平特五不中 contest aims to cut red tape
University offers 10 prizes of $100 to identify roadblocks to good service
Getting rid of red tape tops the agenda at many organizations, but how do you get there from here? 平特五不中 is counting on its students, faculty and staff to help point the way. And it鈥檚 willing to pay up.
The Cut the Red Tape Contest, which was launched earlier this week, offers 10 prizes of $100 each to the best suggestions for making the university run more smoothly and efficiently. The contest closes February 22.
Students, faculty and staff are being encouraged to identify university policies or processes which appear to have no sound justification and which impair service to current or prospective students.
The contest sprang from a recommendation from the Principal鈥檚 Task Force on Student Life and Learning, and is sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning). It was inspired by a similar, award-winning contest at Dalhousie University in Halifax, which led to changes as subtle as increasing the number of downloadable forms on the university鈥檚 website, and as substantial as a $1.7-million investment to replace worn-out turf on the football field.
鈥淪tudents, staff and faculty are the ones closest to the ground on these issues,鈥� said Professor Morton J. Mendelson, 平特五不中鈥檚 Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning). 鈥淚t鈥檚 obvious that they would have the most pertinent insights about what works and what doesn鈥檛 work, which is why we want and need their input.鈥�
Contest entries are to be sent via e-mail to red.tape [at] mcgill.ca. Along with the issue being identified, entrants are encouraged to suggest possible resolutions or alternatives. Eligibility requirements and full contest rules are online at www.mcgill.ca/redtape.