October 15, 2003 What’s the Price of Knowledge? Kelly Parry News Editor BC’s. Ministry of Advanced Education announced that it is seek- ing a buyer for the Knowledge Network station. The station’s cur- rent owner, the Open Learning Agency, is a government body that is in the midst of being dismantled. The new owners would pay for the station’s assets and likely receive “transitional funding” while new management steps in. The deadline for expressions of interest is November 24, with selection sched- uled to conclude in the spring. “We have an opportunity to explore creative and innovative ideas to enhance Knowledge Network as the province's educational broad- caster,” said Advanced Education Minister Shirley Bond. “A new model—working in partnership with the private sector, public sector or a combination of both—can help OPEN ace 7 LEARNING won 4 AGENCY deliver what British Columbians need and want from educational programming well into the future.” The Knowledge Network is cur- rently funded through an operating grant of $5.1 million from the Ministry of Advanced Education. The balance of the budget is derived from sponsorships, individual dona- tions, and pledges from more than 30,000 Knowledge Network’s Partners. These pledges help pur- chase over 6,000 programs and pro- vide funds for approximately one in three of the programs viewed night- ly on the network. “The loyalty exhibited by Partners in Knowledge has contributed to the legacy of quality programming at Knowledge Network,” said Minister Bond. “A new partnership will allow Knowledge Network to revitalize educational programming, while at the same time redirect edu- cational funding to areas where it will best serve student needs.” Founded in 1981, the Knowledge Network is licensed by the CRTC and employs a staff of 50, as well as a pool of up to 75 freelancers. The province holds a_ broadcasting licence for the Knowledge Network, issued by the Canadian Radio- Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Its mandate is to serve as the province’s public educational broadcaster. As the Knowledge Network enters its third decade of broadcasting, the organization has seen its mandate change from simply delivering tele- vision-led, formal educational courses to providing life-long educa- tional programming. Let’s hope it continues. Wanted: Volunteers Required by the New Westminster Police Karla L. Olson OP Contributor The Police Department is seeking volunteers for its Victim Assistance Unit. Annual recruitment begins at the information session on October 22, 2003, from 7pm to 9pm, at New Westminster Library Auditorium. Note: if you are serious about vol- unteering, preference is given to those who attend this session. For volunteers, there are many practical benefits that can be obtained while helping one’s com- munity. Roselle McQuillan, a full- time caseworker for the NW Victim Assistance Unit, began as a volun- teer with Surry RCMP. She says she has gained a lot of communication skills and, “it’s a privilege to be there for someone during what could be their worst time.” And many volun- New Westminster teers feel the same way. She often hears how satisfying it is to be able to help someone. McQuillan asks that you don’t think of volunteering as being all doom-and-gloom, going from crisis to crisis. A typical shift starts at 5:45pm. For the first hour, volun- teers do follow-up calls to provide support, resources, or an up-date on a client’s file. At 7pm they attend parade and _ police members announce which volunteers are on duty for that shift. Daily shifts are from 5:45-11pm, with Fridays and Saturdays having an additional shift from 10:45pm to 4am. With experi- ence, there is also potential for paid work as on-call pager staff. Volunteers must pass a security check, complete 50 hours of class- room and three months of field training, and make a minimum of a one-year commitment, averaging two shifts per month. At the library information session, Cheryl Meyers, Program Manager Co-ordinator, will discuss such topics as commu- nication skills, sudden death and next-of-kin notification, domestic violence, and administration duties for volunteers. Experienced volun- teers will talk about the skills they have learned and developed while working with the unit and share some of their personal experiences. For more information To register for this session, please call 604.529.2525. Georgia Straight Needs Student Action! Melissa Beedle OP Contributor In case you haven't heard, The Georgia Straight is being fined provincial taxes for printing costs dating back to 2000 and totaling $1 million dollars. Why? Well, according to Liberal government auditors, the Straights Time Out section is regarded as advertising and therefore is not tax exempt. Only magazines and news- papers can be tax exempt and our government doesn’t consider the Straight to be either, despite receiv- ing over 25 journalism and maga- zine awards. These fines threaten to put the Straight out of business. “What's happening to us is not just a bizarre misuse of power. It’s a wacko misuse of power,” says Georgia Straight publisher Dan McLeod. For more information, check out the cover of last weeks Straight issue (Volume 37, Number 1868, October 9-16). Students may express their com- ments and concerns by calling Gordon Campbell’s office at 250.387.1715 or by emailing the Premier at premier@gov.bc.ca. http://www.otherpress.ca News ¢ theother press © Aleida Guevara- March: “Free the Cuban Five” Thomas Fairley OP Contributor An attentive audience filled the first ten rows of pews of St. Andrew's Wesley Church on the evening of Saturday, October 4th, Cubans Irma Gonzdlez and Aleida Guevara-March spoke out against the imprisonment of five Cuban men. Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labafiino, Fernando Gonzalez, and René Gonzalez are the “Cuban Five,” three of whom are American citizens. The five were in Miami, Florida in 1998 publicly investigating terror attacks on Cubans by anti-Cuban extremist groups such as Omega 7, Alpha 66, and Brothers to the Rescue. These terrorist groups have “caused the deaths and injury of hundreds of people in Cuba and other countries,” reads the leaflet of the Vancouver division of the Free the Cuban Five Campaign. These five men were arrested and persecuted for a list of charges, including Conspiracy to Commit Espionage, after spending seventeen months in prison cells and solitary confinement. A US Federal court convicted the Cuban Five on June 8, 2001. The stiffest penalty was given to Gerardo Hernandez, two life sentences; the most lenient to René Gonzalez, fifteen years in prison. The men have been in prison for five years. Irma Gonzalez, the eighteen-year-old daughter of René Gonzalez, spoke with a strong Cuban accent and fierce conviction. Gonzalez, traveling with the campaign to spread awareness for the five political prisoners, is determined to free her father and his fellows. Dr. Aleida Guevara-March, daughter of Bolivian-born Cuban revolutionist Ernesto “Ché” Guevara, spoke with the eloquence of a true statesman, though she is herself a medical doctor and not a politician. Guevara-March shed sobering pearls of wisdom as she, by way of a translator, advocated international health care programs and anti-globalization and denounced the imprisonment of the Cuban Five. Her artic- ulately crafted Cuban Spanish placed a bright and honest face on a country most often greeted with disdain or apathy. The United Church of Canada welcomes political forums, and St. Andrew's Wesleyan Church on Burrard Street at Nelson in down- town Vancouver frequently hosts speakers on pressing international political issues. The next event at the church is The Middle East and Empire, a public forum with Phyllis Bennis, Middle East Analyst with the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, on November 3, 7pm. Page 5