Muse, 1983-02-18

              the
Volume 33, number 14
Friday, February 18, 1983
High school students take to the streets
by Shirley Stacey and
Joan Sullivan
An eleventh-hour agreement bef-
ween the provincial government and
the Newfoundland Teachers Association prevented another province-wide
walkout of high school students last
Monday.
The controversy centered around the
teachers' new contract with the provincial government. The contract did not
include the phrase "with the teacher's
consent" when it referred to teacher
participation in extra-curricular activities. Teachers feared it would give
the school boards the ability to order
teachers to organize and run a club or
society.
After a breakdown in negotiations,
the NTA made the announcement that
all extra-curricular activities would be
cut as of February 14th.
These   included   dances;   exchange,
trips; school bands and choirs; Reach
for the Top; all school teams; and all
clubs ranging from Drama clubs to
Stamp clubs.
The high school students across the
province responded by walking out of
classes on Friday the 4th. In St. John's,
Med students fight
for student aid
by Joan Sullivan
Medical students are having problems with student aid.
"As it stands now, the Canada Student Loan bunch consider the pay a
clinical clerk gets as a bursary," said
Richard Welsh, the new president of
the Medical Students Society.
This cuts into there the amount of
money these fourth year students get in
loans, he said.
'They don't go to classes; basically
they're at the hospital all day. The
hospital considers the money they get
to be part-time pay, which would not
be deducted from student loans.
"The push is on to get this
changed."
Wells said the students had talked to
the Dean of Medical Studies and the
Minister of Health and Welfare in an
attempt to have the clinical clerk pay
redefined as part-time pay.
Another problem Medical Students
encounter is the amount of money
students can claim for books and supplies. The normal amount is about two
hundred dollars, but medical students
often spend several times that amount.
Despite several complaints about this,
the rule hasn't been changed.
Other members of the new Medical
Student Society executive are: vice-
president, Ken Rockwood; secretary,
Jamie Karagianis; treasurer, Anne
Perry; Newfoundland Medical
Association representative Sandy Mac-
Donald; Canadian Medicial Association representative, Ron Vender and
Bill Clifford; and social committee
members, Andrew Orr and Anne
Perry.
Muse masters machine
by Garfield Puddicombe
This week a new chapter in the illustrious history of the Muse begins
with the first issue typeset solely on a
Compugraphic Editwriter 7500
typesetter purchased late last year by
the CSU.
Previously, typesetting had been
done by Robinson Blackmore limited
but a price hike during the summer
suddenly made the purchase of a
typesetter feasible in the long run,
despite the $34,000 price tag. Much of
the cost will be taken over three years
from the Muse budget and some will be
absorbed by profits from the
Breezeway.
The typesetter will be used to set the
Muse every week, and also for posters,
pamphlets and other jobs for the
students' union. Eventually, outside
work may be solicited.
The switch to in-house typesetting
will mean major changes in the look
and weekly scheduling of the Muse.
While the paper will have to be typeset
over a long period of time, the staff
will have more control over how the
final product looks.
"Workers control of means of production," shouted ancient Groucho
Marxists and hacks-who've-been-
around-too-long Jon Waterhouse and
Gerry Porter between sips of ether.
Co-Editors Anne Evans and Joan
Sullivan are very pleased with the long
awaited typesetter. "We're very pleased," they said, recovering from
another alUnighter at the office with a
healthy breakfast of Jack Daniels and
Oreo cookies.
However, U.S. president Ronald
Reagan expressed concerns that
cheaper typesetting for the Muse may
take money away the private sector and
damage his economic recovery program.
they marched first to the NTA building
and then to the Confederation
Building.
Although it was a great show of concern and the students managed to meet
with Finance Minister Dr. John Collins, the demonstration was disorganized and violent, and most students were
unaware of the purpose of the
walkout.
They were confused about the
teachers concerns over the contract,
and, like rriany school administrators,
accused the teachers of acting "un-
professiohally".
In addition, many windows were
broken along the way, and there were
reports of a car being overturned.
Student councils of the St. John's
high schools met that day and formed
the High School Executive Committee.
Its purpose was not to side with the
teachers or the government, but to protect students' rights in the struggle.
"Extra-curricular activities provide
not only a bond between students, but
also play and important role in the
relationship   between   students   and
Violence at Brides
teachers in and out of the classroom,"
said one petition from a council to its
students.
"These activities provide greater
school spirit and provide a release from
everyday academic pressure.
"If nothing substantial is resolved as
of February 14th, unfortunately we
shall be forced to adopt a more severe
approach."
Some students had been punished
for participating in the February 4th
march with detention. The demonstration planned for last Monday was to be
more organized, and several police officers visited the high schools to explain the "do's and don'ts" of
demonstrations.
However, the government agreed to
include the words "with the teachers
consent" in the contract and the
teachers called off the bann.
Negotiations continue between the
NTA and the provincial government.
None of the disputes are about
monetary concerns, but about such
issues as the extension of the school
day and a lower teacher/student ratio.
Cups for concerts
by Joan Sullivan
Beer will no longer be served in bottles at CSU concerts, reported CSU
vice-president (executive) Danny
Breen. Instead, it will be poured into
plastic glasses..
"This will mean a price increase of
five cents a beer," to cover the price of
the plastic glasses, he said. Liquor
prices will increase to $1.45, which
means the liquor prices at concerts will
be equal to the prices in the Breezeway.
The decision followed an incident during the Blushing Brides Saturday concert, in which a person was hit in the
face with a beer bottle and had to be
taken to hospital.
This would also decrease the number
of broken bottles found on the floor of
the gym and in the stairwells of the
TSC.
There is a strong possibility this
regulation will extend to the Green and
Orange rooms, said Breen.
As the incident occurred between
two non-students, it was suggested by
part-time student representative Martha that MUN follow the sign-in practice used at Dalhousie university.
The Breezeway used to have a policy
where non-students had to be signed in
by students.
"At least we could keep track of
who is responsible for the brawls and
vandalism," she said.
Another councillor suggested selling
non-student tickets only in advance.
Many councillors and students attending the meeting had complaints about
student security. Several examples were
given where student security stood by
and did nothing to prevent fights or
harrassment of women.
"(At a recent dance) I attended, the
student security were drinking; they
were toking; they were paying no attention to ID.'s; they weren't watching to
see that people didn't take any liquor
out of the room; and they were letting
their friends in," said one student.
"You have to report incidents like
this right away," she said. Since she
reported this incident, the two student
security guards involved haven't been
working, she said.
One student said "the tone of the
hard rock bands" the SCU sponsors
"breed violence sometimes." He suggested the hard-rock bands be interspersed among the other CSU
events.
"With the Doors band two weeks
ago, and the Stones band last weekend,
the place went crazy."
Although the CSU has received some
names on the people involved in Saturday night's incident, they are not considering legal action, said vice-
president (internal) Paul Noftall.
It's not a policy of the CSU to have
troublemakers banned from the TSC,
said CSU president Ed Buckingham,
but "we can educate the security
guards as to who these people are."