Page
      14
      September
      8,
      2008
      NATIONAL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      International
      tuition
      hike
      cancelled
      in
      NL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ST.
      JOHN'S
      (CUP)
      --
      The
     
     
      Memorial
      University
      of
     
     
      Newfoundland
      Board
      of
     
     
      Regents
      has
      voted
      to
      post-
     
     
      pone
      an
      international
      student
     
     
      tuition
      hike
      planned
      for
      the
     
     
      fall
      semester.
     
    

    
     
      The
      fee
      hike,
      which
      was
     
     
      announced
      by
      the
      university
     
     
      last
      October,
      was
      met
      with
     
     
      opposition
      from
      Memorial
     
     
      University
      Students’
      Union
     
     
      (MUNSU),
      the
      Canadian
     
     
      Federation
      of
      Students
     
     
      (CFS),
      and
      MUN's
      Graduate
     
     
      Students’
      Union.
     
    

    
     
      A
      silent
      protest
      was
      set
      to
     
     
      take
      place
      during
      the
      July
      17
     
     
      Board
      of
      Regents
      meeting,
     
     
      where
      the
      decision
      was
      sup-
     
     
      posed
      to
      be
      discussed.
      But
     
     
      before
      the
      protest
      went
     
     
      ahead,
      campaign
      organizers
     
     
      were
      told
      they
      would
      have
      a
     
     
      chance
      to
      make
      a
      presenta-
     
     
      tion
      to
      the
      Board.
      In
      light
      of
     
     
      this,
      the
      protest
      was
      re-
     
     
      organized
      as
      a
      barbeque.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      wanted
      to
      have
      a
     
     
      demonstration
      to
      show
      the
     
     
      support
      in
      the
      university
     
     
      community,”
      said
     
     
      MUNSU’s_
      Director
      of
     
     
      External
      affairs
      Cameron
     
     
      Campbell.
      “But
      when
      we
     
     
      were
      becoming
      part
      of
      the
     
     
      process...we
      didn’t
      want
      to
     
     
      take
      that
      same
      kind
      of
      harsh
     
     
      stance
      on
      it.”
     
    

    
     
      About
      30
      people
      showed
     
     
      up
      to
      support
      the
      cause.
     
     
      Students
      ate
      hot
      dogs,
     
     
      played
      hacky
      sack,
      and
     
     
      talked
      about
      the
      issue.
     
    

    
     
      Campbell,
      who
      was
      chosen
     
     
      to
      give
      the
      presentation
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      Board,
      felt
      ~—
      the
     
     
      Newfoundland
      and
     
     
      Labrador
      government’s
     
    
   
   
    
     
      assistance
      played
      a
      large
     
     
      role
      in
      getting
      access
      to
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      meeting.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      really
      helps
      that
      we’ve
     
     
      got
      the
      provincial
      govern-
     
     
      ment’s
      support
      on
      this,”
      said
     
     
      Campbell.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      have
      a
      well
      prepared
     
     
      presentation
      and
      lots
      of
      doc-
     
     
      umentation
      to
      show
      to
      the
     
     
      Regent
      members
      and
      we
     
     
      hope
      that
      that
      really
      makes
      a
     
     
      difference,”
      he
      said
      at
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      demonstration.
     
     
      Daniel
      Smith,
     
     
      Newfoundland
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Labrador's
      CFS
      chairperson,
     
     
      first
      learned
      of
      the
      intended
     
     
      increase
      while
      at
      a
      national
     
     
      CFS
      meeting.
     
    

    
     
      “Tt
      was
      at
      that
      time
      that
      we
     
     
      said
      we
      have
      to
      make
      sure
     
     
      that
      doesn’t
      happen,”
      said
     
     
      Smith.
      "Ever
      since
      then
     
     
      we’ve
      had
      at
      least
      one
      meet-
     
     
      ing
      per
      week."
     
    

    
     
      Smith
      says
      that
      the
     
     
      increased
      tuition
      could
      turn
     
     
      potential
      students
      away
      from
     
     
      the
      province.
     
    

    
     
      Newfoundland
      and
     
     
      Labrador
      has
      long
      been
     
     
      plagued
      with
      outmigration,
     
     
      declining
      birth
      rates,
      and
     
     
      declining
      high
      school
      gradu-
     
     
      ation
      numbers.
     
    

    
     
      This
      has
      prompted
     
     
      Memorial
      to
      look
      outside
      the
     
     
      province
      to
      keep
      enrolment
     
     
      steady.
     
    

    
     
      The
      anti-fee
      hike
      group
      had
     
     
      hoped
      their
      lobbying
      efforts
     
     
      would
      persuade
      the
      adminis-
     
     
      tration
      to
      try
      out
      a
      spending
     
     
      model
      approved
      by
      MUNSU
     
     
      before
      boosting
      the
      fee.
     
    

    
     
      “That
      allocation
      model
     
     
      hasn’t
      been
      put
      in
      place
      yet,”
     
     
      said
      Smith.
      “Before
      this
      has
     
     
      been
      implemented
      they’re
     
     
      coming
      out
      already
      and
      say-
     
     
      ing
      they
      don’t
      have
      any
     
     
      money,
      which
      doesn’t
      make
     
    
   
   
    
     
      much
      sense.”
     
    

    
     
      After
      a
      meeting
      with
      the
     
     
      CFS,
      NL
      Minister
      of
     
     
      Education
      Joan
      Burke,
      and
     
     
      Minister
      of
      Human
     
     
      Resources
      Shawn
      Skinner
     
     
      sent
      a
      letter
      to
      the
      Gil
     
     
      Dalton,
      chair
      of
      the
      Board
      of
     
     
      Regents.
      In
      the
      letter,
      they
     
     
      asked
      that
      the
      “views
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘CFS
      be
      taken
      into
      consider-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ation.”
     
    

    
     
      Burke
      also
      requested
      infor-
     
     
      mation
      from
      the
      Board
      on
     
     
      how
      international
      services
     
     
      have
      grown
      in
      the
      last
      six
     
     
      years
      since
      the
      last
      interna-
     
     
      tional
      tuition
      increase.
     
    

    
     
      On
      July
      8,
      Memorial's
      act-
     
     
      ing
      president,
      Eddy
     
     
      Campbell,
      said
      that
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      university’s
      reasons
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      increase
      was
      to
      support
     
     
      services
      like
      the
      Writing
     
     
      Centre,
      which
      he
      says
      inter-
     
     
      national
      students
      use
      more
     
     
      than
      Canadian
      ones.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Board
      of
      Regents
     
     
      voted
      unanimously
      to
      delay
     
     
      the
      fee
      increase
      until
      further
     
     
      discussion
      with
      provincial
     
     
      government
      can
      be
      conduct-
     
     
      ed.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PEI
      AGRICULTURE
      AWARENESS
      COMMI1
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Comité
      sur
      la
      sensibilisation
      a
      agriculture
      de
      L’'l.-P.-E.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2008
      PEI
      Open
      Farm
      Day
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "Know
      Farmers,
      Know
      Food"
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      PEI
      Agriculture
      Awareness
      Committee
      is
      pleased
      to
      announce
      the
      7th
     
     
      Anniversary
      of
      the
      PE!
      Open
      Farm
      Day.
      Open
      Farm
      day
      is
      an
      event
      that
      hap-
     
     
      pens
      in
      all
      of
      the
      Atlantic
      provinces
      and
      this
      year
      it
      will
      be
      held
      on
      Sunday
     
    
   
   
    
     
      September
      21.
      Open
      Farm
      Day
      is
      designed
      to
      promote
      Island
      agriculture
      and
      to
     
     
      help
      connect
      the
      non-farming
      public
      to
      the
      source
      of
      their
      food.
      The
      PEI
     
     
      Agriculture
      Awareness
      Committee
      would
      like
      to
      thank
      Sobeys,
      the
      major
      sponsor
     
     
      of
      this
      event,
      for
      once
      again
      supporting
      this
      great
      initiative.
      This
      year’s
      theme
      is
     
     
      “Know
      Farmers,
      Know
      Food”,
      and
      it
      is
      our
      hope
      that
      visitors
      will
      see
      the
      high
     
     
      quality
      food
      that
      Islanders
      produce.
      Last
      year
      thousands
      of
      people
      visited
      Island
     
     
      farms
      with
      their
      families.
      They
      learned
      many
      different
      things
      about
      the
      agriculture
     
     
      and
      forestry
      industries
      on
      PEI
      and
      most
      importantly
      they
      were
      able
      to
      meet
      the
     
     
      hard
      working
      people
      who
      produce
      their
      food.
      For
      more
      details
      visit
      our
      website
     
     
      at
      www.gov.pe.ca/go/peiopenfarmday
      or
      pick
      up
      a
      map
     
     
      at
      any
      Sobeys
      location
      across
      PEI.
     
    

    
     
      If
      you
      have
      any
      questions
      you
      can
      contact
      Jennie
      Palmer
      at
      388-1613
      or
     
     
      peiopenfarmday2008@hotmail.com
      or
      Nancy
      Smith
      at
      393-6082
      or
      892-5335.