January 26, 1999

Minister of Advanced Educ

By Nicole Larson

Andrew Pettar, the
British Colombian
Minister of advanced
education, visited
UNBC on January 5th,
1999 to answer some
questions that appar-
ently were on the mind
of most of the UNBC
population. Pettar met
with President Jago,
and representatives of

UNBC’s board of direc- -

tor’s before going on a
tour of UNBC and
meeting with several
students in the Doug
Little Lounge.

It was in the Lounge
that Pettar came under
fire from UNBC stu-
dents. Questions about
the tuition freeze cur-
rently in place in British
Columbia, as well as
the need for an
increase in the money
UNBC received in gov-
ernment grants, but the
most important ques-
tions,. the ones about
new buildings were
saved for last.

When one student
asked about UNBC’s
bursting science pro-
' gram and the need for
_anew, larger laboratory
building, Pettar
laughed and said, “Are
you a plant from the
President?” before he

went one to explain
that he would definitely
go back to parliament
said, “! will do what |
can to argue for capital
funding for a new lab
building.”

The response to his
comment was, “So can
we look for = an
announcement on
Monday?”

The issue of UNBC’s
non-existent sports

“Are you a
plant from the
President?”

Andrew Pettar,
Minister of Advanced

Education
facilities was also
brought up. Chris Reid,
the ‘ Northern

Undergraduate
Student's | Society
Treasurer, pointed out
that many _ students
come to a university for
its social aspects, and
asked if capital funding
for a real gymnasium
was forth coming as
well. Pettar answer to
this was while a sport-

splex is a priority, it is ©

not as high of one as

the lab building and
that funding from the
private sector should
be looked into in this
area. ;

After the open stu-
dent question period
Minister Pettar present-
ed UNBC with a framed
copy of the McLean's
Guide to Universities
for its 9th place stand-
ing. While presenting
the award,
signed by Premier Glen
Clark, local MLA’s Paul
Ramsey and Lois Boon
as well as Pettar him-
self, Pettar made a flub
that could not be over
looked by the crowd.
As Pettar congratulated
UNBC he used the
analogy of an -expan-
sion sports team and
accidentally called the
Prince George
Cougars, the Kamloops
Cougars, the crowd-
booed politely but
booed non the less.
Pettar’s visit appeared
to be a success, at
least from the point of
view of UNBC stu-
dents. Many concerns
were aired and if a lab
building and more
grants do materialize in
the near future it could
be because of this visit.

NEwS ,
ation Answers the Questions of UNBC

which ~

Over The Edge Page 3

Posing for the cameras in the Wintergarden, UNBC’s
President Jago, MLA Lois Boone, MLA Paul Ramsay and
Minister of Advanced Education Andrew Pettar. photo by
Nicole Larson

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