Mount Royal students rally against funding cuts

ROBIN KUNISKI/for Metro Calgary

Matt Spreen, 20, and Brittney Helfrich, 20, Mount Royal students, sign their names to a list with students on campuses across Alberta that will be compiled into a giant fortune cookie and sent to the Alberta government to stop spending cuts to post-secondary education.

Published: February 12, 2010 5:57 a.m.

Last modified: February 12, 2010 2:45 a.m.

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Attempting to predict their own futures in a fortune cookie, more than 500 Mount Royal University students staged a Day of Action Thursday protesting post-secondary education cuts.

The students gathered Thursday at MRU and staged the campaign dubbed Our Fortunes, Our Futures, designed to send a message to the Alberta government to halt spending cuts, according to external relations for the student’s association Robert Jones.

“We want to raise awareness about the budget cuts which basically cuts $54 million in funding and also increased the debt burden onto students,” Jones said, adding many people need more schooling just to re-enter the job market in the current economy.

Students gathered to sign petitions and also create a “fortune” message to send to the Alberta government.

“We thought it would be a good way to let the government know what a deep impact these cuts will have on students,” Jones said, adding the best messages will be brought to the minister of advanced education Doug Horner.

MRU student Matt Spreen, 20, said students are taking the news hard and fear for the worst.

“It’s unfortunate, because you can’t get up to date on your education and it seems to affect more people who can’t afford to go to school,” he said.

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