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               A M A L G A M A T I O N   B U L L E T I N
                        No. 11 -- Jan. 27, 1997

To:    All members of the Technical University of Nova Scotia
       and Dalhousie University

From:  Presidents Ted Rhodes and Tom Traves

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As amalgamation day approaches, individual members of our communities --
faculty, staff and students -- are naturally eager to know precisely how
amalgamation will affect them. Academic and administrative bodies and
personnel at both universities are busy working through all the issues
involved. Many of the issues are very complex and it will be some time
before they are resolved. We will continue to provide information to you as
it becomes available. Here are some answers to questions that have been
submitted to Julia Eastman, Executive Co-ordinator of the amalgamation
process.

President Ted Rhodes                    President Tom Traves
Technical University of                 Dalhousie University
Nova Scotia


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Questions and Answers
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Q:    As an employee of TUNS, I am paid bi-weekly. I understand that Dal
employees are paid on a monthly schedule. It will be a big adjustment for
my co-workers and me to be paid monthly. After April 1, 1997, will we
continue to be paid bi-weekly or will we be paid monthly?

A:    Pay periods for current employees of TUNS will not change immediately
after amalgamation on April 1, 1997. Eventually, for reasons of cost and
efficiency, all employees of the amalgamated university will be paid on the
same schedule. As is the current practice at Dalhousie, academic,
administrative, clerical and technical staff will be paid monthly. Physical
plant, custodial, trades, and security staff -- as well as casual employees
-- will be paid bi-weekly. Current TUNS employees will not change to this
schedule until January 1998, at the earliest. You and your co-workers will
receive plenty of advance notice of the change.

The reason that the amalgamated university will use Dalhousie's current
schedule, rather than TUNS', is that the cost of moving all employees to a
bi-weekly pay schedule would be large. It is estimated that it would cost
about $97,000 more annually (in financing, staff and stationery costs) to
pay everyone bi-weekly, given the total number of employees in the
amalgamated university.


Q:    When Dal's Division of Computing Science moves from the Mathematics
Department to the Faculty of Computer Science, will computing classes still
be available on the Dalhousie campus for non-computer science majors?

A:    Yes. The need to provide computing classes on the existing Dalhousie
campus for non-computer science majors is well understood. The planned
expansion of the faculty complement of the new Faculty of Computer Science
will enhance the capacity to provide Computer Science courses within the
amalgamated university.


Q:    I am a faculty member at TUNS with an active research program. I'm
told that the amalgamation with Dalhousie may change TUNS' status in the
eyes of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, putting our
research grants at risk. My colleagues and I are naturally very concerned
about this. Can you tell us what impact amalgamation will have on our NSERC
funding?

A:    Amalgamation will in no way affect your individual operating grants.


Q:    I collaborate with people at TUNS and parking is a big problem. Would
it be possible for Dalhousie parking permits to allow parking at TUNS and
vice versa during this academic year? Also, is it fair to assume that only
one permit would be required after April 1?

A:    Current annual parking permits at TUNS and Dal expire at the end of
August or beginning of September. There will be no change in existing
practices before then. The nature of any changes have yet to be determined.
Further analysis will be needed before a decision is made. Consultation
also will be required as provided in collective agreements. What is clear
is that there are no easy solutions. The unfortunate truth is that parking
is a problem on both campuses and it will continue to be so for some time.


Q:    The classrooms in TUNS' School of Computer Science seat 50 students.
I heard that Dal's computer science classes are considerably larger. Will
class size increase? Where will classes be taught? Will there be enough
room for all students who wish to attend a class?

A:    The Joint Transition Committee for Computer Science is currently in
the process of determining what classes the combined faculty should offer
in 1997-98 -- and where -- in order to accommodate the needs of students in
the existing programs. After the new dean takes office, planning will begin
for new programs. This will probably result in further changes in the
nature and location of offerings and in enrolment capacities in 1998-99. As
soon as this information is available, it will be provided to students.


Q:    I am an employee of TUNS and a member of the Public Service
Superannuation Plan (PSSP). Could you please set out, briefly and in plain
English, the differences between the Public Service Superannuation Plan and
the Dalhousie Pension Plan?

A:    It is not possible to summarize briefly and accurately the
differences between the two plans -- even in plain English! As a member of
the PSSP who may be considering whether to elect to join the Dalhousie
Pension Plan, you need to know the differences between the plans, and what
the advantages or disadvantages are to your personal situation. Factors
include, and are not limited to, your pensionable service and your possible
interest in early retirement. Information sessions and materials on the
plans will be available later this year. Personnel staff are developing
these now. They have given a presentation to employee group representatives
and will work with them to design information sessions that will respond in
a straightforward way to the concerns of all employee groups. Since PSSP
members at TUNS have until March 31, 1998, to decide whether or not to
elect to join the Dalhousie plan, they will receive the information in
plenty of time to make a decision.


Q:    I understand that support for academic computing at Dalhousie is
provided centrally (through University Computing and Information Services,
or UCIS), whereas at TUNS it is organized on a Faculty basis. How will
things be organized in the future?

A:    In reviewing operations on both campuses, computer services staff
have found few major differences in the ways Dalhousie's UCIS and TUNS'
Computer and Communications Services (CCS) provide support. Although CCS
and UCIS support services are both managed centrally, there are some
services that operate day-to-day on a decentralized basis, physically
distributed around the campuses in order to be close to clients.

Currently, both CCS and UCIS provide centralized network support, e-mail
systems, general use systems, Help Desk services, PC support and a variety
of other things; they both also provide system management services for
several departments or faculties. However, on both campuses there are also
some user departments that provide their own support if they consider it
necessary; they have developed their own expertise, generally in the areas
of management of some research computers, special-purpose applications, and
some computing laboratories.

Perhaps one of the biggest differences between UCIS and CCS is that UCIS
charges for some services that CCS provides free of charge. This is a
reflection of the differing budgeting philosophies of the two universities,
rather than an issue peculiar to UCIS. Dalhousie operates under a
decentralized, "local choice" budget policy, where only some services are
funded "off-the-top" while other service are provided to clients on a
fee-for-service basis at their option to purchase. TUNS has traditionally
funded most services "off-the-top." It has not been determined how the
transition to a fee-for-service regime at the new College will be
introduced and managed, nor how budgets will be redistributed to
accommodate any such changes.

Once the TUNS/Dalhousie amalgamation is more fully under way, the newly
merged UCIS plans a review of its support services in the light of the
revised needs of its clients. Full consultation with the academic and
administrative communities will be undertaken.


Q:    What new arrangements will be made for transportation between the two
campuses?

A:    How and when the amalgamation will affect the flow of students,
faculty and staff between the two campuses is not yet known. This
information will emerge from planning currently under way within both
academic and support units. When the dimensions and timing of changes in
the flow of people are known, the need for additional transportation
options will be considered and new arrangements may be put in place.


Q:    I am a graduate student in the Department of Food Science at TUNS and
was wondering (as are all of our students) what the fate of our program
will be following amalgamation?

A:    The Department of Food Science and Technology, and its companion
Canadian Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) at TUNS, will not be
directly affected by amalgamation with Dalhousie. Students in the program
can expect business as usual. Indirectly, however, the amalgamation will
enhance opportunities for collaboration, research synergies, and
cross-listing of courses with programs on the existing Dalhousie campus
that, while previously available, have not been explored.