Over The Edge Page 2 : NEWS | | . April 6, 1999 Northern university presents dissident voice STA TT STUDENT LITERARY JOURNAL Static Il Late, But Alive and Well By Everett Cole After a lengthy and somewhat politically hampered production process, the UNBC English Club has man- aged to present their second quality antholo- gy of northern British Columbian poetry. The journal, edited by Lindsay Osborne and Michael Chan, is part of a_ tradition originally conceived in 1996 with the original release of Static. Associate edi- tors, Shannon Whissell and Stephen Downie, picked up the journal and carried it to publica- tion despite a number of delays in funding. The original Static was most notable for the tone and depth of the pieces, proving that northern British Columbians were capa- ble of producing poetry and prose in a bright, dynamic manner. Static Il continues and expands this aspect of the publication, with a darker, more melacholy tone in many of the pieces. Static Il includes poets from the UNBC campus and Prince George community who express viewpoints on everything from the change of seasons to travelling and experi- ences of growth. The book also features artis- tic photographs from several northern stu- dents and residents. The UNBC English Club has managed to firmly establish them- selves behind their pub- lication of Static, treat- ing both the Arts com- munity in northern British Columbia and UNBC to a delightful helping of poetry. By Nicole Larson Premier Glen Clark’s announcement of his governments’ intention to continue the post-sec- ondary tuition freeze into a fourth year was herald- ed by many students as a god send. 40 percent increase.” A survey conducted by The Premier's Youth Office and the Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Techno-logy identified access and affordability of education McNelly, “I think our cam- pus reflects that, we don’t have facilities that we require. They say we are going to get a new lab building and nothing has come of that. It seems to be a lot of of a yes or no answer, it’s got to be dissected.” The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) stuck to the opti- mistic view and expressed their desire for further tuition freezes. “Out commitment to as the most important empty promises from the “It is no longer normal improving access to issues of govern- for tuition fees to rise in post-secondary educa- college ment” British Columbia,” said tion is part of our goal to anduniver- = « A “The CFS British Columbia diversify and strengthen sity — stu- Regarding the question Chairperson, Maura B.C’s economy” said dents government becomes, Parte.“In this decade the Clark,”A well-educated across A] do we want tuition fee freeze is the and highly skilled popu- British SP ending, 7 have to pay our norm.” lation is critical not only Columbia. £0 Say it's not ,ormal — NecNelly expressed his to our economic success In a enoug ae! tuition now, dissatisfaction with the but our goals as a mod- province [and then] CFS stance by pointing erm society.” where the Christopher McNelly, Pay our at the short-term focus of But for some students enrollment jwyuass Ombudsperson tuition plus _ their efforts. the news comes as h aes forty per- “I believe that if students shock and leaves them increased cent in looked at the matter a lit- wondering about their future. “A tuition freeze is great in terms of not being able to spend any- more money than we have to” said Christopher McNelly, Ombudsperson for the Northern Undergraduate Students Society, “how- ever, it is just a matter of time before we are slammed with a 25, 30, Prince George pollution By Pascal Charest Few people in Prince George would disagree that air pollution is a problem in our city. Every spring the air quality gets bad enough that elderly people and people with respiratory problems are advised not to go outdoors. Since this is the case year after year one would think that the city would push to improve the situation. Changes may be in the books for’ the distant future, but how long should citizens have to wait to breathe cleaner air? Road dust is a notori- ous problem that Prince George faces every 10 percent in colleges and universities since the 1991-1992 Academic year, space is a major issue, especially to a young university with a sizeable growth rate like the University of Northern British Columbia. “Regarding the govern- ment spending, | have to say it’s not enough,” said spring. Steps have been taken to reduce this problem. Gravel used is not screened to elimi- nate the fine dust, which is easily airborne. These are further steps that could be done to help eliminate the problem. Vacuum trucks opposed to the sweeper trucks currently used would make a significant differ- ence in the air quality of Prince George. One of the largest con- tributing factors to indus- trial air pollution in Prince George in the BeeHive burners. For years extensions have been gambling with the health of our citizens. three years? Or would we rather pay tuition plus five percent each year over the next four years? | think it would be better if students were given the opportunity to think about it a little more before making a decision instead of just popping the question “Do you want a tuition freeze or not?” It's not a question As much as citizens would like to blame all of the pollution of the mills we have to accept responsibility for a large part of the problem. Automobiles are used in Prince George more than is needed. Alternative forms of transportation such as biking, walking or public transit are in no way encouraged in this city. The addition of facilities that would accommo- date alternate forms of transportation could decrease vehicle traffic around town and in so reduce emissions. These are only a few main contributing factors tle more deeply, and just not on the surface, in terms of a long-term. More than a year’s goal, then | think they would understand where |’m coming from,” said McNelly. “CRS works against us. ! don't support them...they have no long term plan.” to the problem of air pol- lution in Prince George. Without public interest the situation in Prince George will not improve. The Prince George Official Community Plan (OCP) is now up for renewal. It is this plan which is meant to reflect the concerns of the citi- zens in how we want our city to expand and improve. Public meet- ings will be held in order to examine what the main issues of concern are. Citizens showing up at the meeting and voic- ing concerns is what is needed for changes to be made.