HOKKAIDO--Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo is looking for a full-time instructor of English to begin April 1, 1999.

QUALIFICATIONS: Native-speaker competency in English with teaching experience in Japan and some Japanese language ability preferred; MA or equivalent in TEFL, English, linguistics, or related field.

DUTIES: Teach oral English, composition, reading, and perform administrative duties.

SALARY AND BENEFITS: Commensurate with education and experience; housing allowance and other benefits provided; two-year contract with possible renewal.

APPLICATION MATERIALS: Curriculum vitae with list of English publications, copies of three main articles, two letters of reference.

DEADLINE: September 30, 1998.

CONTACT: Professor Rikiya Kato, Dean, School of Humanities, Hokusei Gakuen University, Nishi 2-31, Ohyachi, Atsubetsu-ku, Sapporo 004-8631

(Courtesy JALT's The Language Teacher Job Information Center, September 1998, pg 73)

Comment: It's hard to comment. Very little information is given on how many classes per week one has, what sort of administrative duties one has, etc. There should be more disclosure as per Ministry of Education guidelines.

RESPONSE FROM HOKUSEI UNIVERSITY

X-Sender: debito@debito.org
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 11:33:40 +0900
To: "Joe Luckett" <JoeLuckett@hokkaido.email.ne.jp>, debito@debito.org
From: Arudou Debito <debito@debito.org>
Subject: Re: Hokusei Univ. on blacklist

At 7:24 PM +0900 02.7.18, Joe Luckett wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Joe Luckett
> To: debito@debito.org
> Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 5:51 PM
> Subject: Hokusei Univ. on blacklist
>
>
> Hokusei University, Department of Humanities should not be on your
> blacklist. I sort of understand what you are trying to do, but I do think
> it would be more responsible of you to actively investigate the universities
> you have blacklisted rather than shooting from the hip and relying on what
> amounts to word-of-mouth.
>
> You cite as evidence a job announcement that appeared in The Language
> Teacher. That announcement is accurate as far as it goes, but what you need
> to realize is that the first contract is a formality and all foreign-held
> positions are tenure track. At this time all full-time foreign instructors,
> in all faculties and departments, are tenured with full rights and
> responsibilities.
>
> Let me conclude then by saying that as a foreigner Hokusei University is the
> fairest and best place I could imagine working. I was very disappointed to
> see us on your blacklist and hope that you will rectify this mistake. It
> would be a more thorough job on your part to check out the real state of
> affairs before posting such a list.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Joe Luckett
> Associate Professor
> English Department
> Hokusei Gakuen University

Good morning Mr Luckett. Thanks for your email and corrections. If your
department does in fact tenure non-Japanese faculty (as apparently it does,
since it is also on the Greenlist at
http://www.debito.org/greenlist.html#hokusei), I will put it on the
Greenlist.

However, the 1998 job announcement up on the Blacklist does make it clear
that Hokusei also offers contracted employment to non-Japanese faculty
(http://www.debito.org/blacklist.html#hokusei) This alone is qualification
for the Blacklist (and is the reason why Hokusei is on both lists) and it
will remain listed for the time being. (I will, however, add your email, my
answer, and further correspondence from you to the Hokusei Blacklist entry.)

As for substantiation, I do not consider a job announcement from the
university published in a JALT journal to be "word of mouth" or "shooting
from the hip". It is a primary source. If the university does not make it
clear that the position is "tenure track" (it in fact says, "two year
contract with possible renewal"), then the reader can hardly be faulted for
not understanding that the first contract is merely a "formality" (a claim
heard by many teachers who have later found their contract terminated years
later at many Japanese universities). As the Ministry of Education has
stated repeatedly, it is the university's job to make its employment
conditions clear to candidates at the outset.

In any case, if you are willing to attest by name as a primary source that
all full-time non-Japanese faculty are tenured now at Hokusei and there is
no contracting system at Hokusei for full-time non-Japanese, then I will
remove Hokusei's entry entirely from the Blacklist and put all details up on
the Greenlist.

Please let me know if that would be possible.

Thank you very much.

Arudou Debito, Blacklist Monitor
July 23, 2002