goNTO (CUP) — Stu- ts in northern Ontario yid see Massive improve-

nts in access to and quality

ineir ‘distance’ education grams because of a new

$20 million Access Network recently confirmed by the pro- vincial government.

The government will allo- cate $5 million a year over the next four years to provide

learning materials in both

English and French to second- —

ary and post-secondary stu- dents in isolated areas, and

» Jink them with their teachers at

other Ontario institutions.

POET Plan Being Considered

NTREAL (CUP) — A posal that would abolish ition fees in favour of a ial ‘education tax’ has n presented to the Quebec vernment by the Concordia iversity student council. Under the Post Obligatory ucation Tax (POET), brain-

child of Concordia student Pete Wheeland, students would defer payment of fees until they graduated.

‘*T see it an alternative to the current system which requires students to go into debt in order to study,’’ said Wheel- and. ‘‘It is also a solution to

University College

Grapples With Anglo-Sax Fund

ORONTO (CUP) — A bene- ctor has left $2 million to a niversity of Toronto col- ge’s scholarship fund, stipu- ting that the money be given nly to students of Anglo axon extraction.

Ella Ferguson, widow of ormer Ontario premier Ho- ard Ferguson, died in the late 950s, leaving her estate to niversity of College at U of . Mrs. Ferguson specified hat the money would provide n annual income to her three ieces until their deaths and he College would then inherit he fund. The last of the three

nieces passed away _ this summer.

The will also specifies that the scholarship be awarded to students who live outside a 15- mile radius of the college.

College principal _~ Peter Richardson said the money

would not be accepted unless the condition of the will are changed. The money would double the college’s donations fund.

‘It would be contrary to university policy’’ to accept the conditions, said Richard- son. ‘‘University policy was written to conform with the Charter of Rights.’

Both Richardson and Glenn Loney, chair of the college’s scholarships ard _ bursaries committee, are confident the will can be changed in under the Ontario Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Loney said he didn’t want to see Ferguson portrayed in the press as a racist for her genero- sity. ‘‘People have to take into some sort of consideration the times in which she made the gift,’’ he said.

the problem of increasing edu- cational Sungs waheut raising tuition.’

Wheeland said graduates would pay up to two per cent of their salaries one year after finding their first job. The tax would be collected for three years for ever year a student

spent in CEGEP or university. .

A graduate earning below the POET ‘floor’ of $20,000 would. not be taxed.

Although POET was last year adopted as official policy of Concordia’s student coun- cil, the idea has long been around in one form or another says former council vice- president Francois Desrosier, who presented the brief to government.

“The tax would (be) much more accessible, and would re- cognize the responsibility of students to society in assuming part of the financial burden,’’ he said. ‘‘It would also shift the emphasis from the stu- dent’s ability to pay to the stu- dent’s ability to learn.”’

Government would be re- sponsible for implementation of the tax, and verification of payment.

The youth wing of the Parti Quebecois recently adopted a similar proposal, which calls for abolition of tuition fees with a 1.5 per cent tax to be

paid 10 years after graduation. -

Access Network Confirmed

The network will be multi- media, employing written cor- respondence, radio and tele- vision, audio and video tapes, computers, _ teleconferencing and satellite receivers.

Bill Summers, university affairs officer for the minis- try of Colleges and Univer- sities, said there are -12,000 students currently involved in high school level’ distance education through the Indivi- dual Learning Centre in Toronto who will likely benefit from the new network.

Summers returned recently from a preliminary meeting with the presidents of Lauren- tian University and Cambrian College in Sudbury, two of the four northern _ institutions which will serve as regional co- ordinating centres for the net- work.

Of the $5 million, $3 million will be allocated towards estab- lishing and operating the net- work, purchasing equipment, and paying staff salaries for the community centres. The remaining $2 million will be used to assist institutions in

developing new distance edu- cation programmes.

Both opposition party critics had good things to say about the project.

“It sounds very good,”” said New Democrat Education and College critic David Warner, need a more adventurous ap- proach to learning facilities in the North. The idea of using

high-tech abilities to reach small isolated communities is an idea which has caught on big in Britain, where millions have signed up for what they call universities on the air.”’

Richard Allen, NDP critic for universities, is concerned about the cost of an effective distance education network.

“If you want to do this well, you need not only a network but also some degree of per- sonal interchange — weekend seminars, regular phone-ins

.. I’m not sure these kinds of things have been taken into acount in the $5 million. It may well end up _ costing more,’’ said Allen.

Confederation College and Lakehead University will serve as regional coordinating centres

Red Cross Blood Donor Clinc Thank-you for Thursday, September 25, 1986 Many thanks to the following people who volunteered their time to help make the Blood Donor Clinic a success:

Karen Bishop Rosemary Berardinelli Ron Cameron

Jo-Ann Birt

Holly Good

Jacinta Gallant

Julia Hammond

Heather K-elly Maureen Fleming Lisa McCarvill Tammy Manley Angela Seaman Murry Stevenson Miles Turnbull

The clinic goal was 150 units of blood, turnout was 137 people with 108 units of blood given. Special mention goes to the Vet students (30 in number) who turned out. Thanks!

_ Heather Love SU General Manager

You should know the facts on Lung Cancer: ° 80 to 90% of lung cancers are caused by smoking -e Although many cancers can be successfully treated, Lung Cancer can only rarely be cured, because it is usually well advanced before detection e Each year more Islanders die from Lung Cancer than

on our highways

e Second-hand and sidestream smoke increase your risk

of lung cancer

° Your chances of favorable long-term health are greatly improved by chosing to be a non- smoker

For more information, contact:

Canadian Cancer Society, P.E.I. Division

ae

= November 6, 1986

= Se

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