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BCIT Burnaby Campus Street Names: A little history of BCIT the first part [1 of 2]

March 26, 2019 by Cindy McLellan

With so much construction continuing around Burnaby campus it seemed like a good opportunity to think about street names. Over its history BCIT has been home to many inspiring people. Current streets around Burnaby campus are named after some of these people as well as men who were early influencers in technical training in this province. Too many people to mention in a single blog post; watch for BCIT Burnaby Campus Street Names: A little history of BCIT the second part [2 of 2].

Map of BCIT Burnaby Campus 1979

Exam location map from 1979 shows: English St., Goard Way, White Ave., Lister Ave., Roper Ave., Ford St. and Fairey St. And look, Student Parking lot D, at Ford St. & Wayburne Dr. was once a playing field! Some exams were held at the Gizeh Shrine Temple – but don’t try parking there!

I noticed a trend while writing and researching this post so decided to start with some brief biographies of people not honoured with a street name. Do you need to be a white man to have street named in your honour? If not, BCIT has a number of remarkable students, educators and influencers in its rich 50+ year history:

C.M. Briscall

C. Margaret Briscall, Business Management, staff photograph, taken sometime between 1965 and 1967.

Margaret Briscall, BCom, MBA, FCPA, FCMA. When Briscall retired from BCIT after more than 35 years she was BCIT Associate Dean Financial Management. Briscall played a significant role in establishing BCIT’s Financial Management department, within the School of Business, beginning her career there as one of the first female instructors hired at BCIT in early 1965 to develop the second year business courses. She was delighted with the move to BCIT as she would get a pay increase by leaving UBC. In her two previous positions, at BC Electric and at UBC, there were separate pay scales for men and women doing the same job – at BCIT she would be paid equally. In 1978 she became the first female president of the BCIT Staff Society, representing the interests of a predominantly male faculty. Briscall was universally respected for her forthrightness, integrity, commitment to the students and experience in the field. She was a CGA national examiner for many decades and became a fellow of the Society of Management Accountants of Canada in 1984 and a Lifetime Member for the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC in 2001.

Robert (Bob) George receiving his honourary doctorate

Robert (Bob) George receiving his honourary doctorate.

 

Elder Bob George (1923-2014) of Coast Salish, Tsleil-Waututh Nation was BCIT’s first Indigenous Elder in residence and a rock for many who attended BCIT over the ten years that he held this position.  In 2005 BCIT presented George with an honourary doctorate.

Feel free to use the comments below to name more amazing BCIT personalities that deserve to be recognized. I have researched a few more deserving personalities for Part 2. I am keen to learn from the community and hear your suggestions.

Dr. English and Cecil Roper (right), 1966.

Dr. English and Cecil Roper (right), 1966.

Roper Avenue was named after Cecil E. Roper (1914-1996), the first Principal of BCIT (1962-1967). A provincial Advisory Council[1][2], made up of industry executives, recruited Roper from the Faculty of Commerce at UBC as the first Principal of BCIT. Roper, trained as a mining engineer, had earned an MBA after 20 years in the mining industry. Well connected to the world of BC industry, and equally well connected at UBC, he was able to attract faculty and staff from both arenas to work and volunteer for BCIT in its earliest days.

English Street was named after Dr. J. F. K. English, Deputy Minister and Superintendent of Education of the province of BC. Dr. English was appointed Chairman of BCIT’s first Advisory Council.

Principal Dean H. Goard.

Principal Dean H. Goard.

Goard Way was named after Dean Goard (1909-1986), the second Principal of BCIT (1967-1974). In 1939 he began his teaching career at the Vancouver Technical School. He was a Chemist who was educated at UBC where he also did the teacher training program. Previous to his appointment at BCIT Goard was assistant director at Vancouver Community College and Assistant Director of Adult Education at the Vancouver School Board. After his retirement from BCIT he went on to be University Affairs Director for the province of BC.

Ford Street was named after Dr. C. Ross Ford, Director of Technical Training Branch of the Federal Department of Labour.  Dr. Ford was not directly involved with BCIT but he was instrumental in the establishment of technical institutions across Canada.

Carey Avenue was named after Ralph Carey, long- standing member of the first BCIT Advisory Council.

Smith Avenue was named after Lorne Smith, second Principal of BC Vocational School (BCVS). BCVS became the Pacific Vocational Institute (PVI) in 1978 and merged with BCIT in 1986.

I hope you learned something and enjoyed Part 1 of the Street Names of BCIT Burnaby Campus.

[1] 1961: An Advisory Council was formed to begin planning the proposed BCIT. Dr. J. English, Deputy Minister and Superintendent of Education was appointed chairman and  J. S. White, Director of Technical and Vocational Education, vice-chair.

[2] Between 1961 and 1974, BCIT was controlled and funded directly by the BC Department of Education, in partnership with an Advisory Council chosen from business and industry. The roles of the Advisory Council included:

  • To advise the Minster of Education on the operation of BCIT in particular
  • Approve faculty and technical support staff appointments
  • Approve scholarships and assist in obtaining financial donations from industry
  • Advise on major policy
  • Advise on new building requirements
  • Approve educational programs or extension of existing programs

Filed Under: archives, BCIT Archives, Community

Seed Library Spring Launch, April 2nd, 2019

March 25, 2019 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

 

Everyone welcome, no registration required!

Filed Under: events

BCIT Open Education Roadshow Stop #2 with Sanjeev Sarwal, Chad Flinn, Sanja Boskovic and Serhat Beyenir

March 21, 2019 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

Filed Under: events, Open Education

New Lunch & Learn Workshops for March 11-15

March 1, 2019 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

Filed Under: events, Open Education, Trends

OER for the Trades – Roundtable Discussion/Workshop

February 26, 2019 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

Open Education Week at the BCIT Library is starting off with a cross-institutional roundtable discussion and an Open Design Thinking workshop on OER for the Trades.

To register visit: https://events.eply.com/VETintoopen2019

Filed Under: events, Open Education

Peer Tutor Tuesdays with Sani Dzafic

February 26, 2019 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

Name:        Sani Dzafic
Program:   Architectural and Building Technology

What attracted you to becoming a Peer Tutor?
I served as a teaching assistant at SFU. I wanted to do something similar again where I had an opportunity to help fellow students with their studies.

How has working as a tutor helped you?
It is very gratifying to know that you helped someone with an assignment. I have also found communicating with different students and looking at writing on different subjects broadens my mindset.

If you could give one piece of advice to a BCIT student what would it be?
Enjoy your time at BCIT, even when you experience moments that are not so enjoyable. In those situations, it is heartening to know that your fellow classmates also go through a similar experience. I found that my peers are consistently ready to support me and vice versa.

What would your dream job be when you leave BCIT?
Project Manager.

If you had a free day, how would you spend it?
Hang out with my friends and family at a lake.

Filed Under: Peer Tutor Tuesdays, Students, Tutoring

Wednesday, February 27th is Pink Shirt Day

February 20, 2019 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

Cyberbullying is this years’ Pink Shirt Day’s focus. The day is meant to focus on encouraging others to combat cyberbullying by thinking twice before posting something negative, and instead using the internet to spread kindness.

Show your support by joining us at the Burnaby Campus Library on Wednesday, February 27th.

All events are located on the main floor and are FREE to everyone.

Kindness Wall – post an inspirational quote to our wall or take one from the “take what you need” section to pass on to a friend in need (available at ATC and BMC campuses as well)

The Kindness Rocks Project – Paint a message for yourself of leave one for another | noon – 3pm (or longer if supplies last)

Cookie Decorating Party | noon – 3pm (or longer if supplies last)

Filed Under: events, Students

Peer Tutor Tuesdays with Long Fei Lun

February 19, 2019 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

Name:       Long Fei Lun

Program:   Accounting

What attracted you to becoming a Peer Tutor?

Sharing study experience with peers is a valuable experience. A different approach to the same question can really inspire me.

How has working as a Tutor helped you?

Teaching is the best way of learning. Practicing makes my knowledge become the real skill.

If you could give one piece of advice to a BCIT student what would it be?

Never make yourself disappointed in the future.

What would your dream job be when you leave BCIT?

An accountant which can make my family feel proud by earning honest money and making a positive contribution to society.

If you had a free day, how would you spend it?

Just keep reading and learning. Study intensively is already part of my life.

Filed Under: Peer Tutor Tuesdays, Students, Tutoring

Ishita Arora, Peer Tutor and Natural Leader

February 12, 2019 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment


It was a pleasure sitting down to chat with Peer Tutor, Ishita Arora, B.Acc. candidate 2018. I had already heard the tale of how Ishita read about our Peer Tutoring program on the BCIT website while still at home in India, and decided she wanted this job. This is partly what drew her to BCIT. Ishita has been at BCIT since Fall 2015, with a Co-op term at KPMG Jan – Aug 2018. She tutored for the Learning Commons from September 2016 until December 2018, where she was a natural at taking on a leadership role with peer tutoring activities.

Ishita talked about her family: her father is a self-made man and her mother is an elementary school teacher. Her grandfather was an accountant and her father worked with him as book-keeper from a very young age, so Ishita is following the family profession so to speak. Tragically her grandfather passed away rather young. Ishita’s father dropped out of school at sixteen and stepped up to take care of the family. He has built a very successful bakery products business. Her mother married young though she had nearly completed her undergraduate English Literature degree, and after having a family she went on to do a B.Ed. degree. These were the values and work ethic that was modelled for Ishita. Growing up, she says, she was quite introverted; school was her main focus with a small circle of friends. She was pretty sheltered too, not having to venture out on any family errands or take on responsibilities.

When it came time to apply to university, Ishita was dismayed to discover that despite scoring 96% in her high-school exams, she stood no chance of gaining admission to any of the reputable local universities. Her only option was a lesser school with a party culture. Competition for university seats is fierce, and coupled with the practice of donations to secure seats, many lose out. She went to class for just a week before saying to her parents that it simply wouldn’t do, that she wanted a much better education for herself. Career opportunities for women are limited in India generally, internships are unpaid, and her town Ludhiana is very industrial. She believes that if she’d stayed in India she’d have felt pressure to marry, despite her parents not being traditional. With family in the Vancouver area, and her brother already at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, she began researching post-secondary schools here. At the top of her list were BCIT and SFU, both having strong reputations.  Ultimately, she picked BCIT for its shorter, more compressed programs, strong industry connections, and more serious vibe.

So has BCIT lived up to her expectations? More than she had hoped for, she says, and she’s sure she made the right decision. The calibre of BCIT’s Accounting programs is impressive, and she wouldn’t have acquired this level of knowledge and practical experience in India. BCIT has changed her enormously as a person too. The group work has been particularly useful, though she hated it at first. The need to present projects and be persuasive while doing so, has taught her valuable life skills about collaboration, motivating each other, presentation and argument, and leadership. She’s come out of her shell and feels more extroverted now and much more confident. These are skills she could not have acquired doing her degree in India.

And it’s been total immersion: she feels almost Canadian. Sure, it’s been a bit of an adjustment living on her own but she was already quite independent. Her father has footed the bill for her education, and she is very grateful he gave in and allowed her to embark on this huge adventure despite many reservations. It’s also taught her self-sufficiency and how to take care of herself; she’s put her car into storage while in school to manage her expenses.

Ishita says the skills she has learned as a tutor are “the best.” She likes helping people, and the students feel she is approachable – they are always coming over to thank her; some stopped by even during our interview. Tutoring has been a great tool for her own review too; it’s made her very solid on the basics. Meeting a great variety of people from a range of disciplines and cultural backgrounds has broadened her perspective. She’s made a lot of friends, enjoying both school interactions and special social occasions with them. Ishita’s most important advice for new tutors is to keep an open mind about people having different learning styles, and that a tutor needs to be able to modify their teaching approach to suit the student. Taking time to understand a person, and having them walk one through where they’re having problems is key. Having said all this, there’s a big learning curve, so it’s helpful having experienced tutors around to mentor the new ones.

And so it was with mixed feelings that we said good-bye to Ishita at the end of the Fall term. She was heading to India for the Holidays to see family and recharge before embarking on her next adventure. KPMG, the financial audit and tax services firm where she did her Co-op term, is welcoming her back to a permanent role. She will be much missed by the Learning Commons team!

By Carol Cordeiro

Filed Under: Students, Tutoring

February Open Education Workshops

February 7, 2019 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

The BCIT Open Education Working Group (https://www.bcit.ca/open/) is offering a series of Pizza Party Workshops in February to introduce faculty, staff, and students to Open Education (OE).

Join us to find out about using openly licensed materials, how to add an open license to your content, and how to use PressBooks as an open content creation platform. Attend all workshops for a full introduction to OE, or just stop by one or two and top up your knowledge. As you attend the workshops, keep an ear open for more Open Education events coming up in March, during Open Education Week (https://oeweek.oeglobal.org/).

For more info visit https://www.bcit.ca/ltc/

Filed Under: events, Open Education, Staff, Students

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