page 4 This page of The Other Press is reserved solely for the purpose of correspondence and opinion. The views expressed on this page.do not necessarily reflect those of this mewspaper, or Douglas College’s Student Society or Administration. ° - . All letters and opinions must be typed at a 55 stroke line double spaced @qmd. ede rire and telephone - number of the writtr for #asous $f verifitation and validity. The telephone hum ber will not be printed and . thetname may not be printed if just cause is shown. > Letters should be no more than 200 words in length and opinion pieces should be under 1000 words in length due fo space and layout requirements. We reserve the right to edit all lei for clarity and libel. Letters and opi: specitied may be editedto size. Deadline for. all submissions is 4:00 pm the Friday before production week. and opinions s longer than 2 ee Entertainment Coordinator.....ccecsscecesesees DAVE WATSON Sports Coordiaator...rrccrseccssecscecseseece MARTIN HEMERIK Features Coordimatogy....rscccccsscscccscsccccscccccccscseces unfilled Reporters... Deptt. BORN TAN G. LYON acc itisesescnecstecitiyeecesee ROBIN ROBERTSON Prodtigtion Coordinatot.,| Business Manager........ Sribvaxsesemessess’ ERNEST HAWKER: CUP Coordinat0or.......ccccceveee ae LD HEDSTROM Sage [Events] Corrdinator.......1.+00+ OLINE HARDON Photography Coordinator.....ccrccreserereree SEAN VALENTINI Office Coordimator...ccccccsscecrees :.. CATHY MAKOWICHUK Advertising Coordinator. ...ccscccecseseeeees M. MARY PALFFY TY POSOUHE?. ccccccscccccccscssoccscccesscccsescesscee .-DAN HILBORN Other Publications Society, Board of Directors......sssssswsseres ..«.J OEL HAGEN..... MARTIN HEMERIK....IAN G. LYON.. ..-SANDRA McMILLAN......... VICTOR CROMARTY......... COUTICT. ...cccececoccvoccecsverscerdeccoscsoeess MARTIN HEMERIK — The Other Press is a democratically run, autonomous student newspaper, published several times a semester [ usually twice a month] under the ausices of The Other Publications Society. Our funding comes by way of a direct student levy at registration time and through local and national advertising. The Other Press is a member of Canadian University Press and of the national advertising cooperative Campus Plus. The Other Press welcomes new and prospective members to come to our regular staff meetings every Thursday at 12:00 noon. Story and production meetings alternate every Monday at 4:00 pm. All meetings take place in The Other Press Newsroom adjacent to the student lounge off the main concourse in the North Building in room 2305. . Phone: 525-3542 Mailing Adress: The Other Press ° Douglas College a 700 Royal Ave. a i Box 2503 New Westminster B.C. V3L 5B2 Wednesday, eae 18 1984 Dear Other Press, the semester. But Then | was. told .that this move The other day, | was talking to a friend who is involved with the Student Society and was told that they, as well as The Other Press, were being forced to relocate so that the com- munity programs services could move into their off- ices. Now, | could sympathize with my friends complaint because this sort of move is a major inconvenience, especially in the middle of Last semester students of our college as well as every- one in B.C. witnessed a conflict opposing Operation Solidarity against the Social Credit Government of B.C. The main reason for Soli- ‘darity to oppose the govern- ment and get support was that the government of B.C. did not represent the popu- lation according to the man- date it received from the people of B.C. in the last election. The government of B.C. was therefore misrep- resenting the population, thus acting in a dictatorial manner and in a non-demo- cratic way. Seeing that, the Douglas College Student Society offi- cially decided by a vote to give support to Operation would cost somewhere aro- und $45,000. What the hell gives? We’ve got cutbacks left and right, programs shut down, and the college is spending $45,000 to re- locate three societies so that the one can have more room? This is pure defica- tion. The way | understand things, the office space pre- sently occupied by the O.P. and the D.C.S.S. were built ‘Student Society, Undemocratic | Solidarity. The line of action taken by the Douglas College Student Society. was antidemocratic the same way the budget brought in by the B.C. Government was. The socie- ty was not elected to support Solidarity but to protect and represent the students of Douglas College. No step such as a referendum or large meeting was taken, thus leaving the students of Douglas College without any representation. Supporting Solidarity may not be a priority for many students of Douglas. The risk of losing one Semester of school may have very important consequences in the life of some needy stu-. dents. In conflicts such as we if you hadn’t noticed, set class sizes are up at Douglas pester College. And if you hadn’t Mey.t noticed that, you probably M.\ have noticed that student fv dn aid is less accessable than in foe the past, and that large mmm universities, like U.B.C., are My proposing substantial tuition fee increases. B ©6In light of these factors, moe students are tightening their gem belts, and many are scrap- we ing the bottom of the barrel mso that they can go to school. It is essential then, that money budgeted for post- secondary institutions is used where it is needed faggmost: in the maintenance mand improvement of educa- tional standards. | The recent decision to I = relocate the community pro- | ae grams division, the Student to suit the specific needs of those societies. | also heard that our pres- ident gave permission for the move without consulting % the other members of the D.C.S.S. What the fornica- tion do we have hear? A goddam dictatorship? Screw the move. Leave things as they are and use the money to be spent on the move to pay two instructors for a - year. <4 A Cutback Student the one involving Solidarity students are taken hostage. The Student Society should start taking care of the students it represents and not their own self inter- est and prestige or Solidar- ity. ail Important decissions | should not be taken without any imput from the stu- dents. When the Student Society ignores the stu- dents, it becomes a dictator- ship. The number of students that crossed the picket line should be an indication that there was opposition to the . measure. They were not listened to. That is anti- democratic. Jocelyn Gagnon Society, and The Othe Press, as requested by Jim Doerr, is not necessary. In fact, it is a waste of money. The 40,000 to 50,000 dol-}}- lar moving expenditure, supported by neither the} Other Press, nor some of the Community Services staff, could be more wisely spent in other ways. For instance, the money could be spent to reduce tuition fees, or better yet, add more classes or increase the faculty size. Some of the funds could be used for student aid, or for scholarships administra-} ted and funded by the col-} lege. In the future, Douglas College should pay more attention to its students than to the whims of its adminis- trators.