Muse, 2002-06-06

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Volume 52, Number 24
Memorial University of Newfoundland's Student Newspaper
June 6, 2002
Tuition reduction for Memorial
By JONATHAN LUEDEE
Memorial University will
have the lowest tuition fees in
Atlantic Canada this fall after
a second 10 per cent tuition
reduction occurs.
The University has received
3.5 Million dollars in funding
from the Provincial Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador to fund the tuition
reduction.
In 2001, the Provincial government announced a plan to
decrease the tuition at Memorial University by 25 per cent
in three years. In the 2001-2002
budget, 3.3 million dollars
were allocated to provide the
first reduction.
In a March 21 news release,
Sandra Kelly, Provincial Minister of Youth Services and
Post-Secondary Education,
announced that Memorial University would receive a second
tuition reduction in the following school year.
"Government has earmarked a further $3.5 million
in additional funding to Memorial University of Newfoundland to enable a 10 per cent
reduction in tuition fees," she
said.
MUN
drops the 'N'
MU sparks controversy,
nostalgia and jokes about cows
By ADAM RIGGIO
The Board of Regents has
decided to drop the word 'Newfoundland' from Memorial's
name, reducing the familiar
acronym 'MUN' to 'MU'
The decision was prompted
by the province's recent official name change from "The
Province of Newfoundland,"
to "The Province of Newfoundland and Labrador."
With the province's name
change, all agencies under
its jurisdiction that have the
word 'Newfoundland' in their
names would be affected. The
university was, with the Royal
Newfoundland Constabulary,
originally given an exemption
to this.
Ed Roberts, Board of Regents chair, said that their
decision was made with a long
period of deliberation.
"We had a regular meeting
early in December and we set
up a committee which had on
it, I think, thirteen representatives from the student councils
... of the alumni association,
by the faculty, by the staff."
news
national
arts & ent
opinion
classifieds
feature
1-3
3
4-5
6
7
8
University President Axel
Meisen was also on the committee.
"The committee looked
at three alternatives," said
Roberts. "One was Memorial
University of Newfoundland,
the second was Memorial University of Newfoundland and
Labrador, and the third was
Memorial University."
The committee and the
Board eventually decided on
the third choice. But the name
change will not become official
unless the provincial House of
Assembly decides to ratify it
when they reconvene this fall.
"That's the end of our side
of it, I don't know what the
government will do," said Roberts.
Thorn Duggan, VP External
of Memorial Students' Union,
has heard many students' concerns on the subject.
"It's a debate that I'm sure
a lot of people are really keen
about," he said. "For us, it was
something that was going to
happen."
However, jokes about the
new name are widespread.
"They'd have a cow joke ... it
could have been worse."
Duggan says that the union
is also considering changing
its name, though no formal
procedures to do so have yet
begun, though he thinks that
the union will change its name
to suit the university.
"We'll probably keep the acronym. . . . but, of course, with
council, everyone will have a
free-for-all, to debate on what
we want."
Please see Government, 3
The government consulted
the administration and student representatives before
the decision was made that the
funds would be used for a second tuition reduction.
"We are providing funding
for a 10 per cent reduction.
However, before we ask Memorial's Board of Regents to
consider a reduction, we want
to consult with students and
the University and hear their
advice on how best to invest
this money, Kelly said.
"If as we suspect, there is
agreement that this money
should   go   to   tuition   reduc
tions than that is where we will
channel this money."
At the meeting between the
government, Memorial administration and student representatives it was unanimously
decided that the best use for
the allocated funds was a tuition reduction.
Thorn Duggan, MUNSU
Vice-President External, says
that the mandate of the Student representatives, including MUNSU and the Canadian
Federation of Students (CFS)
was to use the Money for a tuition reduction.
Duggan   believes   that   ad
ministration was willing to
look at alternative uses for the
money.
Lily Walker, Dean of Student
Affairs and Student Services,
said that administration was
willing to discuss alternative
use of the money because of a
voiced opinion that the funds
could be used in other areas.
"A Muse Editorial last February or March maintained
that we should look broadly,"
Walker said. "They identified
that we have an infrastructure that is in trouble, which
is true."
Please see Students, 3
CHARITY KICK
CHRIS DINN
CBC Morning Show host Jim Brown interviews MUNSU President Gilbert Salam as he
ducks out early from the CBC charity soccer game at Ayre's Field on May 30. Salam had
to leave in order to attend class, but made a stong showing throughout the first half.
No lease on Smallwood Centre
By LINDSAY HARDING
Two years after MUNSU
and their services were moved
into the new Smallwood Centre, the students' union and
the university administration
have yet to sign a lease for the
building.
According to the old
Thompson Student Centre
(TSC) Agreement signed January 14, 1994, the students'
union's board of management
was given the right to supervise, operate and sub-let the
first floor of the TSC.
This allowed the union
jurisdiction over external
businesses, such as the leasing space in the food court, as
well as union businesses and
services, such as The Breezeway and students' union offices, which were then located
on the first floor of the TSC.
However, the layout in the
new building does match the
wording of the old agreement.
Currently, The Breezeway
and food court are on the first
and third floor, respectively,
while the students' union offices share the second floor
with the university's bookstore.
Though a new agreement is
necessary to cover the differences between the operations
of the two buildings, neither
organization is worried about
the continuing to use the TSC
Agreement.
Carson Leonard is with
Student Affairs and Services
and says that he is not concerned with the way things
Please see New, 2
Welcome to Summer Campus
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