News and. eatur

By Derek DeCloet OTTAWA (CUP) LLOYD AXWORTHY CONFIRMED OCT.

5 what many had been expecting: the federal government may stop giving cash to the prov-

inces for post-secondary education.

The result for university and college students could be highertuition and larger stu- dent debts after graduation.

Axworthy, the federal minister of hu- man resources development,unveiled the Lib- eral government’s “‘discussion paper’’ on socialpolicy reform at a press conference on Parliament Hill.

It’s the first step in a process that will change the face ofunemployment insurance, welfare and higher education in Canada.

This year, Ottawa will transfer $2.6 billion to the provinces tospend on university and colleges. Axworthy proposes instead tostart giving money directly tostudents, mostly in the form ofstudent loans.

The discussion paper was released as part of a policy-makingprocess which now moves to public consultations to be carried oninto early 1995.

Axworthy’s discussion paper admits that ‘‘replacing federal cashtransfers would put upward pressure on tuition fees,”’ since universities would have to make up that $2.6 billion fromelsewhere.

But Axworthy insisted a new loan sys- tem would help make up forthose rising costs. ”’

The key issue today is accessibility -- to make sure they [students] have the proper means to finance that [rising tuition fees],’’ he said. ‘‘Under the present system. . . the fact of the matter is tuition fees have doubled.’’

To pay back the hefty loans that would be needed for higher tuition fees, the discussion paper favours a system of income-contingent loan repayment.

In other words, the more you make at your job after graduation, the larger your loan payments would be. It suggests payment could be takendirectly out ofa graduate’s paycheque.

Student groups were quick to denounce the entire scheme.

*’The federal government is abandon- ing its responsibility to higher education,’ said Keith McArthur, the academic affairs commissioner for Queen’s University’s stu- dent council, in an Oct. 5 press release.

*’This would mean that students in Canada would have to pay ahigher proportion of university costs than almost anywhere else in the world.”’

When it was suggested student debts might increase to an averageof $50,000 or higher for an undergraduate degree, Axworthy said,’ ’I don’t think that’s a figure that would be appropriate.”’

Richard Stanton, president of Carleton University Students’ Association, said the in- come-contingent repayment proposal makesit “easier to say, ‘Let’s load up (debt) on stu- dents.’ That’s really what worries us.”’

Axworthy pointed out that university and college graduates havemuch better chances in the job market and usually have higherincomes than people without post-sec- ondary degrees.”

There’s a direct link between education and income, and peoplehave to take an invest- ment in themselves of their owntime andeffort.’’

Axworthy spent much of the press con- ference denying a TorontoStar report that the government had already madea decision to cut

Government unveils education reform proposals

$7 billion from social programs -- includin, complete phase-out of education transfers q an expected doubling of tuition by 1997. 7 Star reported that its information comes fry a leaked cabinet document.”’ —

Sometimes figures like that are used scare people. Usingspeculative documents; stories doesn’t help,”’ he said.

Francine Lalonde, human resour critic for the opposition BlocQebecois, said| proposals were “‘destabilizing for univer ties’’ in Quebec and the rest of Canada.

In response to the possible cuts to ed cation, the CanadianFedcration of Studer (CFS), a national student lobby grou islaunching a campaign aimed at increasi student awareness aboutthe federal gover ment’s social policy review.

As an alternative to income-conting loans, the CFS supports aneducation tax { corporations to pay for education.

The progressive tax system will for those who make more thanothers after grad ation to pay more money into the tax syst foreducation spending.

The CFS believes that “‘by spreadi the cost of post-secondaryeducation among: Canadians, the societal benefits of an educat populace are affirmed.”’

- with files from Brent Dowdall and Miriz Vale

4

September 15, 1994 Moose Creck, On Dear Editor,

In the name of our newly formed non- profit organization, I write to solicit your help in making us known in your area. Being anew ministry, we have no means at our disposal to make known who we are and to offer the help we'd like to give to anyone who would be interested in our services.

Our ministry is called Pilgrim Commu- nity Ventures and is federally incorporated as a non-profit organization without share capital since October 12, 1993. The name of ‘‘Pil- grim’’ comes from the Apostle Peter’s words: ’’Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims...’’-- / Peter 2:11.

We. as Christians, are strangers and pilgrims on this earth.

A Brief History of our Ministry This incorporation is preceded by a twenty year ministry started in Montreal in 1974 by two of our sisters, Sister Frances Cormier, m.d. (mis- sionary deaconess), an Acadian from Moncton, N.B., and Sister Suzanne Gendron, m.d., a

October 11, 1994

Quebecoise of Acadian descent. from Longueuil, P.Q. They began helping and giving shelter to street kids, drug addicts, prostitues, single mothers, and homosexuals. Even though they did teach Christian princi- ples, nothing was ever forced, and attendance of religious services was solely on a volunteer basis. Unlike many Missions at that time, people did not have to attend religious meet- ings by Pilgrim Community Ventures.

Our co-workers have banded together to serve God and their fellowmen in need, giving specific attention to those usually re- jected or forgotten by society, regardless of their personal beliefs or religious affiliation. Even though we cannot, for reasons of con- science, have an official affiliation, we seek to practice some doctrines and ordinances found among many Christian confessions because these are taught in Scriptures.

We are religiously neutral! simply Christians, that’s all.

Our Objectives Pilgrim Community Missionary Socicty. One of the objectives of this Corpora-

We are

tion is to set up a Community Missionary Society of workers called the Pilgrim Commu- nity Missionary Society (P.C.M.S.), whose apostolate is to work at begetting spiritual churches through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the inworking of the Holy Spirit

P.C.M.S. workers have met many sin- cere Christians who are appalled by Church divisions, and do not know what to do and where to go to be in a more scriptural position. P.C.M.S. can present God’s design for the Church to believers ready to be taught and open-minded, not in order to begin yet some new denomination, but to discover God’s will where they’re at.

Teaching Found Wanting?

The senate of U.P.E.I. at its lastest meeting has decided, after 25 years, that teach- ing at this university may not be up to scratch and that the student body must bear the respon- sibility of identifying ill-advised appointments to the various faculties and schools. This is the

purport of one of the questions in the soon-t be-implemented teaching evaluation for which students will be asked to complete ea semester.

This question refers to the instructot ‘‘thorough understanding of course topics There is no point to this question if it does 1 invite the possibility of a negative reply; ther fore, itis clear that Senate expects some profe sor or professors to lack this necessary qualil

Well, let’s hope Senate is wrong ¥ cause, in the event that students identify 3 instructor as not having a “‘thorough unde standing of course topics,”’ not only will th instrutor’s graduate school stand condemné for grantinga degree to the wretch, but U.P.E. administrators will also have a hard time ju! tifying the hiring of this uneducated person.

Of course, students who are able to sp* this walking flaw in the educational syste! must come under some scrutiny too, since the! deep knowledge of the course topics whic enables them to judge the instructor’s know’ edge, clearly implies that they are too advance to be in this course anyway.