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Majority of Students Concerned About Making Ends Meet |
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Mar 08, 2010 at 05:37 AM |
 University students from Alberta and across Canada are concerned about finding the resources necessary to pay for their education, says a report released today. The "Canadian Student Survey: Summer Work and Paying for Post-Secondary Education" examines youth unemployment rates, how students fund their education and how cash limitations affect their ability to pursue an education.
The report notes that despite strong efforts to find full-time summer employment, nearly one-third of students surveyed reported that they were only able to find part-time employment last summer. The report also noted that less funding can have a particularly negative affect on student persistence; students from low income backgrounds reported that they were more likely to either leave full-time studies for lower-cost part-time options or leave post-secondary education altogether if costs increased.
This week, undergraduate and graduate students from across the country will be meeting with representatives of all political parties in Ottawa to discuss the findings of the report and will then be taking the same message to provincial MLAs and stakeholders in Edmonton the following week.
The "Canadian Student Survey" was a bilingual, multi-institutional survey conducted on university campuses across the country in the fall term of the 2009-10 academic year. It was commissioned by the , in collaboration with regional and institutional partners, including the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) and the Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations (ANSSA).
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Jan 17, 2010 at 07:00 PM |
 Voting is the basis of our democracy, the political act that gives the actions of the government their legitimacy and power. It is also dying, with every election seeing fewer and fewer people casting their ballots. Our most recent provincial election saw only 40.6% of eligible voters coming out to the polls and even fewer young Albertans.
Unfortunately the democratic system itself is partially to blame for this poor turnout, particularly among post-secondary students. There are numerous barriers for students to get through in order to vote. Fortunately, there are some clear and easy changes that the Government of Alberta and Elections Alberta can do before the next provincial election to make it easier for post-secondary students to vote.
- Allow students to choose between their home during studies and their family home to be their ordinary residence
- Establish advance voting stations for multiple constituencies on post-secondary campuses
- Permit advance voting for all electoral divisions at any advance poll
- Select returning officers earlier in the electoral process
- Have Elections Alberta work with students’ unions to encourage voter turnout among students
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Jan 15, 2010 at 04:10 AM |
When we enter an economic downturn, many in our society turn towards the public services in order to make ends meet and to get the tools needed to provide for themselves and their families and make a contribution to their communities. Similarly, society looks for a way to stimulate economic growth and innovation and make the right choices that ensures our economy does not just recover, but prospers.
Post-secondary education is often where those two goals connect, and whether it is a new student looking to earn a credential after being laid off or a new idea looking for thoughtful and innovative researchers to develop that idea, Alberta’s universities, colleges and technical institutes are an essential part of our province’s future. And that’s why the Council of Alberta University Students is supporting the Join Together Alberta campaign.
Follow the campaign at www.jointogetheralberta.ca and on Twitter at @JoinTogetherAB. Together we can protect Alberta's public services! |
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