aay ee SSO Te Se SSS Ser aa eT PART LC IO EOE ALLYSON GRACE & SEAN RYAN ST. JOHN’S (CUP)—Officials at Memorial University are neither confirming nor denying reports that the university will award Prime Minister Jean Chretien an honorary degree. The university's senate recently voted on the question, CBC Radio reported September I]. But their decision’fs tinder wraps because of a strict policy mandating votes about honorary degrees be con- ducted behind closed doors. Still, speculation is mounting about the decision. While universi- ty senators cannot comment on the vote because of the confiden- tiality policy, staff and students have begun voicing their opinions about what many believe was a yes vote, Millenium Fund Mark Graesser, a political sci- Newfoundland joining Canada and ence professor and former senator, _ the founding of Memorial says it’s unusual to offer a degree University, Graesser said. to a politician still in office. The exchange would involve Chretien visit- ? oe The Prime ing the province Minister’s track and university ee d in acknowledg- recora as a ment of those politician and a To do so, he suggests, indicates a political moti- vation. “Tt just strikes me as a anniversaries in symbolic ges- . return for the ture that could leader...h as not honorary degree almost be roveda to be an inspt- and resulting public atten- tion, he said. interpreted as ration to those of us 3 an exchange, Graesser said. who are either z The possibil- If the uni- é ity that the uni- versityhas Cucatorsor — | vessity has decided to students & oe decided to offer award Chretien “* the prime min- an honorary degree, it will likely present it to him at next spring's convocation to coincide with the ister an honorary degree has sparked criticism from some stu- dents and faculty who oppose the dual 50th anniversaries of stance on education issues taken by Smith also defended the 1996 recommendations of the Smith Panel. the federal Liberals. Noreen Golfman, an English professor at Memorial University, says while she has no knowledge of any such decision, she doesn't agree with awarding an honorary degree to any sitting politicians. “The Prime Minister’s track record as a politician and a leader, who is endowed with the responsi- bility of making sure that educa- tion is high on the government's agenda, has not proved to be an inspiration to those of us who are either educators or students,” Golfman said. She also criticized the possibili- ty that Chretien would be hon- oured, in light of recent controver- _ sy over Ottawa's involvement in RCMP treatment of student pro- testers at last year's APEC summit. “[Chretien] has demonstrated nothing but arrogance and con- ty senate votes on honorary degree for PM tempt during and after this whole BC and [UBC] campus incident.” Dale Kirby, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Students, says he agrees Chretien doesn't deserve a honorary degree. “Certainly it’s a bit ridiculous,” Kirby said. “The whole idea is a bit out to lunch. I mean, what ha [the Liberals] done? They have $2.29-billion from post-seconda education alone.” Awarding Chretien a degree would be a slap in the face of stu dents who have amassed huge deb loads since the prime minister came to power, he added. Officials with the Prime Minister's Office said they're not aware of an offer of an honorary degree from Memorial University. whether Smith will really consider students’ concerns in regards to the Millenium Fund. continued from previous page “Tam consulting the heads of all the major federations of students, faculty, staff associations and colleges in Canada,” he recently wrote in a letter. Oates 9 tes | ae oe ote Starvin “The foremost recommendation of the panel was an increase in government support for universities and colleges because of inadequate base funding,” he wrote. Still, Chris Ramsaroop, president of the student council at the University of Toronto, says he’s skeptical about Ct “The Smith Panel report was very unfriendly towards s dents, and I wonder about the input that students give and how much will be taken seriously,” he said. N oT Ree Student DISCOUNT NIGHT To make life a little easier, Coquitlam Centre is offering Douglas College students, staff and ORS Mus faculty a ‘student discount shopping night’. Just show your student ID card to participating retailers when you shop the first Thursday of each month from 5pm to 9pm. List of participating stores available at Customer -Service, South Mall. COQUITLAM CENTRE making life a little easier 464 8357 SS JOIN US FOR JAVA Visit our Customer Service Centre on ‘Starving Student Discount Night' for your free coffee voucher. Vouchers may be redeemed at any of our food service establishments on the first Thursday of each month. Page 4 September 23 1998 The Other Press