January 21, 2008

The Benefits of Membership with the
Canadian Federation of Students

By Ally MacGrotty, External Relations Coordinator, Douglas Students’ Union

Sian at Douglas College voted
democratically to create the Douglas
Students’ Union ensuring that the
provincial government would provide
legislation to protect a student’s right
to organise and participate in their
local, provincial and national student
movement. As a student .at Douglas,
you automatically benefit from being a
member of the Union.
Similarly to the DSU, students at the
College also voted to become members
of the Canadian Federation of Students.
Since that time, the Union has acted as
a liaison between the Federation and
students while helping administer the
campaigns and services on a day-to-day
basis.

In some cases, students may not
be aware of the benefits and’ services
that they are entitled to. I’ve been at
Douglas now for three years and when
I first started, I had many questions
about many things: questions about the
learning centre, questions about the
registrar’s office, questions about the
library and ultimately questions about
the Students’ Union. I honestly had to
seek out information for myself and I
was glad I did. I learned that students
represent me, a member of the DSU and
CFS, not only at a local level, but also
at the provincial and national level, on
issues that directly affected and related
to my needs at school!

Here are a few of the tangible
benefits of being a member of the DSU,
as well as the CFS. They both provide
the Union with many advantages.

DSU

Services:

1) Discounted photocopying for
members that is cheaper than the
library copiers on campus (0.05
cents for black and white, 0.35 cents
for colour).

2) Free local faxing at the Union office
and only 0.75 cents for long distance
faxes.

3) Lockers rentals at only $10.00 per
semester.

4) The Online Book Swap to sell and
buy books at www.cfslocal18.ca/

bookswap

5) The Free Phone just outside the
Resource Office in the SUB

6) Advocacy/Ombudsperson who

assists students in cases of on-
campus discrimination, sexual
harassment, threats of violence,
teacher/student conflicts, problems
with the registrar’s office and grade
appeals.

7) The Union is the caretakers of the
bulletin boards at the New West and
David Lam Campus. It approves
all postings with a stamp in the
Resource Office and maintains the

cleanliness of them.

8) Members of the DSU can start a
club or association and can receive
matched funding from the Union.
Certain criteria is required to be
eligible for matched funding, such
as volunteer hours. In return, the
club will receive the same amount
of money that the club has raised
from the Union. This is great for
graduating students who want to
host a celebration event or other
extra-curricular activities.

9) The Union facilitates off -campus
accommodation and housing for
members seeking a place to live,
or seeking a roommate, by posting
information in a designated area in
front of the Resource Office, as well
as directing them to the easy-to-
use website www.homes4students.
ca. This is a service operated by
the Federation to help students find
accommodation close to their post-
secondary school.

Events:

1) The Students Union Building’s
(SUB) Upper Lounge provides
a quiet study area with couches,
tables, chairs, and a patio that also
holds monthly special events such
as pancake breakfasts, pub nights,
transit consultations, environmental
and women’s workshops, BBQ’s,
movie nights, and more!

Campaigns:

1) In early May, the Union saw the

2)

3)

 

potential of organising a transit
petition to collectively seek the
interest of students in regards to
the EverGreen Bus Line between
New West and David Lam Campus.
Overwhelmingly, students were for
it and expressed strong interest.
Douglas is patiently waiting for the
day that it becomes the top priority
of TransLink to achieve a U-Pass for
Douglas students, which the DSU is
very actively supporting.

One of my personal goals is
sustainability on campus. Through
the Union, the DSU is planning a
“Water Taste Test” Campaign to get
students to compare the difference
between tap water and_ bottled
water in terms of taste, cost, waste,
and convenience: all aspects worth
considering. Through this campaign,
I want to inform students that they
can come to the DSU Resource
Office with a portable water bottle
and get free water from our bulk
purchase of Canadian Springs. I
already see students doing it and
it would be even better if more
students knew the benefits that are
available to them.

The DSU has received many
signatures for the “We Ride”
Campaign, along with the “Reduce
Tuition Fees” and “Grants, Not
Loans” campaigns and of course
the DSU: Douglas Students’ Union
— Local 18 Facebook Group!

CFS

Services

1)

2)

3)

4)

The membership handbook and day
planner is a service provided by the
Federation. The value of the book is
$10.00; the Union only pays $2.20
of the cost of each. The handbook
includes your membership
information about the Federation
and the Union, as well as info on
current issues such as, financial aid,
services, campaigns, tenants’ rights,
workers’ rights, college services, the
health and dental plan info, Student
Saver Card, and of course, the daily

agenda.
The Federation produces over
300,000 handbooks a year for

students across the country. By
printing the calendar and other key
sections of the handbook together,
each student union across the country
is able to save money ona very high
quality book with many’ advanced

features. The book is printed
on 100% recycled paper using

vegetable based inks, it includes a
full-colour cover, stickers to keep
track of exams, special dates, and
your StudentSaver discount card in
the back.

An argument can arise that though
Simon Fraser Students’ Society
(SFSS) purchased last year’s
agendas outside of the Federation
and got them fairly cheaper, it was
ultimately unfortunate because the
agenda was, in my opinion, of much
lower quality. The agenda lacked a
lot of information and | found that
students that had transferred from
Douglas to SFU came back to get the
DSU agenda over the SFU agenda.
The DSU administers the Health
& Dental Plan provided through
the not-for-profit National Student
Health Network, a service of the
Federation. Full-time students are
automatically enrolled every fall
semester when the student pays
their tuition. The plan covers 80
percent of prescriptions, physio
therapy, massage and much more. A
member can also opt-out of the plan
if they are covered elsewhere.
StudentPhones.com gives exclusive
discounts to Federation members
with Rogers, Fido and Virgin
Mobile cell phone companies.
Studentminutes.com keeps you in
touch with your friends and family
by offering the best rates for long
distance with no service fees at
all. (2.9 cents per minute in North
America)

International Student Identity Card
(ISIC) provided by the Federation

Continued on Pg 9

t