PEI
      Government
      Announces
      Ongoing
      Commitment
     
     
      to
      Screw
      Over
      University
      Students
      Really
      Bad
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Adam
      GALLANT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Prince
      Edward
      §Island’s
     
     
      Minister
      of
      Education
      Jeff
      Lantz
     
     
      announced
      on
      Thursday,
      April
      4th
      the
     
     
      PEI
      government’s
      “ongoing
      commit-
     
     
      ment
      to
      screw
      over
      university
      students
     
     
      really
      bad.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      University
      of
      Prince
     
     
      Edward
      Island,
      PEI’s
      only
      university,
     
     
      is
      heavily
      affected
      by
      such
      a
      commit-
     
     
      ment.
      The
      commitment
      effectively
     
     
      seals
      UPEI’s
      fate
      of
      being
      underfund-
     
     
      ed
      for
      yet
      another
      year
      and
      years
      to
     
     
      come,
      despite
      the
      fact
      that
      UPEI
      is
      in
     
     
      need
      of
      money
      to
      pay
      for
      new
      facili-
     
     
      ties
      and
      for
      repairs
      to
      existing
      facili-
     
     
      ties.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      just
      can’t
      afford
      to
      be
     
     
      handing
      out
      any
      more
      money
      to
      peo-
     
     
      ple
      who
      are
      trying
      to
      improve
      them-
     
     
      selves
      intellectually.
      We
      have
      to
      look
     
     
      towards
      spending
      our
      money
      where
      it
     
     
      will
      do
      the
      most
      good,
      and
      right
      now
     
     
      that’s
      not
      on
      the
      future
      doctors,
      nurs-
     
     
      es,
      lawyers,
      scientists,
      artists,
      teach-
     
     
      ers,
      and
      engineers
      of
      this
      great
      coun-
     
     
      try.”
     
    

    
     
      Pat
      Mella,
      PEI’s
      Provincial
     
     
      Treasurer,
      supported
      Lantz’s
     
     
      announcement.“We
      all
      know
      that
      uni-
     
     
      versity
      education’s
      purpose
      should
      be
     
     
      to
      make
      young
      people
     
     
      employable,”said
      Mella,
      “but
      we
      also
     
     
      know
      that
      in
      today’s
      economic
      cli-
     
     
      mate,
      people
      with
      bachelor’s
      degrees
     
     
      are
      working
      in
      fast
      food
      restaurants
     
     
      and
      convenience
      stores.
      So
      why
      not
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MICKEY
      ACORN'S
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Pat
      Binns.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      put
      our
      money
      towards
      creating
      jobs
     
     
      at
      seasonal,
      but
      high-class,
      golf
      resorts
     
     
      and
      stressful,
      but
      somewhat
      well-pay-
     
     
      ing,
      call
      centres?”
     
    

    
     
      Lantz
      stated
      that
      he
      is
      not
      con-
     
     
      cerned
      about
      student
      reaction
      to
      his
     
     
      announced
      commitment.
      “Most
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      won’t
      even
      know
      about
      [the
     
     
      commitment],
      and
      the
      few
      who
      do
     
     
      know
      won’t
      bother
      to
      do
      anything
     
     
      about
      it.”
     
    

    
     
      “Most
      university
      students
     
     
      don’t
      care
      enough
      about
      ‘their
      educa-
     
     
      tion
      to
      do
      anything
      about
      it,
      so
      [the
     
     
      PEI
      government]
      might
      as
      well
      not
      do
     
     
      anything
      to
      help
      them,”
      added
      Lantz.
     
     
      “After
      all,
      what
      would
      be
      in
      it
      for
      us?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FIVE
      TIPS
      TO
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CONSTRUCTION
     
     
      SITE
      SAFETY
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Most
      university
      students
      don’t
      even
     
     
      vote.”
     
    

    
     
      When
      asked
      if
      he
      thought
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      apathy
      was,
      in
      fact,
      caused
      by
      a
     
     
      lack
      of
      time
      to
      voice
      protest
      due
      in
     
     
      part
      to
      the
      fact
      that
      many
      students
     
     
      have
      to
      work
      long
      hours
      each
      week
      to
     
     
      pay
      for
      the
      rising
      costs
      of
      their
      educa-
     
     
      tion,
      Lantz
      said,
      “Nah,
      they’re
      just
     
     
      lazy.”
     
    

    
     
      This
      point
      of
      view
      about
      uni-
     
     
      versity
      students
      is
      typical
      around
     
     
      Canada.
      When
      recently
      asked
      for
     
     
      comment
      on
      the
      rising
      costs
      of
      post-
     
     
      secondary
      education,
      Canadian
      Prime
     
     
      Minister
      Jean
      Chretien
      said,
      “If
      we
     
     
      lowered
      tuition,
      the
      university
      stu-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      3.
      No
      horseplay.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      properly
      trained.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dents
      would
      just
      spend
      the
      money
      they
     
     
      save
      on
      drinking
      the
      beers*and
      smok-
      *
     
     
      ing
      the
      pots,
      so
      there’s
      no
      point.”
     
    

    
     
      Contrary
      to
      Lantz’s
      belief,
     
     
      there
      are,
      in
      fact,
      students
      who
      are
     
     
      upset
      about
      Lantz’s
      commitment.
     
     
      Vanessa
      Baker,
      a
      third-year
      Business
     
     
      major
      said,
      “My
      education
      is
      already
     
     
      too
      expensive
      and
      now
      they’re
      saying
     
     
      they
      not
      only
      don’t
      want
      to
      help
      us,
     
     
      but
      want
      to
      ‘screw’
      us
      out
      of
      our
     
     
      money?
      My
      professor
      taught
      me
      that’s
     
     
      what
      credit
      card
      companies
      are
      for,
     
     
      not
      governments.”
     
    

    
     
      In
      order
      to
      keep
      some
      sem-
     
     
      blance
      of
      benevolence
      toward
      univer-
     
     
      sity
      students,
      Lantz
      pointed
      out
      that
     
     
      there
      were
      some
      initiatives
      on
      the
      gov-
     
     
      ernment’s
      part
      to
      help
      out
      students
      in
     
     
      need.
      “We
      do
      pay
      out
      bursaries
      to
     
     
      some
      students
      with
      staggeringly
      high
     
     
      student
      loans,”
      said
      Lantz.
      “We
      don’t
     
     
      want
      students
      to
      get
      so
      far
      in
      the
      hole
     
     
      that
      they
      declare
      personal
      bankruptcy
     
     
      to
      get
      rid
      of
      their
      debts.
      We
      need
      to
      get
     
     
      that
      money
      back.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      future
      of
      post-secondary
     
     
      education
      is
      grim,
      observed
      fourth-
     
     
      year
      Psychology
      major
      Kenneth
     
     
      Brown.
      “Pretty
      soon
      university
      educa-
     
     
      tion
      is
      just
      going
      to
      be
      for
      the
      sons
      and
     
     
      daughters
      of
      really
      rich
      people
      or
      the
     
     
      keeners
      in
      high
      school
      who
      get
     
     
      entrance
      scholarships.
      It’s
      not
      fair
      for
     
     
      the
      rest
      of
      us
      who
      just
      want
      to
      slide
     
     
      by.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      1.
      Put
      up
      a
      fence
      to
      keep
      the
      site
      secure
      from
      the
      public.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2.
      Always
      wear
      a
      hard
      hat
      and
      steel-toed
      boots
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4.
      Do
      not
      operate
      dangerous
      machinery
      unless
      -you
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
      5.
      Have
      a
      spotter
      for
      sparks
      when
      ‘you-até'
      welding.