Building Democracy for Women and Sexual Minorities : Union Embrace of Diversity

This article assesses Canadian labour’s response to changed demographics by considering the way unions have engaged with women and sexual minorities (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people). Many unions have now adopted inclusive policies. However, to consider how effectively these policies have been articulated and implemented at the local level, we consider two illustrative cases. One case involves a serious breakdown at the local level over pay equity for women; another case tells the story of a local’s support for a gay man’s challenge to a school board. We conclude that labour’s apparent formal recognition of women and sexual minorities has not necessarily diffused into effective accommodation locally, although we also find grounds for optimism.L’accroissement du nombre de femmes et de la diversité au sein de la main-d’oeuvre canadienne a créé des possibilités de croissance, de regain et de revitalisation dans le monde syndical (Kumar et Schenk, 2006; Stewart, 2005; Yates, 2005). Cependant, des effectifs syndicaux plus hétérogènes ont également entraîné une possibilité de chambardement du statu quo, ont fait naître des exigences concurrentielles et ont miné la solidarité (Yates, 1998, 2005; Bacharach et Bamberger, 2004). Un des résultats des plus inquiétants de cet accroissement de la diversité réside dans une éventuelle menace à la solidarité interne. En d’autres termes, la solidarité demeure un élément critique de la vie syndicale, alors que la diversité accrue constitue un potentiel d’effritement; les syndicats doivent alors exercer une certaine diligence s’ils veulent grandir et se renouveler. Depuis qu’on a constaté des glissements démographiques significatifs au sein des effectifs syndicaux au cours des deux dernières décennies, une question clef se pose qui consiste à se demander dans quelle mesure les syndicats ont avec succès réagi aux défis que présente l’accroissement de la diversité.Plusieurs organisations syndicales canadiennes ont franchi un bout de chemin dans leur réponse aux enjeux soulevés par deux groupes : les femmes et les minorités sexuelles (les homosexuels, les lesbiennes, les personnes bisexuelles et transsexuelles). Nombreuses sont celles qui ont mis à jour leurs statuts et leurs politiques de manière à tenir compte de ces deux groupes et à les accommoder de façon formelle. De plus, on constate qu’une apologie de la diversité émerge du discours officiel des syndicats. Les problèmes que ces derniers doivent continuer à affronter résident dans la manière de véhiculer localement ces idées sans trop soulever de résistance et de conflit, d’en maximiser l’acceptation, de concilier les différences et d’accroître la solidarité au lieu de l’affaiblir. Les deux cas que nous signalons dans cet essai ont été retenus parce qu’ils illustrent de façon dramatique un éventail de problèmes associés à ces ajustements au niveau local. Une étude de cas démontre une possibilité de prise en compte sérieuse de cet enjeu au niveau local et une deuxième étude de cas rappelle la manière dont l’équité salariale a été sabordée par le membership masculin, en croyant que tous les gains effectués par les femmes l’ont été à ses dépens.Ces cas mettent en évidence des freins significatifs à l’avancement d’une compréhension de la diversité chez les organisations syndicales. D’abord, on peut y déceler une résistance de tout acabit, ouverte et non contestée. Deuxièmement, des membres historiquement puissants peuvent choisir de résister aux accommodements en faveur de groupes historiquement plus faibles tels que les femmes et les minorités sexuelles. Troisièmement, on peut observer chez les hommes quelquefois une croyance à l’effet que de tels accommodements se font à leurs dépens. Ceci peut déboucher sur une mentalité de perdant-gagnant, « elles ou bien nous ». Ces problèmes engendrent le risque d’une solidarité interne qui va en s’effritant et qui fait appel aux compromis. Aucune des entraves, que nous venons d’identifier, présente des solutions simples, quoiqu’un effort de planification, d’éducation et de suivi peut aider. De plus, on propose des avenues de recherche qui prennent en compte les facteurs susceptibles de promouvoir un changement (ou bien de les retarder) et une pleine compréhension de la diversité au niveau local.Este artículo evalúa la respuesta del movimiento laboral canadiense a los cambios demograficos mostrando la manera cómo los sindicatos se han comprometido con las mujeres y las minorías sexuales (personas gay, lesbianas, bisexuales y transexuales). Muchos sindicatos han adoptado políticas inclusivas. Sin embargo, para considerar cómo han sido efectivamente articuladas e implantadas estas políticas a nivel local, presentamos dos casos ilustrativos. Un primer caso implica una seria ruptura a nivel local a propósito de la equidad salarial por las mujeres ; el otro caso retoma la historia del apoyo local cuando un grupo de hombres gay desafió un consejo escolar. Se concluye que el aparente reconocimiento de las mujeres y de las minorías sexuales no se ha necesariamente propagado en un efectivo compromiso local aunque encontramos también motivos para ser optimistas

Linked-Class Problem-Based Learning In Engineering: Method And Evaluation

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a problem-centered teaching method with exciting potential in engineering education for motivating and enhancing student learning. Implementation of PBL in engineering education has the potential to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Two common problems are encountered when attempting to integrate PBL into the undergraduate engineering classroom:  1) the large time requirement to complete a significant, useful problem and 2) the ability to determine its impact on students. Engineering, mathematics, and science professors at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) have overcome the large time commitment associated with implementation of PBL in a single course by integrating small components of the larger project into each of their classes and then linking these components with a culminating experience for all the classes. Most of the engineering students were concurrently enrolled in the engineering, mathematics, and science classes and were therefore participating in all activities related to the project. This linked-class PBL experience addressed course concepts, reinforced connections among the courses, and provided real-world applications for the students. Students viewed the experience as beneficial, increasing their understanding of content and applications in each discipline. This paper provides details about implementation and evaluation of one PBL project and how difficulties in evaluation of the linked-class PBL experiences are being addressed

‘If I feel like this, how does the child feel?’ Child protection workers, supervision, management and organisational responses to parental violence

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Social Work Practice, on 14 September 2015, available online at:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2015.1073145 © 2015 GAPS.This study analysed workers’ experiences of supervision following interactions with hostile and intimidating parents. This analysis examined management and organisational responses to worker stress, and assessed the adequacy of support that workers received. An online survey was designed to collect data on workers’ experiences and free text responses were qualitatively analysed for references to the supervision they received in response to working with parents. 590 participants responded to the survey. 402 were qualified social workers, and 423 worked in child protection. Participants had experienced a range of violent behaviour from parents. The overwhelming theme in responses was the lack of support and supervision workers received, often in stressful and frightening circumstances. Approximately one quarter of participants only used organisational procedures, guidelines or protocols on dealing with hostile parents. Workers reported that mismanaged parental hostility affected their practice and the quality of protection that children received. The violence experienced had a significant negative impact on their personal and professional lives. Organisational responses in the form of supervision and education were often inadequate and resulted in children receiving reduced quality of protection. Recommendations for policy and practice change are discussed, with the aim of caring for workers and the children they protectPeer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

We must look further upstream to enable planetary health-literate urban development

The gap between academic research and real-world practice in urban planning and development is a major barrier to planetary health.1 By exploring uncertainty and complexity further upstream, we might be able to narrow that gap, and make progress in tackling the urban health crisis

The theory of chaotic attractors

James Yorke won the 2003 Japan Prize for his work in the field of chaos theory. This book was compiled by four of his best-known collaborators in honor of his 60th birthday and contains papers by various authors on chaos and chaotic attractors. The papers are organized around the topics of "natural" invariant measure and fractal dimension of the associated chaotic attractors. A few of the papers are written by Yorke and collaborators, but the editors say they have chosen the collection primarily for the papers' historical importance and their accessibility to students. The book begins with the famous paper "Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow" by Edward Lorenz. Anyone who doubts the importance of interdisciplinary institutes or of "linking" figures like Yorke should read Gleick's [4] account of Yorke's role in the dissemination of this paper to the mathematics community. The shocking aspect of the story is that the paper had been in print a full 9 years before most mathematicians were aware of it. Lorenz had found a three-dimensional ODE (a reduction of a model for Rayleigh-Benard instability in hydrodynamics) containing a limit set A that appeared to have the following properties: (1) The orbit of almost every initial condition in a neighborhood of A has its limit points in A (hence, it is an attractor). (2) The limit set is not periodic or asymptotically periodic. (3) The orbits show sensitive dependence on initial conditions. (Hence, by (2) and (3), the limit set A is chaotic.) (4) The limit set A contains a dense orbit (hence, it is indecomposable). Although several properties of a chaotic attractor are listed here, there is no universally accepted definition. Some prefer a more mathematical (technical) statement; others want conditions that could be verified by experimentalists. In a paper which appears in this volume, Milnor gives a definition of "attractor" in which condition (1) is replaced with the requirement that the basin of attraction should have positive measure. He also requires that no smaller closed subset has the same basin, up to measure zero. This definition has withstood the test of time, and a definition of "chaotic attractor" based on it appears in [2]. Milnor's paper also provides an insightful survey of the subject and many important examples. The editors present an excellent selection of key works in the development of the statistical or measure-theoretic approach to chaotic attractors. The important work of Yorke was early in this development. To get a true feeling for his many contributions to nonlinear dynamics, a book would have to touch on almost all aspects of (low-dimensional) chaos, where he has seen new, sometimes startling, connections and in doing so has opened avenues of investigation and introduced innovative techniques

Patterns of Local-Regional Management Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer: Results From ACOSOG Z1071 (Alliance)

AXXXXX ZXXXX was a prospective trial evaluating the false negative rate of sentinel node (SLN) surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer patients with initial node-positive disease. Radiation therapy (RT) decisions were at the discretion of treating physicians, providing an opportunity to evaluate variability in practice patterns following NAC

Teaching clinical informatics to third-year medical students: negative results from two controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Prior educational interventions to increase seeking evidence by medical students have been unsuccessful. METHODS: We report two quasirandomized controlled trials to increase seeking of medical evidence by third-year medical students. In the first trial (1997–1998), we placed computers in clinical locations and taught their use in a 6-hour course. Based on negative results, we created SUMSearch(TM), an Internet site that automates searching for medical evidence by simultaneous meta-searching of MEDLINE and other sites. In the second trial (1999–2000), we taught SUMSearch's use in a 5½-hour course. Both courses were taught during the medicine clerkship. For each trial, we surveyed the entire third-year class at 6 months, after half of the students had taken the course (intervention group). The students who had not received the intervention were the control group. We measured self-report of search frequency and satisfaction with search quality and speed. RESULTS: The proportion of all students who reported searching at least weekly for medical evidence significantly increased from 19% (1997–1998) to 42% (1999–2000). The proportion of all students who were satisfied with their search results increased significantly between study years. However, in neither study year did the interventions increase searching or satisfaction with results. Satisfaction with the speed of searching was 27% in 1999–2000. This did not increase between studies years and was not changed by the interventions. CONCLUSION: None of our interventions affected searching habits. Even with automated searching, students report low satisfaction with search speed. We are concerned that students using current strategies for seeking medical evidence will be less likely to seek and appraise original studies when they enter medical practice and have less time

The Vehicle, Fall 1970

Vol. 13, No. 1 Table of Contents A Thought Written in a Locked RoomJudy Huntpage 1 The Eggshell MoonWilliam Probeckpage 2 PoemBarb Parkerpage 3 4/5, May, 1970J. Michael Sainpage 5 A TreeRichard Stickannpage 6 both or noneMichelle Hallpage 6 The TrainSteve Sestinapage 8 Attempted DiscoveryDonald R. Johnsonpage 16 Island of SmokeVerna L. Jonespage 18 AwakeRobert Bladepage 19 PoemMary Klinkerpage 19 In ChurchMuriel Poolpage 21 PoemBarb Parkerpage 21 PoemMichelle Hallpage 22 Pod\u27nerVerna L. Jonespage 23 Rain and Other ThingsCarol Staniecpage 24 PoemAnn Graffpage 24 Examination of StudentdomMelvin Zaloudekpage 26 Women\u27s LiberationTonya Mortonpage 27 Morning Reflections on the Evening NewsPrudence Herberpage 29 Art and Photography Credits Jim Diaspage 4 Mike Dorseypages 7, 20 David Griffithpages 8, 17, 25 Cover PhotographyMark McKinneyhttps://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1024/thumbnail.jp

Development and assessment of the Alberta Context Tool

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The context of healthcare organizations such as hospitals is increasingly accepted as having the potential to influence the use of new knowledge. However, the mechanisms by which the organizational context influences evidence-based practices are not well understood. Current measures of organizational context lack a theory-informed approach, lack construct clarity and generally have modest psychometric properties. This paper presents the development and initial psychometric validation of the Alberta Context Tool (ACT), an eight dimension measure of organizational context for healthcare settings.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three principles guided the development of the ACT: substantive theory, brevity, and modifiability. The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARiHS) framework and related literature were used to guide selection of items in the ACT. The ACT was required to be brief enough to be tolerated in busy and resource stretched work settings and to assess concepts of organizational context that were potentially <it>modifiable</it>. The English version of the ACT was completed by 764 nurses (752 valid responses) working in seven Canadian pediatric care hospitals as part of its initial validation. Cronbach's alpha, exploratory factor analysis, analysis of variance, and tests of association were used to assess instrument reliability and validity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Factor analysis indicated a 13-factor solution (accounting for 59.26% of the variance in 'organizational context'). The composition of the factors was similar to those originally conceptualized. Cronbach's alpha for the 13 factors ranged from .54 to .91 with 4 factors performing below the commonly accepted alpha cut off of .70. Bivariate associations between instrumental research utilization levels (which the ACT was developed to predict) and the ACT's 13 factors were statistically significant at the 5% level for 12 of the 13 factors. Each factor also showed a trend of increasing mean score ranging from the lowest level to the highest level of instrumental research use, indicating construct validity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>To date, no completely satisfactory measures of organizational context are available for use in healthcare. The ACT assesses several core domains to provide a comprehensive account of organizational context in healthcare settings. The tool's strengths are its brevity (allowing it to be completed in busy healthcare settings) and its focus on dimensions of organizational context that are modifiable. Refinements of the instrument for acute, long term care, and home care settings are ongoing.</p