S yy Shis thsue: (¥ Venezuela erupts in protest And more! (Y Douglas College career fair offers opportunities, disappointment (¥Y Weeding out medical marijuana grow-ops Crisis in Crimea deepens » International community weighs 1n on Russian intentions = ie Aidan Mouellic Staff Writer In the midst of the prepara- Winter Games, Russia has been making heavy handed threats to overtake the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. Since May of 1992, the Crimean peninsula has been part of Ukraine and inde- pendent of Russia. The recent anti-government protests in Kiev have led to a state of tur- moil in Ukraine which fostered the developments in Crimea. Crimea has a large Russian population that is not pleased with the repeal ofan official language law and a return to the Ukrainian Constitution’s language policies: in this return, Ukrainian is the official language, where there had previously been protections : in place for minority, regional : languages, including Russian. : This change in policy has : been part of the impetus to : clashes in the Crimean cap- : ital between pro-Ukrainian : and pro-Russian groups. tions for the Sochi Paralympic : : between the parties has led : Russia to mobilize a large : military force to Crimea in : hopes of taking control of the : peninsula and making it part : of the Russian Federation. : Russians have posted footage : online of traffic jams caused : by convoys of unmarked : Russian military vehicles : heading towards Crimea and : Ukrainians have reported shots fired by Russian troops. The rising tension On Marchi, the Russian : parliament voted unanimously : to give Russian President : Vladimir Putin the authority : to pursue military action : in Crimea. On March 6, the : Crimean parliament asked Russia for permission to join : the Russian Federation anda : referendum on the issue was : scheduled for March 16, but : was then postponed to March : 30. This referendum has been : deemed unconstitutional by the : : Ukrainian government, which : cites the country’s constitu- : tional provision that “altera- : tions to the territory of Ukraine : shall be resolved exclusively by : anall-Ukrainian referendum.” US President Barack Obama weighedin onthe ref- —: : erendum issue, saying that such : : aplan would also violate inter- : : national law. Along with several : : other countries, the United : States has suggested they : would impose sanctions against : : Russia and employ diplomatic : isolation tactics in response to : Russia’s military engagement in : Ukraine. The White House has : said that the sanctions will tar- : get specific parties and include : the freezing of American assets as well as travel bans. Have an idea for a story? Let us know! Contact: Patrick Vaillancourt, News Editor Mnews@theotherpress.ca www. theotherpress.ca The international commu- : nity has been unanimous in its : condemnation of Russia’s mil- : itary involvement in Ukraine. : While residents and diplomats alike in Ukraine report seeing thousands of Russian troops : : onthe ground in Crimea, Putin : : denies having deployed Russian : : forces to the turbulent and : : unstable country. Instead, Putin : : is claiming that the heavily : armed military personal that : are encircling Ukrainian bases are “local self-defence forces.” The Crimean peninsula includes a population that is 60 per cent of Russian ethnicity, : and local sentiment is largely pro-Russia. Foreign media out- lets are being told to leave the : region by protesters who do not : want their quest to join Russia : broadcast to the whole world. : One hotel owner in Crimea : even threatened to oust a CNN : news crew staying at the hotelif : : they didn’t stop broadcasting. The Ukrainian crisis and The Crimean peninsula a population that is 60 per cent ethnic- Russian and local sentiment is largely pro-Russia. : Russia’s military presence in : the troubled country is quickly : bringing back memories and : sentiments of the Cold War, : which ended in 1991. Many : in Ukraine feel that Russia’s : leaders, Putin especially, are : trying to bring about anew : age of Russian glory, which : have raised fears of the rising : of anew Soviet Union. The : Crimean referendum for : dissolution from Ukraine : could becomea flashpoint for : further hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, and the : future of Crimea and its peoples : lies ina precarious position. US student debt levels could cause next recession » Canadian student loan debt soars, but situation grim south of the border Patrick Vaillancourt News Editor M news @theotherpress.ca ee ile a post-secondary education in Canada has become increasingly expensive, the level of student debt in the United States is quickly reaching heights that could have catastrophic effects on the global economy. Statistics Canada’s recent Survey of Financial Security revealed that student debt levels in Canada rose almost 25 per cent between 2005 and 2012, with approximately $28.3-billion owed in student debt in 2012. The picture is much grimmer south of the border, whopping uo per cent between 2005 and 2012, representing over $1-trillion in outstanding student-related debt. That figure is so large that American economists are worried that US student debt : could be the cause of the next : financial crisis that cripples the ; American economy. Lessons of : the 2008 financial meltdown : demonstrate that a vulnerable : American economy could have : devastating effects on the entire global financial system. The crippling debt American students are piling up : hinders their buying power and : : their ability to contribute to the : : economy. A typical American : financing their education with : loans and other scholarships are ! : often unable to spend time out : at restaurants and generally do : not have the purchasing power : to buy a vehicle, creating an : entire class of citizens pinching : pennies as opposed to fuelling the economy. In Canada, the picture : is slightly brighter, but with student debt levels rising a hioklighe that ths costo fa : post-secondary education has : almost tripled since 1990, and : it won't be dropping any time : soon. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives projects that the cost of a post-secondary education will rise another 13 : per cent by 2017. Students carrying the burden of student debt now : should also heed notice from : the Bank of Canada regarding : interest rates. The central bank : has been toying with the idea : of raising interest rates in the : near future, which could hit indebted Canadians quite hard. At present, tuition rates : are lowest in Newfoundland : and Labrador, with the average : annual fees of just under $2,800. Ontario remains the : most expensive for a post- : secondary education at just over : > $7,000 per year. The average Canadian : student post-secondary : debt after graduation is : approximately $26,000, which : student unions across Canada : are trying to reduce through : better government funding : options and forgivable loan : programs. In the United States, there : are over 40-million student : loan borrowers and seven million of them are currently in default. Making matters worse, most American employers run : credit checks on applicants, ; meaning that those unable : to keep up with student loan ; payments may be considered : unemployable by reputable : companies with generous : compensation packages. According to Kyle McCarthy, the co-founder : of StudentDebtCrisis.org, ; the US government goes to : extreme measures to ensure : that borrowers are compelled : to repay their student loans on : schedule. In an interview with : the Other Press, McCarthy said that the federal government > acts much like “a bully” in their : : treatment of American student : : loan borrowers. “There are cases where the : Department of Education has : encouraged some colleges to : withhold a student’s transcript : if they were behind on [student] : : loan payments,” said McCarthy. : : “How cana recent graduate : apply for a decent job to pay : down his or her student debt if : the employer can’t even verify the applicant’s credentials?” McCarthy also noted that the American government, The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives projects that the cost ofa post-secondary education will rise another 13 per cent by 2017. much like here in Canada, is earning interest income from student loan interest : rates. According to McCarthy, : students gave the US treasury : over $50-million in interest : from student loans in 2013. Piling student debt, coupled with the disadvantages placed on American job- : seekers and recent graduates : who may fall behind on loan : payments, could have the : potential to create another economic calamity, according to economists.