‘THE
      FEDERAL
      BUDGET:
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CONSERVATIVE
      GOV-
     
     
      ERNMENT
      HAS
      NOT
     
     
      LEARNED
      ITS
      LESSON
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ottawa
      --
      In
      his
      first
      budget,
      Finance
      Minister
      Don
     
     
      Mazankowski
      claimed
      that
      ‘‘the
      government
      launched
     
     
      its
      prosperity
      initiative
      last
      year
      as
      a
      broadly
      based
     
     
      consultation
      process’’.
      Obviously
      students
      weren’t
     
     
      part
      of
      that
      process,
      and
      the
      prosperity
      promised
      in
     
     
      the
      budget
      isn’t
      likely
      to
      apply
      to
      them.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘This
      government
      still
      hasn’t
      learned
      its
      lesson’’
     
     
      said
      Kelly
      Lamrock,
      Chairperson
      of
      the
      Canadian
     
     
      Federation
      of
      Students.
      ‘‘All
      this
      talk
      about
      prosper-
     
     
      ity
      doesn’t
      mean
      a
      thing
      of
      education
      is
      left
      out
      of
      the
     
     
      picture.
      The
      continued
      freeze
      in
      transfer
      payments
     
     
      for
      post
      secondary
      education
      means
      that
      9
      billion
     
     
      dollars
      will
      be
      cut
      by
      1995
      and
      that’s
      bad
      news
      for
     
     
      thee
      whole
      country’’.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Lamrock
      added
      that
      the
      elimination
      of
      the
      3%
      tax
      on
     
    
   
   
    
     
      student
      loans
      is
      a
      ‘‘great
      victory
      for
      students,
      but
      it
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      marred
      by
      the
      decision
      to
      eliminate
      the
      six
      month
     
     
      interest
      subsidy
      for
      graduating
      students.
      The
      govern-
     
     
      ment
      is
      worried
      is
      worried
      about
      students
      defaulting
     
     
      on
      their
      loans,
      but
      doesn’t
      the
      government
      know
      that
     
     
      more
      than
      90%
      of
      all
      student
      borrows
      repay
      their
     
     
      Canada
      student
      loans?
      This
      doesn’t
      look
      atall
      like
     
     
      the
      great
      reforms
      students
      were
      waiting
      for.’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Finally,
      Lamrock
      noted
      this
      last
      bit
      if
      absurdity:
     
     
      ‘*The
      decision
      to
      merge
      the
      Social
      Science
      and
      Hu-
     
     
      manities
      Research
      Council
      and
      the
      Canada
      Council
      is
     
     
      appalling.
      Graduate
      students
      will
      see
      it
      for
      what
      it
      is:
     
     
      a
      decision
      born
      our
      of
      ignorance,
      showing
      that
      the
     
     
      government
      doesn’t
      know
      what
      either
      artists
      or
      social
     
     
      scientists
      need’’.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -UPEI
      X-P
      RESS.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      construction
      of
      a
      new
      Student
      Union
      Centre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      March
      26,
      1992.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      he
      Pe
      ee
      Ml
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      STUDENT
      CENTRE...
      THE
      -_
     
     
      HEART
      OF
      THE
      UNIVERSITY
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Something
      is
      missing
      at
      UPEI.
      It
      has
      been
      talked
     
     
      about
      by
      students,
      Councils
      and
      executives,
      and
     
     
      faculty
      alike,
      since
      UPEI
      was
      formed
      in
      1969.
      Man
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ideas
      have
      been
      discussed.
      Something
      needs
      to
      be
     
     
      done.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      1989
      a
      formal
      discussion
      Paper
      went
      to
      the
      presi-
     
     
      dential
      UPEI
      Space
      Needs
      Committee
      on
      the
      future
     
     
      space
      needs
      of
      the
      Student
      Union.
      It
      was
      presented
     
     
      by
      them
      SU
      President,
      Lisa
      Murphy.
      In
      short,
      the
     
     
      construction
      of
      a
      new
      Student
      Centre.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      ideal
      scenario
      for
      a
      Student
      Union
      Centre
      would
     
     
      be
      a
      complex
      offered
      asacentral
      gathering
      spot
      for
     
     
      the
      students,
      other
      members
      of
      the
      University
      Com-
     
     
      munity,
      and
      individuals
      from
      the
      community
      at
      large
     
     
      The
      Complex
      would
      exist
      to
      provide
      those
      social,
     
     
      recreational,
      educational,
      and
      cultural
      activities
      whic
     
     
      are
      not
      formally
      provided
      through
      the
      Academic
     
     
      Curriculum
      or
      other
      University
      Services.
      The
      build-
     
     
      ing
      could
      also
      house
      currently
      offered
      University
     
     
      serves
      that
      would
      have
      and
      compliment
      Student
      Unio
     
     
      functions
      and
      operation.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Student
      Union
      Centre
      (the
      Barn),
      presently,
      doe:
     
     
      not
      adequately
      satisfy
      the
      need
      of
      UPEI
      students,
      as
     
     
      appreciated
      by
      the
      Student
      Union
      organization.
      The
     
     
      structure
      of
      the
      building
      is
      limited
      in
      so
      a=far
      as
      it
     
     
      does
      not
      permit
      consolidation
      of
      the
      existing
      services
     
     
      in
      an
      efficient
      manner.
      The
      building
      does
      not
      offer
      q
     
     
      the
      space
      needed
      to
      accommodate
      the
      already
      existing
     
     
      services.
      The
      current
      building
      does
      not
      lend
      itself
      to
     
     
      future
      expansion
      initiatives.
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      would
      greatly
      enlarge
      the
      space
      and
      the
      scope
      of
      &
     
    
   
   
    
     
      current
      operations
      with
      room
      for
      development.
      The
      3
     
     
      Student
      Centre
      should
      contain
      facilities
      and
      services”
     
     
      which
      are
      for
      the
      benefit
      of
      the
      entire
      university
     
     
      community.
      Certain
      facilities
      would
      be
      primarily
     
     
      used
      by
      certain
      sub-groups
      within
      the
      university.
     
     
      Such
      services
      possibly
      offered
      would
      include:
     
     
      A
      coffee
      shop,
      study
      lounges,
      hanging-out
      and
      rela
      Ss
     
     
      ing
      lounges,
      multi-purpose
      rooms,
      sub-organiZatio
      fe
     
     
      offices,
      and
      the
      list
      goes
      on.
      :
     
     
      |
      )
     
     
      One
      section
      of
      the
      building
      would
      contain
      a
      license
      de
     
     
      lounge(imagine
      the
      Panther
      Lounge
      notin
      the
      s
     
     
      Barn!?!),
      another
      area
      offices
      for
      the
      Student
      Union
     
    
   
   
    
     
      oo
      aoa
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
          
     
     
          
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Beales
      cit:
      Reet
      gx
      -B: