THE INFORMER PAGE 3 APRIL 14, 1992 Disappearing Cups Turning our campus green is proving to be expensive for Beaver Foods. The company has had to re-order bowls, cups, and cutlery several times since the fall term. And since January, the situation has worsened. “We ordered three cases of bowls (108) in the past two weeks; we’ve got 12 left,” says a Beaver foods staffer who preferred to remain anonymous. “I know people prefer to eat off the permanent ware, but this is too much.” Director of Supplies and Services Dave Brewer agrees. “Even with an individual going into all the nooks and crannies at the College to recover them, we still aren’t getting enough back. We’re committed to improving the environment, but we can only go so far.” Dave says he does not understand why the situation is so much worse this year. “We’ve always had losses before, but nothing like this.” The Food Services committee has considered raising prices to cover the loss, but has not done so yet. “We’re going to have to pay for them some way.” Dave admits to being completely frustrated by the situation, and says the committee is looking for ideas on how to go green without going under. Contact members of the committee with your ideas: Dave Brewer, Grace Ralph, Judi Fletcher, Helen Towser Jones. Cap students at U.N. Right now, 10 Capilano College students are representing Cambodia at the United Nations. They were selected earlier this year as delegates for this week’s Model United Nations Conference in New York City. The students have researched topics of importance to Cambodia and have devised resolutions to put before the Model UN. They must muster support for their resolutions among other delegates, as if Cambodia were their own country. The purpose of the exercise is for students to recognize the range of viewpoints found in the UN, and the difficulty in reaching consensus in such an environment. “You couldn’t have communist China and the United States getting together and making deals,” said Cam Sylvester, a member of the College’s political studies faculty who is accom- panying the students on the trip. Cambodia sits on five UN committees, so two Cap students are participating in each committee. The first day of the conference, the students sit in Cambo- dia’s seat in the General Assembly, before moving on to the Grand Hyatt to continue their committee work. After five days the students return to the UN where they vote on resolutions, using the UN’s mechanized voting board. The Capilano College students were selected on the basis of in-depth reports they had each written on 50 Cambodian issues. Cambodia was chosen as their country because of Cam’s research into political systems in Southeast Asia and the Col- lege’s increased interest in Asian studies. The Model UN began in 1923 as a simulation of the League of Nations. Each year more than 1,500 students from around the world participate in the five-day immersion into world coopera- tion and democracy. The Cap students will return from New York on Sunday. Forum on Municipal Government Issues Thailand meets the North Shore The municipal structure of the North Shore was the focus of The Forum on Municipal Government Issues, which took place April 3 in room A117. Coordinated at the College by Ed Wong, Manager of CANASEAN, the forum gave 25 high level government officials from Thailand a chance to meet with politicians and administra- tors from North and West Vancouver, and Capilano College representatives. The Thai delegates were here to learn about the way North Shore municipalities handle issues such as taxation, educational funding, and planning. The Thai delegates were particularly interested in such topics because Thailand’s highly centralized government is considering making its 72 provinces more autonomous. The forum showed many differences in municipal structure between British Columbia and Thailand, but also some similarities. Mark Sager, Mayor of West Vancouver, explained the problems his community faces with property taxes. “Many people bought homes 20 or 30 years ago and have now retired. The price of homes have gone up and so have taxes. It doesn’t reflect necessarily the individual’s ability to pay.” Mr. Poonsup Piya-anat, director of economic projects for the Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand, said many people in Thailand have the same problem. However, property taxes there are lower in proportion to the value of a home. They are based on possible rental income from a home rather than the home’s appraised value. Another difference between the two systems of government is that municipalities in Thailand can carry high debt loads, while B.C. municipal governments are not allowed to run deficits. As the session ended Mrs. Nitaya Mahabhol, specialist for Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health, commended the College for its warm treatment. “We enjoyed all along every minute of these discussions and we thank you a lot,” she said. In apprecia- tion, she presented College President Doug Jardine with a decorative plaque.