WINNIPEG, MAN.- As a student body, Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) beat its goal of raising $4,000 for foreign aid through its 2010 Pearson Challenge by almost $300. The student council kicked off its annual challenge in October by encouraging students to make a difference in the global community by personally donating 0.7 percent of their tuition costs to foreign aid. Students turned in their pledges in November, along with signed letters calling for action from the Canadian government regarding development assistance. The Pearson Challenge, which has run each fall at CMU since 2005, commemorates the 1969 Partners in Development Commission report that recommended 0.7 percent of a country s income be donated for development assistance. "Forty-one years later, Canada is barely meeting half ofthat commitment each year," says student council vice-president Erin Weaver, who headed up the 2010 challenge. Ninety-two CMU students participated, raising $4,278. That sum will be added to student councils matching fund of $2,500, for a total of $6,778. The final total is only about $700 short of the $7,500 goal that represents 0.7 percent of total tuition paid to CMU for one academic year.

- Canadian Mennonite University