At 12:46 PM 8/28/98 EST, E. Ann Clark, Associate Professor wrote:
>Folks: the situation in SUSTAG education here at Guelph is pretty
>much on a par with what has already been said about US land grant
>college curriculum. I am product of such, although it was decades
>ago (decades? yikes! but true). I believe there is a substantial
>SUSTAG curriculum at Univ of Manitoba (see Martin Entz in Plant
>Science there). I thought I might add an innovative undergrad
>student response here at Guelph, that is still ongoing today.
>
>I believe it was 18 years ago now that the first Agricultural
>Alternatives conference was held, sponsored by a student group of the
>same name. This group of undergrads was outraged at the biased
>education they perceived they were receiving, but rather than just
>take it, they got organized and started educating themselves. They
>would meet regularly, invite speakers, take field trips, and hold an
>annual conference. I have been to most of them, and for the last few
>years, have been on the organizing committee myself.
>
>The original cadre of dedicated students has long since graduated,
>and the process of holding the annual conference is now the
>responsibility of a consortium of various parties, under the very
>able guidance of a consultant, Tomas Nimmo. Last January, attendence
>topped 800, with a trade show of about 60 booths (if memory serves),
>a slate of about 20+ separate invited speakers, and Charles Benbrook
>as the keynote speaker. Joel Salatin will be the keynote for next
>January's conference, which is already well along in planning, thanks
>to Tomas.
>
>At any rate, I thought I'd comment on a positive initiative by an
>enterprising group of independent-minded undergrads. The caliber of
>exposure in our regular courses is marginally better now, I think,
>although not much if I am to believe what I hear from most students.
>There is still quite a polarity between the "environmental" courses
>and the "agriculture" courses, although in my own courses, I try to
>bridge the gap. I know some faculty are trying, although it must be
>admitted, such a liason runs counter to the prevailing stream which
>issues from higher administrative levels. Ann
>
>ACLARK@plant.uoguelph.ca
>Dr. E. Ann Clark
>Associate Professor
>Crop Science
>University of Guelph
>Guelph, ON N1G 2W1
>Phone: 519-824-4120 Ext. 2508
>FAX: 519 763-8933
>http://www.oac.uoguelph.ca/www/CRSC/faculty/eac.htm
>
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eyvette R. Flynn
Senior Associate, Trade and Agriculture Program
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
2105 1st Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 55404-2505
phone - direct: 612.870.3412
phone - general: 612.870.0453
fax: 612.870.4846
internet: eflynn@iatp.org
URL:http://www.iatp.org/iatp
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