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Student Day of Action!

Lynn Paus OP Contributor

Douglas College — students joined 2,500 protestors gath- ered in downtown Vancouver on Wednesday, February 4, 2004, to take part in a National Day of Action to protest against steadily increasing tuition fees and rising student debt. This protest was organized by the Canadian Federation _ of Students. Similar student rallies took place throughout BC, where tuition fees have increased steadily since Liberals lifted a six-year tuition freeze imposed by the former NDP

government. In 2001, the provincial Liberals campaigned on a

promise to keep tuition fees frozen and to increase the qual- ity of education at BC colleges and universities. Since they won the election, the Liberals have done the opposite. Tuition fees have increased by 70 per- cent for undergraduate pro- grams at BC universities, and by as much as 150 percent at BC colleges and university-col- leges.

Students entering a four-year university program in 2001 would have expected to pay about $8,000 in tuition fees. Those same students will now pay $14,000 due to the increas- es. At university-colleges, the increases have been even worse and students at Okanagan University College in Kelowna, for example, have had their fees more than doubled.

It seems inevitable that a reduction in enrollment will be felt at BC colleges and universi- ties as increasingly strapped-for- cash students find themselves unable to come up with tuition fees. After two years of massive tuition increases, the Government plans to cut col- lege and university budgets by five percent next year, leaving colleges, _ university-colleges, and universities to try and make up for the shortfall the govern- ment is creating.

One of the most devastating effects of the BC Government’s aggressive tuition fee increases is growing student debt. Canadian students are accumu- lating more debt than ever before in the country’s history and the average debt load of students in Canada is well over $20,000 for a student graduat-

ing with a four-year degree.

Kelly Parry e

kelly-parry@telus.net

“Window Dressing” Throne Speech Closes Doors to

Students

Ted Morrison OP Contributor

“Tinkering around the edges of the loans programme won't help stu- dents.”

—Joe Duff, Ontario Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students

Students across Canada were happy to see new Prime Minister Paul Martin making overtures towards revamping the Canada Student Loans Programme. Included in this years Throne Speech were better part-time student support and what was described as “more inclusive” eli- gibility for low-to-middle income students. However, the Canadian Federation of Students was disap- pointed with the speech, claiming it lacks vision and courage.

“Last fall, students demonstrated that affordable education is a priori- ty for voters and convinced the Ontario Liberal government to freeze tuition fees,” said Joe Duff of the Ontario branch of the Canadian Federation of Students. “Prime Minister Martin is trying to give the impression of responding to students and parents, while delivering no seri- ous commitment to accessible post- secondary education.”

Martin promised to increase loan limits, allow more and different expenses to be claimed as legitimate

education expenses, lower thresholds to funding eligibility, and take some unspecified measures towards improving loans for part-timers. The Prime Minister also introduced a new grant for first-year students.

This is a particularly sharp knock to students in BC, who have faced sharp rises in tuition over several years, as well as additional non- tuition costs such as Student Society fees, medical plans, and transit pass- es. Elsewhere in Canada, particular- ly in the provinces with moribund economies, fees have been frozen or reduced: Manitoba, Newfoundland, and Labrador are three examples.

The new Liberal government in Ontario has made a recent pledge to freeze tuition fees, following surges under the Harris Conservatives of up to 800 per cent in some cases. Students in the province have been graduating with average debt loads around $25, 000, and Duff feels that the Throne Speech promises only more debt from the Feds:

“Doling out more loans will only mean that low-income students owe more and pay more through com- pound interest,” he argued.

Duff claims that as finance minis- ter, Paul Martin presided over $4 bil-

lion in cuts to federal funding of

Anti-Depressant Advisory

Theresa Laviolette OP Contributor

A reported connection between some of the newer anti-depressants and an increased risk of suicide-relat- ed events in patients less than 18 years of age has pricked the ears of Canadian health authorities.

Health Canada recently issued an advisory aimed toward Canadians under the age of 18 to consult their doctors if they are being treated with the newer anti-depressants—either SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re- uptake Inhibitors) or SNRIs (Serotonin Noradrenaline Re-uptake

ae | Page 4 _hittp://www.otherpress.ca

Inhibitors.) The specific drugs

named are:

* Celexa ® (citalopram)

¢ Effexor ® (venlaflaxine)

* Luvox ® (fluvoxamine)

* Paxil ® (paroxetine)

* Prozac ® (fluoxetine)

¢ Remeron ® (mirtazapine)

¢ Zoloft ® (sertraline)

In addition, Health Canada has requested that manufacturers of these newer anti-depressants provide comprehensive worldwide safety data for their drugs when they are prescribed to people under age 18. No deadline date for the presenta- tion of this information has been specified.

Concerns that these classes of drugs could cause suicide were con- sidered, and rejected, by regulators in the early nineties. However, claims have recently been made that drug makers may have withheld evidence of the suicide risk from regulators. In

Canadian post-second- ary institu- tions, and he wants those tax dollars Pa Ork. 2 “Martin’s Throne Speech made absolutely no mention of restoring funding so the provinces could reduce tuition fees and improve quality.”

Here in BC, the rises have not been as sharp, and BC students pay less on average than students else- where. The cuts, though, are nonetheless keenly felt: Information from the CFS website claims that tuition has risen by $1000 to over $1800 depending on the type of institution attended.

Despite this rise in the cost of post-secondary education, more peo- ple have been applying to attend schools in BC, with the result that in spite of rising tuition revenues, class sizes, and quality of education and material have allegedly taken a turn for the worse.

Summer McFadyen, BC CFS

addition, last June British drug authorities reported that unpub- lished studies about the drug Paxil indicated that it carried a substantial risk of prompting suicidal thoughts in teenagers and children. The US Food and Drug Administration sub- sequently endorsed these reports.

While use of SSRI/SNRIs in patients under 18 years of age is not officially approved in Canada, deci- sions regarding which drugs to pre- scribe to any patient are always at the discretion of the consulting physi- cian. Doctors traditionally rely on their personal knowledge of their patient to determine whether or not to prescribe any particular drug. Such practice is referred to as “off label” use and is routinely practiced by doctors.

It is important for patients of any age to be aware that they should not abruptly discontinue use of any anti- depressants without first consulting with their doctor, as there is a risk of discontinuation symptoms. These

February 18, 2004

chairperson, wrote in the UBC Tyee that according to a study by the University Teachers Association of BC “undergraduate university stu- dents today are paying more than at any other time in the past century, and six times what a student was charged in 1914.” She also claims that the increased tuition “keeps poorer students out of college and harms our democracy.” McFadyen is supported in this view by no less than noteable John Ralston Saul (the Governor-General’s other half).

It remains to be seen in BC whether the BC Liberals’ “business- based” view of education as a com- modity, or the CFS’ perception of education as a right is more viable, or whether some compromise is more realistic than either.

symptoms can include headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and an increase in anxiety, depression, and restlessness. The severity of the symptoms may be directly related to the strength of the drug dosage, and in abrupt withdrawal of higher dosages hallucinations can occur. The advisory does not apply to the approved uses of these drugs in adults. It should also be noted that the drug Wellbutrin ® (bupropion) is not included in the advisory. Reasons for the omission of this drug were not given. For further informa- tion public inquiries can be directed

to 613.957.2991.