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right direction,” Young says. “However, it would be more effective to promote work initia- tives for students, like paid internship, [and] coop programs.”

Young believes these initiatives would have provided students with better, more mar- ketable skills, with the added benefit of money, which could be put towards tuition. Summer earning are often not enough.

Binns is commit- ted to invest in education

PEI goverment assures | 2 Montreal Massacre: 10 Years Later

it will work with UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan and the University Community to meet the needs of students, Young believes this is not clearly target- ing the problem.

“The hard truth is the ‘needs of students in the new millennium’ is [putting an end to] rising tuition of almost 10 per cent a year, outrageous student loans and subse- quent debts amounting to upwards of 25, 000 dollars after 4 years,” Young says, questioning what the Binns gov-

“Special attention will he given to the skills

and training.

“We will con- tinue to invest in educa- tion and training. Special attention will be given to the skills necessary for the new millennium,” says Binns, insisting that the solid base provided by a good education should never be ne- glected.

“This is so ambiguous,” says Young. “We don’t know if that means the govern- ment is open to the idea of reducing or freezing tuition, or simply re- negociate with the university administra- tion.”

Although, the

ernment will do specifi- cally to help students.

Kristin Little, 3" year psyhology major agrees.

“T think they should make more money available, not necessarily through loans, but rather through scholarships and bursa- ries, to help us,” says — Little.

B.J McCarville, Vice President External, and liaison officer between the Union and all groups outside the university, including the PEI government, was unavailable for com-

ment. : fo

by Toby Cameron

A decade ago, something happened that would change Canadians forever, and leave a legacy of fear for all Canadian women, young and old, for all the generations to follow. What happened, you ask? One of the most

senseless, tragic, horren-

dous crimes against women in Canadian history.

On Dec. 6, 1989, students at the Univer- sity of Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique were near the end of their second last day of classes before exams. At about five o'clock, a twenty-five year-old man entered the school with a grudge to settle. As he made his way to the second floor, he encountered twenty- five year-old finance department employee Maryse Laganiere. He lifted his .223 calibre Strum Ruger semi- automatic rifle, fired, and counted his first victim.

The intruder continued down the hallway to classroom 303, where he ordered all the males to leave the room. They thought it was a joke until he brandished his rifle. Obligingly the men left the room -- and their female classmates -- behind. The man then yelled: “You’re all a bunch of feminists and I hate feminists!” With

a

that he opened fire. In a matter of seconds six of the ten women in the room were dead. Returning to the first floor, the intruder fired mercilessly at students fleeing for cover, then made his way to the cafeteria where he shot and killed three more women. Back upstairs he entered another classroom and opened fire, sending students and professors scrambling for cover. Leaping over and on top of desks, he shot at women desperately

blamed them for all the failures in his life. What did that mean? Was this an act of isolated unpre- dictable madness, or did it represent an extreme, but perhaps inevitable, aspect of the continuum of violence experienced by women everywhere? The Montreal Massacre, as it became known, like no other event before it, focused national attention on the issue of violence against women. Memorial services were held all across the country (and continue to be held

Finally the intruder turned his gun on himself and ended the most horrendous killing spree in Canadian history.

trying to hide. Four more women lay dead. Finally, after a gruelling twenty min- utes, the intruder turned his gun on himself and ended the most horren- dous killing spree in Canadian history. Four- teen women were dead, and nine women and four men were injured. The end of this man’s life marked the begin- ning of a period of mourning, not only for the families of the vic- tims but for the entire country. It was also the start of a period of national reflection. It was clear that this man

ee ee

every year since) to remember the fourteen women and all other women who are victims of violence. The federal government declared Dec. 6a national day of remembrance and action on violence against women. The white ribbon campaign came into being to give voice to the growing number of men who were speak- ing out against violence against women. Progress was made, but we have a long way to go.

Most of us were too young to have a clear

continued on page 8

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