLE 6 HOURS EMPLOYED /Number of Hours Student Employed per Week Women Men 1 to 9 25 24 10 to 19 6 10 20 to 29 2 5 50 and over 1 0 Total Sample 54 57; The variety of jobs these students took shows, probably, that l i t t l e consideration for congeniality was given to the type of work. The following chart gives a picture of the different kinds of jobs these students took. 29. TABLE 7 TYPES OP WORK , Type8 of Work Number of. ! Students Women Men Acadia Kitchen Helper 2 6 Acadia Canteen Clerk 7 0 Baby Sitter 2 0 Casual Labourer. 0 9 Coat Checker 2 : 0 Draftsman Oi- 1 Free Lance Writer 0 1 Instructor 1 1 J anitor 0 1 Lab. Assistant 1 2 Library Aid 5 2 Mill Worker 0 1 Nurse 3 0 Night Watchman 0 1 Office Worker 2 0 Orchestra Player 0 1 Pharmacist 0 1 Pilot 0 2 Reporter 0 1 Store Clerk 0 3 Selling Magazines 1 0 Stenographer 5 0 Taxi Driver 0 1 Typing 0 1 University Assistant 1 1 Waiter 4 1 Total Students Working 57 Most students definitely felt that having a l i t t l e extra money to draw upon made them feel easier and so more able to concentrate on their studies. However, some of the spending seems a l i t t l e out of proportion, as shown in the following chart. 50. TABLE 8 AMOUNTS SPENT IN EXCESS OP GRANTS j Amounts Spent Number of Men Students Percentage of Men Number of Women Students Percentage of Women Students Not Stated 9 5 4 6 Not Applicable 29 17 11 15 Within Allowance 2 1 0 0 $100 or less 15 9 9 15 $101 to $200 40 24 52 44 $201 to $500 40 24 12 17 $501 to $400 16 9 5 4 $4oi to $500 15 8 l 1 $501 to $6oo 5 5 0 0 $601 to $700 1 .5 0 0 Total 170 72 The student residents of Acadia were probably the most heter-.. • • I ogeous group that the university has ever known. The end of• the war caused unprecedented numbers of enrolments and the system of•• government grants of money enabled veterans of different ages and nationalities', to go to college. The standard of study at^Acadia was high. Noise in the living huts was a disturbance but alternatives and regulations prevented i t from becoming serious. There was a high percentage of success:in examinations among Acadia students. 51 Organized social l i f e was not popular at Acadia though the various sports programmes were well supported. There was some friction between the masculine and feminine interests but as time went on men and women formed a satisfactory relationship. Incomes were adequate during the f i r s t year but later were supplemented by part time jobs. On the whole the variety in age and experience of the fi r s t students at Acadia was a great asset in the success of the community during the formative period and the students formed a peaceful, satisfactory community where cooperation and tolerance were practically universal. 52. , CHAPTER IV ADMINISTRATION AND STUDENT GOVERNMENT Living conditions are very important but the success or failure of any group housing scheme will also depend upon how i t is run and upon the personality of those who run i t . Physical conditions at Acadia were difficult and judicious handling of the administration was needed to make things run smoothly. Students considered the administrative policy to be indefinite and petty and thought i t tended to aggravate situations which might, in better hands, have been accepted with a good grace. Little rules and regulations irked the students and as there was no explanation for these they began to feel a resentment towards those whose job i t was to carry them out. As in the case of the lay-out, the administration had to learn by t r i a l and error which was the best way of running the Acadia student settlement. The first administrative set-up was very vague and caused much confusion. Students did not know by what channels to make their needs known to the authorities and members of the faculty who would have taken an interest in the camp often heard nothing of the students' needs or recommendations. It was only through experience and patient intelligent action by the people concerned, that administrative policy and organization was developed to the point where i t could be beneficial. Strangely enough student administration developed before any administrative policy was formulated by the university. Perhaps this was due to the absence of any defined body to deal with Acadia problems which put the students into 55. it the position of facing up to them themselves. Student Organization In the f a l l of I9A5, Dr. Shrum, a member of the faculty with considerable experience, who was later to become chairman of the Acadia Housing Committee, called a general meeting of the residents. He ex-plained that because Acadia was s t i l l in the process of establishment they would be faced with many inconveniences. He suggested that the students should form a council to act as a liaison between them and the university. As a result of this meeting, Donald Stevens and Douglas Wilson, two students who had sponsored the fi r s t dance at Acadia, and who were regarded as the natural leaders, took the initiative in the form-ation of the Acadia Council. Subsequently, On November 11, 194-5, the Acadia Council, consisting of one representative from each hut, held its first meeting. There was a gradual development in the function of this Council. Apart from serving as a liaison between the students and the university authorities the Council, during its f i r s t year of li f e only held informal monthly meetings, kept no minutes and confined its activities to arranging entertainments and making requests for additional furniture for the rooms and other physical necessities. In order to increase contacts between the students the Council sponsored dances which were held every other week in the recreation hall. An entrance charge was made to coyer expenses but as these were low (lunch being kindly provided by the dining-room staff) the charge was small. Other factors that should have contributed to the success of the dances were that students attending them had no additional 5*. expenses as no car fare was involved and no time was lost in transit. Students took turns to decorate the hall and to serve lunch and the dances were considered quite successful as they gave students an opportunity of getting to know one another and to enjoy themselves at a cost they could easily afford. The Council wrote several times to Dr. Shrum requesting shelves, wardrobes and chests of drawers for the rooms but as the carpenters were fully occupied repairing huts and dividing them up for more accommodation, i t was not-until the spring that any shelves were actually built. By this time the Council was handling recreational and housing needs on its own authority and only turned to the university for help where i t had not the power or financial means to do what was needed. Univer s ity Admini strati on Experience has taught that a group of human beings can only live together in harmony i f there is planning and conscientious admin-istration but yet the university had l i t t l e to offer Acadia. There were no plans or suggestions.of how to weld the Acadia students together into a smooth-running, self-governing body or how to link them with the larger university group. Acadia was like a young child left without parentst its physical needs were provided for but i t was without family attachments. The University Housing Committee, which was responsible for the physical needs of Acadia consisted of four members including Dr. Shrum, Director of the Extension Department and Miss Mawdsley, Dean of Women. The? secretary and administrator of this committee met each month to set rentals and board rates and the whole committee also met monthly to make 55. decisions on such matters as new equipment, furniture and the payment of board. The housing committee was not concerned with anything beyond. these purely business matters. One, channel was provided by the faculty through which contact! with the students could be made. Each year, Dean Mawdsley appointed a woman member of the faculty to reside at the Camp as her representative. This representative was to act as a consultant to the women residing in the Camp and to deal with any problems specifically involving them. As i t was never clearly understood by the residents just which issues should be referred in that fi r s t year to Dean Mawdsley's representative, Miss;: Clay, contacts with her were at a minimum. The result was that Dean Mawdsley had l i t t l e knowledge of the girls attitudes and problems during that time. The men students, in the meantime, were without a faculty counsellor until the f a l l of 19^7» when a disagreement between men and women students as to whether billiard tables should be allowed in the women's lounge could not be settled the university administration decided that there should be a member of the faculty residing at Acadia to act as a counsellor for the male students. This faculty representative, on the whole, met the same lack of response from the students and no help was solicited from him or referrals made to him. The Housing Administrator for Acadia handled the registration of a l l students and was responsible for a l l routine matters connected with housing. To facilitate the operation of the camp a porter (Mr. Armour, mentioned above) was appointed and he was responsible to the Housing Administrator and, under the porter, were two commissionaires to act as 3 6 . . watchmen. The duties of the porter (outlined in Chapter II) were, as far as the students were concerned, never made clear and in the first year of the project difficulties arose when Mr. Armour tried to assert his authority over the students. Issues often concerned contacts between the sexes and anyone experienced in handling personnel problems might have been able to settle them quite easily. As things were, small incidents, caused a lot of embarrassment. For example, Mr. Armour made i t a rule that no man should be allowed as near to the girls' huts as the door-steps; hi8 reason was that i t was unnecessary for escorts to see girls right up to the door. The girls complained that Mr. Armour insulted their escorts in enforcing this rule and there were also complaints that the commissionaires interfered with couples who were bidding each other good night. This attitude hung over most of the mixed activities and was regarded as entirely unnecessary. The main complaint against Mr. Armour was that he could not keep his temper and that when he lost i t he swore like the army sergeant that he had been. This was unfortunate as the self-government of university l i f e was one of the things most valued by men and women who had experience of service discipline. They felt that the pompous attitude that Mr. Armour took towards his responsibilities -acting as though his guardianship was the only thing that could save the boys and girls from serious trouble - was an insult to them. Because of the lack of definition of the function and respons-ibi l i t i e s of the Council and the university administration several cir-cumstances began to push the Council into accepting the position for 57 which i t was originally intended that of liaison between the students and the university. The first circumstance to affect the activity of the Council occurred in the first year of its existence, and the way in which i t was handled, started residents wondering what sort of admini-stration they were to live under during the school year. Three women residents were reported to the Dean of Women for staying in the recreation hall with men students until three or four o'clock in the morning. This was considered undesirable behaviour and the Dean requested these girls to leave Acadia at Christmas time. The Council had not been consulted! and because some of the members felt that some referral should have been made before any definite action was taken, there was much discussion as to what powers the Council should have and the episode helped to bring attention to the whole question of self-government. But the fact was not brought out that this was a personnel problem and that a trained counsellor might have been able to avoid such a drastic step in disciplin-ing these three residents or, i f the step had been considered necessary, could have helped them to make plans and obtain accommodation in an environment to which they would be more suited. Student Council By the summer of 1946 most residents s t i l l did not show much, interestin participating in student government. There was so much apathy that in the summer term the president of the Council was chosen by tossing a coin. Personalities, too, affected the administration of Acadia. Mr. Armour, who was often asked to act as intermediary between the students and the university apparently thought i t was part of his ill-defined 58. duties to get the Student Council well established. For this reason (and in order to kep in touch with student opinion) he attended a l l Council meetings and insisted on calling the r o l l . This was an error in judgment that will be readily understood by anyone who has heard the opinions of students on the subject of taking attendance at classes. That this should be done at Council meetings was very much resented. At the beginning of the f a l l term of that same year the question of forming a new Council was raised. Mr. Armour was anxious for the president in office to stand for re-election but he refused. The general apathy meant that few students wanted to take on the position of hut representative on the Council, and so the job was generally foisted onto some unsuspecting newcomer. This is what happened in the case of Bob Currie. He was a new resident and had approached the Council president with many complaints about Acadia conditions. The president's reply was to suggest that he should take a seat on the Council in order to be in a better position to petition for improved conditions. As things stood this was easily done, Mr. Currie was elected hut representative for his hut and at the f i r s t meeting of hut representatives that f a l l was elected president of the Council. Betty Brown, also aenewcomer, was elected secretary. Mr. Currie, in spite of being a new resident, appeared to have definite ideas regarding the Council's function and i t was due to his energy and determination that a constitution was drawn up stating once and for a l l the powers of the Acadia Council. He had been concerned about Mr. Armour's position at the Camp and-felt that a reduction of his authority (real or assumed) was necessary to make things run smoothly. 59. The powers of the Council were defined in the Constitution as followst "The Acadia Council shall be the only official authority (six) between the Acadia Student Residents, the Alma Mater Society and the University; and the Council shall beo the only authority to administer discipline to etudent residents in Acadia residence.11 The Constitution was placed before the students at a general meeting and there was no l i t t l e opposition to i t . Some students failed to see the need for a Constitution when Acadia hadbeen running quite smoothly without one; others, believing that a system giving a student body power to discipline its fellows would not lead to harmonious living, maintained that the adoption of the Constitution would lead to regiment-ation which would inevitably result in i l l will among the students. The remainder, who supported the Constitution, claimed that i f the residents as a group could not enforce discipline at Acadia Camp, the Alma Mater Society could step in and enforce its code, which was considered a strict one especially with reference to alcohol. This group also claimed that i t was a democratic procedure to give a l l the power to elected represent-atives. Soo after lengthy discussion, the Constitution was adopted by the residents- with but one amendment, the effect of which was to place certain limitations on the powers of the president. The framing and passing of this Constitution was the high spot of the Council's work during this first year of the project. The second year of operation showed progress in the government, though the university s t i l l showed l i t t l e active interest. Fortunately, 40 for the women students at least, Miss Thomas, an experienced group— worker was appointed Dean Mawdsley's representative and i t was decided.: to hold monthly meetings of the girls to deal with any issues of import-ance to the women residents* The first meeting of this group was held at the beginning of the f a l l term and was attended by Dean Mawdsley who explained to the girls that she was directly concerned with their welfare and that she was interested in helping them in any way she could. But she also said she was not happy about the practice of the girls staying out late at night without anyone knowing where they were or when they were expected to return to their huts. She suggested that late passes be signed by those who expected to stay out later than midnight. A few of the girls took exception to this being made a rule because they felt that it was sufficient that their immediate friends always knew their plans for the evening. Lengthy discussion disclosed a substantial opposition but a vote was taken showing a majority in favour of Dean Mawdsley's proposal that the signing of late passes should be required and the institution of this rule was accepted. The strength of the opposition eventually made itself felt as, in practice, many students ignored the rule altogether and eventually, as there was no machinery for enforcing i t , i t was dropped by everyone. It is possible that the late pass rule aroused the same sort of resentment as the calling of attendance at meetings but in any case i t seems clear that for such a rule to be respected and adhered to, i t should have been initiated by the student body even though i t might have been inspired by the university authorities. The whole incident served to 41.. demonstrate the value of a good faculty-student relationship. The university appeared indifferent to the happiness and personal affairs of the students and left them to face problems of this kind with l i t t l e out-side help and i t is hardly surprising that a rule brought in by the university affecting what was considered a purely personal matter should have been only half-heartedly observed. From this time on students tackled their own problems and got over them as best they could. The Council assumed definite responsibility for discipline and this was a step forward in defining policy and allocating responsibility. The majority of students were just as indifferent as ever about taking an active part in the Council and when they did not approve of the Council's actions or thought Council officers were abusing their authority, the students outside the Council looked for a higher authority to appeal to. The Council when i t failed to carry out the wishes of the student body became more and more unpopular and lost s t i l l more support. But in spite of a l l these things as far as physical requirements were, concerned - the field in which there was a good relationship with the university - the Council worked fairly well. Attendance at General Assembly meetings increased as problems of general interest were brought up for discussion. Improvements were requested and, by degrees, obtained -particularly facilities for recreation - and in these directions the action taken by the Council produced a feeling of achievement and satisfaction. At the General Assembly meetings student participation was i increased by the bringing forward of many problems of common interest. 42. Improvements to the Camp were requested and obtained gradually. Facilities for recreation were obtained. Action was taken by the Council in many fields and gradually there was a feeling of satisfaction in the Camp. At the same time other things happened in which the Council was found to be inadequate. The incident which put the Council executive in bad odour with*, the rest of the students, happened in the summer of the fourth year and emphasized the need for a higher authority to whom the Council would be responsible.and to whom the residents could turn. Before the general meeting of that year, a few of the students heard a rumour that the former Council president had, under the authority of a power of attorney, spent $300.00 of the Council's funds during the summer holidays. At the meeting a student asked to have the treasurer's report read but the newly elected president stated that i t was not available. One of the Council members argued that the report did not have to be given except at the close of the spring session and as the president supported this view the matter was dropped. The students did not press for details because at that time most of them did not know that the whole fund had been spent during the summer when the majority of them were absent from Acadia. Council funds were raised by a levy of a dollar fee from each student but when, after this meeting, the time came to collect fees for thee current year, many refused to pay on the grounds that the previous Council had no right to permit the president to spend $30°.°0 without consulting the other members of the Council. It was contrary to the Constitution, which in Article VI, Section 4, Sub-section (d) statedt "The President is empowered to spend a sum of money not to exceed |25.00 (Twenty-five dollars) in case of emergency, subject to ratification at the next Council meeting." It seemed strange to them that the man, who had worked so hard to draft a Constitution and have i t adopted should himself bypass the rules laid down in this same Constitution. Up to the time of writing,receipts have not been produced to show how the money was spent, as i t is s t i l l argued that a report i s not necessary until next spring. The president in question moved from Acadia shortly after the election of the new Council, with the assurance that when he located the needed receipts he would forward them to the Council. The action reduced the confidence of the students in the Council and made the work of the Council much more difficult and less pleasant. In view of the-, poor cooperation in the payment of the dollar fees the Council returned the fees that had been paid because the feeling was that i t was not fair to expect only a portion of the students to pay for projects intended to benefit a l l . Two issues affecting the women at Acadia were beyond the scope of the Council. They were thrashed out and, with the help of thee university authorities, solved. These issues brought to light certain difficulties in connection with the position of the women who (although in a:minority that could always be outvoted in student government) had particular interests that had to be upheld against the majority vote, and particular fields where they had to make decisions for themselves. The building known as the "women1s lounge" was (as mentioned above) used very l i t t l e at f i r s t . The men, thinking to take advantage of the space, suggested moving a billiard table into this room but some of .44. the women objected. A private ballot was taken and i t was found that the majority of the women objectedto having their lounge made into a billiard room. The men pressed their point on the grounds that the room would be better employed for more popular recreations and the matter was settled by President McKenzie who said that the university administration had allotted this building to the women for their use and i t was not within the power of the students' Council to usurp the building for any other purpose. Winning their point was the incentive the women needed to get together and make their lounge a more attractive place. Dean Mawdsley canvassed the Women's University Club for funds, the women residents sponsored a bridge drive and the Council contributed a small sum towards the improvement. As a result the lounge blossomed into an attractive:, room which became a source of pride and was extensively used. The second issue was more important as i t turned on the code: of behaviour to be laid down in Acadia. The question of allowing opposite sex to visit in the huts was brought up at a general meeting and in spite of the fact that the majority of women were opposed to i t , a motion was. passed allowing men to visit in the women's rooms until ten o'clock on Sunday evenings. The motion was then referred to a meeting of the Faculty Council where i t was passed regardless of the strong opposition of the Dean of Women. Their opposition to the ruling stimulated the women to action and amid intense excitement a meeting was called. The argument in favour of accepting the ruling was that not to do so was to show a lack of confidence in Acadia's representative body and also that to say that men 45. . should not be allowed to v i s i t in women's rooms suggested lack of con-fidence in students' ability to conduct themselves properly. The argument against the ruling was that i t would do harm to the reputation of Acadia. The result of the women1s vote taken by secret ballott was that 80 percent of the women rejected the motion of having male visitors, with the exception of close relatives, in their rooms. As a result of this negative vote the university reconsidered its f i r s t decision and the ruling permitting men visitors in the women's rooms was withdrawn. The Camp Council again questioned the legality of the minority group in this instance, as the motion had been passed by the two authorities but the matter was dropped. This was the second limiting of the jurisdiction of the Camp Council and the issue because of its importance, did help to start a control of the Council's authority. Another result was the clarification of Dean Mawdsley's position in regard to the women residents. The issue brought to the attention of the university the fact that in the university constitution no mention had been made of the responsibilities of the Dean of Women to the women living in a university residence. The subsequent referral to the Senate and the execution of necessary amendments to the Constitution proved a source of satisfaction to a l l concerned and laid down a more definite line of procedure. Dissension and confusion appeared a l l through the development of the government of Acadia. The Council, working in an atmosphere of apathy did, in fact take on responsibilities that were beyond i t but this was due to the absence of any positive plans for the running of Acadia and because there was no other body willing to step in and show a definite interest in the settlement. The Council did much to improve living conditions and i t also provided a channel through which students could voice their opinion. The Council gave the students an opportunity to practise a form of self-government and i t aided the students to form relationships with one another and i t helped to make Acadia a more closely knit community. 47. CHAPTER V STUDENT VIEWPOINTS The social and economic problems of residence planning and organization are far reaching and diverse. Some of the many factors to be considered and weighed in relation to each other are available sites, the type and size of buildings and existing structures. Once the physical aspects of a residence are settled the success of the residence is largely dependent on the way i t is administered. As the purpose of a residence is to give service to the students inhabiting i t the best method to guage its success is through the students' opinion of the residence. The writer has attempted to evaluate the Acadia Camp as a residence onthe basis of students' reaction to the more important factors of the camp. The Physical Site The residents at Acadia Camp were students, so possibly the suitability of the residence for study should be given the f i r s t con-sideration. The nearness to the university was an advantage as i t saved much time and energy being spent in commuting. It also made i t possible for those who wished to come back to their huts for study periods during their daily lecture free time. This was helpful as the crowded conditions at the university often meant no available place for study on the campus. The short distance also made i t possible for the students to return to the campus at night and use the university library and laboratories. The students a l l agreed that the closeness of Acadia to the university was a decided advantage so that as far as site is concerned Acadia can be said to 48. be well placed. Students complained about noise and the lack of soundproofing in the huts made i t almost impossible to control the noise factor, irrespective of how cooperative the students were. Thirty-nine percent of the students regarded the thin walls and noise as the worst feature of Acadia Camp. This is shown in the following table. TABLE 9 WORST FEATURES AT ACADIA / Item Number Percentage Thin walls and noise 95 39 Lack of furniture 24 10 Admini stration 20 9 Lack of Privacy 15 6 Telephone Service 1* 6 Miscellaneous* 30 12 Unanswered 44 18 Total 242 100 ^Miscellaneous complaints refer to complaints mentioned by only one or two students. The high percentage of the students shown to be inconvenienced by the noise in the huts makes i t reasonable to assume that the noise hindered their studying. As the students preferred to study in their own rooms, a definite attempt should be made to control the noise in the huts. There are two ways to do this, one to have rigid control over the students activities in the huts and the second to soundproof the rooms. 49. If the students are expected to be quiet in their huts the need for suitable recreational facilities arises. The following table shows that the students valued companionship above everything else at Acadia so ample provision should be made for places where students can get together without disturbing others who are studying. TABLE 10 BEST FEATURES OF ACADIA Item Number Percentage Companionship .104 4 5 Freedom from Restriction 54 14 Heat and Hot Water Supply 52 15 Miscellaneous* 42 18 Unanswered 50 12 Total Sample Group 242 100 'Miscellaneous refers to items mentioned by only one or two students. It has been mentioned in another chapter that Acadia provided two huts for recreational purposes and these served well for activities such as dancing, card playing, billiards and ping-pong. However, there: was no provision for students who wished to entertain their friends in a more private way or for those who wished to get to know each other through conversation. Students tended to use their hut rooms for this and so caused much of the noise which disturbed the others who were studying. The answer might be to have one room soundproofed in each hut, have i t fitted:! as a lounge and confine the recreational activities within the hut to that 50., particular room. Administration of Acadia What has been mentioned so far has hinged, more or less completely, on the physical lay-out. The atmosphere of the settlement, the smoothness with which i t is run and the morale of the residents depends upon the efficiency of the administration. Lack of understanding and irritation on the part of the administrators and staff is transferred to a l l members of the group. The administration of Acadia evolved more or less, out of experience derived from meeting difficulties as they came along. This was an advantage in many respects as i t meant that Acadia was not over administered; in other words red tape was kept at a minimum. However, there was some confusion in many people's minds as to who was responsible for what, and the statement "Acadia Oamp works but no one seems to know why or how" was often heard expressed by residents. For instance the Acadia Camp Council was confused as to their duties and authority and so found i t necessary to bring up issues to test the extent of their control. These issues, which were discussed in a previous chapter, tended to divide and cause friction amongst the residents. The sub-group, Girls' Council, was not clear as to what part i t had in the picture. Residents did not know what duties had been delegated to the porter and at times he seemed perplexed as to what his specific duties were. All these factors, on which there was confusion, led to unnecessary duplication, misunderstanding and hostility. Some of the confusion is shown by the following table. 51. TABLE 11 SOURCES TO WHICH STUDENTS REFERRED THEIR COMPLAINTS pomplaints Referred To Students Total Percentage Men Women Hut Representative 44 54 78 52 No One 58 16 74 51 Porter 55 15 68 28 Various People or the Person Applicable 15 2 !5 6 Girls' Counsellor 0 7 7 5; Total Sample Group 170 72 242 100 The students were either unaware of any definite procedure existing for the handlingof complaints or were not in agreement with the existing procedure. The fact that 51 percent of the .studentsjreferred their complaints to no one suggests that they were well satisfied with conditions at Acadia but then again i t might mean that they did not feel there was any person or authority to which they could usefully turn. It seems logical that a definite channel for complaints would be an asset as it would avoid needless duplication. The effectiveness of the administration of the camp can also be guaged by the student opinion regarding the operation of the camp. The following chart shows that the students were fairly satisfied with the heating, maintenance and repair but a number of the students expressed discontent over the cleaning and their relationship with the porter. 52. TABLE 12 STUDENT OPINION BE OAMP CONDITIONS ., . . Items Men Students rotal Women Students Total. 1 Number Percent Number Percent-Satisfied Satisfied Satisfied Satisfied Heating l 4 l 8? 1 61 85 Maintenance 1 and Repair 158 81 65 90 170 72 Relatione with -Porter 154 79 40 55 Cleaning 152 78 5* 47 The cleanliness of the huts depended on the janitors and on the hut members but on entering some huts one sometimes met an amazing display of diBorderliness. The washrooms were untidy, the walls of the hall were dirty and some of the students' rooms showed l i t t l e evidenceof ever having been thoroughly cleaned. Some of this untidiness could have been prevented i f the students upon admission had been given to understand that they were expected to keep their rooms clean for sanitary reasons as well as for fire protection. Apparently the janitors needed closer supervision as there was often obvious evidence that some of them were lax in carrying out their duties. Periodic inspection of the huts by the university administration might have inspired the students and the janitors to keep the huts in a better condition. There were several reasons for the discontent expressed by 21 percent of the men and 45 percent of the women with reference to the porter. When he came to Acadia he was overworked and tired and, on 55. occasions, irritable. His many years as a Sergeant Major in the Canadian Army made him inclined to adopt a dictatorial attitude towards the students which antagonized them. It is to the porter's credit that he was aware of his tendency to lose his temper and he tried valiantly to control i t . The following will serve as an example: one student would come into theoffice and complain vehemently about some minor issue. The porter would treat him with great respect and manage to placate him but i f another student followed with some quite reasonable complaint, the porter would f l y at him as he could no longer control the rage which he had stifled during his interview with the fi r s t student. Naturally the second student would feel rather amazed and that he was receiving unfair treatment. So i t may be said that the porter although conscientious, dependable and honest, was hampered in his work by his personality difficulties, which made i t difficult for him to set up a good relation-ship with the students. However, these undesirable episodes became fewer as the camp became better established and as the porter's duties were reduced and their precise nature better understood by the students and himself. Some students stated that their unfavourable reaction toward the porter started the day. they entered the camp. After they had been assigned to a certain room at the camp by the Housing Administrator, they entered the camp office, feeling somewhat lost and bewildered. The porter would hand out the blankets and request the student to sign for them and then turn to some other duty. The student then stood holding his blankets and finally asked diffidently, "Where is the room?" The 54. porter would give a nonchalant wave in a certain direction and answer, "Over there, find i t . " The porter's tone and manner often left the student in a state of uncertainty about the warmth of his welcome and the sincerity of the camp's concern for his welfare. A more sympathetic and comradely reception would have helped the students to adjust to a new situation. The residents at Acadia were fortunate in that they had the opportunity of participating in the government of the camp through their council. The council served to give the students some responsibility in the administration and i t also gave them experience in presenting their wants, differences, and opinions in a democratic way. The students, as shown in the following chart, strongly favoured a form of self-government as 63 percent approved of f u l l self-government and 24 percent favoured: partial self-government. TABLE 13 STUDENT GOVERNMENT , Type of Self-Government Students Men Women Total Percent Full 102 51 155 65 Partial 39 19 58 24 Not Necessary 26 2 28 12 Not Stated 3 0 5 1 That the Council fulfilled its function and that the university was well advised in supporting i t , is borne out by the returns shown in the above chart. 55. The university administration can be commended on the success of their first experience with residences for students as the students preferences, on the whole, show their general satisfaction with the arrangement at Acadia Camp. The following chart shows that the majority of the students definitely favoured many of the features existing at Acadia Camp such as a group of small buildings, a common dining-room and lounges, and that the buildings for menand women should be near to one another. TABLE 14 RESIDENTIAL PREFERENCES / Items ten Women Total Percent Single large building 58 12 50 21 Group of smaller buildings 152 60 192 79 Lounges used by both sexes 159 67 226 95 Buildings restricted to one sex 11 5 16 7 Separate Buildings for each sex not adjacent 15 5 20 8 Separate buildings for each sex adjacent 155 67 222 92 Shared rooms 80 29 109 45 Single rooms 90 45 155 55 Dormitory 0 0 0 0 Separate dining-rooms for each sex 5 0 62 5 l Common dining-rooms (both sexes) 155 215 90 Provision for both types of dining-room 14 10 24 9 Family units within residential area 78 24 102 42 Separate section for married students 92 48 140 48 The surveys show that student opinion supported the existence of Acadia as a residence and was in favour of most aspects of its adminis-tration. Students valued the nearness of Acadia to the university and -although there were complaints about the noise in the huts - found the companionship a help in their studios. They were on the whole satisfied with the lay-out and arrangements for heating and maintenance and they 56. appreciated the dining-room and the lounges common to both sexes. As far as administration is concerned, the status and actions of the porter gave rise to the most emphatic complaints and student government - though l i t t l e supported in practice - was^ approvedJof in theory. 57 CHAPTER VI LESSONS FOR STUDENT RESIDENCES In any evaluation of Acadia aa a student residence i t must necessarily be borne in mind that i t originated to meet an emergency situation. The university administration was faced with the problem of accommodating an unprecedented number of students predominantly ex-service personnel, of both sexes. Hundreds of students had to be sheltered yet there was a decided lack of dormitories at the university. Acadia was intended to meet the need for a temporary period and to provide the time necessary to plan and construct permanent facilities. It is commendable that the university authorities desired to bring the resident students into this planning of encouraging a study of the camp situation to be made in which the students themselves could participate. Many of the students responded well to the opportunity afforded them and were keen to voice their opinions. Recognizing that the primary purpose of permanent dormitories would be to provide happy and wholesome accommodation for students, and that the student body in future years would be from a younger and less experienced age-group than when Acadia Camp was fi r s t established, some suggestions can be drawn from this experience to aid in a constructive manner the planning of futures residences-. It is important in so doing to bear in mind that the f i r s t students at Acadia Camp adjusted without noticeable difficulty to primitive and crowded conditions, confused and uncertain administration, and l i t t l e real supervision because they had experienced similar limitations during 58. . their war service experience. Future "crops" of students cannot perhaps be expected to adapt so readily in the same manner, and modifications would be required, among them certainly better physical construction and a more clearly executed administration, and probably carefully considered forms of supervision. The Verdict of Expressed Preferences The first preference to be considered is the almost unanimous support given by students to the non-segregated cottage type of residence. The University of British Columbia has since itsincorporation served as a co-educational institution. It naturally follows then, that planning for housing students, both sexes, must be considered. In the majority of universities in Canada the trend in housing the students has been to segregate the sexes, which possibly indicates that public opinion considers i t inadvisable to include both men and women in the same unit. However, perhaps as a direct result of the wartime experiences when both Bexes were housed in the same camp or perhaps because of, a general change in attitude the public now seems ready to accept the fact that bringing young people of both sexes together i s not disastrous; and indeed can be constructive training for future life in adult society. Eventually these young people will marry and establish homes in which the next generation will be raised, and a worthwhile step in the development of understanding and appreciation of the opposite sex - qualities extremely necessary for mature living - will have been taken in this formative period. Students at Acadia Camp found this mode of living their preference with few problems experienced. 59. The students also preferred the cottage type of residence, possibly because i t is easier to identify with small groups as i t approximates the family group. Smaller groups afford individuals greater opportunity to get to know a few people well. Also, a cottage type of residence can be more attractively arranged than a large impersonal building. Finally, safety precautions in the event of fire are com-paratively simple to execute in small one storey buildings. Basically a l l students favoured the location of Acadia Camp, which points to the fact that university students like to have a residence within walking distance of the university. After a l l , they cover the route from a residence to the university oftener than any other route so they naturally prefer having their living quarters close to the university. Some of the other aspects of the camp receiving commendation were the high quality of the meals, the abundant supply of hot water, and satisfactory heating in the units, a l l of which are essentials in any residence and so often found lacking in private boarding houses. It is assumed that these factors would be included in a permanent residence. Valuable Features The students regarded the social experience gained by living in a student residence as the most valuable aspect of the camp. In general, opportunity for meeting other students of both sexes was facilitated and encouraged by the physical arrangements. Thecommon dining-room and recreation rooms afforded students ample opportunities to meet and mix with others, andyet i t was not impossible to remain a part and to have occasional privacy should the student so prefer. It was 60., maintained by many that the presence of the other sex at meals stimulated students to take greater care in their personal appearance particularly the men. Social activities of an extra-curricular nature were simple to arrange and at l i t t l e financial cost to students who traditionally operate on limited budget. Dances and parties arranged and conducted by the students were found to be popular and satisfying to those attending. Impromptu discussions, which were likely to range over the whole of life's problems as well as current affairs and campus events, were the natural outcome of many student get-togethers. It was noticeable that the initiative and planning of social activities was the work of a relatively small group of students. Many students failed to take a responsible part in these preparatory activities although willing to enjoy the completed functions. S t i l l others tended to withdraw from any participation in these social events, while no one took the initiative in trying to encourage their interest. This condition is not inconsistent with the workings of other groups in our society and therefore cannot be termed unique with reference to the Acadia Camp residence group. More comment regarding this point will come in the next section on administration. Administration The uncertain and haphazard administration of Acadia, more than anything else, indicates the need for a definite administrative organiz-ation. At Acadia there was considerable confusion on several occasions: regarding the respective powers of the student council and the university i 61 administration, the confusion created considerable dissension within the camp, for instance the pool table incident, which involved students arbitrarily trying to take over the women's lounge, which was within the jurisdiction of the Dean of Women. The need here was for the students, in the first instance, to be given specific information that they were moving beyond their authority as a student organization. This was not done, therefore, the matter was first hahd discussion within the camp for several weeks and bad feelings were generated. was that there was no one person responsible for the area as a whole. The evidence is that there should be a senior administrator responsible to the Faculty Council of the university. Under this senior administrator the dietitian, maintenance staff and the Student Council would function independently of each other within their respective environments. Thus, the following chart is a suggested administrative set-up for Acadia Camp. Possibly the chief lack in the administration of Acadia Camp FIGURE 1 | Senate"! I Board of Governors ( 1 Home Economics Dept. | 1 Faculty Council I { Housing Committee I | Camp Administrator I I Food Service | Acadia Camp Council I Maintenance t Standing Committees 62, The senior administrator, preferably a member of university faculty, should be a resident with a business office within the area. Provided that he or she were properly qualified, such a person could also serve as counsellor. They, would act as coordinator and consultant, and would act as a focal point for the varied aspects of student and staff problems. The administrator's duties would include attending a l l meetings dealing with Acadia, counselling, advising and directing, as well as channelling suggestions and complaints. Obviously, i f the functions are to be combined in one person, such a person will not be too easily found. Preferably, he or she should have a degree in Social Group Work as well as adequate experience in working with groups. The administrator, with specialized training as a group worker, would have knowledge of individual and group behaviour and on the basis of this knowledge he could contribute to the resident group a ski l l in leadership which would enable the members to use their capacities to the ful l and to create socially constructive group activities. He would assist the students to get from the group experience the satisfactions, the enjoyment and personal growth available through the social relations:, and the opportunity to participate as a responsible citizen. Also, i f the administrator is effective in his or her work within the student group, individual students at a time when they need personal counselling and advice will voluntarily seek out the administrator. The administrator in this function, could be assisted by a graduate student, who was taking a post-graduate course in Social Group Work. One particular note regarding maintenance - in the past the 65 porter has been responsible for the supervision of the maintenance staff and has carried out his duties conscientiously. This position would, necessarily be maintained in future planning. Because of the location of his living quarters within the camp, he has often assumed or was requested to a8Burae duties which did not come within his jurisdiction. With a senior administrator in the camp set-up, this situation would no longer, hold. Things to Avoid The most important thing to avoid in future students' resi-dences is the utilization of makeshift buildings. The units at Acadia were devoid of beauty and comfort and supplied only the basic needs of housing. The forbidding and uninspiring drabness of the camp were to be expected as a consequence of using old army buildings, and serve to point out the desirability ©f planning for lasting attractiveness in future' constructions. Students spend the greater part of their timein their residences and there would seem to be no reason why the accommodation should not be comfortable and attractive; austerity is no longer considered a necessary atmosphere for productive study. Moreover, the problem is becoming increasingly urgent, and, as the camp buildings are rapidly deteriorating, i t would seem that priority should be given to the con-struction of residences. The study of the Acadia Camp experiment as a student residence leads to the conclusion that a worthwhile step has been taken towards f i l l i n g student needs. Many advantages have been disclosed and these 6h, could be readily incorporated into a carefully planned residence in the future. The absence of student responsibility for domestic operation, the participation by students in administrative functioning and the.: natural companionship provided were particularly appreciated. Moreover, some of the disadvantages revealed were found to be inherent in Acadia Gamp itself, and are not too difficult to eliminate. It is to be hopedd that future planning at the University of British Columbia for permanent residences, will include factors, which were regarded advantageous by the vast majority of the students, who based their opinions from their experience at Acadia Camp. APPENDICES 65, APPENDIX A PRIORITY RATING FOR WOMEN STUDENTS AT ACADIA CAMP Name Points Address. Veteran. . . . . . (10) Non-veteran. . . . . . ... (0) . . . Year of Graduation* '43. . . (5) '49. . . (2) !50. . . (1) . ... Age: JO or over. . . (2) 25, under 50. . . (l) .... Residence at Acadia: Place number of months residence in space. Maxi-mum shown in parenthesis. Regular Session 1945-46 (7) Special Winter Session 1946 (4) Special Spring Session 1946 (1 1^ 2) Summer Session 1946 ( 1 1/2) Regular Session 1946-47 (7) Room Preference: Do you want a single room: Unconditionally . . . . . i f you cannot have designated room mate . . . . . Which room would you prefer Hut. . . .Room. . . . Hut. . . .Room. . . . Hut. . . .Room. . . . Name of student with whom you would like to share a room Room number you now occupy REMARKS: 66 APPENDIX B PART I ACADIA RESIDENCE INTERNAL GOVERNMENT ARTICLE I NAME Section 1 This organization shall be named the Acadia Residence Students Council, hereafter known as Acadia Council, situated on the University Enddwrnent lands, at Acadia Road Residence. ARTICLE II PURPOSE Section 1 To co-ordinate and encourage a l l students' activities at Acadia Residence, subject to the rules and regulations of the University Senate. Section 2 To co-operate with the University through Acadia Council liaison in such a manner as to further benefit the Acadia residents. Section 3 To otherwise concern itself with the housing, messing, and general welfare of a l l Acadia Student residents. Section 4 To further by every means at its disposal a l l cultural, educational and social organizations at this Residence. ARTICLE III POWERS Section 1 The Acadia Council shall be the only official authority between the Acadia Student Residents, the Alma Mater Society and the University. Section 2 The Acadia Student Council shall have control of a l l sub-. sidiary organizations formed at the Residence, each of which shall be represented on the Council through designated elected representatives, as provided in Article V, Section 2, sub-sections ( i ) , ( i i ) , and ( i i i ) . D Section 3 The Acadia Council shall take steps necessary for the:: improvement of housing, messing and general welfare for a l l Acadia Student Residents. 67. ARTICLE III Section 4 The Acadia Council shall have the authority to approach and petition the Alma Mater Society for advice or assistance on any matters pertaining to student organization, admin-istration and finance. Section 5 The Acadia Council shall have power from time to time to raise, spend or allocate monies in such manner as i t may warrant. Section 6 The Acadia Council shall be the only authority to administer discipline to student residents in Acadia Residence, ARTICLE IV AMENDMENTS Powers of the aforementioned Acadia Student Residents to amend the Constitution: Section 1 A special general assembly will be called by the Acadia Council for the purpose of amending the Constitution, upon presentation to the said Council of a formal petition signed by ten or more bona fide student residents, the proposed amendment to be posted on the public notice boards at least one week before the general assembly. Section 2 There must be a quorum of one third or more of the bona fide student residents comprising the general assembly before the amendment may be considered. Section 5 There must be a two—thirds supporting vote of the above-mentioned quorum before any alteration to this constitution may be valid. ARTICLE V MEMBERSHIP Section 1 AH members of the general assembly to be eligible for the franchise and offices of the Council must meet the requirements as laid down by Section 1, Sub-sections a, b and c of the Alma Mater Society Eligibility Rules, as amended April, 1945. Section 2 Representatives on the Acadia Council must be bona fide student residents, elected as follows: (i) one from each dormitory, ( i i ) one from each trailer camp, ( i i i ) one from the student householders; 68 Section 2 (cont'd.) elections to take place within two weeks of the commence-ment of the f a l l term. Representatives shall hold office throughout the academic year, unless voted out of office by those who elect them. Section 3 All bona fide students residents of Acadia Residence may attend regular meetings of the Acadia Council and on such occasions are at liberty to inspect a l l books of account. Section 4 The General Assembly shall meet at least once each term at a time and place decided upon by the Acadia Council, unless as otherwise provided for by Article IV, Section 1. Section 5 The budget for the academic year shall be presented at the f i r s t general assembly by the treasurer of Acadia Council. Section 6 An audited financial statement shall be presented to the last general assembly of the academic year by the treasurer, This statement shall be published on Acadia notice boards. ARTICLE VI EXECUTIVE Section 1 Holders of Executive offices must be elected from the elected representatives forming the Acadia Council and will hold office throughout the academic year, subj ect to recall as laid down in Article IV, Sections 1, 2 and 2. Section 2 Election of Executive officers will be held during the second meeting of the f a l l term of the Acadia Council. Section 5 The officers comprising the Executive shall be as follows: (i) Honorary President - The President of the University. (ii) Honorary Vice-Presidents - Honorary Counsellors of Acadia Residence ( i i i ) President (iv) Vice-President (v) Secretary (vi) Treasurer. (vii) Liaison officer with the University (viii) Liaison officer with the Acadia Porter. Section 4 Powers: (i) President (a) Shall preside at all meetings of the Acadia Council and General Assembly. 69 Section 4 Powers* (cont'd.) (b) Shall be ex-officio member of a l l committees . of the Acadia Council (c) All cheques must be signed by both the President and the Treasurer. (d) The President i s empowered to spend a sum of - money not to exceed $25.00 (Twenty-fiveedollars) in caBe of emergency, subject to ratification at the next council meeting. (e) Shall carry out a l l such other duties as may from time to time arise, subject to the approval of the Executive. (i i ) Vice-President» (a) Shall assume and carry out a l l duties of the President during his absence. ( i i i ) Secretaryt (a) Shall prepare and keep a l l Minutes of the Acadia Council and General Assembly meetings. (b) Shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be delegated by the Acadia Council. (iv) Treasurers (a) The Treasurer shall take charge of and be responsible for the funds of the Acadia Council. (b) The Treasurer's cheques shall be signed by the Treasurer and countersigned by the President of the Acadia Council. (c) The Treasurer shall keep a careful account of and be responsible for a l l moneys received, and disbursed by the Acadia Council, and shall keep on file a l l b i l l s , receipts and vouchers. (d) The Treasurer shall render a statement of the finances of the Acadia Council each month and at any other time on the written request signed by at least three members of the Residence. (e) The Treasurer shall take charge of and be responsible for a l l funds of any and a l l organizations set up under Article VII, Section 5, of this constitution. (f) Shall perform such further duties as may from time to time be delegated by the Acadia Council. (v) Liaison Officers* (a) Shall act as intermediaries on a l l matters of Council business so far as they concern the University and the Acadia Council. 70 ARTICLE VII COMMITTEES Section 1 Chairmen of the various committees shall be appointed from the Acadia Council and shall be empowered to call upon students of Acadia Residence outside the Council to serve on the Committees. Section 2 The following standing Committees shall be set up during the f i r s t two meetings of the f a l l term of the Acadia Council: (i) Entertainment, (ti) Sports, ( i i i ) Messing, (iv) Liaison committee with non-student householders. Section 3 Other committees to improve cultural, educational and social activities may be set up from time to time by the Acadia Council. APPENDIX C 71. DEPARTMENT O F SOCIAL WORK SURVEY OF U.B.C. RESIDENCES: Acadia N.B. - Please read t h i s f i r s t . This study i s being made s o l e l y i n order to get a f a i r p i c t u r e of the pros and cons of student residences. R e s u l t s w i l l be combined together s t a t i s t i c a l l y , and no personal i n f o r m a t i o n w i l l be d i s c l o s e d , or used i n any way to a f f e c t your academic r e c o r d . Your name need not appear on i t ; but you are asked to.take the q u e s t i o n n a i r e s e r i o u s l y , and answer the questions c a r e f u l l y , so that the study w i l l be r e a l l y h e l p f u l and r e p r e s e n t a t i v e . A. General Sex Age M a r r i e d (M) or S i n g l e (S) 1. Is your home ( f a m i l y ) residence (a) i n Vancouver C i t y (t>) Greater Vancouver..... (c) Other B.C (d) Outside B,C I f you had war s e r v i c e before coming to U.B.C, please s t a t e number of years and branch ( a i r , army, navy, merchant marine, nursing, etc.) 2 . I f you have l i v e d elsewhere during your u n i v e r s i t y years, s t a t e type of accommodation and approximate months of residence: (a) l i v i n g w i t h own family (b) room w i t h board (st«te d i s t r i c t ) (c) room without board ( s t a t e d i s t r i c t ) . . . , , , . . . . . . . , (d) U n i v e r s i t y residence other than Acadia ( s p e c i f y ) (e) other ( s p e c i f y ) 3. Did you t r y to get other accommodation before you came to Acadia?... k. Length of residence at Acadia: number of r e g u l a r terms..... number of summer sessions ( i f any) T o t a l stay, i n months months. B. Accommodation 1. Do you share a room with one other person two o t h e r s . . . . , 2 . Did you choose your room mate(s) 3. Are your f u r n i s h i n g s adequate? I f not, what i s most l a c k i n g or u n s a t i s f a c t o r y ? k. Is your rent (room and board) l e s s than you would pay f o r the a l t e r n a t i v e s s p e c i f i e d above?(A). Yef.... No.... Don't know 5. Do you regard the closeness of Acadia to the U n i v e r s i t y as an advantage? I f so, l i s t reasons - 2 - 72* 6. Do you c o n s i d e r your meals at A c a d i a wholesome and s a t i s f a c t o r y ? 7. Do you. r e g a r d the d i n i n g room as a " s o c i a b l e " a s s e t , i . e . , do you l i k e g e t t i n g t o g e t h e r f o r the mid-day e v e n i n g , . . . , meals? 8. A p a r t from the above (5, 6) l i s t what you c o n s i d e r : (a) the b e s t f e a t u r e s o f ) , your accommodation ) • ...... (b) the worst f e a t u r e s o f ) . . . , '.. your accommodation ). .. C .. Budget 1. What do you t h i n k , at p r e s e n t p r i c e s , i s r e a s o n a b l e f o r monthly r e n t $ monthly b o a r d $ .. .at A c a d i a ? 2. Are you a b l e t o keep your budget w i t h i n D.V.A. a l l o w a n c e s ? ( t a k e l a s t term as an example) ........ .3. Do you work p a r t - t i m e ? . . . . . . . . I f so, what k i n d of work? How many hours a week? (approx.) How much do you spend p e r ye a r at U n i v e r s i t y o v e r and above your D.V.A. al l o w a n c e ? $ ' 5. Do you p r e f e r (a) p a y i n g i n advance p e r month (b) p a y i n g a t the end of the month Would you p r e f e r t o pay a s e p a r a t e r a t e f o r meals? 6 . A p p r o x i m a t e l y how much do you spend on food per week, a d d i t i o n a l to r e g u l a r meals. ( E x c l u d e ' t o b a c c o , ha.rd l i q u o r . I n c l u d e candy, s n a c k s , b e e r , s o f t d r i n k s , e t c . ) * - 3 -PART I I D. P a r t i c i p a t i o n i n U n i v e r s i t y A c t i v i t i e s Study 1, Where do you do most of y o u r s t u d y i n g ? (a) L i b r a r y . . . . ( t o ) e l s e w h e r e on campus....(c) A c a d i a d i n i n g room ( e v e n i n g ) . . . . ( d ) hut 2. Does l i v i n g i n A c a d i a h e l p you t o s t u d y . . . . h i n d e r you i n s t u d y i n g ? .... Reasons , 3 . Have you p a s s e d a l l your f i n a l exams t o date? Y e s . . . . A l l e x c e p t . ... ( S p e c i f y ) . S o c i a l A c t i v i t i e s k, How many c l u b s and s o c i e t i e s do you b e l o n g to? (number). 5. What s p o r t s do you p a r t i c i p a t e i n ? ( S p e c i f y ) 6. Do you a t t e n d the F r i d a y n i g h t s o c i a l s at A c a d i a : r e g u l a r l y . . . . . o c c a s i o n a l l y not a t a l l 7. Do you use the r e c r e a t i o n h a l l a t o t h e r t i m e s : f r e q u e n t l y . , . . . o c c a s i o n a l l y not a t a l l . . . . . . 8. L i s t s o c i e t i e s , s p o r t s , committees, e t c . , on w h i c h you are an e x e c u t i v e member ... .'«.., 9. Do you have many r e g u l a r f r i e n d s : among your own s e x o n l y . . . . the o p p o s i t e s e x . . . . b o t h sexes 1 0(a). Do you approve of h a v i n g a mixed group of r e s i d e n c e s ( i . e . f o r b o t h men and'women) i n the same a r e a , as a t p r e s e n t . . . . (b) Or do you think. s e p a r a t e r e s i d e n c e s or r e s i d e n t i a l groups would be b e t t e r ? 11. ( F o r s t u d e n t s whose homes are i n G r e a t e r Vancouver o n l y ) . Would you p r e f e r t o l i v e i n a s t u d e n t r e s i d e n c e ( e i t h e r 10a o r 10b t y p e ) r a t h e r than l i v i n g a t home and commuting d a i l y ? Yes No H e a l t h 12. How many days of l e c t u r e s have you m i s s e d on account of i l l h e a l t h e t c . ? (Take l a s t term as example) days. .. 13 . How o f t e n d u r i n g 19^8 d i d you need d o c t o r ' s care or were i n h o s p i t a l ? , - Ur - 74. E. Self-Government and G e n e r a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n 1. Do you approve of studen t s e l f - g o v e r n m e n t f o r A c a d i a : f u l l p a r t i a l . not n e c e s s a r y 2. Do you t h i n k an e l e c t e d Student C o u n c i l i s the b e s t method? 3. A r e you s a t i s f i e d w i t h the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of A c a d i a : c l e a n i n g maintenance and r e p a i r h e a t i n g r e l a t i o n s w i t h the P o r t e r . . . . . . . o t h e r ( s p e c i f y ) . ., , . k-. I f you have c o m p l a i n t s i n r e f e r e n c e t o A c a d i a , t o whom do you u s u a l l y go? , .. , 5. Have you a,ny s e t r u l e s i n r e g a r d t o b e h a v i o u r i n yo u r hut ( a ) w r i t t e n and p o s t e d up (b) a.s a v e r b a l u n d e r s t a n d i n g o n l y Are they g e n e r a l l y o b s e r v e d ? . . . , . . . 6. Have you any specia.1 o b j e c t i o n s or c o m p l a i n t s about the b e h a v i o u r of o t h e r r e s i d e n t s ? . . . 7. Do you l i k e the idea, of r e s i d e n t F a c u l t y members as c o n s u l t a n t s on w e l f a r e and r e l a t e d problems?...,. F. R e s i d e n t i a l P r e f e r e n c e s 1. I f a new r e s i d e n t i a l c e n t r e were p l a n n e d , which would be your p r e f e r e n c e s on such p o i n t s as the f o l l o w i n g : ( T i c k o n l y one f o r each l e t t e r - g r o u p ) : A . ( l ) S i n g l e l a r g e b u i l d i n g . . . . . . (2) Group of s m a l l e r b u i l d i n g s . . . . . . B. ( l ) Lounges i n each main b u i l d i n g where men and women s t u d e n t s can meet s o c i a l l y (2) B u i l d i n g s r e s t r i c t e d t o one sex only....... C. I f s e p a r a t e b u i l d i n g s f o r women and men,., b u t w i t h s o c i a l l o u n g e s , s h o u l d these b u i l d i n g s be ( l ) on d i f f e r e n t p a r t s o f the campus...... (2) a d j a c e n t to a g e n e r a l r e s i d e n t i a l c e n t r e ' D. I n each r e s i d e n t i a l u n i t : ( l ) shared rooms (two persons)....... (2) s i n g l e rooms ...... (3) d o r m i t o r y E. M e a l s : ( l ) s e p a r a t e d i n i n g rooms (2) common d i n i n g rooms ( b o t h s e xes) (3) same p r o v i s i o n f o r b o t h F. M a r r i e d s t u d e n t s : ( l ) p r o v i s i o n f o r m a r r i e d s t u d e n t s ( f a m i l y u n i t s , o r -apartments) w i t h i n the f a c i l i t i e s of a g e n e r a l r e s i d e n t i a l c e n t r e (2) s e p a r a t e s e c t i o n f o r m a r r i e d s t u d e n t s . . . . . . . . 75. - 5 ~ F-2. Any comments o r s u g g e s t i o n s on stude n t r e s i d e n c e s - the k i n d you t h i n k would be most p r e f e r a b l e , t h e i r advantages o r d i s a d v a n t a g e s , e t c .
Thesis/Dissertation
eng
Social Work
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Graduate
Acadia Camp -- a study of the Acadia Camp Residence at the University of British Columbia from September, 1945 to May, 1949
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