Maple Rise oe Torces: campuses. by Caroline Hardon The first annual Canadian Federation-of-Students Con- ference, held in Victoria, B.C., kicked off _Monday night with an opening plen- ary meeting. About 20 - 25 post-secondary institutes from across Canada were represented. Some institutes are saying the C.F.S. is disorganized. This disorganization was painfully clear at the opening Classes finally at new campus Students began to attend classes at Douglas’ new Roy- - The’science asics beg most McBride site classes moved in today. (EDP, ABE, and music are delayed.) Oth- er classes will relocate later this year. Winslow campus is sched- uled to move Noy. 23, and the Agnes St. site should follow Nov. 24. The New West and Wins- low libraries will close next week and join to re-open about Nov. 22. The bookstore moves that day also. Al- though classes have begun at the new site, some rooms still smell of paint and some concrete floors in classroom areas still await carpets. The gym and theatre are among the incomplete areas. “It would be appropriate if people were to stay away from the unfinished areas, to leave the workmen alone,’’ says site superintendant West Graydon. The cafeteria will hope- fully be serving food by the end of November Kumors of a permanent pub are false but there are several pubs within a few blocks. All classes are expected to be in at the new site in the Spring. a pH se by Chris Page and Tom Boer- al avenue campus this week but, the la ng femnaiats unfinished. © Monday at the new site, and See O.P. guide to new campus plenary which. started an hour late and accomplished little in five hours. Most students don’t con- sider the C.F.S. to be an important organization, pro- bably because they don’t know what C.F.S. is. The Other Press’ week long press coverage of the Gaaiersmse is hoped to educate students on the C.F.S. system: what it is trying to accomplish. Although every student in This is the exciting new campus some lucky students by Chris Page Douglas College students are without an ombudsper- son this year, but there is nobody they can complain to about it. Would-be ombudsperson Steve Blecic, elected for the 1982-83 year, is not a stu- dent, or even present on campus, but the Student Society will not be holding an election to replace him. The ombudsperson exists for ‘‘matters of conflict be- tween students and any other organization or indivi- dual on an informal basis. He/she shall also serve (as a) watchdog of the D.C.S.S. constitution,”’ says the Soci- ety constitution. ‘“*To ensure the sovereign- ty of the student ombuds- Douglas College is paying $3.50 per semester to the C.F.S. to be a member, few students know where this money is going. Student Society President, Tim Shein, feels the C.F.S. is not using this money to the full advantage of Douglas Col- lege students. In a letter addressed to all C.F.S. members, Shein clearly reviewed the inade- quacy of C.F.S._ services. now have classes at. Others will watt, sometimes as much office, (it) does not constitute a subsidiary organization of the (Student Society).’”’ To do the job properly, the ombudsperson must. be a Douglas student. Contacted by the Other Press in mid-September, Blecic claimed he was a registered student this sem- ester. A records office em- ployee says he hasn’t regist- ered this semester. A member of the last year’s student council earlier said Blecic ‘‘seemed like he just wanted the job for the stipend and the office space.’’ Student Society executives say Blecic never contacted, them to say‘he was not Some of Shein’s grievances were the C.F.S.’ large debt of about $46,000 (even though students pay these large fees), and their inabil- ity to send newsletters and conference packages on time as promised in the C.F.S. constitution. Conferences were also a matter of concern to Shein, who feels that one conference per year would be. much more productive and far less costly than two as two months. Photo by Gerry Othawa Students have no ombudsperson returning to Douglas this Fall. They discovered he wasn’t a student in late September. “When you run for a position, it’s expected for you to fill the position for the (term),’’ says Society Presi- dent Tim Shein. ‘‘I don’t like it at all.’’ Shein has decided alone that the Student Society will not replace Blecic with an appointment or by election because ‘‘We (the Student Society) can do just as good a job as an ombudsperson; it’s not necessary.”’ He says the ombudsperson would not have enough work to justify the stipend. CFS eo Cheaast conferences. Also, the so- called ‘Week of Information’ was a dismal failure as no information reached Douglas College. After reviewing these grievances, one may ask himself ‘‘what is Douglas College doing belonging to C.F.S.?’’ The Student Soci- ety may be asking them- selves the same thing. Shein’s letter will be put forward and discussed at the conference this week, and feedback will be interesting to say the least. Concerning Monday's plenary meeting, it is hoped the rest of the meetings and workshops during the confer- ence will be held with a little more order. When asked what Shein =~ thought, of Monday’s. plen- | ary, he replied, ‘‘It was more disorganized than I expec- pected.’” Craig McNamee, Kwantlen College Student Society President, had this to say; . dhe organization showed in the opening plen- ary that the C.F-S. is willing to accept the possibility of change, and that the organ- ; ization is still run by the ‘ representatives, meaning the institutes, not the boar: of directors or other admini stration.” The remaining five days of the conference will be cov- ered in the next issue of the Other Press. Letters of con- cern regarding C.F.S. will be publicized and any questions answered. Last March, Steven Blecic was elected ombudsperson Sor the 1982-83 year, but he didn’t show up for school.