News

 

 

New college task force aims to

green Douglas

By Matthew Steinbach, Associate News Editor

Xa probably seen signs all over campus,
with slogans like “Turn Over To The Dark Side”
and “Use the Forest.” Well, they’re the product of
the college’s new Environmental Sustainability
Task Force, a venture that commenced in October to
consider environmental sustainability in the college
community.

The Task Force is an informal committee that
is chaired by Susan Witter, President of Douglas
College, and contains representatives from the
Facilities and CEIT, whom maintain the physical
and electronic spaces of Douglas College. The
group involves Douglas College’s staff, faculty, and
students as well.

The group has undertaken the Greening Douglas
campaign, to encourage a reduction in resource
consumption on campus. The Task Force has instituted

the inclusion of paper recycling into all classrooms and
the placement of pop bottle recycling, which is still
escalating. They have also developed the 100 Day Eco
Challenge, which could reoccur shortly.

Their mandate, however, extends into many
long-term goals as well that are being led by Facilities
Manager, and Task Force member, Fernanda Santos.
She is currently investigating ways to fulfill the
college’s carbon neutral requirements set forth by
the provincial government, ensuring that clean up
at the college is eco-friendly, and a conclusion to
Styrofoam in the cafeteria.

More information on this new group can be found
at their website, douglas. bc.ca/community/green-team.
html. This bourgeoning group should be a part of the
college for some time as the climate change issue gains
an integral part in our institutions.

 

 

 

Student’s Union
sours on student fee

increase

Accuses college of dishonoring original

agreement

By Matthew Steinbach, Associate News Editor

Fe fall the Douglas Students’
Union triumphantly approved
an increase to their Activity and
Intramural Fee from $5.50 to $30
per semester. The fee was setup to
sponsor sports and other activities
at Douglas College, which were
suffering from underfunding.
The college had been subsidizing
the shortfall for a few years, but
acknowledged that more fiscal
reductions were to arrive and they
could not continue to preserve the
school’s athletic programs on their
own. The college thus approached
the students’ union and requested

they consider an increase to Their _
membership fee to help pay. The

students’ union complied and at
their subsequent Annual General
Meeting —the first quorate AGM in
almost a decade— a crowd of over
100 students voted to approve the
fee hike.

Since «> then;=--the ~ -DSU’s
Representative Committee has
evidently retreated from _ their
decision to support the fee increase,
according to a recent report made to
the Douglas College Board. In the
document, the DSU contends that
they were under the impression that
the raise was intended to expand

the services the fee currently
offers; not merely give the college
an opportunity to “offload and
renege on much of its financial
obligations”.

Before this report was
released, Blaine Jensen, VP of
Educational Services, stated, “[the
DSU] never came and talked to us”
about the controversy. Jensen also
affirmed that there already was a
raise in usage of the fee and that
anything that “the College did not
promise to investigate” would be
implemented. He added that several
aspects of their new commitments
had previously been augmented
before these allegations were
raised.

The school has investigated
where these issues have arisen
by examining the method the
students’ union has employed thus
far to confront them. According to
their records there has only been
one inquiry by Geoffrey Lenahan,
Treasurer of the DSU, at the Centre
of Wellness, Sports, and Recreation.
Beyond these few questions and
their statement in the report, it
appears the student union has only
modestly attempted to challenge the
college.