Gazette, 1978-03-17

              Vol. 10, No. 14, St. John's, Newfoundland, Friday, March 17, 1978.
Support for New Library
In a February student
referendum proposing that a three-
quarter million dollar Student Union
Building Fund be used for the
purpose of negotiating a start on a
new library, the vote was six to one in
favor of the transfer. The turnout,
thirty-three percent of the student
population, was the largest showing
recorded in a Council of the Students
Union referendum in several years.
The Student Union Building
Fund was collected from students
from 1960 until 1970, and now totals
with interest some $750,000. The
Council of the Students Union, in an
effort to focus attention on the
seriousness of the library situation,
proposed that this sum be turned
over to the Administration, thereby
demonstrating that the student
community is solidly behind the
efforts to secure a commitment on
construction of a new library
building. Any transferral of funds
could only follow from a referendum
in which such a move was sanctioned by a majority vote of the
student body.
The administration of Memorial
has on several occasions, approached the provincial government
in an effort to secure funds for a new
library. The needs of a university
population of 10,000 students have
long outgrowm the Henrietta Harvey
Library, with its lack of shelf space
and study areas. At present almost
one third of the University's books
are stored off-campus, in a
warehouse on O'Leary Avenue. If
any of these books are needed they
have to be found and brought back
to the main campus - a process that
generally takes a day and involves
considerable inconvenience to both
students and faculty. Rental, staffing
and delivery procedures also cost
money. Coupled with this is the
problem of study space - students
regularly use the library as a place to
study, and are finding facilities more
and more limited. The new building
has been designed to alleviate these
problems.
With the financial support of
students now committed to construction of the new library building,
deliberations by Government over
Memorial's Administration budget
have been put in a new perspective.
George Wyatt, President of the
Council  of  the  Students  Union,   in
IBM PRESENTATION
Mr. D.L. MacCallum, Vocation Manager in the General Systems Division of IBM,
presents a cheque for $1500 to President M.O. Morgan. Each year IBM, through
its bursary programme, contributes $1000 toward undergraduate student bursaries, as well as a $500 unrestricted grant to Memorial University of Newfoundland. The bursaries are awarded to full-time students who have high academic
standing and who demonstrate financial need.
Federal Grant
A five year programme of research grants to Memorial University's
Marine Sciences Research Laboratory
at Logy Bay was announced by federal
Fisheries Minister Romeo LeBlanc on
March 13.
An initial grant of $75,000 will
be made for the current fiscal year,
followed   by   four   annual   grants   of
$150,000.
The Fisheries Minister said the
grants are made in recognition of the
laboratory's research in areas of
specific interest to the fisheries and
marine service. A more detailed story
concerning research being carried on
at the M.S.R.L. can be read on page
seven of this Gazette.
commenting on the move, described
it in this way, "The timing is perfect.
The case is now more legitimate and
we're confident the Government will
start listening."
Mr. Wyatt's confidence is
shared by the Memorial University
Faculty Association which has announced the establishment of a fund
to augment the monies already
provided by the CSU. This move,
according to M.U.N.F.A. President
Howard Dyer, is "a very clear expression of the  full support of the
university community for a new
library". The Faculty Association
proposes to solicit funds from the
faculty and other members of the
university community. The fund
chairperson is Professor Shane
O'Dea, who may be contacted at
M.U.N. extension 3445. An
estimated total of between $12 and
$14 million is needed for completion
of the new facility, which will
eventually occupy the ground where
the Temporary Buildings are now
situated.
History Conference
In May of 1976, members of the
Maritime History Group at Memorial
University of Newfoundland were
awarded a five year programme
grant by the Canada Council in
order to undertake a study of the
Atlantic Canadian shipping industry. As part of the project, the
group will organize annual conferences at Memorial University.
The second annual international conference to be held by
the group will take place at
Memorial University, Rooms E419
and E420 from Thursday, March
30th to Saturday, April 1st, 1978.
This year's conference will be held in
conjunction with the Atlantic
Conference, a multi-provincial,
multi-disciplinary organization
involved in studies of the Atlantic
region. The theme of the conference
will be ENTREPRENEURSHIP
AND MOBILITY IN EASTERN
CANADA.
Subjects of lectures and
discussions will relate to the Atlantic
region of Canada and will range
from an examination of the
relationship between the Catholic
Church and the merchants of the
Gaspe region in the 19th Century, to
the subject of Water Street Merchants of St. John's and their role as
shipowners.
Speakers will include Keith
Matthews, Eric Sager, Lewis Fischer,
and Gerald Panting of the Maritime
History Group, together with
Graeme Wynn of the Geography
Department of the University of
British Columbia, Gregg Finlay of
the New Brunswick Museum, Larry
Felt of the Dept. of Sociology,
Memorial University/Paula Felt of
the Dept. of Sociology, Acadia
University, Wolfville, N.S., David.
McDougall of the Department of
Geology at Concordia University in
Montreal, and Frank Remiggi,
Rosemary Ommer and Christopher
Palmer from McGill's Department of
Geography; David Sutherland, Dept..
of History, Dalhousie University,
Halifax, Clarence LeBreton of the.
Historic Resources Administration,
Caraquet, N.B., and Carman Miller
of the Department of History, McGill
University.
Those   interested   in   attending
any or all of the sessions should
contact the Secretary of the Maritime
History Group, Mrs. D. Pike at MUN
extension 3428/9 before March 25th.
Registration Fee including social
programme is $20.00.
Research
Grant
The Department of Energy, Mines
and Resources has awarded a $6,000
grant to Professor A.D. Dunsiger of
Memorial's Faculty of Engineering.
Professor Dunsiger will use the funds
to engage a graduate student in
Engineering to assist in the continuation of his work into shallow
seismics.
Usiung the HUNTEC Deep
Towed Seismic (DTS) System for
data gathering, Professor Dunsiger's
work is directed towards determining the composition of sediment
on the ocean floor. The ship - towed
DTS System emits acoustic pulses
which penetrate to a depth of 50
meters into the sea bottom. Computer analysis of these pulses
distinguishes the various forms of
sedimentary deposits, whether sand,
silt, clay or till. Determining the
composition and properties of the
ocean floor aids in the design and
siting of off-shore structures and
pipelines, provides an inventory of
the mineral resources for economic
development and planning, and
improves our understanding of the
geophysical structure of the seabed.
Funding for Professor Dunsiger's research has been provided by
the National Research Council and
the Department of Energy, Mines
and Resources. It is aided as well by
the Atlantic Geoscience Centre, a
branch of the Bedford Institute of
Oceanography which will place at
the disposal of Engineering Faculty
members the research vessel CSS
Hudson for work at sea. Professor
Dunsiger hopes to have recruited
assistance of a graduate student by
May of this year when the Hudson
will undertake a two-week data-
gathering cruise.