PEI student Health Plan receives overhaul roublesome changes in store

By Cate Hanus HIS YEAR’S STUDENT HEALTH PLAN CARDS HAVE irrived at the Student Union office about a week and a half ago. tudents on the plan should be made aware of some changes vhich have been made to the system. As most students probably noticed when paying fees, the pst of the program went up by approximately $30 this year. his was because the cost of providing a health care program is sing. Some changes had to be made to the program itself in der to keep the price from rising even more.

The most major change was made to the drug claims an. Instead of paying a flat $5 for each prescription filled,

students will now have to cover 20% of their prescription costs. UPEI was one of the last universities in the country to make this change over from a flat fee to a percentage payment.

Some students are concerned about this change, prescriptions today tend to be fairly expensive. One example i Imitrex, which is prescribed for migraine sufferers. The cost fo six one-hundred gram tablets is approximately $120. Previ ously they would only have had to pay $5. The way the plan works now, students will have to pay $24 for this prescription. That kind of cost is difficult to fit into a student’s budget.

Other students were dismayed because they had not been consulted about making the change. They felt that the question should have come to a referendum. At some universities this would have been necessary, but since UPEI has decided that all students must have some health care other than Medicare, it is not mandatory to consult students via a referendum when such changes are made. The Student Union was almost unanimously in support ofthe changes, with only two members voting against them.

By C.A. Schneider ETWEEN SEPTEMBER 9 AND SEPTEMBER 19,

several Canadi- ans spent a long time seeking the facts behind the crisis in Rwanda. The Canadian Catholic Organi- zation for Devel- opment and Peace (CCODP) had sent a con- voy of their rep- resentatives to get the real story of life in war-torn Rwanda. ODP, which has conducted relief work in Rwanda for the last cen years, returned with a story of a country in shock and a riosity about why the Western Powers who could have ppped this never lifted a finger to do so. Among these Canadians was Prince Edward Island ident Mary Boyd. Boyd’s shock and confusion have stuck her in the months since her return. She is voicing her cerns about faulty media coverage and inactivity on the part © western powers. ‘ Rwanda’s history has been a bloody and vicious one. It first colonised by Ethiopia in the fifteenth century, causing

By Jason Roberts HE NEW STUDENT "CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND ployment Centre’? had its grand opening on Tuesday, ember 15, 1994. Dr. Eliot spoke on behalf of UPEI. Joe ‘t, the manager of the Canada Employment Centre in frlottetown, spoke about the new centre. Much of the “ing for the project is coming from his operation. Blaine sen, Director of Student Services, said a few words and then Eliot and Mr. Power performed the cake-cutting ceremony. : The new Centre’s main purpose is to help graduating nts find permanent post-graduate employment pertaining © skills they acquired as students. The Centre personnel ‘ct businesses and extoll the virtues of UPEI graduates. As » Many businesses contact the Centre to recruit students. “ntre also provides a new computer program (soon to be

anadians in Rwanda

the formation of two groups: the Hutu and the Tutsi. In 1819 the Germans colonized the area. This colony was taken over by the Belgians after Germany lost World War I. At this point it was known as Rwanda-Urundi.

In 1959 the Hutu people formed the PARMEHUTU (Party of the Emancipation of the Hutu People), who were active in the civil war of 1961. After this war, many Tutsis were forced to leave Rwanda and withdrew to Barundi, Tanzania and Uganda. These Tutsi people tried to invade Rwanda several times during the 1960’s. In 1961, Rwanda held an election under United Nation supervision and the Parmehutu formed the new government. In 1962, Rwanda became an independent republic. This gave way to a bloody civil war in 1963 that left twenty thousand people dead and all Tutsis expelled.

In 1990, the Tutsi militia tried to enter the country. They tried again in 1992, this time waiting until a new constitution was in place. This constitution allowed freedom of the press and, for the first time, limited the number of terms a president can hold. The fighting started again, this time costing the lives of three hundred Tutsis and the relocation of fifteen hundred more. On April sixth, 1994 the former prime-minister and the president were killed in a plane crash when their plane was shot out of the sky. By this time, though, the most recent rash of killings had already started.

The renewed fighting in Rwanda has sent many people searching for reasons: Boyd says one of the key reasons is poverty. Rwanda isa very poor country where all the wealth and power are in the hands of a few people. Living in one of the ten poorest countries in the world takes its toll on all people, but

on the main network) that explores career opportunities. New Student Assistant, Carolyn Shaw, says she is here to provide advice on the student job market. She can find or

The new Centre's main pur- pose is to help graduating stu- dents find permanent post- graduate employment pertain- ing to the skills they acquired as students.

those most affected are the young people. Rwandan youths feel they have no future. There is little possibility of a good job and even less of owning a home and having a family-- an important part of African values. So, these desperate young people lashed out at anything that was a sign of power and wealth-- factories, schools and such.

Another major factor in the ongoing violence is radio propaganda: one pirate radio station continually plays slogans urging listeners to hate and kill their neighbours, saying ‘‘all Tutsis must die.’’

Other reasons for the continuing violence include re- gionalism and ethnicity. Boyd says the government favoured the North side of the country over the rest; however, she also says the media has exaggerated the role of ethnic tensions in the conflict.

The CCODP fact-finders found a country in shock. In a country that had a population of 7.3 million: 1 million have been killed in this uprising; 2 million have fled the country and 1.7 million have been relocated to refugee camps. The CCODP saw deserted homes, with crops rotting in the fields because of the waste surrounding them. There is no society left: all the leaders are either dead, out of the country or hiding in fear for their lives. The militia maintained order while the CCODP was in Rwanda, and Boyd says things seemed organised.

Since returning home, Boyd claims to have heard the militia is becoming undisciplined. She believes this is due to the inability of the government to pay the young people in the MU oscar ali iy eo z the recent atrocities must be found and brought to justice through the International Tribunal approved by the United Nations. The intense need for justice seems to be the force driving the citizens of Rwanda toward an end to the violence.

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student Employment Centre grand opening

recommend jobs within students’ fields of interest, and help them in using the new computer program. Carolyn has worked at student employment centres in Summerside and Ottawa for two years, so she is experienced in these situations.

The Centre is not limited to graduating students alone; it also has a list of jobs (printed in the X-Press) for students looking for work. Jobs listed include full-time, part-time, and seasonal work. The Centre will also be holding information sessions on resume writing and job searching.

So, go down to Student Services and check it out because, after all, now is the time to be looking for that summer\post graduate employment.

For more information contact Carolyn Shaw at Student Services.

November 22, 1994

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