UNews - vice-president, Operations and Finance /unews/position/vice-president-operations-and-finance-0 en ULSU lobby effort focusses on student finances /unews/article/ulsu-lobby-effort-focusses-student-finances <div class="field field-name-field-op-author field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="rnews:creator schema:creator"><div class="view view-openpublish-related-content view-id-openpublish_related_content view-display-id-block_1 view-dom-id-0db90acc99ea093a7a9a25cc9ead705e"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="views-label views-label-title">by</span> <span class="field-content"><a href="/unews/profile/trevor-kenney">Trevor Kenney</a></span> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-created"> <span class="field-content">January 7, 2011</span> </div> </div> </div> </div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even" property="rnews:articlebody schema:articleBody"> <p>Maintaining affordable education was the overriding theme of the 2010 Lobby Conference as student associations from across the country gathered in Ottawa recently to voice their concerns to the country's key decision-makers.</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.casa-acae.com/" rel="nofollow">Canadian Alliance of Student Associations</a> (CASA), representing and promoting the interests of post-secondary students to federal and inter-provincial levels of government, introduced a number of ideas to governmental policy makers. Student financial aid and the <a href="http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/goc/cslp.shtml" rel="nofollow">Canada Student Loan Program</a> are on the list of key issues CASA is lobbying for this year. With debt becoming an ever larger issue for students, CASA is especially focused on the cost of obtaining a quality education.</p> <p>Taz Kassam, <a href="http://www.ulsu.ca" rel="nofollow">免费福利资源在线看片 of Lethbridge Students' Union</a> president, and Allan Hall, vice-president, Operations and Finance, represented the ULSU at the conference.</p> <p>"The inability for students to secure enough cash or credit to afford tuition payments, books and the basic essentials of living is one of the financial barriers that students face," says Kassam.</p> <p>CASA has recommended the federal government increase the amount of allowable in-study income in the next fiscal year. This means that if students choose to work during the school year, they will not be penalized for earning income and therefore qualify for less money from the Canada Student Loan Program. This change could also discourage students from seeking private loans.</p> <p>CASA is also addressing the issue of funding for aboriginal students. Aboriginal Peoples face persistent inequalities in regard to labour market outcomes, the most influential factor being that of post-secondary educational attainment rate.</p> <p>"The <a href="http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/.../post_secondary_support.shtml" rel="nofollow">Post-Secondary Student Support Program</a> (PSSSP) is the funding mechanism for First Nations and Inuit Students," says Kassam. "This program has been capped at a 2 per cent increase since 1996, spreading the available cash very thin and likely reducing the number of aboriginal students attending post-secondary institutions.</p> <p>"We have proposed the 2 per cent cap be removed, and an increase in funding be provided to better reflect the real cost of attending a post-secondary institution."</p> <p>Another issue is the ongoing debate over Bill-C32: The Copyright Act. Publishing companies, such as Access Copyright, are petitioning to propose a student levy that would make post-secondary institutions pay for the possibility that someone may print a copy of work already owned digitally. This issue could lead to hefty increases in the cost of textbooks.</p> <p>"The Book Importation Tax states that parallel importation is illegal for commercial booksellers, meaning that if a book title has a Canadian copyright holder that is selling the book for no more than 10 per cent above the American retail price, it is illegal for a physical store to maintain a competitive edge and buy the book from the United States," says Kassam.</p> <p>The recommendation put forth by CASA is to amend the bill as it stands, prohibiting the parallel importation of books from foreign distributors.</p> <p>Kassam says the ULSU, as an extension of CASA, is working hard to serve U of L students.</p> <p>"We are doing all we can to ensure post-secondary education is affordable, of the highest quality and easily accessible," says Kassam. "These are very important issues that will not only affect today's students but also those who will be entering post-secondary institutions in the future."</p> <p><em>This story originally appeared in the December issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue of the December Legend in a flipbook format, follow this </em><a href="http://issuu.com/ulethbridge/docs/thelegend_december2010" rel="nofollow"><em>link</em></a><em>.</em></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field-group-format group_related_topics field-group-div group-related-topics block-title-body speed-fast effect-none"><h2><span>Related Topics</span></h2><div class="field field-name-opencalais-city-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">City:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/city/ottawa" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Ottawa</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-facility-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Facility:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/facility/lobby-conference" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Lobby Conference</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-industryterm-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">IndustryTerm:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/industry-term/retail-price" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">retail price</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-organization-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Organization:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/organization/lethbridge-students-union" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Lethbridge Students&#039; Union</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/unews/organization/canadian-alliance" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Canadian Alliance</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/organization/university-lethbridge-students" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">免费福利资源在线看片 of Lethbridge Students</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/unews/organization/federal-government" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">federal government</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-person-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Person:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/person/taz-kassam" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Taz Kassam</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/unews/person/allan-hall" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Allan Hall</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-position-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Position:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/position/president" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">President</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/unews/position/vice-president-operations-and-finance-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">vice-president, Operations and Finance</a></div></div></div></div><span property="rnews:name schema:name" content="ULSU lobby effort focusses on student finances" class="rdf-meta"></span> Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:43:29 +0000 trevor.kenney 4133 at /unews Lobby effort focusses on finance /unews/article/lobby-effort-focusses-finance <div class="field field-name-field-op-author field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="rnews:creator schema:creator"><div class="view view-openpublish-related-content view-id-openpublish_related_content view-display-id-block_1 view-dom-id-373e9cfc99d15f655b58276b2d08f8d1"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="views-label views-label-title">by</span> <span class="field-content"><a href="/unews/profile/trevor-kenney">Trevor Kenney</a></span> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-created"> <span class="field-content">December 16, 2010</span> </div> </div> </div> </div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even" property="rnews:articlebody schema:articleBody"> <p>Maintaining affordable education was the overriding theme of the 2010 Lobby Conference as student associations from across the country gathered in Ottawa recently to voice their concerns to the country's key decision-makers.</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.casa-acae.com/" rel="nofollow">Canadian Alliance of Student Associations</a> (CASA), representing and promoting the interests of post-secondary students to federal and inter-provincial levels of government, introduced a number of ideas to governmental policy makers. Student financial aid and the <a href="http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/goc/cslp.shtml" rel="nofollow">Canada Student Loan Program</a> are on the list of key issues CASA is lobbying for this year. With debt becoming an ever larger issue for students, CASA is especially focused on the cost of obtaining a quality education.</p> <p>Taz Kassam, <a href="http://www.ulsu.ca" rel="nofollow">免费福利资源在线看片 of Lethbridge Students' Union</a> president, and Allan Hall, vice-president, Operations and Finance, represented the ULSU at the conference.</p> <p>"The inability for students to secure enough cash or credit to afford tuition payments, books and the basic essentials of living is one of the financial barriers that students face," says Kassam.</p> <p>CASA has recommended the federal government increase the amount of allowable in-study income in the next fiscal year. This means that if students choose to work during the school year, they will not be penalized for earning income and therefore qualify for less money from the Canada Student Loan Program. This change could also discourage students from seeking private loans.</p> <p>CASA is also addressing the issue of funding for aboriginal students. Aboriginal Peoples face persistent inequalities in regard to labour market outcomes, the most influential factor being that of post-secondary educational attainment rate.</p> <p>"The <a href="http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/.../post_secondary_support.shtml" rel="nofollow">Post-Secondary Student Support Program</a> (PSSSP) is the funding mechanism for First Nations and Inuit Students," says Kassam. "This program has been capped at a 2 per cent increase since 1996, spreading the available cash very thin and likely reducing the number of aboriginal students attending post-secondary institutions.</p> <p>"We have proposed the 2 per cent cap be removed, and an increase in funding be provided to better reflect the real cost of attending a post-secondary institution."</p> <p>Another issue is the ongoing debate over Bill-C32: The Copyright Act. Publishing companies, such as Access Copyright, are petitioning to propose a student levy that would make post-secondary institutions pay for the possibility that someone may print a copy of work already owned digitally. This issue could lead to hefty increases in the cost of textbooks.</p> <p>"The Book Importation Tax states that parallel importation is illegal for commercial booksellers, meaning that if a book title has a Canadian copyright holder that is selling the book for no more than 10 per cent above the American retail price, it is illegal for a physical store to maintain a competitive edge and buy the book from the United States," says Kassam.</p> <p>The recommendation put forth by CASA is to amend the bill as it stands, prohibiting the parallel importation of books from foreign distributors.</p> <p>Kassam says the ULSU, as an extension of CASA, is working hard to serve U of L students.</p> <p>"We are doing all we can to ensure post-secondary education is affordable, of the highest quality and easily accessible," says Kassam. "These are very important issues that will not only affect today's students but also those who will be entering post-secondary institutions in the future."</p> <p>For a look at the full issue of the December Legend in a flipbook format, follow this <a href="http://issuu.com/ulethbridge/docs/thelegend_december2010" rel="nofollow">link</a>. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field-group-format group_related_topics field-group-div group-related-topics block-title-body speed-fast effect-none"><h2><span>Related Topics</span></h2><div class="field field-name-opencalais-city-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">City:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/city/ottawa" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Ottawa</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-facility-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Facility:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/facility/lobby-conference" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Lobby Conference</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-industryterm-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">IndustryTerm:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/industry-term/finance" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">finance</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/unews/industry-term/retail-price" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">retail price</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-organization-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Organization:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/organization/lethbridge-students-union" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Lethbridge Students&#039; Union</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/unews/organization/canadian-alliance" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Canadian Alliance</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/organization/university-lethbridge-students" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">免费福利资源在线看片 of Lethbridge Students</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/unews/organization/federal-government" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">federal government</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-person-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Person:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/person/taz-kassam" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Taz Kassam</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/unews/person/allan-hall" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Allan Hall</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-position-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Position:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/unews/position/president" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">President</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/unews/position/vice-president-operations-and-finance-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">vice-president, Operations and Finance</a></div></div></div></div><span property="rnews:name schema:name" content="Lobby effort focusses on finance" class="rdf-meta"></span> Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:36:41 +0000 trevor.kenney 4155 at /unews