CUTS SUCK.
F!X EDUCATION!

[NEW WESTMINSTER]—This month, students at Douglas College, represented by Douglas Students’ Union, launched a new campaign telling the provincial government, “Cuts suck and fixing education is non-negotiable.”

The Cuts Suck. Fix Education. campaign, spearheaded by the British Columbia Federation of Students (BCFS) and its member locals, calls on the provincial government to restore funding for public post-secondary institutions to at least 75% of operating budgets. Meaningful reinvestment is needed to stop the cycle of program cancellations, staff layoffs, and service reductions that are making it harder for students to graduate.

“At Douglas, less courses are being offered, courses that students are required to take in order to move forward in their programs, which is causing delays to their graduation and is keeping students in school longer for short programs or diplomas,” said Chloe Archuleta, Director of External Relations of the Douglas Students’ Union. “The restriction of international students in Canada has caused institution budgets to go into the red, as they are no longer able to rely on international tuition fees to keep their institution operating. However, this is not only a federal issue or an immigration issue. The issue is that funding from the provincial government has dropped to below 50%. The BC government needs to take accountability and reinvest in public post-secondary education, so that institutions, like Douglas College, can remain open, and students can graduate and start contributing to the provincial economy”.

At Douglas College, students are facing:

• Reduced gym and service hours

• Cuts to student life programming and eliminating crucial events for students

• Cuts and impacts on department budgets and contract staffing

These cuts are forcing students to deal with fewer course offerings, longer waitlists, and delayed graduations. Some have even had to transfer to other institutions because their program has been eliminated.

Today, the Douglas Students’ Union will join students’ unions at 13 other campuses across the province to deliver thousands of postcards from students to government officials. Each postcard shares a message from students demanding that the government stop the cuts and reinvest in public post-secondary education.

The Douglas Students’ Union represents over 12,000 post-secondary students across the Lower Mainland, providing services, advocacy and campus life to students, to enhance their time at Douglas College.

For more information, please contact:
Chloe Archuleta, Director of External Relations, or

Genessa Ewart-Yan, Organizer-Campaigns, 604-527-5055

Background Information:
More information about the campaign is available at www.cutssuck.ca.