8 over THE EDGE - Wednesday, February 8 , 1995

THIS PAGE HAS BEEN DONATED BY OVERWAITEA FOODS AS A PUBLIC

PGPIRG

Goes To
Referendum

You’ve seen our shirts and
our posters. You’ve seen
our table in the Winter
Garden, participated in our
Axworthy Rally. But, what
the neck is a PIRG
anyway? PGPIRG is the
PRINCE GEORGE
PUBLIC INTEREST
RESEARCH GROUP.
PIRG’s bring together
staff, faculty, students and
community groups to
organize together on
various issues such as the
environment, indigenous
peoples, media awareness,
racism, international
development, hunger and
much more. PIRG’s were
started in the 70’s by Ralph
Nader, and now they exist
on most University
campuses across the States
and Canada. UNBC is one
of the few Universities in
Canada that does not yet
have a PIRG on campus!

PIRGs do research,
education and action on
issues that the mainstream
press, academic circles and
government bodies are
neglecting. Students learn
how to be empowered
citizens by working with
PIRG to organize
educational events on

SUPPORT CANADA WORLD YOUTH EX

SERVICE MESSAGE.

campus, initiate lobbying
campaigns and research
various topics for
community groups.
Imagine doing research
that might help society,
rather than end up in your
files?!

PIRGs are student-run and
student-elected. This means
you elect the student Board
of Directors every year.
PIRGs are also student-
funded. This ensures that
PIRGs are not tied to
government, University or
corporate funding, freeing
us to pursue topics that
others consider too “hot”.
PIRGs hire expert staff to
train students, operate an
alternative Resource
Library (with materials the
Library won’t carry), and
keep the office open to
everyone all week long. We
provide a practical link
between the Prince George
community and the
University, often seen as an
inaccessible ivory tower.
Students volunteer in the
community through PIRG,
and PIRG provides the
University with speakers,
films, debates and events
from community groups.

All this activity requires
$$$ however, and that’s
where you come in.
PGPIRG will be holding a
Referendum on Feb 15 and
16 to ask students to
support a $4/semester fee
levy for full time students

MARCH 5 1995 .

se atricks Day a the!
OVERDRive Cabaret $5
prizes Such as Q””

and $2 for part time
students. This fee will be
fully REFUNDABLE to
anyone who does not
support PIRG. Imagine, a
University fee that you can
get back?? Its generally
unheard of, but PIRG
understands the tight
financial constraints of
students.

Since October, a group of
PIRGies have been meeting

to get PGPIRG rolling. In
November, we presented

“ Manufacturing Consent -
Noam Chomsky and the
Media” - one of hundreds
of movies we will show on
campus if we get our
funding. Our latest project
was to organize the student
outcry against the proposed
cuts to social spending by
Lloyd Axworthy. We have
received a lot of support
from students for our
efforts so far, and that was
all volunteer time.
Imagine what we could
do if we had some

stable funding!!?

Help make UNBC a model
of active student
participation. Don’t let
UNBC become another
apathetic campus where
students only look out for
their own interests. Make
the world a better place for
just 4 bucks a term. Come
by our table in the Winter
Garden if you have any
questions.

CHANGES BY GoINGTo THE

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Canada

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Worid
Youth

Is...
* a non profit organization
that offers educational youth
exchanges between Canada
and countries in Africa, Asia,
Latin America, and _ the
Caribbean.

* a program that fosters
understanding and a growing
awareness of developmental
issues to work towards a
harmonious, sustainable
society.

In Wade Davis’ book,
Shadows in the Sun, he

quotes Levi-Strauss:

“We in the first world send
out our youth and they
return, their currency being

the miles they have traveled |

and the slideshows they can
put on -they maintain the

— eS gk eS
MG BO. ACG OY asa

ASSIS
ER EREREEERL

SHONVHOXA HLNOX CTIOM VAVNVO LuOddns|

Vote YES in the
PIRG referendum
Feb. 15 & 16, 1995.

ACTION FOR CHANGE ~

fre

f

i
bond
is

SOR AW
Y Pete, AA Ge PAPE

Jeunesse
Canada
Monde

illusion of a wild planet that
no longer exists but that must
be presumed to exist to avoid
the indictment of twenty
thousand years of human
history.”

There is so much to say about
Canada World Youth, and we
are in the early stages of the
program. We are in the
process of raising $1500
each. Anyone wishing to

give donations or wanting
more information please call
Dave 563-4819, or leave a
message for Jennifer at 564-
6921

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HOST ACTION