ba a eras v ary ra wy January 23, 1996 College students to walk out for a day Drastic measures needed to protest funding cuts to post-secondary education By Gweny Wong As some of you students and non- students may or may not know, there will be a student strike rally on February 7, 1996. Labeled the “Day of Action,” the rally will likely start at about 1 pm or 1:30 pm at the Vancouver Public Library. The walk will take approximately a half an hour to 45 minutes and the route will go from the VPL to Vancouver city centre. It will then follow Dunsmuir and Granville until it reaches the Vancouver Art Gallery where the rally will be held. There will be speakers, speeches, etc. up to about 5 pm. Jessica Stanley, a passionate volunteer for DC’s part in the strike rally, mentions that there may be an increase of 25% for next semester’s student tuition fees. Fees will increase every year and perhaps triple in the next several years. None of this is confirmed because no one is willing to give any definite answers as to what is going to happen or whether fees will increase at all. Stanley reveals that part of the government’s new plan is to increase student loans to allow students to attend school. In actual fact, the plan decreases accessibility for marginalized groups such as single mothers, women, the working class, etc. If tuition doesn’t limit access, then the student debt load will because it may take much of one’s adult life to pay off. The Liberal government is currently cutting $188 million from the Canada Health and Social Transfer and is considering its complete elimination. Stanley hopes to convey a sense of how much tuition can people afford. Students may be able to afford tuition now but can they afford it later? What she would ideally like to see is funding testored to previous levels. “Students who care and students who’s future is in jeopardy: ‘Make Ottawa listen’ is our goal like Langara has their slogan, Earth to Ottawa. This doesn’t just affect us, this affects high school students and our children. Are they going to be able afford an education?” From a personal point of view, Stanley says,” I don’t know if I can continue my degree and if I do I’ll be in debt for the rest of my life. If this tuition fee increase goes through it might not be worth it for me. Also, I believe in equality of opportunity. If you’re poor, working class you need to have equal opportunity to go to school. Last January 25 (1995)’s rally did have a positive influence. Douglas goes really, by Andrew Carroll For five weeks this fall, from November to the middle of December DC’s General Nursing Program experimented with a radically different way of teaching. Instructors used interactive T.V. which allowed students to work at home, reducing costs. The first moderated list- ‘It’s the wave of the future’ server was also used; a system by which nursing instructors from all over the world can exchange information. Both the instructors and the students were hesitant about the new technology, said Marilyn Lewthwaite, lab head in the Nursing Program. “But,” Lewthwaite said, “it really does add to the teaching and the quality, I think is just wonderful!” Lewthwaite said that she has no fearsthatf the new technology will create Repayments of student loans based on income contingencies was eliminated. The government took that out which was great. There are some divisions in the Liberal government about their budget and the budget has not gone through yet. We still have a chance to stop it.” There will be a table about the “Day of Action” student strike rally in the Douglas College Concourse sometime during the week of January 22, 1996. It should be open early in the day around 11 am-2 pm. If the Douglas College Student Society can recruit more volunteers to staff the table, then it will be open earlier and longer. If you who wish to get involved with supporting the tally, come on down to the Student Society office and speak to anyone there about helping out with the table or the rally. The “Day of Action” rally is being organized by the Canadian Federation of Students, a member of the Coalition For Public Education. Other members include BC Teachers’ Federation, Canadian Union of Public Employees (BC division), College Institute Educators’ Association of BC and the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC. Danger of faculty strike lurks Mood pessimistic as faculty keeps opinions to themselves By Corene McKay It would be nice if political situations could be settled by the toss of a coin. Not because justice and compromise are bad things, but because it would be faster. Last semester there was a vote that strike action would be taken if negotiations didn’t progress. When the talks did start moving forward, the possibility ofa strike was suspended until January 31, 1996. This day is now looming on the horizon, and it is not clear whether the situation will be satisfactorily resolved in time. The January 16 issue of the Douglas really hi-tech Nursing students guinea pigs for educational technology experiment unemployment for instructors because preperation time increases. “According to the research coming out, [it will take] 30% longer to prepare for a class.” Lewthwaite believes that instructors in other diciplines other than nursing can benefit from the new technology and believes “it is the way of the future.” The Nursing program at Douglas will be changed next September, “when we’ll use more computers and [perhaps] get the student nurses on the internet.” College Faculty Association (DCFA) Negotiations News says that “The no- strike/no-lockout extension runs out at the end of the month and it will be necessary if we don’t have a contract to have some form of job action to maintain the strike vote mandate.” Students need to be aware that there is the possibility of a couple of hours long walk-out on Wednesday, January 31. “Bargaining is never an easy straight road to a collective agreement, but this last year has been @ road full of blind comers and a few dead ends,” is how the -DCFA Negotiations News sums up the situation. The DCFA is mainly concerned Marilyn Lewthwaite would like to thank the students who were pioneers with this new technology. the with acquiring job security and fair compensations for all faculty. Students need to keep the strike threat in perspective. Even in the event that a strike is called, because of the previously reported decision to utilize rotating strikes, it is very unlikely that individual students will miss more than a few days of classes. As reported in the October 17, 1995, issue of the Other Press, Student Society President Katrina Lennax stated that “Students are not expected to cross the picket line if faculty does.” The DC Student Society position is that students should not have their marks affected in any way if they don’t cross picket lines.