Province Swallows Student Debt
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14 January 15, 2004 Life and literature Some say yes ahd some say This week, we feature the opin~ ~,..cJ,mAwho say yes~ as they deny nnn.~t•·tvshould be reduced to Page7 2003 is at ir again. These otd Students were lining up in queues that seemed kilometres long over the past few days, as the university bookstore was forced to open for extra hours hands are out to prove that to accommodate the demand of students looking for an education. For more on the bookstore, see page 5. still cut our fearless leaden to size. Page 12 THREE WORDS isn't just the sentence anymore. They play to .rock your worl<t with from Province swallows student debt BY NADYA BELL be issues that will have to be worked figures the application procedure will lion to buy the student loan debts on as time goes on, but we see this as not change much, but services will be from the private bank currently hold The provincial government is starting being clearly in the students best in improved when the system becomes a ing the loans. This is the total ofall stu The Muse takes you inside. to feel the pinch of student debt in a terests," said John Ottenheimer, min locally run program, as opposed to one dent loans held in Newfoundland and research into keepingyour real fashion, now that the accountants ister of education. administrated on Bay Street. Labrador since 2000. healthy and in an 600 pieces included $22o-million of student debt Ottenheimer says this is an opportu But to take over the program, the until you're dead. Page 15 on the provincial tab. nity to improve services to students. He government must borrow $220-mil- :f: CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Many people are worried the prov ince's strained finances will lead to an increase in tuition if university and college funding is decreased. Last August, CIBC decided they Oil program ready to roll would no longer be involved in the stu dent loan business, and the province agreed to officially take over the stu BY ]ESSICA MONTES Peninsula of Newfoundland. Her inter would respond: "I want to boss boys dent loan program on April1, 2004. est in engineering was sparked when around." The hopes of students and officials With five students set to become the she was chosen as one of the first par Since receiving her degree in engi are that the government will improve first bearers of the master's in oil and ticipants of Women in Science and neering from Memorial University, the structure of the provincial student gas studies degree, Memorial's newest Engineering (WISE) when it began Norman has worked with several oil loan system, which students have of and most controversial graduate pro in 1988. companies. She was employed with ten complained is both slow and dif gram begins this month. Her career decision was inspired by Husky Oil for the past three years, ficult to use. Among the five candidates in the a desire for a management position. and the company is paying for her to "We're optimistic about this whole program is Penny Norman, a young When asked as a child what she want earn her master's in oil and gas stud exercise. It's very new, and there may woman from Grisquet on the Northern ed to do when she grew up, Norman ies (MOGS) degree. Memorial University held a recep tion on Monday night in Gushue Hall to mark the start of the master's in oil Day of Action amnesty passed and gas studies program. Last year, the university Senate, the academ BY NADYA BELL AND KAYA PAYNE participate in the Day of Action with Newfoundland and Labrador, as well ic body that governs the addition of no fear of academic repercussions. as in other provinces. "Considering the new courses and programs, approved Senate passed a resolution on Jan. 13 The Day of Action is a nationwide recent happenings in the province, I the program. in support of students involved with show of support for low post-second think it is best to have a demonstra The degree offers petroleum com the Day of Action, organized by the ary tuition. In St. John's, MUNSU VP tion on Feb. 4," he said. pany employees an overview of all the Canadian Federation of Students for Academic Jessica Magalios will orga "It's been a pretty scary couple of aspects of the oil and gas industry in Feb.4. nize a rally at the clock tower outside weeks for the student movement with a compressed format. The entire pro The resolution states that the the Smallwood Centre. The event will the warnings about budget cuts, and gram takes one year, with classes and Memorial University Senate encour take place around midday, and will fea everybody's pretty tense about what lectures staggered in three three-week ages academic units and prdfessors ture a number of speeches. could befall students in the next few sessions that take place off-campus. to be flexible in making alternate ar Keith Dunne, provincial chairper months ... so it's a good time to have Students spend the rest of their time rangements for students. Those who son of the Canadian Federation of a Day of Action," said Magalios. learning via the Internet. are absent from classes between 12:00 Students, stated that student interest pm and 2:oo pm on Feb. 4 are free to in the Day of Action was high both in :f: CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 :j: CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Always prompt and courteous Take a ride with Memoriat•s - official yellow taxi stand Page 2 News January 8, 2004 ,J()JN '11D~ )RJSI~ Great Summer Counselor Positions -Work in the U.S. Residential Summer Camp seeks motiyated staff in individual & team sports: • baseball • basketball • tennis • soccer • inline hockey • golf • swimming • arVsculpture • sailing • mountainbiking • backpacking • hiking • canoeing • fencing • ropes courses • gymnastics • RNs • coaches • general counselors Hundreds of positions. located in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts just 2 1/2 hours from NYC/Boston. Competitive salaries + room and board. Internships available. Co-ed staff. We arrange for visas. Call: Camp Greylock for Boys@ 1-800-842-5214 I www.campgreylock.com Camp Romaca for Girls@ 1-800-779-2070 I www.romaca.com Have Fun • Work with Kids • Make a Difference • Summer in New England Want to become a VIP? Interested in developing career and leadership skills??? Do you like meeting new people??? Would you like to give back to the community??? Well, then we have a program for you! RYAN HOULT I MUSE ARCHIVES There are worries that Education Minister John Ottenheimer (right) will soon cut post-secondary funding. Designed to promote, recognize, and reward student volunteerism, the Volunteer Incentive Program challenges involved students to achieve three successive levels of campus and community involvement. Opposition worries debt overstated to justify tuition raise :f: CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 budget predictions. "It's just pulled out of a hat to in ['Fo;;or-:informadon =t:;-t;;- I flate the deficit for this year so he could do the things Student Volunteer Bureau The expense does not sit well with the province's fi that he wants to do, that's to freeze wages and maybe in uc 4001 nances, which are currently the subject of much contro crease tuition." I 737-4301, [email protected] versy. On Jan. 5, the provincial government released the "This $220-million is not the bogeyman that they've I ~ownload the results of an external financial review of the province's made it out to be. And I think quite honestly that they've Volunteer Incentive Program finances, and Premier Danny Williams delivered a State used it to a certain extent to their advantage to inflate their I Handbook of the Province address. numbers," said Dunne. I ~ww. mun. ca/ student/ careerexploration/ I studentvolunteer Williams painted a grim picture of the province's fi For all of the $22o-million to be a long-term debt, it L _______ J nances in his address: "If this would mean that no students [situation] continues, we are in paid back their student loan. very real danger ofdrowning in I believe that the government, however, has cho After the default rate, estimated our own debt. sen to use this kind of information as a kind at 25 per cent, the government is "We can only conduct col of a smokescreen for an agenda that they had left with $55-million ofoutstand lective bargaining based upon planned to implement in any event. ing or bad debt. the fiscal realities that we all -Provincial NDP leader jack Harris As the government guaranteed face, and we should only reach all student loans when the system agreements that we can af- was run by a private bank, the ford. Otherwise, we merely postpone the inevitable," cost of defaulted loans is not new for the government. said Williams. Dunne says the government is sending the message that Many people take this to mean that government students are negligent in their debt, when student loans ac WOilK AT ONE OF THE FINEST cutbacks in the next budget will lead to a tuition in tually have a better return rate than other loans. He also crease in the future for students in Newfoundland and says when the default rates are dealt with internally, in 811HHEil C:AH:fS IJ' THE 11.8.! Labrador. stead of paid to a bank, the government will actually save "My concern is that they may cut funding or freeze money by administrating the loan system.