October 21 2002 NEWS Over The Edge Page 3 Government urged to grant refugees loans By Lindsay Harding, The Muse ST. JOHN’S, NFLD. (CUP) — Although government offi- cials are considering changes to the legislation outlining access to Canada Student Loans for refugees, advocates say the process has already gone on too long. Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) administers the federal stu- dent loan program under the Student Financial Assistance Act. According to the act, refugees cannot obtain Canada Student Loans because only landed immi- grants and Canadian citizens are eligible. Two years ago, a. private member's bill proposed the words “protected person” be added to the Act’s definition of a qualifying student, thus allowing refugees in Canada to apply for financial assis- tance. The bill, presented by Toronto MP Bill Graham on behalf of human rights lobby- ists, was defeated when it failed to attract all parties’ sup- port in the House of Commons. Janet Bench, executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, says her organization is one of many groups now petitioning gov- ernment to bring forth legisla- tion similar to the defeated bill. “We are urging . . . the feder- al government and the provin- cial governments and the terri- torial governments .. . to change their criteria for access to the loans and bursaries so that it’s not only citizens and permanent residents that are eligible but also refugees,” she said. Katalin Deczky, a_ policy director for the Canada Student Loans program, says HRDC is considering such a move. “Any extension outside of The Canadian Council for Refugees is one group fighting to include refugees on the list of those eligible for Canada Student Loans. [citizens and permanent resi- dents] would need changes in the act and, therefore, parlia- ment approval,” she said. “It’s certainly under consideration.” According to Deczky, granti- ng refugees access to student loans has already been brought up at meetings of the National Advisory Group’ on Student Financial Assistance, which makes recommenda- tions to Stewart about changes to the loans program. “Acts of parliament are quite lengthy to change and it cer- tainly will take time,” she said. “| really can’t comment Help Wanted The UNBC Career Centre is looking for more volunteer Peer Helpers so we can keep our doors open for longer hours. We're flexible - you can pick the hours you want to volunteer. For only two-hours commitment a week, you could: @ help your fellow students @ learn more about your own career opportunities @ improve your resume because this is decided by parliamentarians, not by bureaucrats.” Bench, however, says the issue has been talked about for long enough and the feder- al government's lack of action is delaying the process provin- cially. “Its been discussed for years and it seems to take for- ever to actually get to happen,” she said. “Some of [the provincial gov- ernments] were willing to indi- cate to the federal government that they would be willing to make the change if the federal: government made the first move.” Both federal and provincial governments contribute to the student loans program. The provinces contribute 40 per cent of the loan a student receives, while Ottawa pro- vides the remainder. For this reason, provincial authorities say it would be ineffective to pursue changes without feder- al support. Sandra Kelly, Newfoundland’s minister responsible for post-sec- ondary education, says changes made only in the province would not have an impact and the issue needs to be examined nationally. “| would like to ask that it be put on the agenda [of the Canadian Council of Ministers of Education] because | know continued on page 4 Attend a parade at the annual meeting of the BC Liberal Party! Protest the assaults to northern communities by the Liberal government. Say no to cutbacks that hurt health and education. Come to Pentiction! Free bus ride to Pentiction: leaves Prince George on October 25. Free break- fast, lunch, dinner, and a ride back. Call Anne @ 563-1116 or 960-9520 for more info. Meeting of Mature and Non-Traditional Students Held A Positive Meeting of Like- Minds in an Open Forum By Bruce Bailey The first meeting of UNBC’s mature and non-traditional students was recently held and it went off without a hitch. The experiment with group e- mail communication, to call the meeting, however, might have prompted Bill Gates to wonder if investing any more of his soft-earned dollars in computer technology is such a good idea. As an expression of spontaneous democracy, though, the gathering proved to be an exercise the great political philosophers (past, present) would have viewed with envy. Concerns, proposals, reflec- tions, and the formation of an interim executive appeared as if by magic. The most impor- tant concern centered on the need to develop a capacity for mature students to better deal with, understand and reduce a general sense of alienation in the university environment. After experiencing some of the peaks and valleys of adult- hood, the work-place and for some of us, the joys of raising children, a return to the class- room can resemble landing on another planet. It is a setting that can find older students working with a little less exu- berance than was once the case, but also with a reconfig- Your Arts = tonal . Readings of Poetry, Prose and Essays Shits and Shore Plays Rtoee He evening of arts by the Music hy Stadents and Faculty Geeerat Janet (2D amd 2D Visual Arts and Artists RRERD ured enthusiasm to learn. Applying this enthusiasm to the social and educational environment of the classroom is not as easy as it might appear. Questions concerning the purpose and character of an association of mature students were also addressed. Is it to be a social club; a political entity; how should it relate to and augment NUGSS; how is survival of the association to be achieved; can funding be secured; can a web site for mature students be devel- oped; is prior learning for cred- its an issue worth pursuing; can an organization of mature students play a role in the wider community; can it play a role helping to secure employ- ment for mature students dur- ing school and after gradua- tion? In brief, this was a positive meeting that had the flavor of like-minded people taking an interest in discussing their thoughts and ideas in an open forum. It also represented a structural evolution whose time has come. Mature and non traditional students are one of the fastest growing seg- ments of the university popula- tion in Canada. In many respects, the increasing pres- ence of older students in uni- versity classrooms rep- resents the truth of politi- cians, academics and the private sector telling — us for years now that learning and _relearning needs to be a life-long process. Beyond these simple platitudes, how- ever, there are wrinkles to be ironed out. If the university environment is to facilitate quality relearning for mature students they will need a say in how it might be accomplished. This gath- ering was a promising first step.