October 13, 2004 | | |_News Page 4 Car Free Day Promotes Sustainable UNBC Joins Forces with the Hills Health Ranch UNBC has partnered itself with the Hills Health Ranch in an effort to increase knowl- edge of health and healthy liv- ing. A memorandum of under- standing has been announced, and calls for an advanced research and educational part- nership that will focus on unique local opportunities including research into pre- ventative medicine, health effects of local plants, and the expansion of UNBC’s continu- ing education curriculum. “Research is a key driving force behind economic growth, academic excellence, business vitality and commu- nity sustainability,” said Max Blouw, the Vice President of Research. “This partnership will help the region diversify and explore new opportuni- ties in botanicals, health, and disease prevention. Governor General visited UNBC On Wednesday, October 6, Governor General Adrienne Clarkson visited UNBC. Her Excellency spoke at a public panel discussion on Canada’s role as a Northern Nation, and: ‘the possibility of the Circumpolar. After the discussion, Clarkson was taken on a tour of UNBC by President Charles Jago. The stop at UNBC was part of Clarkson’s tour of Nort! BC, which also included in the Nass Vall Terrace. It was Clarkson’ visit to Prince George: Dawson Creek Resident Wins Award A business leader from Dawson Creek is the inaugur- al recipient of an award creat- ed by UNBC to recognize leaders in advancement Northern BC Doris Brocke is the manager of the Kiwanis Enterprise Centre, and has been the dri- ving force behind Brandin the Peace, a major regit knowledge throughout economic development initia- tive originally launched in 1999. Branding the Peace links 1500 regional agencies. and organizations, and works. to develop and industry clusters. The Leader in Knowledge Award was presented at the annual Northern BC Today's Woman Awards in Prince George. strengthen. by Mike Clark >> Staff Writer On October 8th UNBC celebrat- ed its second annual Car Free Day with style. The day was kicked off bright and early on Friday morn- ing with two mass criticals held on University Way’s infamous hill. The first was held at 7:45 a.m. and was organized for students who wanted to test their stamina by hiking up the hill. All that a person needed to participate was a good pair of shoes and a reason to be going up the hill. The hikers were followed at 8:00 a.m. by a second group who attempted biking up the hill. The original idea behind a mass critical is to block the whole road while the cyclist (or hikers) make their way up along it. However, in an attempt to make sure that no one was alienated in the effort to increase awareness the road was not blocked off for either one of the events. Fortunately for those of us who were not what would be consid- ered “prime physical specimens” refreshments were provided for everyone who took part in the demonstrations. They were also provided to people who used other means of transport through- out the day. Prizes were also given out to these people who took alternate means of transport in support of Car Free Day. A bike clinic was also held on Car Free Day, and demonstrated how feasible and sustainable Alternative Sources of Transport >> photo by Marlon Francescini October 8th was Car Free Day here at UNBC. If you gave your vehicle the day off then pat yourself on the back. alternate transportation can be. The success of the first clinic has organizers considering a second bike clinic later this year. The clinic was open to anyone who was interested and was held to help students learn a little bit more about their bikes. As a special guest at the event, PG Transit had a display and an ambassador on hand to answer questions and to provide informa- tion. There was also a display set up containing information about the infamous U-Pass. While public transportation might not be as clean as some of the other alternative means of transportation that were demon- strated at Car Free Day, it is defi- nitely much more environmental- ly sound than everyone coming in their own vehicle. In fact, the bus is a great place to catch up on sleep after a long night of cramming for midterms- an event that is generally frowned upon when you are driving your- self. The final activity that was arranged for Car Free Day was an open mic forum for any one who wanted to start a discussion relat- ed to the issues of the environ- ment and transportation. Car Free Day was organized by the dedicated folks at the Prince George Public Interest Research Group, PGPIRG. PGPIRG encourages anyone who has ques- tions about alternative means of transportation or environmental issues to stop by their office and ask. ls University only for the Rich Nowadays? Cancellation of Grants Continues to Hurt Low Income Students by Kevin D. Vaughan >> Staff Writer British Columbian students have had some issues with the Liberal government in the past, but none are as major as the recent decision to eliminate all student grants this year. “People who can not afford university should not be here. lf you or your par- ents dont have money to pay for university then that is your problem, don't expect the government to help you out” The elimination of grants has been seen by some as the final blow against an already underfi- nanced student population who is still reeling after several years of tuition increases and major fund- ing cuts. The cancellation of grants has raised the question in some stu- dents’ minds of how some will be able to afford their education. “It is hard enough for people to go to school, and now the govern- ment closes another door,” com- mented one student. “B.C. now stands alone among Canadian provinces in terms of its commit- ments to students,” said another student. According to Rob Mealey, Resource Coordinator for the CNC Student's Association (CFS Local 13) the CFS is very opposed to the elimination of student grants. “The Campbell government is funding the 25,000 new seats at colleges and universities they’ve announced by using money from the elimination of grants,” said Mealey. ; “Tens of thousands of students have been affected. A number of them ‘won't be able to afford con- tinuing their education. The B.C. government should be ashamed,” he said. 1 The Liberal government has also claimed that increases in tuition fees would have no effect on university accessibility, but such claims ring hollow with a student who preferred only to be referred to as Everett. Everett was once pursuing his education at one of B.C.’s univer- sities, but was forced to drop out and work so he could afford to live and pay off his previous stu- dent loans. Another student who wished to remain anonymous due to the slant of his opinion said that the removal of student grants is a good thing. “People who cannot afford uni- versity should not be here. If you or your parents don’t have money to pay for university then that is your problem, don’t expect the government to help you out,” he said. When asked about low he - could afford to go to school, -he said that his parents were paying for most of his education. “The Liberals state they are improving access to education by adding new seats, but the fact of the matter is that many can barely afford college and university tuition fees. 25,000 new seats ‘it is hard enough for people to go to school, and now the government closes another door” across B.C. sounds great, but it doesn’t matter if there are no stu- dents to fill those seats,” said Mealey. “If Premier Campbell and his government were serious about improving access, this place (CNC) would be full. Instead we've seen an approximate 5% drop in enrollment each year since the*Liberals removed the tuition freéze in 2002.”