October 22, 1996

News 6°

Emergency Loan Fund Runs Dry for Needy Memorial Students

By David Cochrane (ARCUP), Nfld.

Cash-strapped Memo- rial University students have emptieda $110,000 emergency loan fund less than one month into the new school year.

The emergency student loan program is funded by the university's studentcouncil and the department of student serv- ices.

Since September 30, students haven't been able to apply for any emergency loans because all the money has been given out.

The maximum available loan is $200, meaning that about 550 students, an aver- age of 18 per day, have had to seek emergency funding dur- ing the month of September.

Student council presi- dent Robert Mendoza said that many students still come look- ing for loans and that the coun-

cil is searching for answers.

"We are focusing on making some funds available or at least rectifying the situa-

tion so that students have some- where to go," he said.

Mendoza said the coun- cil will meet with the adminis- tration to try and come up with a solution to the lack of funds.

But Carson Leonard of student services doesn't think there is any more money for the program. "With only finite funding you can only help fi- nite students."

Many students have to apply for emergency funding because of the long delay be- tween receiving the federal portion of their student loan and the provincial contribu- tion, Leonard said.

Federal loans usually come out during the first few weeks of class, while the New- foundland government won't be distributing its loans until at least October 21.

Mendoza said a change to the student aid system could eliminate the demand for emer- gency loans and the funding shortage.

"I would like to see the Canada Student Loan and the

Provincial Student Loan come out at the same time," he said.

Meanwhile, the two groups will be looking for a more immediate solution. Leonard said there are two ways to deal with the problem. The first is to look at the fund- ing methods for the program and get more money.

Currently the council has put $85,000 into the fund while the university chips in $25,000.

The second option, how- ever, poses a bit of a problem Leonard said. "We could be more strict or stringent on who we give loans to," he said. "But at what point do you become counterproductive? Do you not help 100 students now so you can help 100 students later?"

Student Services won't be able to offer any new emer- gency loans until some of the old ones are paid back.

The default rate on emergency loans is relatively low, with the program having accumulated only $10,000 in bad debt since its start more than a decade ago.

UPEI Emergency Loan Program

* UPEI's student emergency loan program is administered by Student Services

* There are two types: Advances on student loans, and emergency loans

* There is no set cap on the total loan fund, since the majority are advances on student

loans

* Less than $3000 has been requested in loans this year

* Loans normally range from $100 - $200

* Loans are charged to your student account. A five dollar administration fee is charged, as well as 1% monthly interest.

*Emergencies are evaluated on a per student basis. Generally they will award funds if you are awaiting a student loan, or if you have unexpected expenses... ie, you have to travel due to a death in the family, or your car breakes down.

The Panther Prints

MacLean's \gnored by Campus Journalists

By Meg Murphy The Varsity, University of Toronto

Maclean's magazine is gearing up for its annual sur- vey of Canadian universities and this year many campus papers do not plan to respond to their request for help.

Three years ago the magazine started a" What's hot, what's not" section which ap- peared along with a ranking of Canadian universities. Cam- pus journalists were asked to help Maclean's prepare the sec- tion by letting them in on what was groovy on campus and many responded.

Butthe relationship be- tween the two parties has soured over the last couple of years. Campus journalists be- came annoyed last year when the responses they sent to Maclean's were not actually

used for the popular magazine feature, but placed in a guide- book instead.

And Maclean's became peeved in turn when they dis- covered campus journalists were up to their old tricks and sending in false information, as they had the previous year. But most of the erroneous in- formation was caught by the magazine's researchers, who were instructed to begin cross- checking information.

This year Maclean's is once again asking campus pa- pers, clubs, and organizations to provide them with another run down of what is hip and what isn't on campus, and their request is being met with dis- dain by campus journalists.

Maclean's education editor Victor Dwyer says it is impossible to judge how many campus papers have responded

to the survey, but adds that if no more responses come in, he could care less.

"The responses are trickling in, but if the journal- ists don'trespond then we have plenty of other groups who will," he said.

Both parties are still eyeing each other after last year's show downand itis time for Maclean's to find another way to collect the information they need, says Stu Clark, na- tional bureau chief of the Ca- nadian University Press, acol- lective of over 40 campus pa- pers from across Canada.

"A lot of papers are still pissed off about the book they put out because we were led to believe [the information] was for the magazine."

Scott Hayward, editor of the Ubyssey at the Univer- sity of British Columbia, says his staff just doesn't have time to put much effort into the sur- vey.

"You put a paper out once a week and it is not high on your priority list to respond to this sort of thing,” he said.

He adds that last year Maclean's phoned the paper during production and the staff just yelled out answers to their questions.

"One of the question was "What it hot on campus?’ and we yelled, 'the Ubyssey!' Well, what do you know, the Ubyssey was listed as one of the hot things on campus in Maclean's, I mean, come on."

Laurel Fortin, editor of the Fulcrum at the University of Ottawa, says the questions were too trivial to bother an- swering.

"Students are looking at keeping bread on the table. Whether the campus bar is cool ornot has become irrelevant."