THE I SSUE The university of Winnipeg student weekly 202006/03/02 VOLUME 60 INSIDE 02 News 06 Comments 10 Diversions 12 Features uniter.ca 13 Arts & Culture » 19 Listings 22 Sports ON THE WEB [email protected] » E-MAIL SSUE 20 I VOL. 60 2006 02, H C R A M RESTORE THE ‘4’! 02 UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG STUDENTS PROTEST AGAINST TUITION FEE INCREASES STUDENT BANKRUPTCY 12 THE PROCESS, THE CONSEQUENCES, AND THE REALITY OF CLAIMING BANKRUPTCY INNIPEG STUDENTINNIPEG WEEKLY W MYSTERY, CONTRADICTION, AMBIGUITY 13 ORIGAMI AND PHOTO MONTAGES DAZZLE CROWD AT PLUG IN BISON COOK-OFF 22 Wesmen women’s b-ball team defeaT BISONS, ADVANCE TO FINAL FOUR HE UNIVERSITY OF T ♼ March 2, 2006 The Uniter contact: [email protected] SENIOR EDITOR: LEIGHTON KLASSEN NEWS EDITOR: DEREK LESCHASIN 02 NEWS E-MAIL: [email protected] E-MAIL: [email protected] UNITER STAFF Day of Action Challenges the Feds to Ante Up WHITNEY LIGHT PHOTO: VIVIAN BELLIC Managing Editor » Jo Snyder BEAT REPORTER 01 [email protected] 02 Business Coordinator & Offi ce Manager » James D. Patterson [email protected] “ estore the 4!” was the chant NEWS PRODUCTION EDITOR » that carried through the 03 Derek Leschasin [email protected] R2006 Day of Action protest against tuition fee increases, held 04 SENIOR EDITOR » Leighton Klassen [email protected] Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the U of W Quad. Despite brisk temperatures, 50 to 60 05 BEAT REPORTER » Whitney Light [email protected] students and some faculty gathered BEAT REPORTER » Alan MacKenzie for dodge ball, a BBQ, and to urge 06 [email protected] the federal government to action on A HANDFUL OF STUDENTS RALLY IN THE QUAD TO SUPPORT THE TUITION FREEZE FEBRUARY 21. FEATURES EDITOR » Lori Ebbitt the future of post-secondary educa- 07 [email protected] tion in Canada. The main message: faculty, and private sector and non-profi t dents at the U of M. This year still involved ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR » Mike Lewis 08 [email protected] restore the $4 billion that has seeped organization representatives. a collaborative effort on the part of the out of funding for post-secondary Throughout the course of the meet- two universities’ students’ associations, SPORTS EDITOR » Mike Pyl 09 [email protected] education since cuts made by the ing, which was co-hosted by Ontario said Aziz, but the priority was on localiz- Liberal government in the 1990s. Premier Dalton McGuinty and Quebec ing on each campus. “Students appreciate 10 COMMENTS EDITOR » [email protected] “Keep the freeze!” was belted out Premier Jean Charest, it became clear that different kinds of tactics,” she said. 11 HUMOUR EDITOR » Matt Cohen with equal strength. Since 1999, Manitoba the restoration of the $4 billion to post- The size of the rally cannot be com- [email protected] university students have seen tuition fees secondary education was a major concern pared to last year’s effort, Gagné said, PHOTO EDITOR » Wade Andrew maintained at a stable rate. But last year across the country, said Gagné. “This em- since the UWSA split its efforts between 12 [email protected] the freeze was undermined by new “ancil- powers stakeholders to go forward and ask organizing around January’s federal elec- LISTINGS COORDINATOR » Nick Weigeldt lary fees” which tacked on another $125 to for that money.” tion and the Day of Action. “The timing 13 [email protected] registration at the University of Gagné participated in a discussion was different in terms of students’ exam COPY & STYLE EDITOR » Melody Rogan Winnipeg. group on access to education, one of seven schedules and the fact of it occurring right 14 [email protected] “Whatever the means of funding, it’s issues addressed by the summit. Groups after Reading Week,” he said. “Also, we did DISTRIBUTION MANAGER » clear now that universities in this province outlined the challenges of the issue and not seek academic amnesty from the 15 Scott McArthur are facing a shortage,” said Lloyd Axworthy, developed strategies for University.” GRAPHICS EDITOR Sebastian Podsiadlo » tackling them. On the issue of access, the 16 [email protected] President of the U of W. Regardless, students who both did “We have outdated labs and crum- strategies involved increasing core fund- and did not attend Tuesday’s rally deemed PRODUCTION MANAGER » Sarah Sangster 18 [email protected] bling buildings,” lamented MLA Rob ing by both provincial and federal the effort a success. “Protests are a good Altemeyer, who spoke at the rally. “The government and eliminating barriers by idea,” said fi rst-year student Jory ADVERTISING MANAGER » Ted Turner 19 [email protected] federal government now only provides offering more grants and bursaries to dis- Goodchild. “They get the attention of gov- 786-9779 seven percent of university funding.” advantaged students. ernments. We all need to get The summit was productive but “in together collectively as one voice.” THIS WEEK ’ S CONTRIBUTORS Kristine Hansen, President of the U very broad strokes,” said Gagné, noting of W Faculty Association, also spoke in With fi les from Vivian Belik solidarity with students. “We shouldn’t that it was cut short by Prime Minister Robyn Hiebert, Iain Ramsay, William O’Donnell, Ben Snakepit, Daniel Falloon, Kalen Qually, Sarah Hauch, have to compete with things like daycare Harper’s invitation to the premiers to have David Christiansen, Ksenia Prints, Jaya Beange, dinner at 24 Sussex Drive. Year Manitoba implemented the tuition freeze: for funding,” she said. Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson, Wilder Robles, Carli Rothman, 2000/2001 Universities say they need more As part of their election campaign, Kenton Smith, Dana Krawchuk, Matt Urban, Josh Grummet the Conservatives vowed to provide trans- Average tuition fees at the U of W between 2000 funding for restoration and daily opera- and 2005: $2,998 tions, but Tuesday’s demonstrators argued fer payments to fund Canadian universi- Years the federal government chose to drastically The Uniter is the offi cial student newspaper of the University that students shouldn’t be forced to foot ties. The hitch in that promise, as slash federal transfers to universities: of Winnipeg and is published by the University of Winnipeg 1990/91-1998/99 Students’ Association. The Uniter is editorially autonomous the bill. Altemeyer pointed out, is that no dollar and the opinions expressed within do not necessarily refl ect those of the UWSA. The Uniter is a member of the Canadian To make that message clear in fi gure has been attached. Average annual tuition fee for arts students in University Press and Campus Plus Media Services. Manitoba rose from $1,415 in 1990/91 to $3,018 in Ottawa, UWSA Vice President and CFS Axworthy expressed concerns that if 1999/00 - an increase of 103% SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES, LETTERS, PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS ARE WELCOME Articles should be submitted the transfer payments are population- Provincial Co-Chair Mathew Gagné an- In 1982/83, the provincial government covered in text or Microsoft Word format to [email protected]. Deadline for submissions is noon Friday (contact the section’s nounced that he and Rex Masesar, based and not “education equalization 81% of operating expenditures for Manitoban editor for more information). Deadline for advertisements universities. Ten years later this fi gure dropped to is noon Friday, six days prior to publication. The Uniter President of the Red River College stu- payments” that Manitoba will lose out. reserves the right to refuse to print submitted material. 73.4%. Twenty years later the fi gure was 64.1% - In 2003 students covered 27% of university The Uniter will not print submissions that are homophobic, dents’ association, were off to the capital “We’re facing a very competitive environ- misogynistic, racist or libelous. We also reserve the right to operating costs through their tuition payments. edit for length or style. to personally deliver a videotape of the ment,” he said, noting that provincial op- Between 2004/05 the provincial government rally to Prime Minister Harper and erating grant increases to the University spent about 1.25% of its annual GDP on university CONTACT US » of Winnipeg this year were the lowest education even though a 1994 committee that General Inquiries: 204.786.9790 Premiers gathered for the “Competing for reviewed University Education in Manitoba Advertising: 204.786.9779 Tomorrow” summit on post-secondary among those made to Western Canadian claimed, Manitoba’s university education Editors: 204.786.9497 system constitutes one of the principal assets Fax: 204.783.7080 education held Feb. 23-26. universities. Maclean’s magazine reports of our society. Email: [email protected] that already the University has one of the The University of Manitoba, Collège Average number of hours of work that was LOCATION » Room ORM14 St. Boniface, and Brandon University also lowest operating budgets at $7,346 avail- required for a Canadian student to pay for 1 year University of Winnipeg of arts tuition in 2003: 200 515 Portage Avenue prepared videotapes. “We organized a sort able per student. Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 Axworthy, too, emphasized the need CFS is a lobby group at the national and provincial of speaker’s corner in University Centre,” level that was created in 1981 with a primary said UMSU President Amanda Aziz. She to improve access. “There is a real gap (in mandate of uniting student voices from coast to coast to push for quality education that is said that the hundred or so students who accessibility) for low income students,” he accessible to all said. “It’s not just about tuition fees, it’s COVER IMAGE participated “were interested in the idea The ultimate goal of CFS is to one day convince of voicing their opinions personally.” also about support services – housing, the government to offer free post-secondary education to all PAUL ROBLES Having returned from what he called family support, and the new student in- “The World is your Oyseter” The tuition freeze was part of the Doer election a “whirlwind summit” on Saturday, Gagné formation system, for example.” will be showing at the Plug-In ICA platform when the NDP came into power in 2000.