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University of Prince Edward Island

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September 17, 1996

CASA Says _ It's OK to steal our money

By Rachel Furey

OTTAWA (CUP)-- Pat FitzPatrick still hasn't been charged with any crimes eight months after a national stu- dent organization alleged he embezzled almost one third of its budget.

Last January members of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations told the Canadian University Press they were pushing to lay charges against FitzPatrick in Ottawa and New Brunswick. They alleged he misappropri- ated close to $40,000 in stu- dent funds.

The association's na- tional director said Ottawa police agreed to investigate two charges -- writing a fraudulent cheque and theft of $2,225. Staff Sgt. Tom MacKay says the Ottawa po-

Women Pay More for Education

By Samer Muscati

OTTAWA (CUP) -- In- creasing tuition fees cost women more than men because women take longer to pay off their student loans, says a fed- eral study.

Eventhough women bor- tow similar amounts as their male counterparts, they still have a harder time paying back their loans since they graduate into lower paying jobs, says the Statistics Canada study.

"There will be more hardship for women if tuition fees keep rising," said Rose Beatty, Director of Education forthe Canadian Federation of University Women, a federal lobby group on education and human rights issues.

lice never received any com- plaint.

Peter Nogalo, a former student councilor at Carleton University, which was a CASA member at the time, said he is shocked the asso- ciation hasn't pressed any charges in Ottawa.

"They had a responsi- bility to theirmembers to fol- low up on the issue," he said.

Alex Usher, then CASA national director, saidrecently that no charges were laid in

Ottawa because "it would |

have cost more to pursue them than we'd have gotten [from winning the case]."

MacKay said it. would not cost CASA anything to file a case. He added CASA had the option of taking the case to small claims court where no lawyer is needed

"It will be tougher for women to getauniversity edu- cation and it will require more perseverance."

Since women work in lower paying jobs, ittakes them on average longer to pay off their loans -- meaning greater interest charges and more debt. This places an unfair burden on them, says the study.

The overall wage gap between the sexes in Canada remains substantial -- women working full-time in 1994 took home an average of just sev- enty cents for every dollar earned by a man, a decline of two cents from 1993. Stats

Continued Page 2

and there is only a $45 fee. The newnational direc- tor of CASA, Matthew Hough, said he wants to drop the issue. "We've done what we could [and] I'm not going to

lose any sleep over it," he

For those “students who wonder ing.

said.

Most of the $40,000 is alleged to have been misap- propriated in Fredericton, where FitzPatrick served as vice-president of the Univer- sity of New Brunswick stu- dent council. Fredericton re-

this is what money looks like.

gional police did conduct an investigation and the file has been turned over to the Fredericton Crown Attorney's office. According to New Brunswick law, until the Crown Attorney's office de- termines the likelihood of conviction, the police cannot charge FitzPatrick. The file has been in the Crown Attor- ney's office for abouta month.

Paul Hawkins, Crown Prosecutor for the Province of New Brunswick, admitted that cases of this nature nor- mally don't take this long to process, buthe said there have been some unrelated delays such as employee vacations.

The Regional Crown Prosecutor's office in Fredericton said that if there are charges laid they will be

Continued Page 2

Candidates to Heat Up the Pit

Tom R. Beveridge

With the support of the UPEI Student Union, time has been provided for students and the general public to hear the current Liberal Leader- ship Candidates debate their issues and potential policies on campus. On September 18, starting at 12:30pm in the Pit, candidates will present themselves and their ideas. A moderator is being sought, and will be screening ques- tions from the audience to avoid repetition. Following the question and answer pe- riod, each candidate will be given two minutes to sum up their position in closing com- ments.

Every student is en- couraged to attend this event, as they will be affected by the policies and decisions made by these candidates. Each student may wish to consider questions or concerns so that they can use this opportunity to further debate. An exam- ple ofa current concern is the possibility of lowering tuition, or having the tax on text books increased.

The event will be very informative for everyone at- tending, and should not be thought of as a dull experi- ence. Ian"Tex" MacDonald, currently Mayor of Charlottetown, has already

confirmed to speak. Rather than simply having an infor- mation session, Wayne Cheverie and Keith Milligan, both currently sitting in the PEI provincial cabinet, have been invited to take part ina debate. With all the candi- dates present, the rhetoric will surely heat things up in the Pit. This event will provide students and the general pub- lic with insight into how PEI may be governed in the fu- ture.

Ed. Note: Check out the editorial section for a let- ter from Tex MacDonald.

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