Megan
      Miller
     
     
      Continued
      from
      page
      8
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      from
      the
      time
      he
      was
      a
     
     
      baby
      up
      to
      the
      last
     
    

    
     
      picture
      that
      was
      taken
      of
     
     
      him.
      These
      presentations
     
     
      are
      supplemented
     
    

    
     
      with
      general
      information
     
     
      about
      impaired
      driving
      and
     
     
      Statistics
      and
     
    

    
     
      laws
      from
      around
      the
     
     
      world.
     
    

    
     
      Although
      Miller’s
     
     
      time
      is
      restricted
      by
      school
     
     
      work,
      she
      refuses
      to
     
     
      let
      anyone
      down.
     
    

    
     
      “T’ve
      made
      a
     
     
      conscious
      decision
      that
      if]
     
     
      am
      ever
     
     
      invited
      to
      do
      an
      impaired
     
     
      driving
      presentation,
      I’ll
      do
     
     
      everything
      [I
      can
      to
      be
     
     
      there],”
      says
      Miller
      who
     
     
      has
      not
      turned
      one
      down
     
     
      yet
      and
      certainly
      does
      not
     
     
      plan
      to.
      “I
      think
      that
      it
      is
      a
     
     
      real
      privilege
      to
     
     
      be
      able
      to
      do
      that
     
     
      [presentations].”
     
    

    
     
      Such
      dedication
      to
     
     
      the
      community
      has
      allowed
     
     
      Miller
      to
      meet
      a
      great
     
     
      number
      of
      fellow
     
     
      volunteers,
      some
      old,
      some
     
     
      young,
      many
      of
      which
     
     
      share
      this
      same
      devotion
      to
     
     
      public
      service.
      It
      was
      one
     
     
      of
      these
      fellow
     
     
      volunteers,
      Jane
      Johnston,
     
     
      also
      a
      volunteer
      at
      the
     
     
      QEH,
      who
      nominated
      her
     
     
      for
      this
      recognition.
     
    

    
     
      Miller’s
      involvement
     
     
      as
      a
      social
      activist
      will
     
     
      certainly
      not
      end
      as
     
     
      she
      graduates
      from
      UPEI.
     
     
      Miller,
      who
      has
      applied
      to
     
     
      Dalhousie
      Medical
     
     
      School,
      plans
      to
      continue
     
     
      her
      public
      service,
      telling
     
     
      her
      story,
      and
      helping
      the
     
     
      community
      surrounding
      her
     
     
      for
      as
      long
      as
      she
      can.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      U
      of
      Guelph
      group
      barred
      from
     
     
      distributing
      fair
      trade
      coffee
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Bandana
      Sharma
     
     
      Source:
      The
      Ontarion
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (University
      of
      Guel
      ph)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      GUELPH,
      ON
      (CUP)
      -
     
     
      It
      seems
      the
      word
     
     
      “hospitable”
      doesn’t
     
     
      apply
      to
      Hospitality
     
     
      Services
      at
      the
      University
     
     
      of
      Guelph.
     
    

    
     
      Last
      November,
      the
     
     
      campus
      food
      provider
     
     
      prohibited
      a
      group
     
     
      dedicated
      to
      economic
     
     
      justice
      from
      distributing
     
     
      fair
      trade
      coffee
      for
      free
     
     
      at
      a
      student-run
      coffee
     
     
      house.
     
    

    
     
      Instead
      of
      using
      coffee
     
     
      donated
      by
      Tributaries,
      a
     
     
      Guelph
      business
      that
     
     
      deals
      exclusively
      with
      fair
     
     
      trade
      beans,
      the
      Oxfam
     
     
      club
      was
      forced
      to
     
     
      purchase
      coffee
      from
     
     
      Hospitality
      Services
      for
     
     
      an
      event
      on
      Buy
      Nothing
     
     
      Day.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      was
      to
      make
      people
     
     
      aware
      of
      their
      over-
     
     
      consumption
      and
     
     
      encourage
      people
      not
      to
     
     
      buy
      anything,”
      said
      Sheila
     
     
      Varadan
      on
      behalf
      of
      the
     
     
      Oxfam
      Club.
     
    

    
     
      Fair
      trade
      beans
      refers
      to
     
     
      coffee
      that
      is
      grown
      in
      an
     
     
      environmentally
      friendly
     
     
      manner
      and
      purchased
     
     
      directly
      from
      farmers.
     
    

    
     
      It
      remains
      unclear
      why
     
     
      Hospitality
      Services
      could
     
     
      not
      support
      Oxfam’s
     
     
      promotion
      of
      fair
      trade
     
     
      coffee.
     
    

    
     
      “They
      were
      just
      following
     
     
      a
      policy
      [that
      states]
      that
     
     
      you
      re
      not
      allowed
      to
     
     
      bring
      foreign
      food
      on
     
     
      campus,”
      said
      Varadan.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      according
      to
     
     
      Hospitality
      Services
      those
     
     
      regulations
      do
      not
      exist.
     
     
      “There
      is
      no
      such
      policy,”
     
     
      said
      Dave
      Boeckner,
     
     
      director
      of
      Hospitality
     
     
      Services.
      “As
      long
      as
     
    
   
   
    
     
      they
      booked
      the
      coffee
     
     
      house
      as
      an
      event
      with
     
     
      Pages,
      a
      student
      club
     
     
      should
      be
      able
      to
      sell
      or
     
     
      give
      out
      their
      own
     
     
      products.”
     
    

    
     
      Despite
      not
      being
      able
      to
     
     
      follow
      through
      with
      their
     
     
      plan
      for
      Buy
      Nothing
      Day,
     
     
      Oxfam
      is
      not
      discouraged
     
     
      and
      plans
      to
      continue
     
     
      raising
      awareness
      on
      fair
     
     
      trade
      coffee
      in
      the
      coming
     
     
      months.
     
    

    
     
      “(Hospitality
      Services]
     
     
      were
      fair
      and
      up
      front.
      We
     
     
      can’t
      discredit
      them
      in
      any
     
     
      way,”
      said
      Varadan.
      “Our
     
     
      primary
      goal
      this
      semester
     
     
      is
      to
      get
      hospitality
     
     
      services
      to
      start
      offering
     
     
      fair
      trade
      coffee
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .
      students.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kirsten
      Middleton,
      a
     
     
      former
      University
      of
     
     
      Guelph
      student
      and
     
     
      manager
      of
      Tributaries,
      is
     
     
      in
      full
      support
      of
      the
     
     
      Oxfam
      campaign.
     
    

    
     
      “‘T
      would
      encourage
     
     
      Hospitality
      Services
      switch
     
     
      to
      fair
      trade
      coffee
     
     
      everywhere
      on
      campus,”
     
     
      she
      said.
      “Not
      only
      is
      it
     
     
      better
      coffee
      for
      everyone
     
     
      to
      drink,
      but
      it
      will
      say
      that
     
     
      they
      are
      being
      fair
      [to
     
     
      growers].”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Oxfam
      Club
      is
      new
     
     
      to
      the
      University.
      It
      was
     
     
      created
      this
      past
     
     
      September
      and
      is
     
     
      operating
      under
      Central
     
     
      Student
      Association
     
     
      accreditation.
      Its
     
     
      members,
      who
      are
      mostly
     
     
      International
     
     
      Development
      students,
     
     
      meet
      weekly.
     
    

    
     
      The
      campus
      group
      has
      its
     
     
      origins
      in
      the
      Oxford
     
     
      Committee
      for
      Famine
     
     
      Relief
      that
      was
      created
      to
     
     
      improve
      poor
      living
     
     
      conditions
      after
      WWII.
     
    

    
     
      A
      large
      part
      of
      its
      focus
      is
     
     
      spreading
      fair
      trade
      coffee
     
     
      and
      making
      people
      aware
     
     
      of
      development
      issues
     
     
      surrounding
      the
      coffee
     
     
      industry.
     
    

    
     
      According
      to
      Middleton,
     
     
      fair
      trade
      coffee
      dealers
     
     
      sign
      long-term
      purchase
     
     
      agreements
      directly
      with
     
     
      farmers
      so
      that
      they
      have
     
     
      guaranteed
      income
      to
      rely
     
     
      on.
     
    

    
     
      “There’s
      also
      a
      minimum
     
     
      price
      that
      we
      will
      always
     
     
      pay
      regardless
      of
      what
     
     
      the
      market
      does,”
      she
     
     
      said.
      “We
      will
      always
     
     
      beat
      the
      world
      price
      by
     
     
      0.05
      per
      cent,
      per
      pound.
     
     
      This
      helps
      provide
     
     
      farmers
      with
      the
      basics
     
     
      for
      human
      life,
      everything
     
     
      from
      fresh
      water
      to
     
     
      medicine.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “We
      try
      to
      work
      as
      directly
     
     
      with
      the
      farmers
      as
      possible,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      because
      it’s
      the
      middlemen
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      commercial
      coffee
      that
      jack
     
     
      up
      the
      price
      and
      see
      most
      of
     
     
      the
      profit,”
      she
      continued.
     
     
      “Farmers
      actually
      get
      paid
     
     
      very
      little
      for
      their
      beans.
     
     
      Sometimes
      they’re
      paid
      less
     
     
      for
      the
      coffee
      than
      what
      it
     
     
      cost
      to
      grow.
      Most
      coffee
     
     
      farmers
      actually
      live
      in
      pretty
     
     
      atrocious
      conditions.”
     
    

    
     
      Fair
      trade
      coffee
      is
      also
     
     
      grown
      traditionally
      in
      the
     
     
      shade
      under
      the
      canopy
      of
     
     
      rainforests.
      This
      minimizes
     
     
      the
      effects
      of
      its
      harvest
      on
     
     
      the
      environment,
      says
     
     
      Middleton.
     
    

    
     
      “Coffee
      has
      the
      dubious
     
     
      reputation
      of
      being
      the
      most
     
     
      heavily
      sprayed
      crop
      on
      the
     
     
      market,”
      said
      Middleton.
     
     
      “Traditionally,
      its
      shade
     
     
      grown
      and
      doesn’t
      require
     
     
      chemicals
      of
      any
      sort.
      But
      to
     
     
      speed
      up
      the
      process
      coffee
     
     
      can
      be
      forced
      to
      grow
      in
      the
     
     
      sun.
     
    

    
     
      “First
      you
      clear
      the
      rain
     
    
   
   
    
     
      forest
      through
      slash
      and
      burn,
     
     
      then
      you
      plant
      coffee
      sprayed
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      pesticides
      and
      fertilizers
     
     
      that
      the
      forest
      would
      have
     
     
      provided.
      Of
      course
      you
      get
     
     
      coffee
      faster,
      which
      appeals
     
     
      to
      commercial
      production
     
     
      like
      Nescafe,
      Nabob
      or
     
     
      Maxwell
      House,
      but
      its
      a
     
     
      much
      unhealthier
      coffee
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      farmers
      and
      consumers.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CC