Tag: students

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Opinions

Post-graduate job search services at Concordia are underutilized by students

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan.

The question of whether universities should find jobs for their students continues to be a popular discussion topic, especially in an age where some students do not expect to find a job too quickly post-graduation. Despite this, Concordia University offers its students several resources that, for the proactive student, can ensure future success.

Some of Concordia’s job services include career planning and counseling, career fairs, workshops, mentorships, internship and job directories, and résumé help. However, there is a low awareness level of the resources the university offers its students.

“The services we have here are underutilized,” said Professor Harold J. Simpkins, academic director of the marketing co-op program. “I know with many mentorship programs the challenge isn’t getting mentors, it’s getting mentees.”

A number of students that use Concordia’s services, such as Macey Dames, have had positive experiences. “At JMSB, I’ve used the Career Management Services (CMS) services. The counselors are very knowledgeable in their respective fields. I would definitely recommend CMS as a resource to other students,” she said.

However, some students aren’t informed about the services. “I am pretty unfamiliar with any career resources offered to me. I would certainly consider using them if I was more aware,” said film student Ryan MacDuff.

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

In addition to the services offered by JMSB, Concordia’s Counseling and Development department has four drop-in centres, where students can get advice. Additionally, Concordia’s Career Placement and Services (CAPS) offers counselling on writing résumés, cover letters and proposals, interview preparation, advice on looking for a job, as well as hosting a job bank and career workshops. These are resources students should definitely take advantage of.

Not all students feel the same way about the university’s role in helping them find work. Recent English literature graduate Bianca Bourgeois said she doesn’t expect the university to help her once her studies are completed.

“I consider universities as places in which to gain knowledge and conduct independent research. If my ultimate goal was to find a job immediately following graduation, I would have chosen a different field of study,” she said.

It is fair to say that students are responsible for their own success. The university should not be held accountable for providing students with jobs, although the job hunt does require a certain degree of knowledge, which is offered to those that are eager to learn about their industry and employment prospects.

Aside from these services, students should maximize their time by networking with professors and their peers through classes and clubs. Many students feel unprepared for the work force since they lack “relevant” work experience, but getting involved in extracurricular activities fosters valuable skills that deserve (and will often get) recognition.

For students wanting hands-on work experience in their industry during their academic careers, co-op might be a viable option. The Institute for Co-operative Education simultaneously helps students gain work experience, a better idea of their desired career path and some capital to help finance their education. Co-op is offered in approximately 35 programs (not including the Industrial and Professional Experience initiatives), with more to be added soon.

Students forget that preparing for the post-graduation job hunt doesn’t start when we leave school. It begins while we are university students, where we can take advantage of all that is offered to us by the institution and the interesting people we meet, and when we take the time to try new things and learn more about ourselves.

Attributing responsibility to the university for the decisions we do or don’t make, for the prospects we do or don’t pursue, is an easy cop-out to shift the blame over to someone else.

For more information on services at the school, visit www.concordia.ca.

 

 

Categories
Opinions

Montreal and students have a healthy and balanced relationship

Spencer Edwards encourages a tasteful mix of pastel colours and patterns to create the perfect look.

Having been raised in the small village of Coteau-du-Lac, approximately an hour West of Montreal, I had always seen Montreal as the big city where everything can happen. When the time finally came for me to move out of the family home for university, Montreal was first on my list. Ever since I made the move, I haven’t regretted it for a second.

Montreal did not make the list of the top 10 most liveable cities in the world released by The Economist’s Intelligence Unit. However, three Canadian cities, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver, did. Despite this, Montreal could easily grab a spot in the top three of the most student-friendly cities in Canada, for many different reasons.

First of all, Montreal universities make it a priority to ensure that your university years are never forgotten.

“Frosh is an incredible way to meet people,” said former Concordia student Joel Balsam, originally from Ottawa, Ontario.“The fact that you are pretty much with the same people for five straight days going camping, to the water park, to movie nights and, yes, drinking, creates long lasting friendships that you may never lose. We don’t have this in Ottawa.”

To top it all off, Montreal universities, are big on clubs of all kinds. They organize after school activities to suit everyone’s interests. Concordia has everything from student associations to a wide array of sports, arts, and cultural clubs.

When it comes to tuition, with all the protests that took place in 2012, most people know by now that Quebec is the province with the lowest fees in Canada. Talk about student-friendly. However, these fees are not as low for out-of-province students. According to the tuition fee calculator on Concordia University’s website, out-of-province students pay a little bit more than twice what Quebec residents pay for their tuition. A full year’s tuition for an undergrad from Quebec costs around $3,540.00, with health insurance. For an out-of-province student, it jumps to about $7,230.00.

Despite this, the price is only slightly higher than the regular in-province fees for many cities around Canada, such as Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary.  According to the Association  of Universities and Colleges Canada (AUCC) webpage, University of Ottawa students pay an average of $5,665 a year in tuition, Ryerson University students pay between $5,605 and $5,686 and University of Calgary averages $5,333. So out of province students in Quebec pay approximately $2,000 more in tuition.

With regards to rent data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, cities like Toronto, Halifax and Ottawa had an average rent of about $1,100 a month for a two-bedroom apartment in 2012, which can be a little pricy for students. The friendliest city in this regard is actually Sherbrooke, which is a small student city, offering considerably lower rents in 2012 of more or less $575 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. A price one can hardly find for a one-bedroom here.

Montreal stands in the middle; in 2012, you could get a two-bedroom apartment from as low as $590 a month in Montreal-North, but price and quality really depends on the area of the city you live in. Apartments in the core of downtown are priced more or less the same as the other cities, for an average rent of $1,350 a month. Students who chose to live a little bit outside the downtown area can catch a bit of a break, that’s where prices average $800 a month.

Every student needs to get around. Public transit is one of the most practical things about Montreal. Take it from someone who owns a car, with all the traffic there is at all times of the day, the Metro system is a good alternative. Yes, it is old and breaks down often, but most of the time it’s on schedule.

A monthly pass for students is $45. The price is much higher in Toronto ($106) and Ottawa ($99), and once again the big winner here in terms of service/price ratio is Sherbrooke, with a bus pass costing only $27 and being charged directly in the student’s tuition fees, with routes serving the most strategic points in the city.

For all the costs that living in the city entail, such as paying rent, bills, and having extra money to go out and party with friends, students usually need a steady cash flow.

Taking into account the somewhat pricy Montreal bars, with a drink costing on average around $7, and sit-down restaurants serving meals from around $15 a plate, most students will need to find a job to finance their lifestyle. Cheap alternatives for food are the ever-growing healthy fast food restaurants, such as Cultures, or better yet small cafés that make their own recipes. If one doesn’t want to spend too much, getting a drink during 5 à 7 before heading to the movies half-price on Tuesdays can be a good alternative. This is among many specials offered by bars on different days.

As for job opportunities, many cafés, fast-food restaurants and bars are open to hiring students to work-part time, as long as they have a working knowledge of French.

“Montreal as a whole is more student friendly in terms of atmosphere,” said former Concordia student Erica Commisso, who now lives in Toronto.“Toronto is very business-oriented in comparison. In Montreal, people generally tended to be more understanding of student life, and generally more accepting of budget living.”

Overall, Montreal rates among the lowest in rent and tuition for residents of Quebec, but is slightly more costly for out of province students. However, public transport is cheaper in comparison to other big cities and drinking and entertainment costs are reasonable. There is always something to do, and new people to meet.

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Student Life

Concordia students are encouraged to join in the search for the hungriest campus

Press photo

Twenty-five universities will be going stomach-to-stomach this week as round one for the search to find the hungriest students across the country begins.

Twenty-five universities will be going stomach-to-stomach this week as round one for the search to find the hungriest students across the country begins. Press photo

JUST-EAT Canada, the online takeaway food delivery service and the organizer of the competition, “likes to do things a little differently from most consumer brands,” said Luke Sheehan, marketing director at JUST-EAT.ca. The idea was conceived over lunch when one of the interns made a bet that she could eat an entire pizza in two minutes. This led to the launch of the first ever Campus Chompionship. “[We thought] it would be a lot fun to discover who Canada’s best student eater was, and the extreme lengths they would go to prove it,” said Sheehan.

Sheehan joined JUST-EAT in January 2011 in the UK and moved to Canada the following year to lead the marketing team. Sheehan’s a competitor himself. Nicknamed “The Intestinator,”, he was born into a life of food; his mother went into labour whilst queuing for shawarma and he says that since then he “has feasted at every available opportunity.” Sheehan and Takeru Kobayashi, a Japanese major league eater who holds several records, will be among the judges.

This ‘chompionship’ is no joke, but a highly organized three round competition. Surviving the post-contest tummy ache may not be easy, but joining is a piece of cake. Students create a profile on chompchompchomp.ca and collect as many votes as possible. Sheehan suggests campaigning to your student body to get them to support you.

Press photo.

Round two is titled “Video Showdown” in which 25 semi-finalists will be challenged to create a 60-second video for YouTube. The five person judging panel will then look for and grade the following criteria: the desire to compete, a visually compelling video, and the innovative use of takeout food.

On Oct. 28, semi-finalists will head to Toronto to compete against each other, and special guest Kobayashi, in a three minute eating competition. “The hungriest finalist — that is, the one who consumes the highest number of square cheese pizza slices — will win bragging rights as the 2013 Campus Chompion and $25,000 in prizes,” explained Sheehan.

“Not only does the prizing benefit the entire student population,” said Sheehan, “the competition drives friendly rivalry amongst schools.” A cheque for $5,000 will be presented to the winner and the affiliated university will win $20,000 worth of prizes delivered to the campus by a JUST-EAT truck over five days in November.

 JUST-EAT invites Concordia students with an appetite to join in. It’s a fun way to earn cash and a possible opportunity to beef up your resume with a 2013 Campus Chompion title. Visit chompchompchomp.ca for more information.

Categories
Opinions

Letters from abroad: Chicago

Flickr photo by hearkencreative
Flickr photo by hearkencreative

Greetings from Chi-town! It’s the city where sporting black hair is a sign that you’re Brazilian! No seriously, I have never been asked so many times in my life if my ‘funny accent’ is Brazilian, which by the way, it isn’t.

The moment I stepped off the plane, I got the foreigner stare. People here seem to know right away when Chicago is not your home. They find it really entertaining to ask you to say something in French when they find out that you’re Canadian (I don’t find it entertaining), because apparently you aren’t Canadian if you don’t speak it. Once you crack and say something, they respond with ‘ou la la!’ which apparently is their way of telling you they know how to speak French too.

Besides their annoying demands that you speak French, everyone here in the city and at Loyola University Chicago is pretty nice. It’s funny though, because I never understood those articles that name Canadians as some of the friendliest people until I moved to the United States. People are nice, but they don’t want to be bothered.

The vibe is just very different here. The competition is obvious to an outsider like me who back home would rather help my peers succeed than see them fail.  Not to say that competition is a bad thing, it’s actually a great thing if the reasoning behind it is positive.

As Frank Lloyd Wright said, “Eventually, I think Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world.” Photo by Marilyn Santucci.

The school itself is just a world of its own. The journalism program here is pretty popular and like at Concordia, has its own J-School building. The broadcast studio has windows around three of its walls, so those outside of the building can see and hear what is being broadcasted. Many of the professors are known journalists who are recognized not only locally and nationally, but internationally as well. It’s thrilling to be around so many people who have the same dreams and aspirations that you do.

Downtown Chicago is just a masterpiece. I have travelled to many places, but something about this city sends shivers down my spine every time I step onto its streets. You discover something new about the city everyday. Magnificent Mile truly is magnificent. The architecture, restaurants, shopping and parks are unique, and nothing short of great. I literally got lost for four hours in Millennium Park the other day, and it turned out to be the best day I have had here so far. It’s very difficult to put into words how beautiful the city is, as Frank Lloyd Wright said, “Eventually, I think Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world.”

I truly do love and miss Montreal, but right now, Chicago isn’t doing such a bad job of stepping in as my temporary home.

Currently on exchange or heading off in Winter 2014? Interested in taking part in “Letters from abroad?” Let us know! Email: opinions@theconcordian.com

Categories
Student Life

Keep the bank off your buns: Practice safe plastic

New semester, new teachers and new friends often also means new clothes, new cell phone, new computer and plenty of nights out on the town. How do students manage to pay for all these expenses? A credit card is an easy solution and getting approved can be easy as pie. However managing how you spend the money and paying on time is the challenge. According to Maclean’s Magazine, 9 students out of 10 have a credit card but the question is whether students really know how to use one responsibly.

Flickr photo by Michael Swan

It is no wonder that financial institutions seek out students as customers; students need money, especially during back-to-school when tuition and school books are a major expense. While many banks offer student friendly perks, it is important to remember how owning a credit card can be a double-edged sword. It can help balance your budget and build credit but, if used irresponsibly, can put you into trouble for years after you have graduated.

“Students should not be living on money they don’t have. They should calculate their cost of living with incomes if they work and establish a strict limit for the expenses,” said Kylie-Anne Doerner from the Consolidated Credit Counselling Services of Canada.Students should take precautions with their credit cards by setting up a budget.

It is important to consider the reasons why you should get a credit card. Getting a credit card for a shopping spree is a bad idea, as is planning a whole Europe trip and charging it to your credit card. According to Valeria Fargnoli, an account manager at the Royal Bank of Canada, students should only use their credit card in case of emergency.

“Some people use their credit card as current extra cash they can spend,” said Fargnoli, “and results in spending money [they] don’t have.”

Banking has become more electronic which can make it hard to grasp how we dispense our money especially when all it takes is the swipe of a card. For some students it may be better to use cash.

“Using my credit card is so easy,” said JMSB student Nicolas Smith. “It is easier than going to an ATM to withdraw cash.”

However, when the end of the month rolls around Smith is left sitting with a maxed out credit card and a whole lot of regret.

CCCSA recommends that students own credit cards but that they should be used responsibly. One way of doing this is reading the fine print.

The majority of credit cards have a 19.99 per cent interest rate. Credit cards sold and solicited over the counter at stores often have higher interest rates of 25 to 40 per cent. Contact your financial institution and get informed on what benefits there are to being a student credit card holder. Many banks offer reward points like Air Miles, Aeroplan, movie points and student price card discounts.

Paying your credit card balance is the next step. You have 21 days to pay your credit balance after the final day of your bill’s cycle. CCCSA recommends paying the full balance of your account to avoid situations in which that $12 school book triples in price due to monthly interest. Programming automatic transfers to your credit card is an option to ensure timely payments.

Now, how to decide on a limit: Bank of Montreal encourages a $1,000 credit card limit for students. However, you might want to be conservative with your limit. Having a higher one can encourage you to spend more. Fargnoli advises that “expenses or your credit card should not be more than 10% of your biweekly income.”

“When I was a student, payments would go through automatically,” said Concordia graduate Carolina Gonzalez Gonzalez. “It was the best thing because it allowed me to prepare for the next step [of my life] without worrying about my credit card bill.”

Financial stress weighs heavily on students who pay rent, tuition, school books and the occasional round of beers when out with friends. However, being aware of money spent and keeping informed on the amount a credit card is swiped is something that students should start and continue to do if they wish to remain financially stable.

Categories
Opinions

Opinions: Balance is the name of the game

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan
Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

As August comes to an end, students everywhere prepare for the inevitable: a new semester.  It’s seen as an opportunity to start over. By buying overpriced pens, notebooks, iPads, and other gadgets, they prepare for what they hope will be a better school year. More importantly, they set goals. This year, these students will be exemplary students. Gone will be the all-nighters and cramming sessions. Or will they?

The truth is that people’s old habits will soon return. Once midterms come around, students may find themselves watching an entire season of Breaking Bad instead of working on their Reli 300 papers, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some students’ bad habits, like procrastination, for example, may not be as black and white as they seem. Other seemingly good habits, like the ability to study all day, may not be any better. When it comes to school, extremes are never the solution. The trick is to balance studying with social lives and hobbies, (like catching up on Breaking Bad).

According to a study entitled “Coping with employee, family, and student roles: evidence of dispositional conflict and facilitation tendencies,” done by Julie McCarthy of the University of Toronto and Tracy Hecht of Concordia University, constantly studying can cause issues like stress and over-exhaustion, and procrastinating a little can help with those issues.

McCarthy and Hecht looked at three study methods used by students: solution-driven active engagement (problem-focused), venting to others (emotion-focused) or ignoring those problems altogether and distracting ourselves with other activities (avoidance-focused).

The conclusion was that, when participants procrastinated for a while and forgot about their issues, they had an easier time balancing their workload. “This technique is traditionally seen as ‘running away from your problems’,” McCarthy said, in an article published by the University of Toronto, March 29, 2011.“But maybe by backing-off and taking breaks, students are able to replenish their resources.”

Students should not throw their books to the side just yet. It’s important to note that it’s all about balance.

Another study, entitled “Relationship between procrastination and academic performance,” was performed among a group of undergraduate dental students in India. Results showed what many people naturally deduce through their own experiences; procrastination leads to lower grades.

Overall, it’s all about balance. A little break from a demanding assignment can help with stress levels, but an excessively long break can lead to grades that are below average. As McCarthy said, “People need time to refocus in order to learn or study well.”

 

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News

Students to pay more, receive less

Photo from jasonparis on flickr

In an effort to reduce the university’s costs, Chief Financial Officer Patrick Kelley told members of Concordia’s Board of Governors that there needs to be fewer courses and sections offered to students. Kelley explained at the June 7 meeting that this is a necessary measure for the university to meet its deficit targets.

Photograph from JasonParis on Flickr.

A significant part of Concordia’s recent financial troubles stem from the 2012-13 provincial government’s funding slash of $13.2 million that caused the university to declare a deficit of $7.5 million.

Concordia’s academic side will take a 2.5 per cent budget cut while all other university sectors will see a 6.6 per cent cut. Decisions on what services, programs and personnel will need to be reduced in order to meet the new budget will be up to individual departments. Although some cuts will be phased in gradually, students arriving for the fall semester will be directly affected by a reduced number of courses, and part-time faculty, as well as an increase in residence fees.

As graduate student representative Erik Chevrier pointed out in session, Concordia residence rates have increased to an amount he claims is unaffordable for the majority of the student population.

“I probably wouldn’t be able to afford to live in dorms, because the rent seems extremely high for single dwellings… some of them have increased as much as four per cent.”

However, it should be noted that included in the cost of the dormitory is telephone and Internet. Small single rooms in the downtown Grey Nuns residence have increased from $690.23 to $700.58 and $733.21 to 744.21. While large single rooms have increased from $763.90 to 775.36. This amounts to an increase of around $10.

It remains to be seen how students will be affected by cuts to other sectors of the university, but it looks as though students will be paying more for less.

As of the 2013/2014 academic year, students will be paying a tuition increase set by the provincial government of 2.6 per cent, which works out to approximately $52 per student. And yet, because of the university’s deficit, students won’t be gaining anything other than lighter wallets.

Professors are likely to be among the things students will lose as budget cuts force departments to let go of some part-time faculty with lower seniority.

It seems student opinion takes a backseat when cost reduction is the issue. Even winner of the award for Excellence in Teaching, Matthew Hays, has not been given courses for the upcoming fall semester.

“It certainly felt ironic or bittersweet when I received my award and then within 48 hours was informed that I wasn’t getting classes in the fall semester,” said Hays.

When asked what Concordia can still offer students, President Alan Shepard had this to say: “We offer them a whole world, a whole environment. We are one of the most urban universities in the country, with that comes incredible energy, commitment, innovation, and a kind of a grittiness to education where we’re right in the middle, right in the thick of things, we have world class programs and they’re still world class. We have a lot of offer.”

For more information on Concordia’s 2013-2014 budget visit http://www.concordia.ca/about/administration-and-governance/office-of-the-chief-financial-officer/2013_2014

 

 

Categories
Arts

The problem with theatre audiences today


The average university student, especially those who are studying English literature, will most likely have read more plays than they will have seen performed.

It’s definitely not for lack of shows; Montreal has over 70 English theatre companies and hosts the Fringe Festival, a month long festival featuring over 500 shows. University students simply aren’t interested. Out of 50 students surveyed by The Concordian, only 13 acknowledged that they like to go to plays.

The general response as to why these students didn’t see plays was that television was easier to access and they didn’t have the time or any particular interest in seeing a theatre production. Some students said they attended Broadway musical-type shows such as Wicked and The Lion King, but hadn’t gone to see any Montreal-produced shows of the non-musical variety.

Despite school, work and social obligations, many students still find the time and money to see movies in the theatre. On average, the price of a student ticket to see a theatre production is not much more than the price of a movie ticket, but students are more likely to attend a movie rather than a show.

Quincy Armorer, the artistic director of Black Theatre Workshop believes it’s because students have an idea that theatre is vastly different from seeing a film. And it is different. Theatre is live, the actors are mere meters away from you and anything can happen; if an actor flubs a line or loses a prop there’s no ‘re-shoot.’ Some would say this makes it all the more exciting and impressive.

In terms of genres, theatres offer similar selections as movie theatres. Montreal offers a range of productions in the genres of drama, comedy, romance, tragedy, mystery and adventure. On the other hand, theatre productions rarely have special effects, high speed car chases or dramatic gun battles; things that only the medium of film can pull off. However, a film can still be enjoyable without these elements and therefore, logically, so can theatre.

Joseph Shragge the Co-Artistic Director of Scapegoat Carnivale, feels that one reason that students don’t attend shows is because of “a lack of outreach on the part of the company.”

“I’ve felt that the more effort we put into letting students know about our plays, the more attendance we’ve gotten,” he said. Companies often find it difficult to get information out to students. Armorer notes that his company relies heavily on student media. His company has tried to get permission to post promotional material in schools but the bureaucracy involved often makes this difficult.

Would more students attend theatre productions if they were inducted with the same media campaigning that films use? After all, promotional film material is everywhere; television, online, on public transportation, in restaurants, even in our washrooms. Theatre companies, on the other hand, don’t have a large enough marketing budget to blitz students the way films do. What can be done then?

Theatre companies have to be more creative and thrifty by doing things such as school tours, social networking and using student press. But perhaps it would be useful for Montreal theatre companies to band together and try campaigning to dispel the myth that theatre is boring or not worth a student’s time. After all, students are the new blood, without them theatres will have no fuel once older generations pass on. Instead of 70 different theatre companies spread all across Montreal, maybe resources should be combined to offer students easier access and to cultivate their interest in the productions on offer.

Categories
Opinions

It’s hard out there for a grad

Photo by Madelayne Hajek.

Think you’re going to get a job after university? Think again.

As another university semester gets into gear, some of us find ourselves just starting a degree, while others are just on the verge of completing one. For everyone though, one thing is on all our minds; employment.

We are all familiar with the infamous catch-22 of being unable to find a job because of a lack of work experience and being unable to acquire such experience because jobs are unobtainable.

Now, Statistics Canada is reporting that the unemployment rate for people aged 15-24 is 14.8 per cent, more than double the 7.3 per cent for the nation as a whole.

Before we pull the fire alarm, however, let us take a look at the overall situation. According to the International Labour Organization, the global rate of youth unemployment is approximately 12.7 per cent, while it is about 17.5 per cent in developed economies. Canada is actually in an enviable position, especially compared to many countries in Europe.

These rates are expected to decrease by a couple of percentage points in the next five years, but should still remain far higher than the rates in 2007 before the economic crisis struck.

As the youth become more and more disillusioned by the current and future job market, what can be done to remedy the situation?

The prevailing belief is that getting a degree, whether undergraduate or graduate, is no longer enough to get one’s foot in the door, as all job applicants possess that same piece of paper.

However, there is much more to pursuing a degree in higher education that goes beyond school work. There are hidden perks to coughing up those tuition fees. So many resources are available exclusively to university students and can give them the edge required to get a job.

Concordia has an array of co-op programs which allow students to gain work experience as they complete their degree, giving them a more rounded resumé once they graduate.

For example, the Concordia Volunteer Abroad Program allows students to do summer internships in Uganda for two months and only pay for their flights and vaccines. Programs such as these are invaluable in getting experience that separate oneself from the rest of the field. John Molson School of Business’ Career Management Services provides various services such as résumé writing and interview workshops.

These tools and many more can be used by students to make them more competitive in the job market. That said, the government also has a responsibility of ensuring that more youth are able to get jobs.

Job creation must be a greater priority and can be implemented by funding training programs, giving tax breaks to employers who hire youth, and supporting young entrepreneurs.

Ultimately, it is in developed nations’ best interest to increase youth employment opportunities since strong earnings in the long-term are only possible if careers are long-lasting. As baby boomers reach the age of retirement, this is certainly something for society to think about.

Categories
News

Student threatens education minister with legal action

A student sent a mise en demeure, or formal notice, to Education Minister Line Beauchamp on March 26, giving her 10 days to negotiate with students on tuition increases. If no negotiations take place after that time period, judicial procedures could be undertaken.

Jean-François Boisvenue, a PhD student in comparative literature at Université du Québec à Montréal, said he sent the notice as more of a symbolic act to draw attention to the fact that Beauchamp did not want to negotiate with students. The minister switched gears last week and said she would be open to talking to students, but said they had to accept that tuition is going up. It’s unclear if her change of heart is related to the mise en demeure.

“I really just wanted to start a debate about democracy in our society, because really, nothing can constrain Beauchamp to negotiate,” he said.

Boisvenue posted his mise en demeure on Facebook and got hundreds of supporters, which is a lot more than he expected.

“I am surprised that people really took it seriously and encouraged me to start judicial procedures against the minister,” said Boisvenue. “I didn’t want to undertake anything at first, but I decided now not to exclude any options.”

Education ministry spokesperson Esther Chouinard confirmed that they had received the formal notice last week, but said the ministry could not comment when legal procedures are involved.

Despite Beauchamp’s refusal to negotiate with students on tuition increases, Boisvenue said he’s hopeful that eventually she will have no choice but to sit down with student groups to hear what they have to say on the issue.

Categories
News

Quebec students set to strike March 22

FECQ president Léo Bureau-Blouin and FEUQ president Martine Desjardins reaffirmed the intent to strike on March 22.

MONTREAL (CUP) — After a day-long meeting on Jan. 21 in Quebec City, the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ) and the Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ) have reaffirmed the intention to strike on March 22 to protest rising university tuition fees.

But first, the individual member groups need to seek approval from their constituents.

“We have the mandate to ask our associations to go on strike, but first they need to ask their members if they want to, and then we will be able to say the FEUQ is on strike,” said president Martine Desjardins, who made the announcement with FECQ president Léo Bureau-Blouin in Montreal on Jan. 23.

The date was chosen earlier in December to coincide with the timing of the release of the finance minister’s budget. Desjardins said that FEUQ, the student lobby group that is often a government negotiator, has not been invited to sit in on the pre-budget consultation meetings that are now taking place.

FECQ president Léo Bureau-Blouin and FEUQ president Martine Desjardins reaffirmed the intent to strike on March 22.

After walking out of the same meetings in December 2010, she said their calls have not been answered by the finance department: “We asked them to talk with us. But they won’t do it.”

Several associations are planning longer strikes at different times, confirmed Desjardins.

“We talked a little about the different waves of strikes that are going to be happening,” said Chad Walcott, VP external for the Concordia Student Union (CSU), which is a FEUQ member. “Whereas some schools are going to strike earlier in February, and others later in March, [there’s] a wave of pressure that’s moving toward March 22 and the end of the academic year for that last push.”

On its own, the CSU is planning a school strike for March 26 to 29, a city-wide Montreal protest on March 1 and a sleep-in at one of Concordia University’s 24-hour libraries in February.

“I don’t think anyone’s officially ready to go on strike, but some departments are starting to talk about it,” said Walcott, who is working on a booklet for Concordia students who are considering strike action.

Desjardins added that a protest is also planned for Feb. 14, when the National Assembly returns from a break, and stunts will be staged at different campuses on a weekly basis up until March 22.

“There [are] a few things that we have to do, and it won’t be easy, and we know that,” said Desjardins. “But people are willing to do this and are very optimistic.

“We can make history [with this]. We held the second-biggest protest [in Quebec] on the 10th of November,” she added, recalling last semester’s day of action, when about 20,000 students marched to Premier Jean Charest’s downtown Montreal office. The day culminated with a handful of arrests and a confrontation between riot police and students on McGill University’s campus.

Charest has said the government will go through with gradual tuition hikes, beginning in fall 2012, to culminate in a total rise of $1,625.

Quebec permanent residents currently pay the lowest tuition fees in Canada, but FEUQ and FECQ, which represent about 200,000 students in universities and CÉGEPs across the province, assert that further tuition hikes could harm students’ finances.

The education ministry could not be reached for comment.

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