Nikalas Kryzanowski, News Editor

news @theotherpress.ca

Ombudsperson is here to help .... :...:..

ee Eylon strives to make Douglas College a better place. College life can be a hectic time with a lot of “Where do you
go?” and “Who do you talk to?” questions asked by new students.

The answer may be waiting with the Douglas Student Union Ombudsperson, Tamar Eylon. You may have seen her face
around campus either on DSU bulletin boards or in the Douglas Arts Department. Tamar is starting her second year at this
position and working on her fourth year in the college’s music program.

So what does an Ombudsperson do? One of the specifics of the job is that the position can only be held by a student at
the college and not by a faculty or outside member of the community. But in her own words, Tamar stated that she works as
a neutral party interested in ensuring fair process and outcome in difficult situations.

“People need to realize that when you sign up for an institution such as Douglas College, you’re playing by their
rules and not by your own,” Tamar observed. Students are often inexperienced in handling conflicts with the college, and
the ombudsperson helps to fix these situations. In her 2008 report, Tamar stated “Earlier intervention and referrals to the
Ombudsperson is more beneficial to most students.”

“One of the perks of the job is that I get to meet a lot of different people,” Tamar said in an interview. Having
worked on 35 individual cases last year, the ombudsperson has helped almost all situations get through rough times either
emotionally or on a professional level.

“It’s not always a fun job,” she said. “I meet people that were referred to me on bad terms, but find pleasure in
seeing a student get what they deserve.”

If you ever find yourself in trouble or need of college guidance, Tamar’s office is located in the DSU study lounge at 88
7th St. on the New Westminster Campus.

 

 

 

 

Disability group upset with Harper announcement

Nika | as Fis Council of Canadians with Disabilities was eager to hear what the Harper Conservatives would do to improve the lives of disabled persons

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if elected to a majority, and they were sorely disappointed. They have been trying to hammer home the point that disabled people want to be
contributing members of society rather people “in need of care.” This is why they are upset at Stephen Harper’s recent announcement that he
would give a tax break to families where one member stays home to care for a family member with a disability.

“We commend the Conservative Party for making a commitment to helping families care for members with disabilities,” said CCD
Chairperson Marie White. “However, we are disappointed that the Tories’ first statement on disability is based on a model of caring for people
with disabilities rather than enabling people with disabilities to help themselves.”

The CCD has five major issue committees that they focus on, on behalf of people with disabilities: access to technology, human rights,
international development, their social policy working group and transportation. Economic benefits for caregivers was not a major priority, and the CCD instead asserts the “need for policies
that assist individuals with disabilities to enjoy their full citizenship rights.”

The Canadian community of persons with disabilities has provided a national action plan to the Conservatives and the other political parties that is geared toward assisting people with
disabilities in becoming contributing members of society.

In his press release, Harper stated that the new tax breaks were consistent with his party’s plan to make modest, practical, affordable and credible changes to provide economy security
and deliver tangible benefits to Canadian families.

 

 

Environmental group strives to raise awareness of
the Sea lice ProbleM s, sisses:zavovsii. revs vaio

Sais stocks are in dire trouble, and the public needs to act.

That’s the message from Watershed Watch, an environmental group that seeks to raise
awareness of sea lice that affect salmon throughout B.C. Watershed Watch attributes the threat to
salmon farming where thousands of salmon are concentrating in very small areas making it a fertile
breeding ground for the sea lice thrive.

Sea lice are parasites that feed on the skin and blood of salmon and can be fatal in large
numbers. To raise awareness, Watershed Watch created an online animation called Wild Salmon
in Trouble, that depicts interactions between sea lice on both wild and farmed salmon. In the film,
wild salmon are seen in their natural habitat and we are shown the incubatory nature that sea lice
can take on at salmon farms meaning more sea lice are able to escape into wild fish stocks.

“After viewing Wild Salmon in Trouble, we hope people will have a better understanding of
sea lice dynamics, and will be better informed and better able to help wild salmon,” said Watershed
Watch’s executive director, Craig Orr. “We urge the public to watch the film and share the Internet
link with others.”

A link to the film can be found at www. watershed-watch.org/sealice.html.