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The Cadre
* 23 March 1999
Quebec college students demand more funds
By JOSH BERNATCHEZ
MONTREAL (CUP) - Students from across the province plan to hit the streets next week to de- mand a reinvestment in Quebec’s beleaguered col- lege system.
The protest, sched- uled for March 24, is be- ing organized by the Coa- lition Etudiante Montréal- Métropolitain, the Fédération Etudiante Collégiale du Québec and the Fédération Etudiante Universitaire du Québec.
The student lobby groups want the Parti Quebecois government to direct more funds toward post-secondary education, specifically the province’s CEGEP schools and finan- cial aid system.
While many CEGEP schools are planning to participate in the demon- stration that comes on the heels of the latest provin- cial budget, some say they want no part of the event.
The student union at Dawson College, one of Montreal’s largest Eng- lish-language colleges, has decided not to participate in the protest even though it wants to see a reinvest- ment in education.
“I can’t support a protest when I don’t agree with all the issues,” said student Eric Hortop, chair of the school’s media council. Specifically, the
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student council disagrees with the demand that Ot- tawa transfer Quebec’s share of the Millennium Scholarship Fund to the province’s own financial aid system.
“Fewer students would fall through the cracks if we had a second system,” Hortop ex- plained.
The student union also disagrees with the de- cision to rally against so- called Mushrrom Fees in the province, whereby col- leges introduce additional small fees to maintain their funding.
“Students would suf- fer more from a poorly funded education system than a two dollar fee,” Hortop said.
The three main stu- dent groups organizing next week’s protest, how- ever, want the province to ban such fees, arguing they’re an other barrier to low-income students.
Student union presi- dent Derek Vincent agreed with the decision not to en- dorse next week’s protest.
“I think they made the right decision based on Dawson and the particular situation,” he said.
Although the student union voted not to support the demonstration, it will still allow posters advertis- ing it to be placed on cam- pus and is circulating infor- mation about the event.
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Student union buys bank shares to get say on student loans
By NATALIE MACLELLAN
HALIFAX (CUP) — For a chance to say their piece about the future of student loans, Dalhousie Universi- ty’s student union bought about $10,000 worth of bank shares.
The union bought 100 shares in both the Bank of Nova Scotia and the Bank of Montreal, giving them a seat at the banks’ annual share- holders’ meetings held in Halifax over the past three weeks.
Dalhousie Student Union president Ted Chiasson says he bought the shares out of concern over upcoming federal student loan renegotiations.
“We have one shot to make it good for students,” he said. “I just needed to talk to the banks and it seemed like the place to talk to them.”
At the meetings Chiasson presented his pro- rere that students and banks
obby Ottawa together.
“I told them I realized they were a bank and not a charity but we had to work together for the future of the country,” he said.
The federal govern- ment considering harmoniz- ing federal and provincial student loans into one pro- gram for the whole country.
Chiasson says it’s im- portant that students’ voices be heard in the debate. And he says the best way to en- sure that is through dialogue, not protests.
“If you go and picket a bank you will get some headlines but you won’t any clear message throu he said. “It’s not going to do any good attacking the banks.”
‘As for whether it was
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wise to invest $10,000 of stu- dent union money in the bank shares, Chiasson says it was a safe investment since the shares can be sold again at close to their current value. Chiasson says the money was well spent. But the banks aren’t so sure. “The approach was very creative,” said Shelley Jourard, senior manager of public affairs at the Bank of Nova Scotia. “But I’m not sure if the annual meeting of shareholders is the best fo- rum for the discussion.” Although Chiasson brought the issue to the share- holders’ attention, it wasn’t necessarily something they wanted to hear, Jourard said.
“There is a problem with the student loan pro- gram,”-she said. “It doesn’t work.”
Bank of Montreal spokesman Rick Kuwayti agrees.
He says he doubts his bank will become involved in the Canada Student Loans program anytime soon.
“Over two thirds of students don’t qualify for government funding,” he said. There’s a large part of the market not being served.”
The Bank of Montreal is focusing on those students with its own student loan pro- gram that includes a line of credit and a student credit card, Kuwayti said.
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