University Students Want MORE Money!

Okay, first off, 4 students trying to live on $7.50 a day is a very small sample group, so you have to take that into consideration.

Students say $7.50 a day food budget is not enough

Rachel Crane and Andrew Beach were two of four Ontario university students who took part in the Food For Thought initiative launched by the Ontario Undergraduate Students' Alliance. For three weeks, they stuck to the tight food budget to highlight that the Ontario government has not raised student loan limits in four years.

Beach, an undergrad at the University of Western Ontario, says while it may be possible to survive on a $7.50/ day food budget, eating nutritiously is another story.

"It's really hard. Trying to get a healthy balanced diet, getting enough fruits and vegetables, keeping your carbohydrates and protein in balance, it's really difficult on $7.50 a day," he told CTV's Canada AM Friday.

"And that's the point we wanted to prove."

So, they set out to prove that $7.50 a day is not enough, so of course they proved it! DUH! So, let's do some math. 7.50 a day for 30 days is $225 per month for one person. For four people it's $900 per month. The four people have the advantage of bulk buying, not too many single people will buy a ham and eat it for the week, yet my family of four can eat a ham for at least 3 days. Still a single person can buy the ham, cook it and then freeze what wasn't eaten, this can provide lots of quick meals. Turkey works even better because you can make turkey soup from the bones, and then freeze it.

OSAP's 2009-2010 outline for monthly living expenses allots $1,045 for a single student living away from home. That covers all living expenses, including food, shelter, transportation and miscellaneous. Out of the $1,045, $226 is allotted for food, which works out to about $7.50 a day or $2.50 per meal.

The Ontario Undergraduate Students' Alliance says not only is that allotment for food unreasonable, it does not allow for healthy eating -- especially in expensive cities and remote locations.

The alliance says that over a school year, the living allowance adds up to $12,540. That‘s below the Low-Income Cut-off, or poverty line, in Ontario, which currently sits at about $15,200 for rural areas, and it's well below the $22,171 poverty line in big cities.

"Right now, with OSAP, you're $3,000 below the poverty line," says Beach. "So the government is expecting students may have to live in poverty while going to university."

Okay, so they get a living allowance of $12,540. Many students in the comments noted that they might not have cooking facilities because they were living in residence. Remembering back to my residence days, you got living quarters and FOOD for one low price. So, I checked out residences in Ontario.

The university of Toronto has residences

All you can eat meals and even meals to go from the Java Shack:



How much does that cost students?



So, if we go with the SUPER Single option, it costs $14,855. That means a student would have to come up with $2,315 of their own money, but if they go with the double room carte blanche, it's only $11,900, meaning a cash strapped student would have $640 left over, without having to work.

Now, Beach is from Western, so I looked up the residence rates there:



Even a better deal, I could choose a double room with 7 day meals and only have to pay $8,970, leaving me with $3,570!!! Of course these students don't want a double room, so a single room is $9570, that still leaves them with $2,970! These limousine lefties think tuition should be free, heck, they think everything should be free, because they are the generation of tomorrow, heaven help us! With their socialist attitudes, they will expect companies to just give them jobs, whether they are qualified or not. Don't expect them to care for our elderly either, they already think they are a drag on our society.

I wonder if they could use their brains to think about free post-secondary education for everyone. If everyone is entitled to have a free education, then how much would their degrees be worth? A great example is lawyers, anyone can get their law degree, and because of that there are too many lawyers, so most do not make that good a living, better than those with arts degrees, but not by much. Now, open up the universities to anyone who wants to go, more degrees, more people competing for the same jobs, lower salaries. Econ101.

To the food challenged university students, get a few tomato seeds, plant in container, stick in window, water once in a while, and soon, you have cherry tomatoes for about $3, same with herbs. Buy a big bag of rice for about $20, it will last at least a year. Get a box of chicken breasts, usually at least 20, for about $23 with coupon.

Take chicken, cut into pieces, throw into rice with cherry tomatoes, some herbs, and you have a meal for about $2.30 in less than 30 minutes.

This whining about how expensive an education is has to stop. You can not live off your parents all your life, and you can not live off of taxpayers all your life either. Sooner, or later, you will have to get a job and leave the "safe" university environment and actually compete for the first time in your life!

You might even find out that you like it!

Enlighten Us All You Non Believers!

I am embarrassed to say I ever graduated from this institute of "higher learning". It was bad 30 years ago, it appears it has deteriorated even further through the years.

This is what passes for intellectual discourse these days:

University of Alberta may excise God from grad speech

In the speech, the chancellor urges those in mortar boards to use their newly granted parchments for "the glory of God and the honour of your country."

Bushfield said the reference is outdated and not reflective of recent national surveys that suggest one twenty-something in three doesn't believe in God.

"We want an inclusive convocation where everyone feels welcome and able to participate," said Bushfield.

I remember what a snob I was because I thought being in university made me better than those people staying on the farm to work. I remember how I was forced to listen to "Moonies" telling me why they were right and I was wrong. I remember having to sit and listen to a gay person tell me how his Mom dressed him up in girls clothes to model them for her clothes store. I remember how I knew I should feel enlightened, and as a small town girl, I just didn't understand why this should concern me at all, except to get a passing grade in an artsy course.

You see, I never got with the program because I never understood what the lefties were after. I could have cared less, I wrote them off as a weird crowd, and went on with my studies. It seems they are still at it, except they are not fringe groups anymore. The radicals we ignored 30 years ago, are now a force to be reckoned with because they are the vocal minority shouting over the silent majority.

Upon reaching the gruelling end of a long and tiresome journey, students embark across a stage for the convocation. Yet, despite the movement toward multicultural inclusiveness and tolerance, this is one stage that keeps the flame of bigotry burning bright.

Bigots???? Mentioning God makes us bigots?

Main Entry:
big·ot Listen to the pronunciation of bigot
Pronunciation:
\ˈbi-gət\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
French, hypocrite, bigot
Date:
1660

: a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices ; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance

Who is the real bigot here, who is being intolerant and a hypocrite? If you are so offended by a reference to God, refuse your degree, that will show us bigots. Better yet, refuse to take any public funding from Christians, pay the full bill for your education. Also do not work in a firm that might have Christian people working there, you might hear God mentioned! Do not build any bridges for firms that might have Christians involved, they might say "Thank God" when the bridge stands.

If you truly do not believe in God, then any reference to him should not worry you. Hypocrites talk out of both sides of their mouths; I do not believe in God, but any reference to God causes me to protest, because you should believe like I do. If you do not, you are a bigot.

A recent Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey suggests that around 36 per cent of Canadians under 25 don’t believe in a god. This means that when the chancellor issues his charge, he’s discriminating against all the students who disagree with the idea of living in fear of a deity. He also offends the senses of the majority who believe that a public institution should have no stance on religious issues. Atheism and agnosticism aren’t the only beliefs under attack— the idea of separation of church and state is as well.

So you don't believe in God, but you live in fear of a deity? Public institution, funded by who? Do any Christians pay property taxes? Discrimination? How about supporting the foundation on which this country was built, a Christian foundation?

I am ashamed that such a narrow minded person is getting any media attention, and as an alumni, I will not send anymore funds to the U of A, because obviously, my Christian money, is not wanted. Fine by me, I can donate more to my favorite charity instead, Dogs With Wings, they don't care whether I believe in God or not.

This guy is going to get a very rude awakening when he actually gets out into the "real" world.

Update: It appears an associate professor from Minnesota and his robots, have been freeping the Edmonton Sun poll. Wonder what all the anti-America U of A university students feel about that? Right, that's what I thought, you like Americans who support your views.