The McGill Tribune Vol. 17 Issue 7

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T * H ♦ E

P u b lis h e d b y t h e S t u d e n t s ’ S o c ie t y o f M c G i l l U n iv e r s it y

M c G IL L T R I B U N E http://ssmiumegill.ca/trib

Volume 1 7 Issue 7

Dean finances fitness centre By W

es

N o u o t r y _______________

Dean of Students Rosalie Jukier surprised the Board of Athletics last Monday by donating $5,000 to cover the first month’s operational costs of the new fitness centre while a sub-committee of the Board is still scrambling to find funding options for the centre’ s operational costs without imposing student fees. Student athletics representa­ tives previously asked SSMU to endorse a fitness centre user fee proposal in its council meeting on September 25. But instead, council mandated SSMU President Tara Newell to oppose any proposal requiring student user-fees for the athletics facility. Newell represented SSMU to the Board of Athletics and proposed delaying any discussion of the fitness centre financing in order for the sub-committee to explore its options further. The fea­ sibility of encouraging corporate sponsorship and advertising in the fitness centre will be explored. “I felt the best compromise was to allow the sub-committee to find an option along its mandate,” said Newell. “Its mandate was to find a way to fund the centre’s operational costs without imposing user-fees — I wanted to postpone any discussions until the committee could dis­ cuss legitimate options.” Newell’s mandate from SSMU council received a hostile reaction from the Board of Athletics, and the document she distributed during the meeting voicing SSMU’s position on the user-fee proposals was labelled inflammatory by Board Chair Dick Pound. “[The board] made the issue personal,” said Newell. “I was told in that meeting that I was ‘out to lunch.’” Derek Prohar, student repre­ sentative on the Board of Athletics, stated that the Board’s main objec­ tive is just to get the fitness centre open.

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G hetto g ra ffiti exp resses 'dism ay a t w in te r’s ra p id a p p ro a ch

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SSMU council falters on support of Plan G: day of action endorsed by other student groups B y La u r a M a c N eil

SSMU council has postponed its decision to endorse the broadbased protest movement, Plan G. The demonstration and non-vio­ j lent blockade is planned for Novem ber 3 in Q uebec C ity, ; which will leave SSMU little time to mobilize student support, even if it does decide to endorse Plan G. SSM U VP External Lisa j Phipps relayed council’s reserva­ tions about supporting Plan G’s general mandate against global­ ism, neo-liberalism and poverty. “Plan G ’s demands are not specific enough,” said Phipps. “As a student association , I wouldn’t feel comfortable com­ plaining without specific educa­ tional demands. We’d just end up as thousands o f w hining stu­ dents.” Phipps feels she speaks for the pervasive sentiment of coun­ c il, but SSM U President Tara Newell articulated her personal

B e p a rt of th e. a c t io n

support for Plan G’s efforts. “I support Plan G ,” said Newell before the O ctober 9 council meeting. “I will let coun­ cil debate the motion whether or not to endorse it, but I personally support the motion.” Plan G derives its name from the name of the government build­ ing that will be blockaded —Complex G at the provincial legis­ lature. Organized by a coalition of four independent groups including L e M ouvem ent p o u r le d ro it à l ’éducation, the two-part demon­ stration and blockade will contin­ ue in the same spirit as last fall’s student strikes protesting the inac­ cessibility of education. MDE protested against ongoing educa­ tion cuts by occupying the offices of Immigration Minister André Boisclair’s last week. The broad themes of Plan G will enable smaller affinity groups to create a list of their own specif­ ic demands they want promulgat­ ed at the November 3 demonstra­ tion. Erin Runions, Quebec chair­

person of the Canadian Federation of Students, stated that SSMU should be more involved in creat­ ing educational demands. “It’s too bad that SSMU post­ poned their decision because now it won’t be as involved in setting its demands,” said Runions. “Plan G is a coalition effort. As far as I can see, this action is incredibly well organized and really well thought out. Within each of the umbrella demands are other affin­ ity groups, each with their specific demands. If there are more educa­ tional affinity groups present then there will be more educational demands made.” M cG ill’ s Post-Graduate Students’ Society council endorsed Plan G in early September and is actively orga­ nizing its members to participate in the Plan G action. PG SS President Matthew Bergbusch explained that student activism has to go beyond campus limits. “Although Plan G is broadbased, students are members of a

largér community and have duties

Continued on page 2 F e a t u r e d In s id e

Differential fees lawsuit: SSMU fails to mobilize student response..............................P g-4 Le Chorale de L'Acceuil: helping homeless feel good about them­ selves.....................................pg.9 Punk Rock: Twenty years later and the end is still nigh...................................... pg.1 2 Redmen Soccer: clinch playoff berth over weekend............. pg. 19

Join the in t e r n a l a ffa irs com m ittee! submit applications to: S A R V E S H S R IV A S T A V A , V P I n t e r n a l A f f a ir s William Shatner University Centre 3480 McTavish Street D e a d lin e O c t o b e r 3 1 s t , 1 9 9 7


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