fational Day of Action Nicole Burton, OP News Editor February 7, university and college students from oss the country will be holding rallies to bring ention to the growing cost of education in Canada. he demands of the demonstration, called by the tional student organization the Canadian Federation Students (CFS), is demanding a 10% percent tion fee reduction, increased government funding, Itter access to trades and training, graduate student ants, and free adult basic education. The Douglas Students’ Union, participating in the tion as a local of the larger CFS, has called for cam- s demonstrations on the day at both the New West d David Lam campuses. Students are to gather in e concourse and atrium at 10:30am, and will be ttled to the larger citywide rally downtown at the couver Art Gallery for 1:00pm. The Vancouver demonstration will include stu- ints from Douglas College, UBC, SFU, Kwantlen iversity College, and Capilano College. On-campus bruary 7 organizing is being coordinated by the spective students unions and associations. tThis will be the first national day of action for the S since 2004, and has gained some hefty support- s, including the city of Victoria over on Capitol Hill. “The City of Victoria’s endorsement of the Day Xeduce Tuition Fees Now!: anadian Students udents Mobilize from Coast to Coast for February 7 of Action to Reduce Tuition Fees exemplifies the broad public support for increased access to post- sec- ondary education,” said Penny Beames, Chairperson of the UVic Students’ Society. “The BC Government needs to sit up and take notice that the capital city has joined our call for a more accessible post-secondary education system.” In response to this news, Shamus Reid, BC National Executive Representative for the Canadian Federation of Students, said that Victoria is only one city on a growing list across the country, including several in Ontario and Quebec. “These cities recog- nize the best way to build strong local economies and communities is through ensuring that all people have access to the education they need.” On February 7, organizers have requested that all © college and university faculty offer academic amnesty to students wishing to attend the demonstrations. Students should consult with their instructors as to whether or not this amnesty has been granted. For more information about the February 7th National Day of Action to reduce tuition fees, contact the Douglas Students Union at 604.527.5111 or check out the Canadian Federation of Students website at www.cfs-fcee.ca Important Dates to Remember — This Month | February 12: Winter Graduation Ceremony. Congratulate your friends departing from Douglas! February 12-13: Study Break—classes can- celled. Perfect time to kick back, relax, and do all of that Fall semester laundry that’s been piling up. February 19-24: Mid-semester-—students can obtain mid-semester standing from instructors during this week in order to make decisions about drop- ping courses by the deadline below. | February 28: Deadline for students placed on academic proba- tion from the Fall semester to meet with a Counselor. Students who do not meet _ with a Counselor by this Win $2500. © www.campusresearch.ca Seriously. Fine print: Prizes: One $2500 grand prize, one $1500 second prize, one $1000 third prize and twelve $250 extra prizes. Contest is only open to students currently enrolled at a Canadian post-secondary institution. The good news is i's available for a very limited time, so your odds of winning are awesome. This survey is sponsored by your campus newspaper and Campus Plus, a division of Canadian University Press. All personal information provided is private and confide the improvement and advancement of campus newspapers in Www.campusplus. conv privacy.aspx. nd will be used for research purposes for Janada. View our privacy policy online at pnewseditor@gmail.com Welcome Centres Kyle M. Baillie Manager, Office of New Students The main thing we want students to know is that the Welcome Centres are staffed by the students for the students. We are here to answer questions, point you in the right direction, and hopefully explain something that doesn’t make sense, or even point out where to get a good cup of coffee. We'll attempt to answer anything when people ask where babies come from. We have two Welcome Centres. One is located in the Concourse at New West, and one in the Atrium at David Lam. The space at DLC was previous- ly inhabited by “Redberries” coffee which will relocate in the DLC expan- sion. Currently there are seven students working at the NWC location and four working out of the David Lam location. Additionally, during special events this becomes a base of operation for our Student Ambassador leader- ship group. The Welcome Centres are open from 8:30am-7pm daily at both campus- es for this semester. The hours will change for the Summer, and probably again in the Fall to meet the demands of our students. The initiative for the Welcome Centres comes from the Students First! document. This is the Student Services Plan for the College and has some pretty amazing ideas contained in it. The heart of the document is the idea that students should be at the centre of everything we do. The creation of the Office for New Students was part of that plan as well and was tasked with bringing the Welcome Centres into being. The Office for New Students also is responsible for the Student Ambassadors, orientation events, reten- tion activities, and highschool recruitment. Anyone interested in more information about either group should con- tact the Office for New Students directly at information@douglas.be.ca. 3