The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
It's quite apparent that one of Roger Cathcart's favourite targets is the province's planned University College of the North (Roger's Right Corner, September 18). Roger relishes playing the role of a wet blanket on a concept most non-columnists in Flin Flon seem to consider exciting and timely. He suggests that a northern university isn't really needed, that it's not that difficult for people in our region to move to the city and pay their living expenses while going through school. After all, most of the people in his graduating class funded their schooling with high-paying summer jobs at "The Company." Times have changed. Such jobs aren't so readily available today, and yes, there are capable students in the North who don't attend university because they don't have the means to make the required move. Other people wishing to attend university may have already started families or careers, making relocation to the city extremely difficult. As Flin Flon Superintendent of Schools Blaine Veitch said, "It's hard just to pack up your family or quit your job and go to school" (The Reminder, August 29). Roger is also, for some reason, pessimistic about the quality of education that will be offered at an institute that doesn't yet exist. He seems to think employers will scoff at applicants who hold degrees from the University College of the North. Aren't you jumping to conclusions just a bit prematurely, Roger? Looking over the talent and dedication involved in developing the university, it's hard to believe the University College of the North will become, to borrow Roger's term, a "degree mill." Another benefit to the University College of the North worth mentioning is that its very presence may encourage students who had no plans for post-secondary school to take up university studies. For them, university will no longer be "out of sight, out of mind." It's no secret that a number of employers in the North must contend with a shortage of certified workers. The University College of the North will provide those employers with a supply of educated people who would be more than happy to work in the North, the place they call home. Northerners should be grateful that the Manitoba government is forward-thinking when it comes to addressing this educational need.
