The Student’s Union Executive would like to take this
opportunity to re/introduce the Students’ Union, to
explain a little bit about the Canadian Federation of
Students, and to touch on some issues of that are
currently facing us as students.

On the Executive, there is room for twelve elected
representatives, consisting of one male and one female from
each school within the Institute. Student representatives
who sit on the Board of Governors, the Education Council
and various other committees are invited to sit in on our
discussions and decision-making. All of our meetings are
open to students who wish to observe or participate.

Some of the services that are currently provided or
subsidized by the Students’ Union are: The annual
publication of a Students’ Union Day Planner, life drawing,
yoga, movie nights, a video projector borrowing service, fast
trax stickers which provide students with 3 zone transit
access for the fare of a one zone pass, Radio Free Emily (the
Emily Carr Radio Station), and this new students’ run
publication: Some Magazine.

To enable our members to become informed and active
participants in our broader community, we encourage you to
bring your ideas and initiatives to us for consideration.
Positive and progressive change is something that we must
all participate in. Last semester, a series of workshops were
organized leading up to the Summit of the Americas and the
negotiations surrounding the Free Trade Area of the
Americas, in an effort to make transparent the impact such
trade agreements will have on our lives. This is an ongoing
issue despite public opposition and we will be presenting
more workshops in the near future. Despite the workload
that is expected of us, as students here, you can find the time
to become informed on these and many other issues.

We are also members of the Canadian Federation of
Students. Local 33. The Canadian Federation of Students
was formed in 1981 to provide students with an effective and
united voice both provincially and nationally. Currently, we
are 60 College, Institute and University Students Unions
strong, these unions include Nova Scotia College Of Art and
Design, Ontario College of Art and Design and we will soon

be joined by the Alberta College of Art and Design. The
Federation unites us under a common banner not only as
Students, but also as Student Artists/Designers.

Our membership in the Canadian Federation of Students
also entitles us to free International Student Identity Cards
which cost non-members $16. The ISIC provides members
with low fares on travel anywhere in the world and access to
the Student Work Abroad Program. These fares are
available through Travel CUTS, which is owned and
operated by the Canadian Federation of Students. There is a
branch here on Granville Island. Our membership also
entitles us to free Studentsaver cards, which provides
students with discounts at various stores here in Vancouver
and all over Canada. Both of these cards are available at the
Students’ Union. Just bring a passport-size photo and your
student ID.

The Federation is a research, lobbying and action group that
is largely responsible for the low tuition you have just paid.
It is through the efforts of the Federation that tuition fees
have remained frozen for the past six years and a 5 percent
reduction was legislated for this year. The current
government has hinted of its intention to deregulate tuition
fees and to shift the cost of post-secondary education onto
students. The idea that low tuition hurts our universities by
causing the overcrowding of classes and the dilapidation of
facilities is sometimes used to argue for the deregulation and
subsequent hiking of tuition fees. However, in provinces
such as Ontario, where deregulation has occurred and
tuition fees have doubled and tripled, the schools are in no
better shape than In BC. The true cause of the problem
must be attributed to the chronic under funding of our
public post-secondary institutions by the federal and
provincial governments. To offset the costs of the lack of
funding, schools are forced to accept more students at a
time, and to look to alternative, often private, sources for
acquiring and accessing funds. Please drop by the Students’
Union office for more information on this and other issues.

Looking ahead, our community is poised to undergo
considerable changes in the coming year. In accordance
with the President’s 25 Year Plan, a restructuring of the
administration will be taking place at ECIAD. To update

those unable to attend the All-Institute Meeting, held one
week before classes resumed this fall, our community was
introduced to the consulting firm hired to facilitate these
changes. We as students are being given the opportunity to
share our opinions and voice our concerns during the
facilitating of this process through various focus groups. The
Student’s Union executive is making a concentrated effort to
understand what this structural re-adjustment will mean for
current and future students of Emily Carr. It is in the best
interests of our community that we, as individual students
participate in this process. Students’ Union Executive would
like to encourage anyone with thoughts or concerns on the
subject to drop by the Student’s Union Office to exchange
ideas.

Thanks to all who contributed to our list serve. We can now
reach each of you effectively and efficiently. Look forward
to workshops, events, and the many issues the exec is
currently working on.

If we believe that our public post-secondary education
system is worth protecting, and that access to a quality post-
secondary education is something that must be accessible to
all people, no matter what socio-economic class they come
from, it is crucial that we stand together with one united
voice to make sure that what happened in Ontario will not
happen here. While the political sphere may at times seem
complicated, never be intimidated from taking a look. It is
our right to understand the things that will affect us, and it is
our challenge to help shape our community in a positive and
progressive way. The Students’ Union office is in room
122 by the cafeteria. Please feel welcome to drop by and
check out the operation.

ECIAD Students’ Union Executive
Local 33 of the Canadian Federation of Students - 2001