arts | harvest previews
news | aitken house flood opinion| balance is key
sports| men win home opener
Volume 146 146 ·· September September12, 05 ·Issue Issue02, 01,2012 2012 Volume
www.thebruns.ca www.thebruns.ca
brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.
Alward
gets cut Cherise Letson News Editor The page in the UNB student union (UNBSU) agenda, which has for years been reserved for a message from the premier, has been replaced with another – from the students. This year, the UNBSU decided to use the page to express their frustration with the provincial government for insufficient funding for the university, thus resulting in $375 increase in the last two years. The idea to omit the premier’s message was suggested by St. Thomas University’s Student Union’s (STUSU) vice-president administration, Fin Mackay-Boyce. The STUSU then approached the UNBSU with the idea. “We thought it was a really good opportunity to get our message across, that students are unhappy with the way this government has treated post-secondary education,” said Adam Melanson, vice-president external for the UNBSU. News of the omission of the premier’s message has gotten lots of positive attention from the media. Melanson said the coverage is putting pressure on the government to look more seriously at student issues. “This agenda submission, has brought to the forefront, the concerns of students and the fact that we are not included in the negotiations for what tuition will look like over the next four years,” said Melanson. UNBSU president, Andrew Martel, said though the universities themselves are involved in the negotiations of the four year tuition plan, the students are not being represented fairly. “The universities are in discussion with them about financing, but for one, we know they’re not representing student’s as well as we would, and two, we don’t know if they’ll be pushing for financing as much, because they have a scapegoat, which would be us,” said Martel. Neither the UNBSU nor the STUSU, have received an official response from the provincial government about the omission. However,
Martel claims he received a phone call from the department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour (PETL). Martel claims the department employee said, PETL was frustrated with the UNBSU for not informing them about the omission beforehand, and how using David Alward’s image made it appear as though he wrote the message. Martel was also told that students should focus their lobbying for lower tuition on the university itself. “That’s when I told him, that it’s because of the funding the government gives the universities, that tuition will either not move, or will go up and down,” said Martel. “I said that’s why we need to lobby the government...” The Brunswickan tried to contact the premiers’ office and PETL several times, but they failed respond by publication time. Melanson said it’s time for the student union to
try some different tactics for lobbying. “We need to start talking about how we can put pressure publicly on the government, to make decisions in our best interest. Because obviously, what we’ve done over the last two years hasn’t been effective,” Melanson said. He said, this year, the student union will be trying new ways of getting the provincial governments attention. This will include working more
closely with the STUSU. “I think this is a start of a change of tact for the UNBSU, and it’s more in line with what the St. Thomas student’s union has done over the last few years. That’s to be willing to put public pressure, and to put pressure on the government as means to voice student opinions, and the needs of students,” said Melanson.