February 11, 1997

Security Policy Questioned by Eyewitness

By KATIE ANDREWS

SASKATOON (CUP) — A thief nearly got away with ripping off thousands of dollars worth of high-tech equipment from the University of Saskatchewan while campus police were busy buying doughnuts and lifting weights.

A university employee called the campus cops just after 2:30 a.m on January 6, to report a break-in at a satellite transmission station on campus.

A security camera and alarm had been installed in the building by Campus Security after approximately $26,000 worth of satellite equipment was taken from the location during two break-ins in late November and early December.

When the employee dialled Campus Security, he spoke with an officer who said she was on her way back from Robin’s Donuts, but said she would contact the three others on shift that night. According to the officer, two of her colleagues were working out in the Phys Ed building and another was on foot patrol.

The officer then asked the caller to contact city police.

“No one was at the ready to catch the guy,” said the employee, who did not want his name used.

“To me, it is just by luck that they were able to act upon it as quickly as they did in spite of the fact that none of them were really doing their job at the time.”

Dave Welsh, a security patrol officer working that night, said the officers on duty made it to the scene approximately two minutes after the call and set up a perimeter to block potential escape routes of the intruder.

“All three of us were there at the scene with the perimeter set up before the city police arrived,” Welsh said.

The city police canine unit arrived minutes later. The dog was eventually responsible for finding the culprit who was hiding in thick brush. “It was an excellent display of cooperation between Campus Security and City Police,” Welsh said.

A 21-year-old was apprehended at the time and has since been charged with theft over $5000 and possession of stolen property. All that was stolen in the previous two break-ins has since been recovered from the suspect’s residence.

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UPEI's Budget

3

Targeted for Major Cuts

By TOMBEVERIDGE

PEI’s Provincial Treas- ury Minister, Pat Mella is look- ing to reduce the province’s 55 million dollar deficit and has made it clear that Education and Health services will be strongly targeted.

Pat Mella said that, “UPEI will have some difficult decisions to make and should look at their choices with a regional perspective in mind”, hinting how deep the cuts to UPEI could be. She stressed that while post-secondary edu- cation holds a strategic role in the Island’s economy, Island- ers must rationalize what they want offered in their univer- sity and college.

PEI’s proposed cuts are consistent to the cuts made by the other PC governments in Alberta and Ontario. Chester Gillan, Education Minister, de- fended PEI’s PC government when compared to these other governments’ policies by claiming that their cuts are not as severe .

Wayne Cheverie, the Opposition’s Treasury critic, showed concern towards the cuts, stating, “the government should come to grips with where UPEI fits into the Is- land’s future, and provide the proper support to aid in that vision”.

UPEI is currently pre- dicting its government funding to be cut by as much as 10%; however, with interest and in- flation included into the cuts the university is looking at a dramatic decrease in its budget. Paul Connelly, the Opposition’s Education critic, expressed his disappointment with the government, “the government made all these

election promises that they appear unwilling to keep; feed- ing the public’s growing cyni- cism toward politicians today”.

The City of Charlottetown’s Mayor, Ian Macdonald, feels that with UPEI and Holland College being two of the city’s largest businesses, it is unacceptable to put the burden of these cuts onto the students.

When the government cuts 1% of UPEI’s budget (approximately $150,000), stu- dents’ tuition consequently must be raised by 2.5% for the university to recover the money cut from the budget, since UPEI is not allowed to have a deficit like the provincial gov- ernment.

UPEI stands to lose up to $2.5million in funding over an expected 2-3 year of planned cuts. Herb Dickieson, the Island’s only New Demo- crat MLA, explained that this government’s lack of support

for post-secondary education is very disturbing when they expect to download the CHST cuts onto students.

He also noted that the Island will lose the opportuni- ties that the fixed link will bring, if the government will not cre- ate a plan to support quality post-secondary education. Instead, with a strong plan, students could be encouraged to pursue their studies on the Island.

Education Minister, Chester Gillan, quoted to the Guardian: “Weare very aware that whatever reductions we have to pass on to UPEI will ultimately be expressed in the students’ tuition costs”.

Meanwhile UPEI’s Senior Management Board is bracing itself for the upcoming cuts.

- Next Issue: How UPEI is planning to deal with these cuts.

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