BSN oy i} Ss Kerry Evans Managing Editor Communities across the provinces will participate in this year’s Relay for Life organized by the Canadian Cancer Society. This year’s event will be held in various locations from community to community and will commence on une 5th from 10am to 10pm. This event enables people to honour ose who have battled cancer and won and for the families and friends who have lost a loved one. The funds raised from this event go to research projects, to provide information services and support programs, and to advocate for public policies that prevent cancer and aid those who are battling it. The event is based on teamwork. Teams are made up of ten people who take turns walking, jogging, ning to take a stand against cancer. Individuals are able to join an existing team or make up their own team. Once you are registered and pay a $35 registration fee you are then given your pledge books and are on your way to being part of a significant effort in community support against cancer. This event is volunteer run and every extra pair of hands makes a difference. or run- There are opportunities in planning the event, as well as the many tasks on the day of the actual event. The survivors’ victory lap is the first lap of the event and allows those who have battled and beaten cancer to cele- brate their success. The survivors’ lap also acts as hope for those who are now battling the disease or those whose loved ones may be battling it. The sur- vivors are given an opportunity to give thanks to those who helped them through the tough times. To donate, register your team, become a volunteer, or to gain more information on the organization and this event, visit . Stephen Hui British Columbia Bureau o’ Spaces, Mo’ Problems ore seats won’t equal more access, BC students say BURNABY, BC (CUP)—While the brovincial government makes room for ore students at British Columbia's bost-secondary schools, it’s simultane- busly making it more difficult for stu- Hents to afford an education, student eaders say. “We believe that the real issue facing tudents in Canada is the financial nccessibility of college and university,” ichael Marin, spokesperson for the anadian Alliance of Student Associations, said from Ottawa. “To s, there isn’t much point in making ore spaces if you can’t make sure that tudents will actually be able to sit in hem.” The government plans to add seats or 25,000 more post-secondary stu- lents by 2010. Over the past month, a eries of announcements have heralded big changes at universities and colleges ound the province. It all started on March 5, when remier Gordon Campbell announced lhe government would spend $70 mil- on to develop a new campus for Simon Fraser University in Surrey. Twelve days later, Okanagan University College was split in two. One of its Kelowna campuses will become the University of British Columbia, Okanagan; its other cam- puses will form Okanagan College. Next, the province proclaimed that the University College of the Cariboo would become a new university, take over the BC Open University and Open College distance education insti- tutions, and assume a new identity. Five Vancouver Island post-second- ary institutions—Camosun College, Malaspina University-College, North Island College, Royal Roads University, and the University of Victoria—will split funding for 4,000 new seats by 2010, the government declared March 26. On April 5, the province announced the addition of 700 student spaces to the College of the Rockies and Selkirk College. Furthermore, Selkirk College will swallow up the Kootenay School of the Arts, a private post-secondary institution. | The government claims these moves will increase access to post-secondary education, provide more opportunities for students to study closer to home, and benefit the province's regional economies. But Geordie Dent, a student union executive at Simon Fraser University, is skeptical that new spaces will translate into better access. He points out. the government eliminated the grants pro- gram and deregulated tuition fees— leading to three years of tuition hikes. Dent said he’s also concerned the province is simply mandating universi- ties to accommodate more students without providing enough funding for the new seats. “I think the government is gutting education,” he said, “and cloaking it in a veil of secrecy.” Dent said he can no longer afford to attend university in BC, and plans to finish his education in Norway, where students don’t pay tuition fees. He might not be the only one. Over ten percent of undergraduate students responding to a 2003 Simon Fraser University survey said they were very likely to leave or quit their studies if tuition fees increased. a ‘non-profit, their families. 7 oo works with -educato s poe the disor der and first aid. a News co Lundbeck Canada Inc. Funds Epilepsy Scholarship. Awards oe Canada this spring, 30 people aged between 16-29 will receive scholar- ship awards in the amount of $1000. To be eligible, these people would have to be under the care of a doctor for the direct treatment of epilepsy. The scholarships will be used toward the con- tinuation of post-secondary - studies. Four students from the lower mainland were select- ed: Jennifer Rose of White Rock, Cassandra Strain of _ Richmond, Christopher Lal of Vancouver, and Erin Thompson of Langley. A jury assembled by BC Epilepsy chose these candi- dates, as well as the other 26. _ The BC Epilepsy Society is charitable organization dedicated to serving British Columbians living with epilepsy, as well as The society 10 find o out more abou pe OtherPress | 5