Where’s Ashley?
Having been involved in organizing the February 4th Day of Action, I couldn’t help but notice that SAC president Ashley Morton was noticeably absent from practically every planning meeting and only showed up momentarily at the march to give a speech about cuts to athletic funding.
Frankly, I have to wonder just what keeps Ashley so busy that not only can he barely help organize the event, but he hesitantly shows his face at the event itself. As President of SAC, he should place fighting for students at the forefront of his agenda. The Day of Action would be a good place to start.
Furthermore, he did not attend the SAC Annual General Meeting at UTM on February 5. While it is my understanding that he did not view the meeting as legitimate, he should have at least gone to express his view why it was not.
In my eyes, as a student union president, Ashley Morton has not demonstrated much of a desire to stand up for the rights of students. Indeed, the roundly defeated “Un-constitution” removed defending students regardless of background and working to make education accessible to all, amongst other things.
Alex Gatien
Day of action reaction
Re: Days of inaction (Feb. 9)
First, Noel Semple somehow links tuition cuts to subsidizing the wealthy. The whole point of the tuition rally was to make tuition affordable to those from lower income families. You lower the price of food, less people starve. You lower the price of education, more people get it. Enriching OSAP does nothing, because you are still paying the same high tuition rates, just paying it later with interest.
Semple also says that students attended the rally for fun. I don’t think anyone in would march around in the freezing cold to have fun.
But he does make a good point about the Days of Action protest being ineffective. I counted about two hundred students-of a campus more than sixty thousand.
Protests are vital to democracy. You think riot police are deployed because politicians aren’t concerned? The only thing which really stands in the way of protest having a voice is the apathy of the general population.
Jason Yung
We do more than protest
Re: Days of inaction (Feb. 9)
I am pleased to inform Mr. Semple that across the country post-secondary students are actively involved in developing real policy solutions to the problems we face.
The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) met with Paul Martin in October to present him with a package of policy recommendations designed by students from across the country. CASA lobbied Mr. Martin for a dedicated federal transfer payment for post-secondary education as well as significant enhancements to the financial aid system. These included amending parental-contribution requirements for student loans, raising living allowances and loan limits, and allowing students to claim capital items like computers under loan assessment; all intended to allow students to access enough money to pay for their education. CASA also asked for the creation of targeted grants for students from low-income backgrounds.
In the Speech from the Throne the Prime Minister committed to many of the policy proposals we presented him with in October, but there is still much work to be done. In addition to meeting with the Ministry of Finance, CASA had a follow-up meeting with Prime Minister Martin last week to discuss the details of the government’s new proposals and to press the need for a dedicated education transfer.
The student movement does not simply involve waving placards and shouting through bullhorns. Reasoned debate and compromise are an integral part of what CASA stands for.
Students do have the power to affect change at all levels of government. Through focused research, innovative policy development and strong advocacy work the student movement will make post-secondary education and the benefits it affords a national priority.
James Kusie
National Director
Canadian Alliance of Student Associations
