eT = Q.P. says... “Oh y ah” This is in reply to Mr. Paul Steen- huisen’s letter in the January 17, 1985 issue of the Other Press. While | credit Mr. Steenhuisen for taking that first big step and writing a letter to the editor, | still have to take issue with a number of things that he raises, the first of these being the front page photo in the January 2, 1985 issue. The photdégraph was used to break up the monotony of a page with nothing but copy on it, and because, unfortunately, there were no other suitable pictures available (our usual photographer was out’ of town and there was nobody else on staff with sufficient darkroom skill to develop anything else). The caption was writ- ten at five in the morning the day the paper had to be sent to our printer by a burnt-out writer who tried to make it humourous. We do not always have the people or the resources to obtain journalistic excellence (this is what makes things that much harder), and this was one of those occasions. (Another is the total lack of inform- ation on things happening at the Maple Ridge campus). The wording ‘‘typically uninvol- ved’’ was not intended to refer to the individual in the photo (our apologies to the individual shown for any em- barassment or anguish suffered), nor is it a slur against the music depart- ment. The statement was made to refer to the usual response given to any function of the college outside of courses or pub nights (i.e. student elections, attendance at plays, con- certs, games, protests, and the Other Press). Perhaps Mr. Steenhuisen took a couple of days out over the Christmas Holidays to relax, enjoy the season, or visit with his family. It may surprise him that a small handful of us gave up our holidays to produce what we felt was important information for the students of this college, and have it ready in time for registration. Defin- itely not considering it a waste of time. | am. very sorry that Mr. Steen- huisen considers the four dollars that he was required to pay for ‘‘Other Press fees’’ ‘‘wasted.’’ As an auton- omously- funded (through the collect- ion of a separate levy from its owners, the students), produced (entirely ex- cept the printing), and run organ- ization, the Other Press is responsible only to the students of the College. No - other body, administration, govern- ment, student society, or otherwise, has a say over the content of the paper: no one else controls the editor- ial content. This offers. the Other Press (and the students) the unique opportunity to say what they want without censorship of ideas. If our ‘‘forced subscribers’’ were to have the ‘‘minimal four dollar’’ levy lifted, they would be forced to pay a much higher per-issue price for the paper, and nobody would really be any better off. However, to accomo- date Mr. Steenhuisen, we could pro- duce something similar to the Mad Hatter, which of course would be much cheaper, but would also probab- ly be just’ as boring as the Mad Hatter; and have just as much “filler’’ (things like photos, graphics, headlines, cartoons, announcements, letters or editorials). Some of this ‘‘filler’’ are things that many people consider to be of some importance (some people even read them), aside from being useful. While we realize that we cannot please everybody, the Other Press attempts to appeal to as many people as possible. Doctor Cannabis has been retired by his creator, an individual who, even if not everyone shared _ his opinions, was and continues to be contributing to the paper, thereby exercising an option open to him and other students as well, which more people should take advantage of. Advertising is a necessary evil which helps us pay our equipment costs, as well as providing a source of income for one or two students. Our “rather healthy budget’’ amounts to barely enough to pay our printing bills, and nowhere near enough to replace any of our rapidly aging equipment. _ Advertising also benefits the stu- dents. Many of the advertisers ap- proached by the Other Press offer discounts to students — not a bad idea for anyone trying to make ends meet. Without the Other Press, it is very likely that most of these dis- counts would not even exist. By the way, as Mr.. Steenhuisen should know, personal attacks are grounds for libel. Further, at no time during the conversation ‘‘the wonderfully nega- tive office coordinator’’ had with Mr. Steenhuisen did | state that | ‘‘didn’t give a shit’’ about the students. What | did say was that | was pissed off at those among the student population who don’t give a shit about what is going on around them (i.e. not those who had outside commitments like work or families or even just a heavy course load. | mean those who take one or two classes and spend their free time down in the bar or at home watching T.V.). Finally, | feel that the Other Press has done a very credible job of repre- senting student views, presenting issues relevent to students, and keep- ing the students informed about college happenings. Therefore, | feel that perhaps it is more important that Mr. Steenhuisen and others who feel the same way about the newspaper re-evaluate their negative attitudes towards it and do something construc- tive about the situation. Remaining positive, Stewart Woolverton Production Coordinator, The Other Press _ Student society A number of students have request- ed an encore presentation of the last Speaker’s Corner dealing with educa- tional cutbacks. Thursday, February 14, at noon in room 3302 will be just that and more. There are several speakers, cover- ing a variety of issues around the general theme of educational cut- backs. If you are interested in know- ing just where your education dollars are going, come and participate in Speaker’s Corner. And remember, War is Peace, Hate is Love, Ignorance is Strength and Restraint is Good for You. News from the 3rd Annual CFS Pacific Region General Meeting. The campaign committee decided on four basic short term goals: educating the membership (students); better comm- unications between local associations; cross-campus lobby network; and out reach to non-members of CFS. The committee felt that once these goals were obtained, it would better arm us with skills to aim at the following long term goals: student participation in the economic summit; a national lobby effort to halt further Apologies Dear Other Press This letter is intended as an apol- ogy to Matt Doull. In the February 1 issue of The Other Press, | said Matt did not go to the Maple Ridge campus to campaign for student society vice- president. | have since been informed that Matt Doull did go to the afore- mentioned campus. My own negli- gence in checking the facts led to an incorrect story. Dan Hilborn decreases in federal funding for edu- cation; and renegotiations of the Federal Provincial Fiscal Arrange- ments and Federal Health Contribut- ions Act. Our campaign slogan remains ‘No More Cuts’. March 19th is targeted as the Provincial Day of Concern. Susan Woods, vice president, is the chairperson for the campaign commit- tee here at Douglas College. If any students would like to participate in the planning and implementation of this campaign, please contact Susan. | hope all students will participate-on March 19 and show their concern. The development committee recog- nized that there are problems in the overall development of a strong. na- tional student organization and felt this is partly due to a lack of strong provincial federations to do the neces- sary organizing and development of local student organization. Some of the development commit- tee’s short term goals are: improved contact and support between locals; regular contact from provincial office to locals; sharing staff and resources between locals; and increase number of local visits from the provincial office. These short term goals are aimed at: maintaining funding levels. Medium term goals are aimed at restoring quality education, and long term goals are for student (& faculty & staff & community) control of the education system. Any students interested in seeing the full report just ask Maéerrilyn Houlihan, our business manager, for a copy. The weight room now has paid staff. Any student wanting to learn how to use the equipment or needing help setting up a program, there is now someone to assist you. Hours will be posted outside the weight room (room 1322).