News

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

VICTORIA, British Columbia, March 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – University of Victoria pro-life students, who had been fighting for fair treatment from their student union since October 2008, and were finally granted club status and funding by a vote of the Clubs Council on February 10th, have again been denied the right to be treated equally to other groups on campus.

The University of Victoria (UVic) student newspaper, The Martlet, reports that the pro-life student club, Youth Protecting Youth (YPY), “was denied club money again by the UVic Students’ Society, despite Clubs Council voting in favor of the funding.”

The Clubs Council is composed of student club representatives who advise how to spend money allocated by the university for use by approved clubs.

The UVic Students’ Society (UVSS), which says it is mandated to support “freedom of choice” on the matter of abortion, has the final say on funding issues.

UVic student David Pasivirta wrote in the Campaign Life Coalition BC Newsletter, of the students’ society’s pro-abortion position: “Is the UVSS so blind as to not see that they are supporting the freedom of choice of only one group?”

Christine Comrie, UVic’s Director of Services and chair of the Clubs Council told the UVSS board that despite the Clubs Council vote to fund the YPY at their February meeting “the recent vote in favour of funding was less representative of students’ wishes because fewer clubs attended.”

The Martlet reported, however, that “both meetings had 18 voting clubs. At the fall meeting, only four clubs supported funding YPY, while at the more recent one, a 12-club majority agreed they could have funds.”

YPY President Anastasia Pearse said, “We’re really frustrated. Clubs funding is for Clubs Council to decide on, not the UVSS.”

Pearse said that not only did she not receive notice of the meeting, despite a point in clubs policy that states that clubs must be given one week notice before a Clubs Council, but that the UVSS board also failed to notify her after the meeting that YPY would not receive funding.

To contact the University of Victoria with your concern or opinion:

Dr. David H. Turpin, President, University of Victoria
3800 Finnerty Road
PO Box 1700 STN CSC
Victoria BC V8W 2Y2
Canada
Phone: 250-721-7002
Fax: 250-721-8654

University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS) Resource Centre
Phone: 250-721-8368
Fax: 250-721-4379

See recent LSN coverage:

At Two Canadian Universities Freedom of Speech Upheld for Pro-Life Students
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09021712.html