The Other Press AGM not just ‘another general meeting’ DCSS reps put on the defensive in confusing lunchtime business brawl by Paul Andrew The Douglas College Student So- ciety (DCSS) was greeted with unhappy students and apparent dissension within their own ranks at the 1995 Annual General Meeting held at the New West- minster campus. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held in the student cafete- ria to ensure quorum (the minimum nunber of members needed) was achieved. The AGM cannot proceed unless at least 75 students and repre- sentatives attend the meeting. Only 44 students showed at an attempt to hold the AGM in November. A number of items were carried over from November that required stu- dent approval. Among these items was the 1992 audi- ied from adequate to nightmarishly incompetetent.” After official business was taken care of, discussion commenced on a DCSS president Jamie McEvoy voiced his concern about the student society’s lack of involvement in the nation wide student strike, when 5,000 stu- variety of topics ranging from lack of support during the recent CFS rally held in Van- couver, to the lack DCSS executives appeared...caught off guard by...students...who dents demon- strated against post-secondary of sign language interpreters for deaf students attending the meeting. : The panel of DCSS executives appeared to be caught off guard by the students in the cafeteria who came pre- pared to debate a number of issues. Student Society treasurer Julian Smit became noticeably uncomfortable by the students tors report. he replacement personnel constant question- The report have varied from adequate ing , and at one must be ac- to nightmarishly point responded to cepted into the incompetetent.’ one student by stat- official min- ing “you are asking utes in order the wrong people.” to release funds that the college is hold- ing in trust for the Student Society. Student Socety Tresurer Julian Smit stated in his report that the reason for the delay in the auditing was “due primarily to insufficient staffing in the business office over the past years.” Smit also stated in his report that “the replacement personnel have var- There was some confusion when the chairperson for the AGM, Irene Sosath, had to explain the ‘Roberts Rules’ policy regarding the order of speakers. At one point Sosath also had to clarify who could adjourn the meet- ing. After a more formal atmosphere was achieved, DC student and former came prepared to debate a cut backs on number of issues. January 25. “It’s very per- sonal and very simple,” McEvoy said. “I don’t want to graduate with a $50,000 debt...1 want the DCSS to get in- volved.” McEvoy then went on to con- demn the DCSS for being uninformed about proposed educational policies recently announced by the Canadian government. “T think the DCSS is one of the least informed student unions in Canada,” he argued. Student society president Troy Townsend was quiet for most of the meeting, until he was forced to com- ment on the student society’s appar- ent lack of involvement in the student rally at the Vancouver art gallery. “T’ ve already said that I’ ll support you, what else do you want?” Townsend said. “Tt’s not so much what we can do, it’s what are you willing to do... to help out,” Townsend continued. UNBC responds to forestry conservation Resarch project a first in Canada dbadisaw by Laura Pottie For the first time, Canadians have a chance to make themselves heard regarding forestry issues with- out having to chain themselves to a tree. The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and the MacGregor Model Forest Associa- tion are currently-working together on a forest man- and Environmental Studies for UNBC. “This approach is timely and in- novative because public views are being incorporated before the plans are developed,” Robinson contin- ued. “The public owns the forests,” Robinson explained, “not the log- ging industry or the forestry minis- tries, and the pub- agement research project in which the public is en- couraged to par- ticipate. ‘““We’re reaching out to those people who care about the forest...” lic should have a say in what is hap- pening to these re- sources,” Dr. Robinson added. “We want to The study focuses on many aspects of forest use including the ecological standpoint, economics and harvesting practices. They want input from Canadians on what they would like to see implemented. “We're reaching out to those ‘people who care about the forest,” says research team leader Dr. David Robinson, an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Natural Resources know what you value about the forest and what man- agement preferences you might have.” ; The findings of the survey, combined with information from the ecological, economic and forest practice studies will be presented as a proposal to Northwood Pulp and Paper, who holds the tree farm li- cense for the MacGregor forest. MacGregor Model Forest near Prince George is one of ten model forests across Canada working to- wards generating an “integrated re- source management plan” that would encompass all land use val- ues. “The information we collect is going to be powerful, the success of land managers in the future depends on them listening to us,” Robinson said. “We’d encourage the public to get involved and not be apathetic because the future of our forests depends upon it,” he explained. The results of the study will also be given to interest groups and forest managers across Canada. If you want to contribute to this survey, here’s how : Call 1-800- 773-5758, or you can use the internet at ROBINSON @UNBC.EDU. The deadline is February 28, 1995, although suggestions for the research project will be reviewed on an ongoing basis after the deadline. Canadian students stay home International exchange rate surprisingly low by Manjit Brar A report released by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) says job opportunities for Ca- nadian students are dropping because they can’t compete on the international job market. Compared to other countries, Canada’s investment in international education is very small. Only .001% of Canadian post-secondary students participate in international exchange _ programs each year, while 150,000 US students and over 5% of European stu- dents study abroad. Of the less than 1000 Canadians abroad, 80% study in the United States, 10% in Britain and France, and only 10% in rest of the world. So. There In a four year period Canada’s competitiveness dropped from fourth to fourteenth place in the World Com- petitiveness Re- is as yet no na- Canada...spends the | port. Fox sees this tional mecha- as a signal that nism available least on Canadian educa- . stimulate the international sae and ienining evelopment of isn’t preparing international education and it’s students for learning oppor- fais. the world market. tunities by pro- training. Canada greatly viding the nec- depends on exter- essary support ° for Canadians,” says CBIE President Jim Fox. . nal trade, yet of all the G-7 countries, it spends the least on international education and training. DCSS Tresurer Julian Smit defends his recomendations in a heated verbal exchange with student Rick Gundrum There were also complaints from the students at the meeting about the time and place of the AGM, even though notices were posted throughout the college and advertised in The Other Press two weeks prior to the meeting in the cafeteria. Still, most students who walked into the cafeteria seemed surprised to see the executive panel of student soci- ety members engaged in debate over an assortment of issues. The student cafeteria may not have been the best choice for the meeting’s location. Intercom announcements for food pick up at the cafeteria grill proved to be a disruptive. Student speakers were interupted in the middle of thier questions, forcing them to lengthen their stay at the microphone provided for them. Despite the apparent dissatisfac- tion from the students present at the meeting, the DCSS managed to receive approval of all the major items on their agenda. News Brief A student who is studying at the University of New Brunswick is ask- ing for assistance on a master’s thesis: She is writing on women who took on men’s roles in W.W.II. Krista Cooke, a Surrey resident, is centering her thesis on the female pilots who ferried aircraft from Canada and the United States to Britain. The thesis will eventually become Student needs help a term paper for a research fellowship. “I was hoping to get in touch with one person in particular,” Cooke said. “But I’ve received calls form a lot of other women involved in the war.” If you are a woman who partici- pated in the Second World War, or know of someone who did, contact Krista Cooke at 536-8308, or contact her at P.O. box # M1333, Mt. Allison, Sackville, N.B. EOA-3CO0.