Dear UNBC Administration and Faculty Association, Speaking on behalf of the undergraduate students at UNBC, we are disappointed with the lack of progress made in negotiations during the strike. It is imperative that both sides come to a compromise. At this point, nobody is going to attain what they set out to get in the beginning.

At school, you are teaching us to think critically and become problem solvers. We are told, it is not necessarily about the program we are in, it is about the skills we are learning to become active citizens in our communities. We need the members of our community to work together to find a solution to this problem. That means you!

The longer this strike goes on, the lines dividing our community become more defined. When this is all over, we must be able to work together in order to continue to build UNBC. If someone must be the villain in this situation, do not make it each other. As students, we need both the faculty and the administration to come to an agreement in order for us to get back to class. Let this be your goal: students back to school.

The most difficult task at this point is NOT to stick to your guns. The most difficult and admirable task is to take the first giant step towards agreement. We cannot wait for these incremental counter-proposals. If compromise is inevitable, please make it now. We cannot wait.

I understand this is a complicated issue, that there are limits to what each side can concede - but those limits must be acknowledged to establish a common ground to work from. This must stop being a matter of 'us vs. them'. In the end, everyone is working for the continued excellence of our institution, which is made by all of us. With open communication, compromise, and a common goal we can find a solution.

We are all UNBC and we must carry on together.

Respectfully,

Angela Kehler President Northern Undergraduate Student Society (NUGSS) University of Northern BC

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