_—e

 

by Paul Andrew

Post-Secondary students turned

; out in the thousands to rally against

government restructuring of social pro-
grams that would directly effect current
student loan policies.

Restructuring includes redirecting
funding for post-secondary education to
anew program called the ‘Income Con-
tingent Loan Repayment Scheme.’

If this new program is imple-
mented, the loss of funding will mean
higher tuition fees, forcing students to
take out much higher loans in order to
pursue their education.

The loan is then contingent on the
borrower’s ability to repay. For exam-
ple, students who get a job right after
leaving college will pay less interest
than those

out the help of the CFS,” Seaweed ex-
plained.

Dave Kappele, the provincial organizer
for the CFS, says that “the matter of politics
on campus regarding the issue of the stu-
dent strike is entirely up to the DCSS,” he
said. We’ ve had a number of students from
Douglas College phone our office asking for
material on this issue ... so they can hand it
out on campus,” Keppele continued.

“Douglas is the only one dealing with
the strike this way,” Keppele added.

Morgana Braberaven, a student at
Douglas, was attending an information ta-
ble so that students were informed on some
of the issues regarding tuition increases.

“We are trying to encourage students
to support each other,” she said. “Most stu-
dents aren’t aware of the current financial
situation...if we don’t get ourselves out there

in large numbers, we won’t be

 

students who heard,” Braberaven contin-
do not find <¢We are ordinary Cana- "4.

work right di d t On the day of the rally, a stu-
away. The Jans, and we say no to dent ‘sit in’ was staged by
current sys- the cutbacks that the members of the student body
tem applies liberal government is in an attempt to raise even
the same in- proposing...” more awareness of the rally
feet 6). Sik happening downtown. Even
whether a

student finds work right away or not.

All of this is coming in the wake
of Elisabeth Cull’s announcement that
“raising tuition for post-secondary edu-
cation is a really dumb idea.”

Students at Douglas College have
been trying to raise awareness here
since last week, but without the help of
the DCSS. The reason being is that

..Douglas does not belong to the Cana-
dian Federation of Students (CFS), who

sponsored the rally at the art gallery. As
a result, the DCSS does not have a for-
mal position on this issue.

Dave Seaweed, Vice President
External of the DCSS, agrees with the
strike, but not the CFS endorsement.

“We are not a member of the CFS,
so the students at Douglas can support
the stike, but they can support it with-

Striking student looks on over a sea of
cheering protestors wearing the CFS's rally
propoganda (which the Other Press will

eventually hang on its walls..

 

though the ‘sit in’ was poorly
attended, the concourse at Douglas College
in New West was humming with more stu-
dent activity than usual.

Berril Perks, a student involved in the
protest at Douglas, was clear on his posi-
tion regarding Federal funding of education.

“I’m here to protest proposed cuts in
federally funded education programs,” Perks

explained. “I’m really disappointed with the
turn out,” he continued. “But it’s indicative
of the attitude of the school.”

Another student at the ‘sit in’, who
identified herself only as ‘Stacy’, explained
that although the cuts in government fund-
ing may not affect students in the next school
year, eventually all students will be effected
in some way. “I live on student loans, so
there’s no way I can afford to pay anymore
for education,” she said.

Other students were simply curious
about the activity in
the concourse. Still
others felt that it was
too late to do any-
thing about the pro-
posed cuts.

Sarah Roberts, who
is a member of the
DCSS rep commit-
tee, was surprised to
see a student protest
at all. “I didn’t really
expect any support
actually,” Roberts
said. “Just with the
apathy that goes on
around here, I didn’t
‘expect any support,”
she explained, “also
for the fact that we’re
not members of the
CFS, so as a rep on
the student society,
we can’t support any-
thing that they[the
students] are doing,”
she continued.

Mike Balor, a stu-
dent that pays his own
way at school says that
“it should have been

) done a while ago,

hopefully this protest
will do some good,
but I think it’s too

The Other Press

ii
Edhication |
PNA Riche

 

DC students strike against tuition hikes

Douglas students protest as CFS unites thousands at downtown Vancouver rally

Out of approximately 4,000 students attending the rally, the close to 100 strike-

 

supporting Douglas students were perhaps the loudest with their frequent chants

late,” he said.

Whether it was too late or not, a
contingent of about 100 Douglas stu-
dents left the concourse at 2:00 p.m.
to join other campus’ in the lower
mainland for a rally that was to begin
at 3:30.

There were

the ‘Raging Grannies’ followed
Gene Swanson. This group provided
a little humor to an already energetic
crowd. The ‘Raging Grannies’ ridi-
culed government policy by encour-
aging the crowd to join them in folk
music type sing-a-longs.

The protest

 

already approxi-
mately one thou-
sand people at
the art gallery
when the stu-
dents from
Douglas arrived, with hundreds more
arriving from all directions.

A large group of SFU students
marched in formation from the cor-
ner of Georgia and Howe and received
a rousing response from others that
were already gathered for the protest.

By the time the B.C. Chairper-
son for the CFS, Michelle Kemper,
started the rally, upwards of 4,000
people were gathered to protest pro-
posed government cuts in subsidized
education.

She was greeted with enthusias-
tic cheers from the crowd of mostly
students, although there was also a
modest gathering of labour parties
represented at the rally.

“We are ordinary Canadians, and
we say no to the cutbacks that the lib-
eral government is proposing,”
Kemper began. “We say no to educa-
tion only for the rich, we say no to
massive increases in tuition fees... we
are here to defend social programs,
and you cannot take them away from
us,” Kemper said to the crowd.

Kemper then introduced a panel
of speakers representing other groups
that will be affected by the cuts in so-
cial spending.

Students and teachers from local
high schools and post-secondary edu-
cation were represented, along with
faculty and French speaking student
groups.

Gene Swanson, a representative
from a group called ‘End Legislation
Poverty’, thanked the students for
coming out, noting that 62% of all
people under the age of 27 were liv-
ing below the poverty line. Swanson
also informed the crowd that the av-
erage age of post-secondary students
is 27.

A group that called themselves

“Douglas is the only
one dealing with the
strike this way”

was capped of
by First Na-
tions repre-
sentatives to
raise aware-
ness that “our
children will face many problems in
the future if these programs are im-
plemented today.”

Many Speakers had a lot of time
at the podium to voice their protests.

But overall, the message was
clear. No cuts to government funded
social programswill be tolerated by
students in B.C.

 

 

By the time you read this, the
much-touted Student Strike of Janu-
ary 25 will be over. You’re probably
still basking in the afterglow, so to
speak, raging emotions battling with
post-rally, endorphin-laced satisfac-
tion. You may even feel a sort of
contentment.

Who can blame you, really?
Pumped full of expectation, hyped
by pre-strike “foreplay”, you’re
naturally having your aprés-protest
smoke; a rest for the wicked before
the reality of life sets in.

You were introduced to this
“Strike” entity days, weeks, possi-
ble months ago. A refreshing new
face, it was, especially compared to
the boring old acquaintances and
friends so prevalent in your life.
Budget Cut. Student Loan. Deadend
Job. All were tired, boring, and trite,
but they filled your dance card none-
theless.

But this “Strike.” Different.
Suave. Meaningful. Dating this
Strike was almost dangerous, and
definitely not approved by the Lloyd
“Dad” Axworthys of the world. Or
so you thought.

You see, one strategically
planned date (“I’m going out with
him, and there’s nothing you can do
about it!’”), regardless of what base
you kids get to, won’t mean a thing.

Lloyd’s a dad of the 90’s, and
he remembers all to well the strate-

 

 

gies of early adulthood. He knows
that if you go on that one date, with
that one seedy character, that you’re
trying to hurt him more than please
yourself. And, should you (gasp!)
try to sleep with Strike, the old “T'Il-
have-sex-to-prove-I’m-mature” ap-
proach, you’ll wake up feeling like
a tramp. No skin off his nose, and
you learn a lesson...

What you need to do is make a
commitment. Learn everything you
can about this Federal Budget. Don’t
set up one date with a guy named
Protest or a gal named Strike. To
make any kind of mark, to wake any-
one up, you've got to get an ongo-
ing relationship going. Go out with
Strike for weeks, and hang out with
his friends. Some of them are better
known as Letter Campaign, E. Mail
Flood, and Fax Jam.

I’m not saying that any of this
will change Dad’s mind. Hell, I’ve
noticed that, once in a while, dads
can even be right about a thing or
two. (I'll take a stab and predict he’s
not this time around...) But a few
things are certain: You'll be much
happier with a long term relation-
ship. You get to know the situation
better, the conversation is better, and
what the sex loses in spontaneity it
gains in quality.

And, if Dad doesn’t listen, you
can always move out. I hear Germa-
ny’s nice this time of year...

S
THE

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