By Carla Tonelli TORONTO (CUP) University faculty across Canada are boosting a nation-wide movement of support for student protesters at last year’s APEC sum- mit in Vancouver by sending cash to help fund legal costs for the inquiry set to resume in the next few weeks. By prompting the Canadian Association of University Teachers to send the latest donation of $500 to the APEC Protesters Legal Defence Fund, faculty associations from coast-to-coast have contributed $7,000 to the fund collected by the British Columbia Federation of Labour. So far, about $115,000 has been raised from individuals and labour unions. Jim Turk, executive director of the associa- tion, says it’s a disgrace the federal government has refused to take responsibility for the students’ expenses, which have been climb- ing upward of $240,000 since October when their defence lawyers stopped working for free. “It’s unbalanced for the government to say the students aren't entitled to legal defence when NEwS all the other parties involved are,” Turk said, pointing to Ottawa’s decision to pay most of the legal costs for the RCMP and the federal departments involved in the hearings. “The student protest- ers are every bit as much a central part of the hearing as all the other participants,” Turk added. The Canadian Association of University Teachers, which represents 56 faculty associations and 28,000 professors and librarians across the country, says it’s deeply troubled by the treat- Undergraduate Student SobtaRr Administrative Assistant The Northern Undergraduate Student Society of the University of Northern British Columbia invites applications for the position of part-time Administrative Assistant. ment of the student pro- testers at the Asia Pacific Economic Co- operation summit last year, as well as at the RCMP Public Complaints Commission hearings. “It’s not surprising at all that faculty would sup- port students,” said Miriam Sobrino, director of communications for the B.C. Federation of Labour. “They're at universities and _ post-secondary institutions, which are supposed to be places to expand knowledge and not be afraid to try out new ideas.” What is surprising, January 12, 1998 = Over The Edge Page 5 Legal defence fund for APEC protesters growing Sobrino says, is that so many individuals have lent financial support to the students’ legal defence fund even with the risk of landing their names on government surveillance lists. “If you're on the record as supporting this, that means you're on the record as opposing the federal government,” Sobrino said. While the students may not be accused of crimes per se, the aggressive manner in which they've been interrogated by Ottawa’s lawyers justify the public funding of their defence, she added. But the federal govern- ment maintains that because the students are not accused of any- thing, regardless of interrogation __ tactics, they're on their own to fund legal costs. “They are the ones making the accusa- tions,” said Athana Mentzelopoulos, spokeswoman for the federal government's lawyers. Government regula- tions require that Ottawa cover the costs of legal defence when- ever a government employee is accused of anything, she added. “The question has remained, why do (stu- dents) require legal assistance?” she said. The three Canada Justice employees working as federal gov- ernment lawyers cost around $2,000 a day, Menizelopoulos said. Anyone wishing to con- tribute to the legal defense fund can send cheques to the B.C. Federation of Labour, APEC Protesters Legal Support Fund, c/o Ste. 200, 5118 Joyce St., Vancouver, B.C. V5R 4H1. The ideal candidate will be committed to providing services and support to the stu- dents of the Society. You will utilize your strong interpersonal and communication skills ina busy yet enjoyable environment. Qualifications Include: - Experience with computer applications including Excel, MS Word, PageMaker, and Electronic Mail. — - Knowledge of an office environment with strong written and verbal communciation and organizational skills. - Experience working with Invoices, Charts and Publications, Financial Statements, and Reports and Records. - Additional experience with project development or management would be an asset, as well as experience with students in a challenging and rewarding setting. The closing date for this application is January 29, 1999 at 4:00pm. Interviews for short listed candidates is tentatively scheduled for February 3rd to 5th. PLEASE FORWARD RESUMES IN CONFIDENCE TO: NORTHERN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SOCIETY SUITE #7-234 3333 UNIVERSITY WAY PRINCE GEORGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, V2N 4Z9 OR BY FAX TO 250.960.6517 | UNBC finds loose nuts Workers have been diligently working over the christmas holiday to tighten all the nuts that hold the wooden truss together. The most challenging part was the Canfor theatre where scaffolds would be difficult to set up according to one worker. photo by Aaron Mahoney Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.