Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (May 17/02) - Attention all students graduating from high school -- there's cash out there, and it's free.

Aurora College's community programs co-ordinator Chris Powell paid a visit to Thomas Simpson school Friday to drill that very message home to this year's graduating students.

"Does anybody know what a scholarship is?" Powell asked.

To which one student meekly replied, "free money?"

"That's right, free money!" Powell shouted enthusiastically. "The NWT is one of the best places to get free money."

Powell said a visit to the Education, Culture and Employment office in Fort Simpson would reveal scores of scholarships available that could help make a starving student's life a little easier once off to college or university.

Powell, however, was "wearing two hats" Friday afternoon. Besides an Aurora College employee, Powell is also the secretary for the Union of Northern Workers Local 11.

And the scholarship he specifically had in mind was for students who's relatives are members.

"If you work for the government, you work for one of two unions, the UNW and the NWT Teachers' Association," said Powell.

This year, the UNW Local 11 is offering a $500 scholarship to all union members and their relatives going on to a post-secondary education this fall.

To get the scholarship, students must submit a 500 word essay by May 30. The student with the best essay wins.

To give the students some idea as to what the UNW is looking for, Powell presented a pair of photos -- snapshots from the union's past.

One was a picture of some "old, fat, white guys in suits."

"What's happening in this picture," Powell asked.

None of the students knew, but several sensed what was going on.

As it turned out, it happened to be a picture of former NWT commissioner Stuart Hodgson, signing the 1970 collective agreement with UNW's precursor, the NWT Public Service Association.

According to a former UNW president Powell had spoken to while researching his university thesis on unions, Hodgson was "a really bat swinging, ball busting kind of guy" back in his union days in Vancouver before coming to the NWT.

Knowing a little union history can go a long way towards winning the scholarship, Powell hinted.

"It's an easy 500 bucks," said Powell. "It works out to be a dollar a word."

Grade 12 student Tiffany Pedersen, who's aunt is a member of UNW, said she had nothing to lose.

"Yeah, I'll try out for anything I can," said Pedersen.