>> photo by Salar Motahari
Governor General Adrienne Clarkson visited UNBC on October 6 to discuss
Canada’s role in the global north. Clarkson's visit marked the first time a
Governor General had come to our school, and the press opportunity was not
lost - Clarkson spent most of her tour of the campus being hounded by photog-
raphers. ;

Professor Fights Ignorance
Many myths remain about Inuit Seal Hunt

by Maggie Gilbert
>> Arts Editor

International Studies professor
Heather Myers recently returned
from Europe where she was an
expert witness regarding the boy-
cott of the Inuit seal hunt in north-
ern Canada.

The boycott began in the mid
1980's from an outcry against the
Newfoundland seal hunt practices.
The price of seal-pelts went down
from $80 a pelt to five dollars a pelt
and the Inuit people suffered eco-
nomically as a result. In recent
years prices have begun to rise
again, up to $60, and another pub-
lic outcry has resulted.

Myers was invited as a part of a
panel to speak to various groups,
including the Council of Europe,
regarding the possibility of another

boycott. The panel included two.

>»

anti-seal hunt speakers, a represen-
tative from the Department of
Fisheries and Oceans, a physiolo-
gist from Norway and Heather
Myers.

Myers, who specializes in north-
em communities and their tradi-
tional economies, said that the
panel had to spend a large quantity
of time dispelling the incorrect

. information that the Council and

the other various groups had been
given.

The European groups were
under the impression that the
hunts are unsustainable, inhu-
mane, a scapegoat to save cod, not
worth much to According to
Myers, speaking to the various
groups was like “talking to a brick
wall”. ‘

The participants refused to

>> continued on page 2

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October 27, 2004

-UNBC Enrollment Static

Large graduating class, high tuition fees
leading to stagnation in student numbers

by Corey Scofield
>> Staff Writer

Recent statistics released by the
University are showing that
enrollment levels have not risen
but in fact have remained static
over the past academic year,
something that has not happened
before in the University’s history.

The latest figures show about
3600 students enrolled for the
2004/2005 academic year- the
same amount of students regis-
tered for the 2003/2004 year, with
the most optimistic figure show-
ing only about a 1% increase in
enrollment over last year.

According to enrollment: fig-
ures, more than 1200 new stu-
dents began studies at UNBC this
school year, an increase of
approximately 100 students over
last year. Coupled with the
largést-ever graduating class of
738 students last year, student
numbers have remained on par
with last year.

Statistics for this year show a
1% increase in the amount of full-
time students over last year, as
well as large increases in First
Nations and international stu-
dents-enrolled at UNBC.

' Prior -to this year UNBC’s
enrollment growth had been on a
steady increase from the universi-
ty’s official opening in August of
1994.

While the large size of last
year’s graduating class can be
blamed for this year’s static
enrollment levels, the amount of
new students enrolling at UNBC
is not increasing as much as it has
in previous years.

According to statistics provid-
ed by the Board of Governors,
UNBC’s entering cohort usually
increases by 1%, or about 300 new
first year students every year.

However this year’s cohort of
first year students only increased
by one third of a percent, and
some feel the constant increases
in tuition fees are creating barri-
ers to higher education.

UNBC is well into its third year
of tuition increases and students
are now paying a staggering 66%
more in tuition fees since the
2002-03 academic year.

With fees up another 10% from
last year, full-time students in
pursuit of their undergraduate
degree this academic year will
pay on average $4030 in tuition
fees, up from $3700 last semester.
At this time, there is no indication
that these increases will come to

an end anytime in the near future.

All indications are now show-
ing, that enrollment rates among
BC’s regional and rural colleges,
such as Prince George’s own
College of New Caledonia are
suffering significant enrollment
decreases since the provincial
governments lifting of the tuition
freeze instituted by the NDP in
1996.

Given BC's differing areas of
economic robustness, students
wishing to pursue a post-sec-
ondary education are now more
likely to travel farther to larger
urban centers such as Victoria or
Vancouver, where they are more
likely to obtain part time employ-
ment.

Robert Mealey, local student
representative of the Canadian
Federation of Students at Prince
Getrge’s College of New
Caledonia, now spear-heading
the college’s faction of the CFS’s

“Bring Tuition Fees Back to Earth’

Tour,” had said that enrollment
levels on the CNC campus are
“visibly down,” a phenomenon
experienced not only at CNC but

_ also Cranbrook’s College of the

Rockies given recent figures.
CNC’s enrollment numbers

dropped by 6.7% the first year of

tuition increases, and as of

September 2004 tuition cost at the
College of New Caledonia will
have risen 114% since the tuition
fee increases in 2001 instituted by
the BC Liberal Party under
Premier Gordon Campbell.

1000

94 95 96 97 98 G9 00 O1
Student Enrollment (fall semester)

With student tuition revenues
now making up 27% of the uni-
versities operating budget, these
new revenues are now being uti-
lized to improve the universities
research facilities, support gradu-
ate studies here at UNBC, as well
as strengthen infrastructure and
provide additional funds in areas
of enrollment growth.

Given these recent enrollment
figures the challenge set before
university administration has-
become to keep the pace of enroll- °
ment growth in line with further
expansive projects. The first test
of course being UNBC’s new
Northern Health and Medical ©
Centre, a new state of the art facil-
ity set to fully open its doors in
January of 2005.

With recent provincial Ministry
of Finance figures indicating a
surplus of $865 million, and BC
students now paying a total of
$452 million in tuition fees, stu-
dent advocacy groups are now
arguing that tuition costs should
once again be frozen, instead as
they claim, filling provincial gov-
ernment coffers.

It is clear however that as long
as the quality and accessibility of
post secondary education in BC is
maintained, it'will not be hard to
convince prospective students
that studying in BC is worth the
debt load.

02 03