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January 30, 1997 Memorial University of Newfoundland Volume 48, Number 14 Students rally against education cuts Numbers lower than previous years as only about 1,000 participate By AMANDA LABONTE It was small but loud. Students from MUN, the Marine Institute, the College of the North Atlantic, and even some from local high schools gathered in the Thomson Student Centre gym on Jan. 28 to protest government cuts to education and rising debt-loads. The rally was part of the nationwide Day of Action sponsored by the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). Numbers fluctuated throughout the day, with the crowd swelling to about 1,000 at its peak. Although smaller in size than the protests of 1996 and 1995, which drew 2,500 and 5,000 students respectively, this year's crowd was no less pas- Emergency loan fund dry again By MICHAEL CONNORS Memorial's emergency student loan fund has been drained for the third time in a year and a half. The $86,000 fund, which is jointly funded by the Department of Student Services and the CSU, was not only emptied, but overdrawn by $32,000 after 581 students made emergency loan requests in a period of three weeks. Wayne Clarke, director of general student services, says the administration is looking for more money to add to the fund, but it isn't looking good, especially now that the fund is in deficit. The fund, which is normally allocated $ 100,000every semester, started the year with less money because of unpaid loans from last semester. Clarke says the amount of bad-debt in the Correction In the Jan. 23 issue of The Muse, the banner headline on the front page read: "Prof suspended without pay." The professor in question, Aziz Rahman, has appealed the suspension, and is still teaching and receiving pay from the university until the matter goes to arbitration. The Muse recognizes the headline did not accurately reflect the story and apologizes. "I think it's a right and a responsibility to protest against things that we don't agree with," said one of the protesters. The rally began at 11:30 am with speeches from student leaders and members of local unions. Added attractions included a mock jail cell for students "sentenced to debt" and a stuffed Jean Chretien which people were encouraged to kick. "It is with great frustration that we see what is happening today," said Brendan Doyle, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association. "Students are prepared, they have the where-with-all in skills and prerequisites and we're having these artificial barriers put up." CSU President Keith Clarke stressed several issues affecting students, including the recent dry up of the Emergency Student Loan Fund, the increase in the number of students going to the campus food bank in recent years, and the 4.5 per cent tuition fee increase planned for this summer. Also, back again from last year, • Please see "Protesters"page 9 fund is usually small, but it sometimes takes students a long time to pay the money back. The largest amount of money a student can borrow from the fund is $250, with loans being given out on the basis of need. This has become a chronic problem with the emergency student loan fund. Last winter the fund ran dry by mid-February even after the CSU and administration combined kicked in an extra $70,000. Keith Clarke, president of the CSU, says tuition fees have increased so much in the past few years that many students are constantly forced to scrape together a few dollars just to stay in school. "It just goes to show that current student aid levels are not reflective of the costs of living, the costs of books, the cost of tuition, the whole cost of univer- • Please see "Emergency" page 4 Several hundred students occupied the lobby of the Confederation Building during the January 28 Day of Action. They were protesting rising tuition fees. Photo by Aaron Siegei Loan remission appeals go well, say student leaders By MICHAEL CONNORS Student leaders are expressing guarded optimism about the province's loan remission program after some concerns were answered during the appeals process, but they still say there are problems. Students graduating from post-secondary schools this year were the first to be able to take advantage of a provincial program which promised to forgive debts in excess of $22,000, but only if they finished their degrees within a year of the prescribed time. The timely-completion requirement drew heavy criticism from student groups who claimed it was too restrictive and didn't take into account certain realities of student life which could legitimately delay graduation. Those student groups said their concerns were proven last November when only 30 per cent of the 290 students who applied for debt-relief qualified for remissions. But now there is a chance the criteria will be relaxed and more students could qualify because • Please see "Gov't"page 4 STRETCH EVERY Long Distance NICKEL on direct dialed and Calling Card calls. Anywhere in Canada. Saturday Nights 5^ A Minute January 17 to February 21 6 p.m.-8 a.m. /? NEW7EL L/— TJteHotfieTeartr
Object Description
Title | The Muse, vol. 48, no. 14 (30 January 1998) |
Date | 30 January 1998 |
Description | The Muse, vol. 48, no. 14 (30 January 1998) |
Type | Text |
Resource Type | Newspaper |
Format | Image/jpeg; Application/pdf |
Language | eng |
Collection | The Muse |
Sponsor | Centre for Newfoundland Studies |
Source | Paper text held in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies |
Repository | Memorial University of Newfoundland. Libraries. Centre for Newfoundland Studies |
PDF File | (19.84MB) -- http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/muse/TheMusevol48no1430January1998.pdf |
Date created | 2018-04-03 |
Description
Title | Cover |
Description | The Muse, vol. 48, no. 14 (30 January 1998) |
PDF File | (19.84MB) -- http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/muse/TheMusevol48no1430January1998.pdf |
Transcript | January 30, 1997 Memorial University of Newfoundland Volume 48, Number 14 Students rally against education cuts Numbers lower than previous years as only about 1,000 participate By AMANDA LABONTE It was small but loud. Students from MUN, the Marine Institute, the College of the North Atlantic, and even some from local high schools gathered in the Thomson Student Centre gym on Jan. 28 to protest government cuts to education and rising debt-loads. The rally was part of the nationwide Day of Action sponsored by the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). Numbers fluctuated throughout the day, with the crowd swelling to about 1,000 at its peak. Although smaller in size than the protests of 1996 and 1995, which drew 2,500 and 5,000 students respectively, this year's crowd was no less pas- Emergency loan fund dry again By MICHAEL CONNORS Memorial's emergency student loan fund has been drained for the third time in a year and a half. The $86,000 fund, which is jointly funded by the Department of Student Services and the CSU, was not only emptied, but overdrawn by $32,000 after 581 students made emergency loan requests in a period of three weeks. Wayne Clarke, director of general student services, says the administration is looking for more money to add to the fund, but it isn't looking good, especially now that the fund is in deficit. The fund, which is normally allocated $ 100,000every semester, started the year with less money because of unpaid loans from last semester. Clarke says the amount of bad-debt in the Correction In the Jan. 23 issue of The Muse, the banner headline on the front page read: "Prof suspended without pay." The professor in question, Aziz Rahman, has appealed the suspension, and is still teaching and receiving pay from the university until the matter goes to arbitration. The Muse recognizes the headline did not accurately reflect the story and apologizes. "I think it's a right and a responsibility to protest against things that we don't agree with," said one of the protesters. The rally began at 11:30 am with speeches from student leaders and members of local unions. Added attractions included a mock jail cell for students "sentenced to debt" and a stuffed Jean Chretien which people were encouraged to kick. "It is with great frustration that we see what is happening today," said Brendan Doyle, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association. "Students are prepared, they have the where-with-all in skills and prerequisites and we're having these artificial barriers put up." CSU President Keith Clarke stressed several issues affecting students, including the recent dry up of the Emergency Student Loan Fund, the increase in the number of students going to the campus food bank in recent years, and the 4.5 per cent tuition fee increase planned for this summer. Also, back again from last year, • Please see "Protesters"page 9 fund is usually small, but it sometimes takes students a long time to pay the money back. The largest amount of money a student can borrow from the fund is $250, with loans being given out on the basis of need. This has become a chronic problem with the emergency student loan fund. Last winter the fund ran dry by mid-February even after the CSU and administration combined kicked in an extra $70,000. Keith Clarke, president of the CSU, says tuition fees have increased so much in the past few years that many students are constantly forced to scrape together a few dollars just to stay in school. "It just goes to show that current student aid levels are not reflective of the costs of living, the costs of books, the cost of tuition, the whole cost of univer- • Please see "Emergency" page 4 Several hundred students occupied the lobby of the Confederation Building during the January 28 Day of Action. They were protesting rising tuition fees. Photo by Aaron Siegei Loan remission appeals go well, say student leaders By MICHAEL CONNORS Student leaders are expressing guarded optimism about the province's loan remission program after some concerns were answered during the appeals process, but they still say there are problems. Students graduating from post-secondary schools this year were the first to be able to take advantage of a provincial program which promised to forgive debts in excess of $22,000, but only if they finished their degrees within a year of the prescribed time. The timely-completion requirement drew heavy criticism from student groups who claimed it was too restrictive and didn't take into account certain realities of student life which could legitimately delay graduation. Those student groups said their concerns were proven last November when only 30 per cent of the 290 students who applied for debt-relief qualified for remissions. But now there is a chance the criteria will be relaxed and more students could qualify because • Please see "Gov't"page 4 STRETCH EVERY Long Distance NICKEL on direct dialed and Calling Card calls. Anywhere in Canada. Saturday Nights 5^ A Minute January 17 to February 21 6 p.m.-8 a.m. /? NEW7EL L/— TJteHotfieTeartr |
Date created | 2018-04-03 |