BROWN THE Sou+~,~~~~d~o~~ ~9YL ~ STATIONERS 12 Noveml>!tr-17 December WE'RE BETTER Janet Patt.;rson DREAMTIME-A "l'raveller's 20 N'JCOlson Street F.dinburgh EH8 9DH Images of Australia 031-667 8844: 668 ml Mon.Sat 10 am.5 pm Admisslon Free SubsidiHdbY the Scottish Am eou:.a . t Thursday, November: 17., 1988 20p DINOSAUR JUNIOR FASHION Comfort and Joy, p. 24: • Oxford research points to increased pregnancy risk amongst students Abortion Rise Linked • to Condoms rate of user-failure (between 2 by Graeme Wilson and 15 per cent). :MEDICAL authorities She s·a-id that the Brooke Advis- ory Centre advises that those throughout Britain are women "who are already on the recor1ing a su_rge in the pill should keep Jaking it. !.f tliey mumoer of unplanned pre- _are worried about AIDS infecton gnancies and abortions •they c;n also' use a condom." among young women bet- She also stressed that the pill is ween the ages of 17 and 25. not itself completely safe, with a - failure rate of 1 to 7 per cent, "it is .Jne explanation pf this only as reliable as the people who - homenon is the widespread take it" , she said. move away from the contracep- · A ·k tive pill to the cefndom as a result . spo eswoman from the Fam­ of fears of infection' from the. 11 ~ Planning Association agreed AIDS virus. · with Dr Sauter's statements. She added that the researchers in Research conducted in Oxford, Oxford were P!)rticularly con­ where they have seen unplanned cerned about widespread ignor- . pregnancies and abortions climb · ance of post-co,tal contracel?tion. to 160 per month (as compared to "The 'morning-after pill' is a bit last year's average of 100 month), of a misnomer," she said, "as this bears this theory out. form of contraception can be safely used up to 72 hours after sex One cons.ultant gynaecolo"gist has take_n p)ac;. in the area, Graham Barker, said "However, there appears to b~ that many of the women he had ocnsiderable confusion among interviewed had confirmed that younger women about the effec­ sheath failure had led to the pre­ tiveness of this type of contracep­ gnancy. tion. With some there is even He added that the condom "is uncertainty about whether it actu­ not really good enough for young ally exists." couples expecting a 100 per cent safe contraception". EUSA's Assistant Welfare Adviser Jane Ratt;ey said it is Dr Sauter, of the Brooke impossible to estimate how many Advisory Centre in Edinburgh, female students have needed said that she had reservations advice on abortion as the Univer­ about attempts to explain the rise. sity's counselling service does not in the number of abortions in this use "abortion" as a problem .way. definition . As yet figures for abortions in However, she strongly advised Scotland are not available those who are concerned about although Dr Sauter admitted contraception to contact the there had been a definite rise over Brooke Advisory Clinic. the last few years. "They are the most experienced group in Edinburgh as far as con­ Statistics from the Scottish traception is concerned. How­ Health and Edudtion Group ever, their advice goes beyond the show that there were 9,838 abor­ purely medical as they have a full­ tions in 1985/6 and that in 198617 time social worker who can give the figure rose to 10,386. advice on more emotional prob­ lems." · k, students protest against loans scheme Student takes an in-depth look Dr Sauter conceded that the e. Brooke Advisory Centre, 2 at' the White Paper proposals - see pages 2 and 3. · condom has a comparatively high Lower Gilmore Place (229 3596). 2 Thursday, November 17, 1988 News Education White NUS queries Repayment to be Government figures • • on student losses )1nk ed to ID CO me ON WEDNESDAY 9th A further aspect of the propos­ The loan service itself will have Students have nine months' Women are also excused from November, the Government als is that student entitlement to three levels. These cover students grace after graduation before repayment whilst fulfiling their published the White Paper Income Support during the long living at home and away from becoming liable to start repaying "family responsibilities" and lia­ "Top-up Loans for Stu- vacation, together with their enti­ home; the latter category being the loan. Three possible repay­ bility for repayment ceases upon dents". The declared aim of tlement to housing benefit at any subdivided into students residing ment schemes have been death or on reaching the age of 50, time, will be ended. in and outside of London. The suggested: fixed annual sum; or 25 years after graduation. The its proposals is to give stu- The Government claims that sum of £420 annually applies to dents "a financial stake in average student reliance on fixed numberofyears; percentage White Paper assumes that 10 to 15 the third group. If taken up it per cent will not earn sufficient to their future" and to fulfil the benefit is only £150 per annum, of taxable income. The White would increase a student's total Paper suggests that "most repay their loans, and that 10 per Government's aim of "re- and that the £420 annual loan will resources in the academic year graduates would be able to com- moving full-time students more than compensate for this as 1990/91 from £2,230 to £2 ,650 cent will default. The accuracy of from dependency on social well as for the 21 per cent admit- unless he/she was in his/her final plete repayment in a span of time these figures remains to be seen. ted devaluation in awards since year, in which case the latter sum much shorter than the normal The Governme.it decided that security benefits". The cur- 1979_ NUS Scotland, however,_ would be £2,540. term of a mortgage". No repay­ action was overdue on the rent scheme <?f g~ants. and using DHSS figures, assesses a NUS Scotland, however, insist ment will be required until a stu­ grant system as many parentsl parental contnbutions 1s to. loss to students of £370 in housing that this must be weighed against dent's income reaches 85 per cent- not pay their contributions to · be. replaced in 1990/91 by a benefits claimed during termtime the possible £1,220 loss in social of the national average, and an dent grants. It also admitted tha triP,artite system which corn- alone. security benefits. The loans avail­ annex to the White Paper states the real vlaue of grants had bines these elements with Benny McLaughlin, President able will increase with inflation tha the linking of repayment to decreased since the 1960s but saw loans available at low interest of NUS Scotland, accused the (projected at half of its current income will prevent women (who Government increases as unfair to and without means testing to Government of gross deception in level of 6 per cent) until it consti­ as a rule earn less than men) from the taxpayers and increases in its use of this £150 figure, and tutes, in 2007, half of the total stu­ being discouraged from third level parental contributions as being all students. referred to their-performance of dent resources. education. equally unpopular Maximum grants will be "yet another economic miracle" i'!creased by 5 and 3.5 per cent in with the figures received by them the next two years, and will then from a recently commissioned be frozen at the 1990/91 level of survey. £2,230. The freeze is to decrease He predicted an annual loss of Baker claims access widened the amount of taxpayers' money over£1,200toastudentwholived being spent on producing in private rented accommodation. Kenneth Baker called the prop- ing demographic trends indicating after graduating as a reward". He graduates. and was unable to find work dur- osals "an important step away that there would be 33 per cent was especially concerned for the A loan will be made available in ing the summer. The sum allows from the dependency culture", less 16 to 19-year-olds in the next future of Scottish universities as 1990 and, while the grant will £370 for housing benefit during but Benny McLaughlin declared generation. the average degree course here is remain frozen, the loan available term, £400 during the holidays himself "outraged and shocked" Kenneth Baker claimed that a year longer than in England and will increase in line with a pro- (based on a rent of only £22 by the proposals and told Student . the new proposals would widen Wales. jected inflation rate of 3 per cent weekly) and£450 Income Support that the current Government . access to higher education by This, he feared, would lead stu­ (half its present level) until, in during the summer holidays. appeared to be "replacing the reducing the financial burden on dents to avoid some debt by s~­ 2007, -it will be roughly equal to _As well as provision for loans, Robbins principle with the Rob- parents but concerns have been ing elsewhere, with the resulW the grant/parental contribution the White Paper proposes the bing principle". voiced that, since at present a very reduction in the number of um­ figure. The sum will then rise in es.tablishment of three funds • He said it was "difficult to think small proportion of children from versity places in Scotland. He also line with inflation. (each worth £5 million annually) of a scheme which could do more low income families attend third mentioned the adverse aff~ct on While the new system will cost to be administered by educational harm" and said that the Govern- level education despite the availa­ mature students of the proposals £110 million in its first year, after establishments and to be used to &1ent had failed to address the two bility of full grants, the numbers at a time when Ministers wish ·to the beginning of the 21st century assist deserving undergraduates, important issues of our time.