The McGill Tribune Vol. 16 Issue 24

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Published by the Students’ Society of McGill University

T R I B U N E

Volume 16 Issue 24

http://ssm u.m csjill.ca/trib

April 2ml, 19Wf

PGSS takes lead in fight against new administration’s fees By T e m o C

h alasan i

T he P ost G raduate S tudents’ Society o f M cG ill has been stag­ ing dem onstrations to raise public aw areness about new student fees b e in g p r o p o s e d b y M c G i l l ’ s adm inistration. Issues o f contention include th e p ro p o sed $255 stu d e n t levy fo r n ew se rv ic e c h a rg e s, a 300 p e r c e n t in c re a s e in a d d itio n a l session graduate student fees and th e d ereg u latio n o f intern atio n al student fees — all o f w hich w ere d i s c u s s e d a t th e B o a r d o f G overnors m eeting on M arch 18. O n M arch 22, P G S S m e m ­ b ers b eg ged fo r spare change in th e L e a c o c k B u ild in g to r a is e aw areness o f the financial strain th at w ill be im posed on students because o f the new fees. L ast M onday, PG SS jam m ed th e fa x m a c h in e s o f 12 B o a rd m em bers w ho are also prom inent m em bers o f the financial com m u­ nity, alleg in g th a t th e ir in v o lv e­ m e n t w ith M c G i l l ’ s p la n to in crease student fees constituted a c o n flic t o f in te re s t. A n n a K ru zy n ski, P G S S V P univ ersity affairs, contends that m any m em ­ b e rs o f th e B o a rd are fro m the banking com m unity and therefore are m ore interested in prom oting th e b a n k s’ in terests to th e d e tri­ m ent o f students. “ T h e s e m e m b e r s o f th e B o a rd h a v e g iv e n M c G ill th e m a n d a te to re d u c e its d e b t and

thus are fo rc in g M cG ill to levy m ore from its students,” she said. In an o th e r p ro te st h eld la st W e d n e s d a y , g ra d u a te stu d e n ts, m ostly from the E n g lish d ep a rt­ m ent, staged a sym bolic lockout o f th e A rts b u ild in g , p ro te stin g a g a in s t w h a t th e y s e e as th e a d m in is tr a tio n ’s u n d e m o c ra tic treatm ent o f students. “T he lockout is sym bolic o f th e w ay in w h ich w e are b ein g lo c k e d o u t o f o u r e d u c a t io n ,” K r u z y n s k i s a id . “ H o w d o e s M cG ill explain the fact that acad ­ e m ic s e r v ic e s c h a r g e s h a v e already been quoted as p art o f the fee in th e ca le n d a r ev en th o u g h the B oard o f G o v ern o rs has n ot approved the m otion form ally?” F in a lly , th e P G S S d e m o n ­ s tr a t e d a t th e e n t r a n c e to th e Faculty Club last T hursday. T his recent cam paign, called “T aste o f the Future at M cG ill,” saw gradu­ ate students serving crackers w ith cheese and peanut butter to facu l­ ty m em bers to inform them that food is the only discretionary part o f students’ budgets and that they could not afford another fee hike. V P A d m in is tr a tio n a n d F in an c e P h y llis H eap h y refu ted K ruzy n sk i’s charges th a t M cG ill is not being open to the universi­ ty c o m m u n ity a n d p o in te d o u t that the fee p ro p o sals w ere d is­ c u s s e d a t b o th S e n a te a n d th e Board. “I do not believe that this is an undem ocratic m an n er o f pro-

Chains symbolise the w ay students are being locked out o f education.

G ra d u a te stu d en ts stage a sym bolic lo cko u t o f the A rts b u ild in g to protest n ew stu d e n t fees. ceeding,” she said. “O f course no one w an ts to pay m ore fo r an y ­ th in g an d it is n o t e a s y fo r us a d m i n i s t r a t o r s to a s k th is . H o w ev er, o u r b ack s are ag a in st the w all w ith the drastic g o v ern ­ m ent cuts — past and future.” Since the provincial govern­ m en t cu rren tly sets tu itio n rates fo r all u n iv e rs itie s , K ru z y n sk i fe a rs th a t th e g o v e rn m e n t m ay red u ce M c G ill’s g ran t ev en fu r­ th e r i f it p e rc e iv e s th e p ro p o se d s e r v ic e c h a r g e s as a tu i t i o n in c re a s e . H eaphy e x p la in e d , th o u g h , th a t M cG ill does not plan to dig into stu d e n ts’ p o ck ­ ets for m oney that w ould norm ally com e from the governm ent. “W e will m ake sure th a t th is d o e s n o t h a p ­ p e n . W e a re p r e s e n tly w orking closely w ith the M in is tr y o f E d u c a tio n on this m atter and w hat­ ev er w e do w ill be w ith th eir ap p ro v al,” H eaphy stated. A c c o r d in g to K ruzynski, the proposal fo r M cG ill to k ee p th e Aaron Chase tu it io n f e e s p a id by

international students for itself is a blatan t m ove tow ards m ore p ri­ vatisation. A s w ell, once interna­ tional stu d en ts’ tuition is deregu­ lated, M cG ill w ill surely take the o p p o rtu n ity to ra ise th e se fees. M cG ill w ill th en lo se stu d e n ts, K r u z y n s k i c l a im s , a n d th e in c re a s e s p ro p o s e d fo r s tu d e n t aid will not be enough. “I t ’s n o t as if th e p ro m ise d student aid w ill go very far, given that the new m oney is com ing out o f th e s tu d e n ts ’ o w n p o c k e ts ,” she said. “It is a stran g e w ay o f o p e ra tin g — b le ed th e stu d e n ts dry and then loan them their own m oney.” P G S S , in c o a lit io n w ith S S M U , is c o n d u c tin g a p ro te st m a rc h to d a y fro m th e R o d d ic k G a te s to th e Jam es A dm inistration Building. Jo h n M c In ty re , a g ra d u a te student in E nglish and a m em ber o f th e p r o te s t c o m m itte e , ex plained th at the lockout o f the A rts Building was only a precur­ s o r to t o d a y ’s m o re m il ita n t dem onstration. “ S tu d e n ts w ill n o t ta k e no for an answ er, given the severity o f the breach o f principle and the im pact this w ill have on individ­ ual lives,” he said. “T he adm inis­

Aaron chase

tration has given every indication th at it w ants to run M cG ill like so m e k in d o f a c o rp o ra tio n . I f they continue to do this they will have to face the consequences.”

F ea tu r ed I n sid e j CKUT: McGill law student says sta tio n e x e c u tiv e isn 't listenj ing............................................. Pg.4 Black boomers: Intellectuals seek j social justice............................Pg.9 Surgical sim ulators: N ew tech: n o lo g y to te a c h m e d ic a l stu; d e n ts .................................... P g-10 Im ported discs: A deeper look at j how music m ade in other coun­ trie s " re a lly g e ts to y o u ".................................Pg.16-17 Awards: M cGill's annual sports I b an q u et................................. Pg-20 W h a t's O n listings...........Pg-23

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