News.

Adult Basic Education program facing budget trim

Funding cuts not compatible with Premier’s ‘Jobs Plan’: CFS

By David Hollinshead, Staff Writer

he provincial government’s
[occ cuts to post-secondary

education are set to influence
adult basic education (ABE)
programs.

The basic premise of ABE, is to
help British Columbians achieve
course credits that they hadn’t
finished in high school in order to
get their high school diploma or to

boost their grades enough to move
on to post-secondary education.
Students and educators have
depended on the government's
upkeep of ABE programs to
enhance their employable skills.
“Funding for adult basic
education helps the most
vulnerable people in BC access
meaningful employment and
post-secondary education,” said
Katie Marocchi, Chairperson of the

Canadian Federation of Students-
British Columbia. “Funding cuts to
education programs are simply not
compatible with the Premier’s ‘Jobs
Plan.’””

“Tf the Premier wanted her Jobs
Plan to be effective, she would have
included additional funding and
student support services for ABE in
the February budget,” said Cindy
Oliver, President of the Federation
of Post-Secondary Educators.

“What we got instead was a call to
cut institutional budgets by 1 [per
cent],” Oliver added. “Those cuts,
along with a decade of chronic
under funding by this government,
are closing the door on thousands
of adult learners who want to

start or complete a post-secondary
education. That’s a misguided
approach and needs to change.”

 

Urgent: June 14 tuition
deadline for credit card
payments

New policy regarding tuition payment
effective this month

 

By Dylan Hackett, News Editor

will no longer be able to pay tuition via credit

card according to an announcement by school
administration last month. Specifically, the college
will no longer accept credit card payments for tuition,
registration fees, services fees, Students’ Union fees, or
U-Pass fees. The school set this deadline to stop paying
the burdensome costs of transaction fees imposed on the
school every year by credit card companies.

International students however, are still allotted the
option of credit card payment due to the difficulties in
international banking exchanges. Also, those enrolled
in Continuing Education courses and Training Group
courses can still choose the method of credit card
payment.

Also changed in accordance to the new payment
policy are deadlines and dropping fees. For Fall Semester
2012 the payment deadline is August 20 and, for courses
added after the deadline, September 18. After the latter
deadline a charge of $25 per course is added for the first
month post-deadline and $100 per month thereafter.
Students who drop courses now receive of a 50 per cent
reimbursement, up seven per cent from the previous rate
of 43 per cent. The $100 dropping fee has also been axed.

Grit June 14, Douglas College students

For more information regarding tuition payments for Fall 2012
visit www.douglas.bc.ca/application-services/registration-guide/
tuition-fees/tuition-payment.html# locationsAndMethods.

   

 

ReStart settles in at DSU offices

This year’s board plans to focus on students services

By Dylan Hackett, News Editor

The newly elected Douglas Student Union
Representative Committee moved into
their offices at the New Westminster

campus last month and begun planning the
year’s events as well as making its presence

known in the concourse. This year’s group
of student representatives is hoping to

remain a service-oriented entity and has set

course to maximize student engagement.

“We want to reconnect with students,”
said Jill Griffin, External Relations
Coordinator. “We want to restart our
services, Which is why “ReStart” was our
name!”

Restarting services means making sure
students are aware of the services the DSU
offers. We want to build on our services
and to make sure there are more services
for students. We noticed there was a need
for a computer lab, students were talking
about it. It’s definitely something we're
looking into,” Griffin stated.

As well as considering the
implementation of a computer lab, the
ReStart committee plans on carrying out
last year’s plan to ban the sale of bottled
water on campus.

“We're looking into looking forward
to banning the sale of bottled water on
campus but we know students drink a lot
of water,” explained Griffin. “We have to
educate as well and explain ‘this is bad
for you, it’s bad for the environment’ and
also provide alternatives by working with
the college to bring in filling stations.

This board is looking to ban the sale of
bottled water and looking toward a more
environmentally friendly campus.”

Different than last year’s board
however is the attitude towards spending
on DSU branded goods such as lanyards,
water bottles, and T-shirts—of which tens
of thousands of dollars of students fees
went towards.

“This year we have more of a strategic
plan as far as purchasing and distributing

goes. What we do is we look at events
we're going to be having and before there
are any purchases or orders going in we
look at exactly what we need, how we'll
distribute it and how many students we'll
be distributing [to],”

Griffin explained. “Last year it was more of
a ‘let’s bulk purchase everything and we'll
get rid of it eventually’ plan.”

“We have some really amazing,
positive, and outgoing students who
already have a background working with
students,” said Griffin, “[The board] has
people from Office for New Students and
from DougLife who are really excited to
interact with students. They’re here at
the DSU to bring what students want, to
listen to the students and give them what
they want. We’re fulfilling the student’s
mandate, we’re not coming in and saying,
‘we're doing this’, we’re saying, “we heard
you want this and here it is.”

If anyone is looking to volunteer you
can let us know. The more help and more
feedback means we can do things that
students want to see and connect with the
membership.”

Jull Griffin can be reached at external@dsu18.ca.

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