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DSU to add $500 to nursing students’ efforts for Haiti after miscommunication

By Kristina Mameli, News Editor

fter a slight miscommunication,
A« Douglas Students’ Union will

match Douglas third-year nursing
student’s “Toonie Tuesday” fundraising
effort for Haiti up to $500. The collection
was held last week and the organisation
plans to add the $500 to the $500 it has
already put forth.

The Other Press was sent an email
from an upset nursing student regarding
the total raised by the students on both
campuses and the DSU’s alleged refusal
to make good on a promise to match
funds raised by students.

The deadline associated with the
DSU’s offer was not originally indicated
on the posting due to a clerical error.

The deadline was January 29 and the
fundraiser in question did not take place
until February 2.

Preliminary numbers of the “Toonie
Tuesday” put the effort at $1100 with one
donation can still to come from the New
West campus.

The email read as follows: “One
issue I am having is that our Douglas
Students’ Union placed a posting stating
that the fundraising matching of funds
collected is now over it is past the

was no deadline in their postings, I am
annoyed by all the hoops we have gone
through first with the posters and now
this. I haven’t spoken with any of them
yet, because I am so mad!!”

The email continued: “We need to
collectively disagree with this move from
them and contact them and discuss this,
if they refuse to match with the $500 they
promised in their posting we need to fight
them on this!!! This is our money that
comes from our “FEE’S” every semester.
There was no deadline on their original
posting...”

Priscilla Bartleman, external
relations coordinator for the DSU openly
admits to the error and at the time of this
writing has spoken to the students to work
towards rectifying the situation. She sent
The Other Press the following in regards
to the initial email: “I will up front openly
admit that I did not attach the deadline
date to the initial posting and had not
clarified after that there was a deadline. I
am but human and do make mistakes.”

“We have reached our match funding
cap, but still will be happy to match fund
the Loonie Toonie Group for up to $500 if
they contact us about it.”

“The money for this match funding
is not coming out of the fees collected
it is coming out of revenue generated

 

from a one time advertisement we had in
the Upper Lounge during Fall Welcome
Week. That is why we had the $500 limit
on the match funding.”

“We believe it is about the cause
and not about the money and are sad to
see this come as far as it has. We firmly
believe in doing what we say we are
going to do and since I was not as clear as
I should have been we are trying to rectify
this error as best as we can.”

Bartleman offered further
information as to what the posting should
have said in a message sent to members
of the DSU’s Facebook group. “The

   

  

DSU is committed to making every effort
to raise funds for Haiti. Our primary
fundraiser will be a bake sale held in the
concourse on January 28. DSU will match
funds collected by DSU though direct
fund raising or clubs to a total maximum
of $500 before January 29, 2009 and
requires the funds to be sent though DSU
to a legitimate aid organization. DSU will
also be making an up front contribution of
$500 to Haiti aid.”

As previously mentioned, the issue
has been resolved and the group has
apologized on behalf of the member who
sent the email.

 

Copies of the Other Press’s Audited Financial Statements and

minutes from its Annual General Meeting are available to be
viewed by all Student of Douglas College.

Our office is located in Room 1020 at the New Westminster Campus.

E-mail business @theotherpress.ca with any inquiries.