THE EDITOR, Sir:I WAS completely taken aback when I saw the response of the UWI personnel concerning the plight of poor students who are unable to access funds super-quickly. These students are insulted by some persons who write to the media and describe them in the most derogatory manner, almost to the point of calling them thieves.
My former mode of employment allowed me access to many areas of UWI's property. These are the areas where numbers of personnel including lecturers, senior lecturers and professors and higher-ups, live on large, fenced properties and in fancy houses provided by UWI.
All this good living, while I saw students who had box juice, bag juice and cheese trix for lunch. I saw this while taking lunch for someone who was doing her degree there. This lunch was shared with four to six other persons. I find it regrettable that so many of our poor students are venturing into an area, it would appear, that is now reserved for those who are rich, while poor students, through de-registering, have their noses pressed up against the window pane of misery, looking in, or do financially miraculous things to enter and/or continue to study at the UWI. It is the poor students who would be de-registered because they cannot find the wherewithal within "days" to fund themselves.
I for one DO NOT think any single one of these students is seeking any freeness or hand-out. Why don't some of these big companies which sponsor all kind of things, pay the tuition for these students and work out a repayment plan with them, instead of having some persons branding our future scientists as beggars, thieves and freeness seekers.
I am, etc.,
RONALD BOWES
rongobow@n5.com
Logwood Road
Waterford, St Catherine
