4 - Weekly Record, August 3, 1988 OPINION for the tdtbia Scene from the Ridge by Nancy Perkins For many of us who have college and university age children, that dreadful time of filling out forms for student loans has arrived. There are a chosen few who don't have to rely on the extra help through such loans, but for most, even if they have been fortunate enough to have worked at either mine for the summer, the reality sets in. By the time the process is complete, people feel that their personal lives have been invaded, with questions and answers that we often wouldn't reveal to even our close friends. There is little denying that on paper, before we start to add up the cost of living in the north, and specifically in Tumbler Ridge, that we are all a well-padded lot financially. However, as the expenses and income tax eat — away at our salaries, little is left. The government is very selective about whom they see fit to loan money. While they pick and choose, they bemoan the statistics of high educational costs to the government. They seem to forget that it costs the student living in the north at least $10,000 per year to attend university. Still, the government continues to be alarmed at the cost of higher education. However, they are much of the reason for the high cost, while doing little or nothing to correct some of the fundamental problems. Universities and college facilities have yet to join to- gether and co-ordinate courses and course structures that are totally compatible and interchangeable from school to school. Students who spend two years in Grande Prairie or other colleges and then move on to Simon Fraser, B.C.I.T., the University of B.C. or any other higher educational ‘institution will lose from one to several courses that were required to take in the other institution. Often this loss can cost the student transferring a semester, or even a whole year, depending on the severity of the problem. Sometimes they end up taking very similar courses just to satisfy the new school’s requirement. lf. a semester is lost, there goes another $5,000, or a whole year at a cost of $10,000. When | look at some of the courses required for a particular degree, | just shake my head. Many of them are pure fluff and totally unnecessary. | thought the idea of a university degree was to prepare the student to step out into the world and be able to become a productive individual in a given field. Per- haps it’s time to get rid of some of the fluff and swing more towards the technical schools. Maybe it's time to find a good balance somewhere between the technical school and the university. Ah, but there is a status in holding a degree from a good university. The problem is the status will not get you a job. The technical schools are putting graduates out into the work world with greater success and a good re- turn on our tax dollar. Once the degree is ob- tained and the students are able to join the work force, then let them go back and get all the fluff they want. Then they can become the so-called well rounded edu- cated person. We have reached the age where education is simply costing too much for the taxpayer, the student and the parents. It is time to trim some of the fluff and get down to substance. zt If this is not done, we are going to end up with an elitest society where only the rich and the well heeled are going to be able to get university degrees. There are those who wish such a society, and these are the ones who can afford a higher education. It's nice to own a Rolls Royce, but when a Datsun will do, and there is not enough money for luxury, then it's time for a little hard reality. If the government is sincere about wanting edu- cation for all who have the inclination and ability for it, then it’s time to trim some of the fat. Professors and faculty boards are going to have to be responsible and provide courses and one-year or two- year certificates that are compatible and interchange- able with each other. Maybe the cost of $40,000 to $50,000 could be trimmed to $30,000, with a little careful planning and co-operation on the part of the universities and colleges. We ask that letters be free of libel, personal abuse or other impropriety. All letters may be edited for space or other reasons. Written copy should be legible and under 200 words. Your letters and opinions are a very welcome part of this newspaper. We are glad to offer this opportunity to our readers. Mail to the Weekly Record, Box 1508, Tumbler Ridge, B.C. VOC 2W0, or bring them in. or the Record 5 an old By Ann M. Smith Bankers in this country really are the limit. From all their huffing and puffing and carrying on, you’d almost think they had been unfairly raked over the coals these past few months. Instead, it has become something of a joke to hear them talk about how hard done by they’ve been on the issue of bank service charges. Throughout this debate, bankers have done a lousy job of legitimizing many of the con- tentious ‘‘service’’ fees now under such close public and political scrutiny. Take, for example, the question of dis- closure of bank service charges and notification of changes in the fee structure. Banks cur- rently hold a very tight reign in Publisher Randy Hill Mainstream Canada Re-writing wrong their dealings with small busi- ness accounts to the extent that customers have begun to vigorously complain about treatment by the banks, includ- ing notification—or lack of notification—on fee increases. Receiving full advance notifica- tion of new or increased charges has proved extremely difficult for many small business owners. Public concern over this prac- tice led one newspaper editori- alist to recently comment: ‘‘The only thing remarkable about this revolt is that it has never happened before.’’ Still others say it is not unreasonable to ask that these very basic business practices be adhered to by the banks. John Bulloch, president of the Cana- Record Managing editor Nancy Perkins Editor Ruth Torgerson Paste up artist Holly Vecqueray Composition Lexcee Sims Address: The Weekly Record Box 1508 Tumbler Ridge, B.C. VOC 2W0 Telephone: [604]242-4789 Advertising should be brought to the Week! Record office Suite 207, upstairs in the Rescan Building, 235 Front Street, Tumbler Ridge, B.C. The deadline for ads is 5:00 p.m. Thursday for the following Wednesday edition. Second Class Mail Registration Number 7334 The Weekly Record is published weekly at Suite 215, Chetwynd Centre, 5021-49th Avenue, Chetwynd, B.C. and is printed in Quesnel, B.C. Subscription rates are $15 per year for Tumbler Ridge area residents. Subscription rates for those residing in Canada outside the local area are $21 per year. U.S. subscriptions are $30 per year. dian Federation of Independent Business calls the current situ- ation ‘‘a cruel joke’’ and wonders why the banks are so strenuously resisting proposed recommendations that would make some of the more out- landish charges fully public. Many small business owners, he says, are resentful of the pref- erential treatment afforded the financial institutions that make any real possibility of competi- tion in the banking marketplace virtually impossible. This very privileged position in the econ- omy has given the banks far too much power relative to con- sumers and small businesses. “‘The whole attitude of the banks on this issue is shock- ing,’’ he said. ‘‘Small businesses in this country are upset with the lack of value for money they receive vis-a-vis these so-called service fees. And these fees con- tinue to multiply, with the most vulnerable bank customers— small firms—being hit the hardest. “The problem is, of course, that the banking community doesn’t have to worry about competition—they are currently allowed to operate more as a utility than as a competitive business. ”’ The market power of the banks, Bulloch says, makes it very risky for small business owners in particular to go pub- lic with their grievances. The often delicate relationship between bank manager and small business customer— which is exacerbated in a rural, one-bank town situation— makes it logistically impossible for the majority of business owners to shop around. And, says Bulloch, the banks know it. The current stand-off began when groups like CFIB started to push Ottawa to act on some of the more blatant abuses. As Bulloch puts it, ‘‘all we’re talk- ing about here is injecting some decency and fairness into the system. Implementing such simple business habits as full notification and disclosure of new rate hikes is hardly revolu- tionary.” Their resistance, however, is just one more example of how ‘far behind the banking commu- nity lags in the area of business credibility. CFIB Feature Service ‘‘Don’‘t worry your head about breaking the electric mixer. Just get those flippers moving.”