Students Face Loan Changes

Publications Mail Agreement No.40042804 CONCORDIA'S Vol. 29, No. 1 http://ctr.concordia.ca September 9~ 2004 Students face loan changes YANNIS THEMELIS the same amount of money to However, for Alison Beck, Unpacking in Hingston Hall students in the form of a loan, vice-president academic for University life is difficult they are reducing costs. The Concordia Student Union, this enough, but for students on the government is saying 'You have latest policy shift is just another Quebec student aid program · to pay a greater share of your indication that Jean Charest's who are discovering that their education - we don't have the campaign promises about high bursaries have all but vanished, means to do it:" er education are nothing more life just got a lot tougher. For the 6,000 Concordia stu than smoke and mirrors. · While students will receive dents who depend on the pro "During the election, the the same amount of assistance gram for the livelihood, this Charest government said educa for their education, the Quebec means a greater proportion in tion was a priority;• Beck said. government has reapportioned repayable loans and a smaller "It seems that every decision the combination of loans and proportion in non-repayable they've made points to the fact bursaries given to students. As a bursaries, translating into that it's not:' result, students will see the greater debt load upon gradua According to Beck, Quebec's maximum loan of $2,460 per tion. justification for reapportioning year increase to a maximum of "In the short term, it doesn't the loans and bursaries on the $4,500. However, students will lower the amount of money in grounds that many places in only get bursaries if their needs students' pockets, it simply North America don't have a bur Maggie MacMillan gets settled in her new home on the Loyola Campus with exceed the new loan threshold. means a greater cost students saries program simply doesn't the help of a friend from home. Newly arrived from Ottawa, she is in a soci "The government had to cut will assume in the long term;' wash with the student body. ology program. The building on the Loyola Campus is home to 147 students, costs, and had to find a way to said Cote, referring to the new "The scary thing is that stu six of whom are residence assistants. However, there is a waiting list of over reduce the deficit;' said Roger increase in the average debt dents didn't know about it;' said 300 students and calls are still being received from students looking for a place to live. Students and parents enjoyed a barbecue last Friday before Cote, executive director of stu load from $12,000 to $18,000 for Beck, commenting on Quebec's parting ways. For more on how Concordia helps new students find their dent enrolment and student an undergraduate degree. inability to inform students feet, go to http://ctr.concordia.ca. services at Concordia. "By giving continued on page 8 Dinner held on Bay St. for Goodman lnstitute's first class BARBARA BLACK encing . combined with classroom lec tures. The teachers shuttle back and It's unusual for Concordia graduation forth to give the students equal oppor parties to be held outside Montreal, but tunities for face-to-face discussion.The on Aug. 7, a celebratory dinner was held cost to the student is $16,000 per year, a on the 27th floor of a sleek skyscraper total of $48,000 for the program, which in Toronto for the first graduation of Hochstein said is in line with other pri the Goodman Institute of Investment vate programs. Queen's program is Management. $62,000 and York's is $75,000. The program is more challenging "Ours is an extremely costly program than most of its competitors, because to run, with professors travelling every it requires students to complete levels week, staying in hotels, and so on;' I and II of the CFA program. All the Hochstein said. "I see our fees rising in students are fo cused on careers in about two years to allow us to break investment and are working toward even:• their acceptance as certified financial Despite the high fees, the program analysts. has lost money each of the three years, Professor Alan Hochstein, director and is expected to lose money again this of the Goodman Institute, says year. However, this shortfall was antici recruiting has not been difficult, pated by alumnus and benefactor Ned "because we have a unique product - Goodman when he set up the program a niche, some might say. However, we Left to right, at the back, are Nicola Addesa, who was given a cheque for $10,000 for having the high and specified the inclusion of the CFA are still not known. We have hired a est GPA throughout the program, Oliver Balleani, Nick Koskoletos, Benedetto Vendittelli, and Sean component. Williams. In the front row are Joshua 'Rensch, Cara 'Benvenuti, Michael Svensson and Jay L. Gedge. public relations person to help us Svensson, who won $5,000 for having the highest marks in his third year, is also a Scotiabank has given the Goodman recruit in Toronto:• Concordia employee. Since 2002, he has been a financial analyst, handling the university's invest Institute $25,000 a year for 10 years. It's a three-year program, longer than ments. This provides cash awards of $5,000 to most other privately run Master's of Business Admin-istration programs. Currently, 62 stu accommodated, because the program is conducted continued on page 8 dents are enrolled. That is almost as many as can be simultaneously in Montreal and Toronto by videoconfer- l' TT ' IS ISSUE 2 Art marries technology 3 Great Montrealer 5 Filmfest stars 7 Max Stern Show Seed grants encouraged CSBN is a third-time winner Concordians excel Influential art dealer feted • fl ! . # •• Engineering and fine arts research collaborations sprout from seed grants Scon McR AE trying to breed two species, and each team searches for further sources of exter Already, the joint efforts have pushed the species is saying, 'That's not right: It is nal funding. Many teams plan to use most bounds of discipline-specific inquiry. For Walls between disciplines are tumbling extremely difficult trying to establish mul of their seed grant money to fund student example, Engineering and Computer down. As the Faculties of Engineering and tidisciplinary research in any university in researchers. The grants, which are relative Science professors Sudhir Mudur and Computer Science and Fine Arts begin Canada:' ly modest sums, are not intended to sustain Thomas Fevens, mathematics professor preparations to move into the new and sponsor interdisciplinary research, Fred Szabo, and Fine Arts professors Integrated Engineering and Computer Close ties Dean Esmail said. They are, however, Cheryl Dudek and Lydia Sharman have Science/Visual Arts Complex, the future intended to jump-start collaborations. been attempting to formally model, identi neighbours are already collaborating on Concordia, however, is a particularly well fy and recreate ancient ornamental pat joint research projects, helped along by an suited to such collaborations. Not only Colloquium in May terns of Moroccan Zillij mosaics and infusion of $110,000 in seed grants from does it have two of the leading faculties of African kuba textiles using computer pro both faculties. fine arts and engineering in Canada, but At present, it is uncertain whether the seed gramming. The seed grants, announced l; st spring the faculties have traditionally been close grant program will continue in future The need for computer recognition and by ENCS Dean Nabil Esmail and Fine Arts collaborators, explained Dean Esmail. For years. Because of the unexpectedly large recreation of patterns has pushed the Dean Christopher Jackson as a way to pro example, no other Canadian universities number of applicants, the program cost is bounds of current technology, · said Dr. mote interdisciplinary research, received a offer a·program similar to the undergradu more than double its original budget. A Mudur, while the resulting technology will strong response from the professoriate. ate program in Digital Image & Sound. final decision on the program's future will allow arts researchers to both improve Eleven research teams, bringing together The seed money will have several uses. be taken by Deans Esmail and Jackson next research into ancient patterns and to cre 12 Engineering and Computer Science and The results from the research will be used May, after a colloquium in which the 11 ate new works using ancient patterns. 12 Fine Arts researchers, received $10,000 to build a stronger case in future funding research teams present their findings and This kind of result should inspire other each to develop projects ranging from the applications to external agencies. discuss their progress. collaborations, Dean Esmail said. "The suc visualization of fish dynamics to the cre In some cases, where research has Ultimately, the success of the seed cess of the Fine Arts and Engineering ini ation of three-dimensional virtual art already begun, such as Sabine Bergler's, . money-will be measured by whether or not tiative will not simply be a success for the objects. Leila Kosseim's and PK Langshaw's experi the research groups receive, enough exter particular marriage of Fine Arts and Their response pleases Dean Esmail, who ments with a general architecture for mul nal grants to continue their investigations Engineering but it will be a success for the had made several previous attempts to timedia engineering, the grant covers a and whether the findings inspire other col idea of multidisciplinary research:' bring together the two entities.

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