January 10, 2000 Over The Edge Page 5 More of the Battle from Page 4 Natural Resource News It was amazing to see the mix of concerns, which were traditionally marginalized and sepa- rated from each other, were now coming together under the aus- pices of “Solidarity”, “Accountability”, and “Democracy” Everywhere | looked in the stadium, | could see connections being made that could not be easily broken again. Perhaps we each found something that we had in common: we all care about the future of this planet and its health, and although we may still disagree on what the best way to go is, we all want real progress, real progress _ for humanity, not just cor- porations. That day we marched, 25,000 strong, through the streets of Seattle, down to the Trade and Convention centre. At the beginning of the parade, each group rep- resenting a_ different facet of society initially remained together in NUGSS Many people at UNBC don’t understand why the Northern Undergraduate Student Society (NUGSS) has and exclusive contract with the Bank of Nova Scotia and not a local credit Union like Prince George Savings. The reason NUGSS has the position is because of the ability the Bank of Nova Scotia gives NUGSS to seize funds on all UNBC clubs. The Bank of Nova Scotia also gives us an excel- lent service charge package that many groups, but as the day went on we _ mixed together forming one solid river of people, descending on the WTO to show them we would not allow ourselves to be shut out of the process. Upon arriving at the trade centre, my companion and | took our level of participation one step further into civil disobedience by joining the human chain cutting off the delegates from the opening cere- monies. Here | experi- enced the truest form of passive activism as we joined a group sitting quietly on the curb, some of whom had been there since 7am, blocking one of the main entrances. The mood was optimistic and jocu- lar as we learned it had been effective in shut- ting down the confer- ence for an additional day. A line of riot police stood behind us setting the limit of where we could go. They were calm and even showed an understanding of our concerns and reasons for being there and con- versed loosely back and forth with us. It was not until we were leaving to back to Vancouver that any violence occurred when they attempted to regain control of the city centre. By that time the majority of protesters had left, and we made our way back to our bus confident that any pro- ductive part we had in this historic occasion had already played itself out. Our victory in the streets that day was vin- dicated when President Clinton went on interna- tional television and relayed our sentiments to the world: we all know the path we should be taking, but this is not the way to go. The process must be taken out of the hands of private inter- est, and opened up to the people who have to live with its conse- quences. Patrick Lucas goes to the Bank other banks and credit unions will not be able to match. Due to the transient nature of our University, we often have dissolved clubs with hundreds if not thousands of dollars locked up in non Bank of Nova Scotia accounts. Since many of the people with sign- ing authority have since left the University, it is an enormous task to attempt to access these funds. There is current- ly over $2000.00 in accounts in which the people with signing authority have left Prince George. In the spirit of the community and responsibility, it is the best thing for all stu- dents to have an account in the Bank of Nova Scotia since they give all clubs, special account privileges that significantly reduce ser- vice charges. Tim Low Director of Finance and Operations Nero rr the nan Undergraduate Student Society Over The Edge Welcomes Letters to the Editor. You can drop them off in our office in the Wintergarden, or submitthem to our Email address: over-the- edge @unbc.ca. To talk'to Us about anything printed in _Over The Edge just call 960-5633 The Natural Resources Society would liek to welcome everyone back for another semester. This one is going to be a busyone. Below are a few of the events and courses we will be putting on. Come out and join us. Millennium Formal Dance: At the Elk’s Centre On January 14, 2000 From 8pm untiliam Tickets are $10 for non-members, and $8 for members Ski Trip To Powder King All info to be announced at a later date First Aid Level 1 with Transport Endorsement: At Life Savers First Aid Training On February 5 and 6, 2000 From 8:30am until 4:30pm $100 for non-members and $80 for members Bear Awareness Course At the UNBC Weldwood Theatre, room 7-238 On Saturday March 8, 2000 From 8am until 4:30pm Admission not yet determined, current estimates suggest between $40 and $50 Your Reciprocity Food Shelf: successful and expanding They sit inconspicuously on the bookstore wall in front of the Canfor stairs - two simple shelves, usually laden with food. But despite their location, these two pieces of hallway furniture are used daily by a large and diverse crowd of UNBC students. The Reciprocity Food Shelf-one of last years small victories - was con- ceived by active P!RG volunteers Anne Munier, Bruce Passmore, Leanna Chatten, and NUGGS Director (and dedicated P!RG volun- teer) David Schindler. Their objective was simple: to address, as Dave puts it, “the need for students to get that extra little bit of nutrition that the stu- dent loan did not fill’. The shelf is not about charity but reciprocity; sharing so that every body gives and takes,. While this may sound idealistic, the project has been very successful - doubling in size since the. original NUGGS donation of $150.00. Today, a sizable amount of food is collected and deposited by ~~ students. “The shelf is a way for students to share when they have an abundance of food, and when they find them- selves needy (as | do sometimes) they can feel free to reach out and be touched by someone who may not know them but has the compassion to offer their fellow UNBC student some essential nutrition’. Dave notes that reciprocity has been occurring in the Prince George area for thousands of years, as redistribution is an impor- tant element of First Nations tradition- al society. Extra edibles are donated by the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and brought up to campus by Bev Collins, the PGP!IRG office coordinator. Other volunteers are always appreciated — and, as Dave says, “if you see some- thing you like on the shelf, then just replace it with something that would be useful to others.” For more info, drop by the P!RG office, or just check it out!