February 5, 1990

Other Press

Student Loan Fraud Gets Jail Term

WINDSOR (CUP) -- A St.
Clair college student will spend 10
days in jail, after pleading guilty to
lying on her student loan applica-
tion.

Candy Decko will also be in-
eligible for further assistance under
both Canada and Ontario student
assistance programs, after she was
sentenced in a Belleville provincial
court.

Decko wrote on two assistance
applications that’she had always

been an Ontario resident. But when
federal officials investigated her
record, they found she had
defaulted on a student in Alberta.

Canadian Federation of Stu-
dents spokesperson Catherine
Louli called the punishment
“obscene.”

"How on earth can they justify
that when she may have been ab-
solutely desperate for money to
study,” she said. "A lot of students
default on loans simply because

they can’t get a job to pay them
back."

Students found guilty of fraud,
or falsifying information, can be
fined up to $1,000 under the
Canada Student Loans Act. Most.
will have to pay back any money
they received and all will be in-
eligible for financial aid.

Convictions under the loan act
carry no jail term but students can
also be charged with fraud under
the criminal code, which carries

more severe penalties.

Canada student loan program
administrators say jail terms for
student loan fraud are very rare.

Ontario government statistics
say that of the 31 cases of suspected
fraud investigated in 1986/87, only
six went to court. There were
110,000 college and university stu-
dents receiving Ontario financial
aid in 1986/87.

Halifax Univ. Beats Black Man

 

by Padraic Brake

HALIFAX (CUP) -- The beat-
ing of the only black male student
in Stellarton’s community college
last week was a conspiracy in the
eyes of his parents, said Winston
Ruck of the Black United Front.

Cosmetology student Jeremy
Paris said he has been the brunt of
insults and name calling since he
enrolled in the Nova Scotia Com-
munity College, in Pictou County,
last September.

With about 100 other students
watching, Paris said he "was held
by one or two people, while at least
one punched me and some kicked
me." Paris required stitches to his
head, and had bruises over his body
after the incident. —

Ruck said, "You can draw
your Own conclusions (as to why no
one tried to stop the fight), but one
might be that they relish the idea of
this black person being beaten up."
The principal of the school, John
Keating, said, "I don’t think there is
a racial problem in our school, but
there may be one or two who have
racial problems."

"That’s foolishness," Paris
said. "There’s quite a bit of racism
in the school, but there’s also a lot
of pretty good students too. But
there’s too many that are not."

Keating said, "Some people

don’t have aclue what racist is." He
said that there were "racial over-
tones" to, as he described the beat-
ing, "a one on less than one fight".
Paris said he didn’t know how
many people actually beat him be-
cause he was being beaten at the
time. "No one tried to break it up
though. Even the two bus drivers
that were there to pick up the kids
after school did not go for help, or
try to break it up."

When Keating was asked if the
school was planning to do some-
thing about dealing with racism in
the school he said that they have
been so busy with media calls that
he has not had any time to sit down
with the faculty.

"I feel he should be talking

the students about what had hap- .

pened and how things should
change," Paris said. "They could
start with hiring some minorities
for a start or having a forum on race
relations."

The school does not employ
any visible minorities as teachers,
bus drivers, cooks, or cleaners.

"They should do something for
the future black students that go
there, or whatever minorities go
there,” Paris said.

Keating said his main aim was
to "get the school back to normal."
He said he was concerned students

had lost three days of classes be-
cause of the police investigation
and media attention.

"After all that’s happened. I
didn’t think he’d say something

like that," Paris said. "He’s just

trying to get the school out of
trouble...After I got away from the,
people that were beating me up I
got up to the principal’s office."

"(Keating) just looked at me
and went back into his office. He
didn’t ask me what was wrong...or
how I was or what happened,” Paris
said. "It was the vice-principal that
called the police."

The police did not come to the.

school until the next morning.

"They said they couldn’t send.
anyone,” Paris said. "They should.
be able to come to a scene of a
crime."

Tim Connell, another student
at the school, has been charged with
assault causing bodily harm. Con-
nell has been suspended from the
school.

After Connell was suspended
from the school, about half of the
school’s 350 students left classes.

Ruck said that he told Paris
“not to be intimidated and to finish
his education. The last thing we
want is another black person to stop
their schooling because of racism
against them."

Keating said, "There is no
more or less racism in the school
than in the general population."

Ruck said racism is prevalent
throughout the province, and that
this occurs more than once. "It’s on
going."

Paris grew up in neighbouring
New Glasgow. He said two years
ago he went to a dance in Stellarton
with a friend. "About one hundred
guys chased me right out of town
back to the New Glasgow Mac-
Donalds," he said.

"And the mayor of Stellarton
tried to say there’s no racism in his
town,” Paris said, "It’s quite a state-

~ ment from the mayor."

"My mother is white," he said.
"She grew up in Stellarton... They

“gave her.a hard time." © |

Another resident of Pictou
County, Toni Goree, has had to

take her two elementary school .

children off the school bus and
drive them to school herself be-
cause of racist slurs against them.

"She had her eight-year-old
beaten up by a sixteen-year-old on
the school bus," Paris said.

Paris said he has been living
with racial slurs all his life. He
hopes to open up his own salon one

day.

 

 

by Ross Bogle

The case of the felonious
eavesdropping incident of the Om-
budspersons phone tape has finally
been resolved, partially anyways.

The student representatives
have turned the matter over to a
discipline committee. The incident
was however, discussed to death as
to the perpetrators motives with
members psychoanalyzing and
speculating over the grainy nuan-
ces of "criminal nature".

UT Rep Jamie McEvoy finally
dived in and spared us all continued
tedium by suggesting that regard-
less of motive, a breach of con-
fidence had taken place.

McEvoy further stated that the
proper forum for dealing with this
breach would be a discipline com-
mittee. Meanwhile certain reps
recommended impeachment and

Bogle’s Buntings

distinct cries of "off with her head"
could be heard in the background.
It is interesting to note that the
loudest. voice for impeachment
come out of the mouth of a council
member who consistently abstains
from voting on most society mat-
ters. Ho hum; we all have our roles
to play.

Keith Olstrom, Ombudsper-
son commented that the matter was
turning into a witch hunt. He also
added that the societies apology
published in the OP, last issued was
offensive and a lame piece of junk.

As per usual the meeting got
off to a late start and ground along
slowly. Norm Gludovatz, speaker,
made a strong attempt to get things
moving in an orderly fashion but
received little co-operation.

The meetings brightest mo-
ment occurred when the council

voted unanimously to award $500
for disabled students to attend a
conference. Bravo! Miracles never
cease, it took less than five
minutes! Disabled rep Richard
Marion seemed relieved and satis-
fied that the DCSS met the needs of
this worthy cause.

The most interesting point of
the meeting occurred over strike
Stipends given to students who
helped during the strike. After a
phone around vote the council
awarded $100 honourariums to
three students. Being one of the
three students, I was elated. I felt
the council demonstrated that they
cared about me as a student and that
they appreciated our efforts during
the strike.

Alas things are never that
simple in the DCSS. Many of the
members felt that it was not ap-

propriate to give students money.
Aias Perez felt it was wrong to
"reward" students who were only
taking care of their "own interests"
and did not have the long term com-
mitment to the society that the reps
have. Many members did not real-
ize that the honourariums had been
given out. It took awhile for this to
sink into the committee. When it
did they discussed the possibility of
taking the honourariums back
(perish the thought). The council
decided that it was not wise to do
so. A very astute move as the coun-
cil would have to eat a considerable
amount of crow to live that down.
Their in-depth discussion of this
matter took an eternity, and slowed
the meeting to a crawl.

It never ceases to amaze me
that. the DCSS bureaucrats
demonstrate incredible fiscal dis-

 

cipline. When it comes to distribut-
ing monies that might benefit stu-
dents who are not part of the
political inner circle. When it
comes to their own expenses, con-
ferences or jaunts to the nation’s
capitol, they do not spare the hor-
ses. Shame on you council, these
things ought not so to be!

The meeting seemed to be rife
with procedural difficulties. Busi-
ness was resolved but exceedingly
slowly with alot of posturing and
cross debate. Some day in the light
of a better world, the council may
yet wrestle the use of Robert’s
Rules of Order into a workable for-
mat. I suspect, however, that this
present council term of office is not
quite long enough to achieve such
a goal.