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February 15, 2011 - Over the Edge

Several B.C. student unions forgo National Day of Action involvement for grassroots Where’s The

Funding?! campaign

SAMANTHA THOMPSON

THE CAPILANO COURIER (CAPILANO UNIVERSITY)

VANCOUVER (CUP) — Thousands of students across Canada rallied together for lower tuition fees on Feb. 1, but many were left out of the ex- citement. The majority of students in British Columbia, including those at Capilano University, did not have the opportunity to get involved in the campaign, because their campuses were not participating.

National Day of Action is a campaign put on by the Canadian Federation of Students that attempts to bring atten- tion to the lack of funding for post- secondary education and the ever-

increasing tuition fees. It branches off of the ongoing national CFS cam- paign, Education is a Right. However in B.C., some of the province’s lar- gest institutions are not members of the federation and thus did not take part in the campaign.

The CFS is a national lobby group boasting over half a million mem- bers at 80 post-secondary institutions across Canada, though the federation has seen a decline in its membership in B.C. in recent years. In 2011, the University of Victoria Student Soci- ety’s (UVSS) members voted to leave the Federation, and in doing so joined the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the Brit-

ish Columbia Institute of Technology as some of the largest institutions in B.C., in terms of population, who are also not members of the CFS.

Many of the locals remaining in CFS- BC did hold events for National Day of Action at campuses across the province, including Douglas College, Vancouver Community College, and North Island Students’ Union. Events included a banner drop, students writ- ing their “debt story,” and, in Courte- nay, students took the opportunity to use a hammer to smash a van with “Tuition Fees” written on the side.

“We not only need to educate people about the importance of post-second- ary education, but also the importance of fair access to post-secondary edu- cation,” Roxanne Dubois, the CFS national chairperson, told The Lance. The B.C. NDP also announced that they would urge the B.C. Liberal gov- ernment to reinstate needs-based stu- dent grants.

“Ten years of tuition increases and the elimination of grants by the Liberals have made pursuing higher education increasingly difficult,’ Adrian Dix, the leader for the B.C. New Demo- crats, said in a press release. “Restor- ing grants is key to improving access- ibility, supporting young people and

building a more prosperous economic future.”

Although CFS-BC has been a long- standing force in B.C., institutions who are not a part of the CFS have recently come together to create an alternative campaign related to post- secondary funding, called Where’s the Funding?! (WTF?!). The cam- paign includes the UBC Alma Mater Society, the UVSS, the Simon Fra- ser Student Society, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU), the Langara Students’ Union, the University of the Fraser Valley Student Union Society,

CSU paid $85,172 in membership fees to the CFS in 2011, they opted to forgo hosting an event in conjunction with the National Day of Action.

The WTF?! campaign does not pres- ently require membership fees, but any costs associated with on-campus events and promotional materials are absorbed by the student association. Even though some members of the CSU executive were interested in running a campaign for the National Day of Action, nothing came forward from the CFS working group. Ac- cording to Grant, there was little to no

dent loans in Canada, and is the only province in Canada without a student grants program.

“On Valentine’s Day, representatives will be going to Victoria to present ... but it’s important to note it’s not a rally —

the cards to Legislature

[more of a] presentation of the cards from students,” says Grant.

The WTF?! and Education is a Right campaigns are not presently working together, but they are both advocat- ing for similar changes to the post- secondary education system.

“T feel like the CFS kind of wants

and Northern Undergraduate Student Society. With these seven members, the campaign boasts representation of over 121,000 students, making it the largest student-organized post- secondary campaign in B.C.

Teresa Grant, the CSU representa- tive for the WTF?! Campaign, says that the initiative is very cooperative. “Everyone is really respectful of each other, and I think what we’re asking is very realistic,” says Grant. ““We’re trying to work with the government, not critiquing and working against [them].”

The CSU is the only present member of the WTF?! campaign that is also a member of the CFS. Although the

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interest from the executive in running a campaign for the Day of Action. In- stead, the CSU will be participating in a WTF?! event on Feb. 14, which will be held on the lawns of the provincial legislature.

“The goals of Where’s the Funding?! were more feasible and aligned with what the CSU felt would be effect- ive,” said Grant.

They will be calling on the govern- ment to establish a grants program and to lower or eliminate interest rates on student loans, as well as delivering “valentines” from students concerned about the funding available for post- secondary education. B.C. currently charges the highest interest on stu-

to do it their own way,” said Grant. “They’re not willing to budge, to be flexible.”

Speaking about the goal of the Na- tional Day of Action, Dubois told The Lance, “The main goal is to fight for an acceptable, well-funded system of post-secondary education in Canada.” Both parties are separately fighting for a better post-secondary system, but until the goal is achieved, together students are left with no choice but to cope with high tuition fees.

As of press time, the CFS-BC had not responded to a request for an inter- view.