{"id":2168,"date":"2012-02-07T15:24:38","date_gmt":"2012-02-07T23:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=2168"},"modified":"2012-02-08T09:15:47","modified_gmt":"2012-02-08T17:15:47","slug":"day-of-action-raises-awareness-of-student-debt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2012\/02\/07\/day-of-action-raises-awareness-of-student-debt\/","title":{"rendered":"Day of action raises awareness of student debt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Approximately 500 students took part in a recent day of action against student debt in Lansdowne campus\u2019 Fisher courtyard, organized by the Camosun College Student Society (CCSS).<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really happy about the outcome. It was a feeling of accomplishment,\u201d says Camosun psychology student Nathanial Goyet-Lamoureux. \u201cIt\u2019s good to know that we are all in this together. Everyone has debts and it\u2019s scary sometimes, but I feel that we can support each other and together we can accomplish great things.\u201d<\/p>\n

The February 1 on-campus event was part of the national campaign Education Is a Right, in conjunction with the Canadian Federation of Students, who are encouraging students across to country to rally government for change.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Students at the recent Day of Action on Lansdowne campus (photo by Dylan Wilks\/Nexus).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe want the NDP and other parties to listen and make these issues part of their platform,\u201d says Madeline Keller-MacLeod, CCSS external affairs executive.<\/p>\n

The Education Is a Right campaign asks for reduction in tuition fees, re-establishment of the BC Student Grant Program, and the elimination of student-loan interest fees.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe minister of advanced education [Naomi Yamamoto] is not interested in even lowering interest on student loans,\u201d says Keller-MacLeod. \u201cWe are asking for elimination of interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event included free food, a crafts station where students could write messages on t-shirts, a video crew recording students\u2019 thoughts, and games, including one that was a student-debt take on Snakes and Ladders (\u201cYou\u2019re exhausted, drop out now,\u201d was one of the moves on the board).<\/p>\n

Camosun College granted academic amnesty to students who missed classes to attend the event, but some students who didn\u2019t attend the rally still wanted their money\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe already paid tuition, so why would we not go to a class that we already paid for?\u201d says biology student Amanda Hewlett.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Keller-MacLeod has no doubts that the day of action raised awareness among most students.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe accomplished a lot and more students are now involved,\u201d says Keller-MacLeod. \u201cThe event just built momentum; it\u2019s nowhere near over.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Approximately 500 students took part in a recent day of action against student debt in Lansdowne campus\u2019 Fisher courtyard, organized by the Camosun College Student Society (CCSS). \u201cI was really happy about the outcome. It was a feeling of accomplishment,\u201d says Camosun psychology student Nathanial Goyet-Lamoureux. \u201cIt\u2019s good to know that we are all in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-february-8-2012"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t