April
      8,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      DENISE
      RIDEOUT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ST.
      JOHN’S,
      Nfld.
     
     
      (CUP)
      —
      The
      Newfoundland
     
     
      government’s
      decision
      to
      cut
     
     
      social
      assistance
      to
      student
     
     
      parents
      will
      double
      the
      amount
     
     
      of
      debt
      they
      have
      upon
      gradu-
     
     
      ation
      say
      outraged
      student
      par-
     
     
      ents.
     
    

    
     
      In
      last
      week’s
      provincial
     
     
      budget
      Brian
      Tobin's
      govern-
     
     
      ment
      cut
      funding
      for
      social
     
     
      services
      recipients
      attending
     
    

    
     
      stsecondary
      institutions
      forc-
     
     
      ing
      recipients
      to
      take
      the
      maxi-
     
     
      mum
      student
      loan
      available.
     
     
      Previously
      student
      parents
      on
     
     
      social
      services
      were
      provided
     
     
      with
      living
      arrangements
      but
     
     
      were
      required
      to
      get
      student
     
     
      loans
      to
      cover
      their
      schooling
     
     
      costs.
     
    

    
     
      The
      old
      system
      gener-
     
     
      ally
      kepttotal
      student
      debt
      lower
     
     
      for
      student
      parents,
      as
      it
      rec-
     
     
      ognized
      the
      added
      strain
      of
     
     
      raising
      children
      while
      getting
     
     
      an
      education.
      But
      now
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Panther
      Prints
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      government
      has
      said
      student
     
     
      parents
      must
      get
      the
      maxi-
     
     
      mum
      student
      loan
      and
      social
     
     
      services
      will
      provide
      funding
     
     
      only
      if
      it
      is
      needed.
     
    

    
     
      Joyce
      Aylward,
      a
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      at
      Memorial
      University
     
     
      and
      a
      mother
      of
      three,
      said
      she
     
     
      was
      shocked
      by
      the
      announce-
     
     
      ments
      made
      in
      the
      recent
     
     
      budget.
     
    

    
     
      “Overnight
      the
      govern-
     
     
      ment
      turned
      around
      and
      effec-
     
     
      tively
      doubled
      the
      future
      debt
     
     
      load
      of
      the
      majority
      of
      student
     
     
      parents
      on
      the
      whole
      island,”
     
     
      she
      said.
     
    

    
     
      Aylward
      said
      the
      new
     
     
      ruling
      was
      unreasonable
      and
     
     
      she
      was
      disgusted
      at
      how
      the
     
     
      government
      tried
      to
      present
      it
     
     
      as
      a
      positive
      benefit
      for
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      parents.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      government
      made
     
     
      it
      seem
      like
      they
      were
      helping
     
     
      us
      out
      by
      giving
      us
      a
      bigger
     
     
      student
      loan,”
      Aylward
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “But
      what
      they
      are
      really
      giv-
     
     
      ing
      us
      is
      a
      bigger
      student
      debt.”
     
    

    
     
      Under
      the
      old
      system
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      parents
      only
      had
      to
      get
      a
     
     
      student
      loan
      of
      about
      $5,000
     
     
      for
      a
      full
      academic
      year.
      Now
     
     
      that
      will
      almost
      double
      to
      $9,000
     
     
      for
      two
      semesters.
     
    

    
     
      Julie
      Fleet,
      another
      sin-
     
     
      gle
      parent
      attending
      Memo-
     
     
      rial,
      said
      the
      government
      cuts
     
     
      to
      social
      services
      recipients
     
     
      has
      gone
      against
      the
      many
     
     
      promises
      it
      has
      made
      to
      the
     
     
      women
      of
      this
      province.
     
    

    
     
      In
      September
      1995,
     
     
      Brian
      Tobin
      and
      ministers
      of
     
     
      his
      cabinet
      signed
      a
      non-legal
     
     
      contract
      with
      the
      women
      of
     
     
      Newfoundland
      and
      Labrador
     
     
      promising
      to
      help
      them
      over-
     
     
      come
      many
      of
      the
      struggles
     
     
      they
      have
      to
      face.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      pledge
      to
      work
      for
     
     
      economic
      justice
      and
      to
      end
     
     
      the
      increasing
      burden
      of
      pov-
     
     
      erty
      on
      women
      and
      their
      chil-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dren,
      who
      are
      a
      majority
      of
      the
     
     
      poor,”
      the
      contract
      read.
     
    

    
     
      But
      Fleet
      said
      that
      the
     
     
      announcements
      in
      the
      recent
     
     
      budget
      go
      to
      show
      that
      the
     
     
      government
      does
      not
      always
     
     
      uphold
      their
      promises.
     
    

    
     
      “Even
      though
      the
      con-
     
     
      tract
      was
      not
      legally
      binding,
     
     
      the
      government
      of
      this
      prov-
     
     
      ince
      still
      made
      a
      promise
      to
     
     
      us,”
      Fleet
      said.
      “But
      now
      the
     
     
      government
      has
      broken
      these
     
     
      promises
      by
      increasing
      the
      debt
     
     
      load
      of
      single
      mothers.”
     
    

    
     
      Fleet
      also
      said
      she
      be-
     
     
      lieves
      the
      provincial
      govern-
     
     
      ment
      has
      contradicted
      every-
     
     
      thing
      it
      has
      ever
      said
      about
      its
     
     
      policies
      towards
      social
      assist-
     
     
      ance.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      government
      talks
     
     
      about
      getting
      people
      off
      social
     
     
      assistance
      and
      back
      into
      the
     
     
      workforce,
      but
      now
      it
      is
      mak-
     
     
      ing
      it
      harder
      for
      people
      on
      as-
     
     
      sistance
      to
      get
      an
      education,”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Student
      Parents
      hit
      hard
      by
      Budget
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Fleet
      said.
     
    

    
     
      Many
      members
      of
      the
     
     
      student
      parent
      society
      said
     
     
      they
      use
      the
      government
      has
     
     
      in
      effect
      hindered
      the
      future
      of
     
     
      many
      people
      in
      the
      province.
     
    

    
     
      “Right
      now
      the
      govern-
     
     
      ment
      has
      built
      such
      an
      enor-
     
     
      mous
      barrier
      to
      getting
      out
      of
     
     
      poverty,”
      Aylward
      said.
      “And
     
     
      statistics
      show
      that
      the
      onl
     
     
      way
      out
      of
      poverty
      is
      eirourh
     
     
      education.”
     
    

    
     
      Dale
      Kirby,
      provincial
     
     
      chair
      of
      the
      Canadian
      Federa-
     
     
      tion
      of
      Students,
      said
      the
      pro-
     
     
      vincial
      government
      should
      be
     
     
      prepared
      for
      a
      fight
      from
      sin-
     
     
      gle
      student
      parents
      in
      the
      prov-
     
     
      ince.
     
    

    
     
      “If
      single
      parents
      are
     
     
      faced
      with
      a
      high
      debt
      after
     
     
      they
      graduate,
      there
      are
      going
     
     
      to
      be
      a
      lot
      of
      hungry
      an
      cold
     
     
      children
      out
      there.”