Bastarache will address the cost of education

Amy MacKenzie – The Aquinian

Melissa Bastarache is one of three presidential candidates running in the STU students’ union general elections, but this isn’t the first time her name has appeared on ballots.

She’s previously been elected as an off-campus representative and this year was named Student Advocate.

“I’ve seen the accomplishments and the issues with the union. I’ve heard what students want from their union and why they were disappointed this year,” said Bastarache, a political science/criminology major from Bouctouche, NB. “That’s why I’m running. I want to represent what I’ve heard from students and advocate for them.”

If elected, Bastarache said she plans to address the cost of education, targeting additional fees such as the cost of living and ancillary fees.

“To do this I want to lobby to the government with the New Brunswick Student Alliance for more operating grants,” she said. “Having more operating grants allows the university to have more money so they don’t have to charge us as much.”

She wants implement a program that was successful in Ontario, called the Student Access Guarantee. The program assures financial assistance to students who are accepted to university, but cannot pay all of the expenses.

Bastarache also feels that students need to be better represented in the Senate.

“Students cover one third of the total budget of St. Thomas University. The Senate is the highest governing academic body and that is where decisions that affect students are made,” she said. “Right now we only have 13 per cent representation. I believe that students should have one third representation since we pay one third of the budget.”