Douglas College out of CFS?

By Dino Forlin
Should we continue our

association with the
Canadian Federation of
Students? Are B.C. students
getting their money’s
worth? Recently, executives
from B.C. student associ-
ations met to discuss and

debate this question.
The meeting, held Sept.
15 at Dougtas~College gave

representatives an  opportu-
nity to express _ their
opinions of the CFS’s
progress in B.C. _ student
affairs.

“We basically met to clear
the air,” said Michael Booth,

vice-president of the
Douglas College Student
Society.

The CFS is a_ national
association that is funded by
student societies across

Canada. Its aim is to unify
students. in an attempt to
improve the quality and
accessability of our educa-
tion system. As_ well, it
provides students with

services such as_ discounts
on travel and goods.

However, most BC.
student orginizations are

disappointed with the CFS’s
limited progress in influenc-
ing education policy.

“We feel we are being
neglected,” says Booth.
whey + are: “wusmg= «their
resources back east while
B.C. is getting practically
nothing,”

“B.C. has the second
lowest education budget in
Canada. Our government

runs the Board of Appeal’s

student representatives in
circles. Yet the CFS has not
given us the support we
need.”

“CES recently sent
representatives to El
Salvador to observe the
country’s educational
problems. If they want to
see problems with educa-
tion, why don’t they send
someone to Victoria in-
stead?” added Booth.

Questioning the feas-

 

j institutions while

 

} province.

ability of our association
with the CFS is not a new
development. Two years
ago, a petition was forwar-
ded to the DCSS in favour of
opting out of the orginiza-

tion. Nothing developed
from, that movement
because, as Booth puts it,
“anyone who was con-

cerned with that movement
is no longer around.”

Now, however, the DCSS
Executive is unanimously
against the CFS association,

The direction Douglas
College will take is not clear
at this moment, but another
meeting to discuss a course
of action is tentatively set for
Oct; 5:

“Most B.C. colleges and
universities are in favour of
breaking ties with the CFS.

The only institutions verbal-
ly opposed at the meeting
were Langara and V.V.I.”
Booth said.
Recently,
of Alberta
forming
association.
Will the

the University
has proposed
another student

talks turn to

SeeCFS Page 2

Volume XXI, Issue II. Monday, September 29, !986.

« OTHER

PRESS

 

Hearing

By Dino Forlin

“Presently, British
Columbia has the second
lowest post-secondary parti-

| cipation rate in Canada. Na-
| tionally,

| Canadaians
j ages of 18-24 are enrolled in

24.3%
between

of

the
educational
in British
Columbia only 17% of people

post-secondary

lin this age group are en-
| rolled.

“Students in British
Columbia want to be a part of
the economic recovery of our
The government

 

 

 

Sigue Sigue Sputnik and some Poetry

Page 5
School Wars
Page 4

Student Society Section

Page 2

Sports and Classifieds

Page 6

Les Autre Funnies ,of course

Page 7

 

 

 

can aid that process by
providing an adequately fun-
ded program of _ student
assistance.”

--Excerpts from the CFS re-
port, “What has Happened to
Student Aid”

A hearing will be held
Oct. 18 at Douglas College
on the issue of student aid.
The speakers will include
various members of provin-
cial and national organiza-
tions as well as members of a
local task force.

The hearing is one of a
series to be held in _post-
secondary institutes across
B.C. Organized by the CFS,
the program will attempt to
evaluate the issue of student
aid in B.C.

The local task forces will
be comprised from groups
such as the student

Student Aid

Douglas College's Autonomous Student Newspaper

societies, the CFS, faculties,
and the College Boards. The

task forces will prepare a
comprehensive report at the
end of each local hearing.

The information obtained
from these reports will be
used to determine directions
of change within the present
student aid program.

‘Scheduled to speak at
Douglas College include
Tony Macarello, . Chairman

of the Canadian Federation

of Students and John
Waters, President of the
British Columbia  Associa-

tion of Colleges.

Also tentatively —_ sched-

 

uled to speak are the Right
Honorable John Turner, lea-
der of the Liberal Party, Jim
Mather of the B.C. Business
Council, and B.C. Opposi-
tion leader Bob Skelly.

The hearings will try,
through the local media, to
present to the local commu-
nity and organizations the
present problems with our
financial aid system.

Douglas College students
are encouraged to attend the
local hearing to be presented

at Noon, Oct. 18, in the con-
course.

 

Bis