Native students attending university in abundance is considered a problem? I know you're just calling it like it is Ben, but that comment's gonna hurt.

The key word in this dilemma is "students", requirements for acceptance into a university should be restricted to level of education already completed, ability to learn, willingness and desire to learn, having an ultimate goal to achieve a higher education. Don't believe the colour of one's skin or their heritage should have any bearing on that.

White folks drink while pregnant too and give birth to mentally challenged children, they just give these children a different label. It works the other way around, if a person does not fit the entry requirements, they should not be permitted to register and attend based on the color of their skin or their heritage. Just ask any white student whose application was turned down because their grades were too poor? Sorry, if you don't qualify, you don't qualify. Go back to grade school and try again.

One of the biggest discrimatory acts committed by our human rights division of the government was when they enforced that a specific percentage of minorities must be present in a workforce.

Forcing minority placement closes the door on capability, weakens our work force and strips pride from those who work hard to achieve pride.

How about eliminating UNBC employees' perk that their children attend UNBC tuition free? That's a pretty outrageous benefit, considering that it comes from my pocket. Please, someone, tell me it isn't true.

The astute employer tends to give perks which minimize out of pocket expenses.

Each FTE (full time equivalent) likely gets on the average of about 4 times the tuition fee paid in from the province. No matter where in the province that person attends, it will come from taxpayers pockets.

The benefit to both the UNBC and PG is that the student may end up at UNBC rather than at UVIC living whith her sister or her Aunt Nellie or in residence or in another rental. In that case, the parents or student will save considerably more than just the tuition fee, and the city businesses will benefit from having another body in town buying services.

Having one or two more students in an English Lit 101 class is not going to increase the cost of operating any part of the University. In my view, the benefits for all parties, including this city, far outweigh any negative.

BTW, it used to be that senior citizens could attend limited courses without paying tuition at Universities accross Canada. I do not know where that stands right now and what the local situation is.

I am one who is looking forward to my 65 birfday so I can go and not pay....

If the admission criteria and tution fees are not the same for all students then there is a problem.

If there are a lot of native students making the hurdle as everyone else - then why the heck is that a problem. The same could be said for a lot of the "white" only schools out there Ben.

Majorities and minorities only matter when theres racism present.

It seems that people refuse to face the fact that this University has **peeked** and that it is highly unlikly that they will ever get beyond 3600 students.

If anyone would care to take the time to look at the demographics of the Northern Interior of BC. The drop out and graduation rate for students in the same area, the long range forecast for student populations for the same area. The continually decrease in student enrolments in elementary schools in the area. (School District 57) approx 500 less students per year. The fact that the population of the whole of the central interior has either remained the same or decreased in the past 10 years, and the projected increase in the next 10 to 15 years is at best 1.5%.
The number of schools that have actually been closed.

Weigh that against the projections of possible huge losses of jobs in the next 10 to 15 years due to decreased timber supply, and what do you get.

At best more of the same but little or no actual growth, and therefore little or no increase in University Enrolments. You already have 5 years of negative growth. The highest number of International Students for one year I belevie was 169. 25% on students used to come from the Southern Interior or Vancouver area, however its almost a gaurantee that this will decrease.

International Students have the whole world to pick from when it comes to going to a University, so to assume that a vast majority of them will come to Prince Georges little University on the hill is somewhat presumptuos.

Every indicator that I look at tells me that there will be little or no growth in this area in the forseeable future, and therefore its time to face the realitys and get away from the day dreaming.

Show me some specifics that could change my mind. (Leave out the Aiport Expansion and the Container Terminal as these are iffy at best and even if they happen will have little effect on the area)

Even the assumption that students will stay home and attend University here is not entirely true. A lot of students want to leave home and attend University somewhere else, and many do. It would be interesting to see how many students in the Universitys in the lower mainland are from the North Central Interior.