The Other Press

 

Government Students

Riding on the bus recent-
ly, I ventured to ask the bus
driver who I was to speak to
conceming transit fares.
Thank God he did not rip
my head off and toss me off
the bus, instead we engaged
in casual conversation.

I told him that I found it
unfair that students must
-pay adult fare- and that the
colleges were getting
together a little petition to
send to our wonderful gov-
ernment in Victoria. To this
he explained that we have
only one major flaw, we are

dealing with a Socred gov-
ernment, who don’t care
what we have to say. I
believe that this is true.

If one looks back in recent
history we see that in 1982,
students sat on the steps in
Victoria protesting the then
Minister. of Education, Mr.
Vander Zalm’s restraint
program that destroyed the
public education system due
to lack of funds (Remember:
No chalk or photocopiers).
We must not forget the
Teacher’s Strike of 1983.
How about the outcry when
car insurance was increased
and the government shrug-
ged it’s shoulders and said

“Who cares, they’re all
NDP’ ers anyway.’

A more recent example of
our fair government is when |

ex-Minister of Transporta-
tion, Grace “Smily”
McArthy said those who

protested fare hikes were a
bunch of radicals who will
protest anything.

I think that it is about time
the socreds take notice of
their future, the students. If
you want your say in the
Fair Fare Deal, sign the peti-
tion in the Student Society
Office. If this doesn’t work,
maybe we should go back to
the 60’s mode of protest.

Rachael Smith

 

An Open Letter to the
Students and Staff

In the latest round of
negotiations between the
faculty association and the
college an important agree-
ment was reached. A new
measure of equity in the
relations between contract
and regular faculty
members was __ established
when the faculty chose to
allocate the entire wage set-
tlement (about 1.7%) to con-
tract faculty. In doing so, the
Douglas College faculty,
under the leadership of Pam
- Aitken, have set an example
of fairness and _ courage
which they and you can be
proud of.

The kind of people who
can listen to the just con-
cerns of their contract
colleagues and can accept
responsibility themselves to
right a wrong, are just the
kind of people needed as
teachers in difficult times.

Unfortunatley, the
faculty, under the pressure
of an all-or-nothing choice,
agreed to a proposal which
is neither common justice
nor common sense. When

this contract is approved,
faculty will be the only
group in the college to have
“free” parking.

We all know parking for
any group is not “free.” It is
paid for in foregone income
which might otherwise be
used for educational
purposes.

Douglas College will be
spending scarce educational
dollars to provide parking at
no cost to the group that is,
on the average, the most
able to pay. The college will
be subsidizing the faculty
use of the automobile, but
not student or staff use.

At a time when reason-
able, responsible _ people
should be trying to discour-
age any unnecessary use of
the automobile in order to
protect the parking privilege
of all those who have little
choice except to drive, the
faculty and board have
agreed to do just the
opposite.

I don’t believe this part of
the latest faculty collective
agreement is in the interests
of the students, the college,
the public, or even of the

faculty. It will create a
privilege where none
should exist, and paper

work and bureacracy when

all dollars are needed for
much more important
purposes.

Of course, we could have
“free” parking for all, but
this simply means even
more educational dollars
going to support automobile
use. Such a policy brings
closer the day when many
automobile users will be for-
ced to park in the Front
Street

parkade. I wonder
how many faculty are in-
terested in free parking
there.
I would urge _ both

students and staff to speak
honestly to me and my
faculty colleagues = about
your thoughts and feelings
on this issue. Furthermore,
since it takes two to make an
agreement, you have a legit-
imate right to complain to
the college board as well, if
you feel your interests have
not been properly conside-
red. In these ways you can
play an important part in
bringing the faculty and the
college board more into line
with the ideals of equity and

social responsibility to
which both are _ surely
committed.

Howard Eaton
Faculty Member

Other Editorials

More Fees?

There is an old addage
that goes, “You get nothing
in life for free.” It appears
that in the Office of Registrar
that the addage is as good as
the gospel.

It seems that the office
charges for almost anything.
If you want a course change,
or drop, it costs you money.
If you want to change your

September 29, 1986, Page 3. ;

——

Systems) to UT (University
Transfer), it also costs you
money. If you need a copy of
your transcript, it hits you in
the bank book. There are

other things they can hit you

for; one of my favorites is a
piece of paper that says how
many credits you are taking
- it costs you $1.00.

In the future they may as ;

well charge you admission
to the office and demand a
tip of 10% on any transac-

 

status, say from CIS | tion.

(Computer Information Colin Turkington
cholesterol, and enerall

Jolt Cola repel

I tried a new soft drink the
other day, and although it
was only released in B.C. a
week ago, it has already
caused quite a stir. Boasting
“All the sugar and twice the
caffeine of leading colas,”
this soft drink, appropri-
ately named Jolt Cola, is a
reaction towards what it’s
representatives term ‘wimpy
soft drinks’.

exercising more. And now
comes this upstart soft drink
company with a mind to
turn the collective masses on
their collective bottoms. Of
course, the masses are do-
cile and stupid enough to

take any new. idea as stylish, ~

ee

aa

and especially something —

that is the antithesis of good —

taste.
It is my _ considered

opinion that when people —

2
a

The fact that it is almost an Can be led to believe that —

instant hit mystifies me.
Over the past few years,
consumers have followed a
trend toward healthier liv-
ing -- drinking decaffinated
coffee and diet drinks,
forsaking foods loaded with

 

 

PS: I have heard no public
justification from anyone
representing the

something that is  un-
pretensiously bad, and
reeking of» needless decad- .

ence is actually a good thing,
can self destruction be far.
behind?

Dean MacPherson

ATTAIN THE
WISDOMOF
SOCRATES!

DRINK

Hem lock |

take part in a public debate
with anyone who does favor

college paid parking as a benefit for

board. I would be happy to faculty--or any group.

 

principles.

 

The Other Press

The Other Press is a democratically run, autono-
mous student newspaper, serving Douglas College
since 1976. It publishes 8 times a semester, every two
weeks, under the auspices of The Other Publications
Society. Our funding comes by way of a direct student
levy paid at registration, and through local advertis-
ing. The Other Press is a member of the Canadian
University Press, and subscribes to it’s statement of

OPS Board of Directors

Chairperson: vacant Entertainment Co-ordinator: Richard Haines
Member at Large: vacant Features Co-ordinator: Doug Finnerty
Member at Large: vacant Classifieds Co-ordinator: vacant
Staff Rep: vacant Sports Co-ordinator: vacant
Staff Rep: vacant Recruitment Co-ordinator: vacant
Business Manager: Kathy Hunter Graphics Co-ordinator: Chris Brown

Photographic Co-ordinators: Jim Kilcher

Other Press Staff
Production Co-ordinator: John
Typesetter Co-ordinator:
Production Assistants:

Copy Editor:
News Co-ordinator:

Editorial Co-ordinator:

McDonald
Jeff House
none

vacant
Dino Forlin

Contributors
—Dean MacPherson

Colin Turtincton

Rachael Smith