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[Transcript] News
Native students protest
By Allan Bezanson
More than 250 Native stu-
dents and supporters took part
in a demonstration at Robson
Square last week to denounce
government cutbacks which
will severely restrict their
access to post-secondary edu-
cation.
From the steps of the Art
Gallery speaker after speaker
demanded that the govern-
ment impose a moritorium on
the implementation of the
cutbacks. The demonstration
concluded with a circle dance
after which most people
marched over to picket the De-
partment of Indian Affairs
office on Burrard Street. 80 of
the protesters crammed into
the 11th floor offices to present
their demands for a morito-
rium.
The March 22nd protest
coincided with similar dem-
onstrations in every major city
across Canada. 2000 stu-
dents took part in both Ed-
monton and Winnipeg.
Eight Native students in
Thunder Bay began a hunger
strike which they vow to con-
tinue until the cutbacks are
rescinded.
The cutbacks, announced on
March 20 by the Department
of Indian Affairs and North-
ern Development in its new
policy on the Post-Secondary
Student Assistance Pro-
gramme, will make it more
difficult for Native students
to attend university.
Known as the E-12 guide-
lines the new policy puts a cap
on funds precisely at a time
when more and more Native
students are trying to continue
their education.
The number of months stu-
dents can take to complete
their education has been cut
from 96 to 60 for a bachelor’s.
degree. Most universities
consider a student taking
three courses to be full time.
The E-12 guidelines require a
Native student to carry four
courses in order to be eligible
for funding assistance.
Financial assistance has
been drastically cut back. For
example a single student liv-
ing with an employed parent
will receive a maximum of
$290. per month, a cut of sev-
eral hundred dollars.
In announcing the new pol-
icy Indian Affairs Minister,
Pierre Cadieux, stated that
his department consulted with
over 500 bands in working out
the details of the E-12 guide-
lines which he calls generous
and fair.
Not so, says Beverly Scow,
Coordinator of the Inter-
Campus Native Student Net-
work which organized
Wednesday’s demonstration.
"That’s an outright lie. They
are lying to the public. They
call a half-hour film strip and
a brief introduction of their
policy to people and students
consultation and that’s not
true. We want an honest con-
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