July 28, 2000
VALERIE G. CONNELL
Nunatsiaq News
IQALUIT — The parent of a Grade 12 graduate from Iqaluit is frustrated by what he calls a run-around in getting information on financial assistance for students wishing to go to school in the South.
Bert Rose say he made seven phone calls before he was able to get in touch with the Financial Assistance Nunavut Students (FANS) office in Arviat — and then it got more complicated.
Rose said his daughter Tina, who has been accepted at Mount Allison University in Nova Scotia, was trying to get some assurances as to when she will be accepted for student assistance and when she can expect to receive some money.
Arranging travel has been frustrating because Rose said he is trying to get excursion air fares to save some money and that August 20-27 is "the absolute latest we can reasonably expect to get an excursion fare. I don’t even know if we’ll be able to do it at that point, because I don’t know if we’ll have notification," he said.
Rose also expressed concern about other students in Nunavut wishing to go onto post-secondary education who apply for assistance.
"I was the first director of the Baffin Divisional Board of Education, the dean of campus programs at the college for seven years, I was a teacher in this system from 1968 on. I’m pretty ... knowledgable about forms [and] I couldn’t get the information required without making seven phone calls. I leave it to you to think about Grade 12 students who maybe aren’t as persistent and doesn’t know how the systems work," Rose said.
Rose said he had no problem with calling Arviat and he understands why there is a decentralized model of government. But in making it, he was expecting to be able talk to someone on the other end.
"[I] don’t expect to get an answering machine that says ‘my name is Mary Pameolik and I’ll be out of the office until July 7, especially on the 12th of July," he said.
But Mary Pameolik, the supervisor of FANS in Arviat, said packages for students applying for assistance are available through all Nunavut career development officers, and at colleges, high schools and adult learning centres throughout Nunavut.
The packages include an application form, program guide and cover page that explains everything, Pameolik said.
She said students may contact the FANS office via a toll-free number, 1 877-860-0680; a fax number 1-877 860-0167, or via email at fans@gov.nu.ca
Pameolik said the deadline for applications for FANS is 30 days before the start date of the course and students will have their money directly deposited into their bank account every two weeks instead of once a month as was the practice under the old system.
She said FANS has been talking with airlines to help make the process for making travel arrangements smoother for students.