Cuts at Camosun College fire up students for March 16th Rally
On March 16th at Noon, students from all over BC will be descending upon the BC Legislature to call on the government to invest in public post secondary education (PSE). The recent budget by Camosun College just goes to show how poorly funded the system is. The event will feature campaign materials from different student societies as well as food, song and guest speakers, including Jim Sinclair.
The rally will showcase student societies from the island as well as student societies from the mainland. Several buses of students will be coming from Emily Carr University, Vancouver Community College, Douglas College, Simon Fraser University, Capilano College, Langara College and UBC. Matteus Clement, External Executive for the CCSS says, “This just goes to show that no matter where you are, PSE is underfunded and students are having problems accessing education, continuing education or paying off their education.”
The CCSS has been campaigning all year, speaking with MLA’s and policy makers, trying to drive the point home that PSE needs to be both accessible and properly funded. The CCSS has followed the goals of the Canadian Federation of Students BC “Education shouldn’t be a debt sentence” campaign. This campaign is calling for the elimination of interest on BC student loans, bringing back an upfront grants program and restoring post secondary funding to 2001 levels.
“These recent cuts at Camosun College are just the start of something horrible,” said Clement. “This year it’s less intake and a few jobs lost. Next year, it will be entire programs and lots of jobs lost.” Camosun College has lost almost 10% of its budget over the last 3 years.
“Students coming together like this shows that they need change,” Says Nimmi Takkar, Chairperson for CFS-BC, “Students, faculty and staff will stand together on March 16th to call for that change to fund BC education.”
The event takes place March 16th on the BC Legislative Lawns. It starts at noon and will feature food, bands, speakers and educational material about the state of PSE in BC.
The Camosun College Student Society is a membership organization of more than 9,000 students at Camosun College in Victoria. It is Local 75 of the Canadian Federation of Students, and stands in solidarity with over half a million students across Canada.
For more information, contact:
Matteus Clement
External Executive Canadian Federation of Students – Local 75
Camosun College Student Society
250.885.5758
matteusclement@gmail.com
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Thursday, March 10, 2011
