Engineers are against tuition hikes

Vote 'NO' on referendum

At the Feb. 21 UMES council meeting, a vote was held, on motion by the executive committee and in response to a proposal for increased tuition sent by the faculty, to hold a referendum of all UMES members on increasing tuition fees. This is the letter that Engineers Against Tuition Hikes attempted to distribute at the UMES council meeting, in order to give students a summary of our opinions on holding a referendum. We were informed by the referendum CRO, who was chairing the meeting, that we were not allowed to distribute it as she interpreted it as pre-campaigning. At this same meeting, the dean of engineering presented his proposal for increased tuition, and handed out a short summary of his arguments in favour of a tuition increase.

[Reprinted in its entirety]
ATTN: University of Manitoba Engineering Society Council
Feb. 21, 2007

It is our understanding that at today’s UMES Council Meeting, the council will be discussing the final steps of having a referendum for increasing tuition fees in the faculty of engineering. In discussing the proposal with other students in the faculty of engineering, we have decided to form the group Engineers Against Tuition Hikes to raise awareness about the need to stop tuition hikes and keep pressure on both levels of government to fill the funding gap, as well as the need to put pressure on the university administration to provide engineering with an adequate budget.

Everyone can agree that the faculty of engineering needs more funding. It is widely speculated that the federal government will be investing significantly more into post-secondary education in its budget (to be tabled March 20, 2007), and the provincial government has committed to increase funding for Manitoba universities by at least five per cent next fall, and by at least another five per cent for 2008-09. The final numbers on provincial government funding will be released in their spring budget as well.

Having a referendum on tuition fee increases will weaken the pressure on governments to fill the funding gap in the faculty of engineering. UMES should be putting resources into lobbying governments to increase funding for the University of Manitoba. A referendum can wait until the final budget numbers are announced.

Funding problems do not only lie with the provincial and federal governments. The university’s administration must also be held accountable for its actions with regards to creating the deficit situation within the faculty of engineering.

Government funding has been increasing for the U of M during the past several years. For example, for the 2006-07 academic year the province injected $11.8 million in new funding for the U of M. Unfortunately, the U of M has not prioritized this funding for the areas that need it most, like more laboratories and TAs for engineering. Instead we see investments in projects like the Aurora registration system, which is millions of dollars over budget.

Additionally, $56 million was spent on building and renovating engineering space. Construction began before all funding was secured and has continued even though all funding has still not been secured. UMES should be calling on the university administration to provide engineering with our fair share of funding.

Though we are also concerned about the possibility of losing accreditation, we feel it is important for UMES and all engineering students to have all the information available before calling for a referendum to increase tuition fees. The Dean of engineering is in receipt of the preliminary accreditation report. The Dean has the power to make this report public and UMES should be calling on him to do immediately.

It is also important to inform students that accreditation is not directly linked to tuition fees. At Memorial University, students have the lowest undergraduate engineering tuition fees in the country, but also received the maximum accreditation term possible. Also U of M has significantly higher per capita student funding than Memorial University. Again, this calls on the university to explain why its per capita student funding is higher, yet they cannot pass an accreditation examination.

We have also come to the meeting today to urge UMES council to consider the impact of having a referendum to increase tuition on the university community. International Students will now be forced to pay roughly $16,000 (since the differential fee would be applied before the surcharge, this number would be about $14,000 now) per year in tuition costs alone. Many will no longer be able to afford an education from the University of Manitoba.

We also have several concerns regarding the process UMES has undertaken so far and the lack of communication with society members regarding this important issue. From what our group can tell so far, UMES has been preparing for a tuition fee referendum with little consultation with society members.

We have seen UMES painting banners for a “Yes” side of the referendum, even though we have been told by UMES representatives that the referendum has not yet (as of the attempted distribution of this letter) been finalized. UMES is contradicting its own bylaws, which state that pre-campaigning is not allowed.

To ensure a fair and unbiased referendum process, UMES must ensure the opportunity for Engineers Against Tuition Hikes to register a “No” side of the referendum, and receive equitable banner space and sufficient time to prepare our campaign. UMES must be more open about the referendum to ensure a fair process.

Thank you for considering our suggestion and concerns, and we look forward to working with you to ensure a high quality education for all engineering students.

Sincerely,
Engineers Against Tuition Hikes
The referendum been approved at UMES Council; campaigning officially started Monday, Feb. 26, 6 p.m. and will run until Monday, March 5, at 6 p.m.. Voting occurs Tuesday, March 6 and Wednesday, March 7 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.. Engineers Against Tuition Hikes encourages all UMES members to vote “no” to increasing tuition. Please visit our website at www.EAThikes.ca.





Volume 94 Issue 22	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	Febuary 28, 2007

Home About Us Advertise Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Personals Volunteer	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly Engineers are against tuition hikes Vote 'NO' on referendum At the Feb. 21 UMES council meeting, a vote was held, on motion by the executive committee and in response to a proposal for increased tuition sent by the faculty, to hold a referendum of all UMES members on increasing tuition fees. This is the letter that Engineers Against Tuition Hikes attempted to distribute at the UMES council meeting, in order to give students a summary of our opinions on holding a referendum. We were informed by the referendum CRO, who was chairing the meeting, that we were not allowed to distribute it as she interpreted it as pre-campaigning. At this same meeting, the dean of engineering presented his proposal for increased tuition, and handed out a short summary of his arguments in favour of a tuition increase. [Reprinted in its entirety] ATTN: University of Manitoba Engineering Society Council Feb. 21, 2007 It is our understanding that at today’s UMES Council Meeting, the council will be discussing the final steps of having a referendum for increasing tuition fees in the faculty of engineering. In discussing the proposal with other students in the faculty of engineering, we have decided to form the group Engineers Against Tuition Hikes to raise awareness about the need to stop tuition hikes and keep pressure on both levels of government to fill the funding gap, as well as the need to put pressure on the university administration to provide engineering with an adequate budget. Everyone can agree that the faculty of engineering needs more funding. It is widely speculated that the federal government will be investing significantly more into post-secondary education in its budget (to be tabled March 20, 2007), and the provincial government has committed to increase funding for Manitoba universities by at least five per cent next fall, and by at least another five per cent for 2008-09. The final numbers on provincial government funding will be released in their spring budget as well. Having a referendum on tuition fee increases will weaken the pressure on governments to fill the funding gap in the faculty of engineering. UMES should be putting resources into lobbying governments to increase funding for the University of Manitoba. A referendum can wait until the final budget numbers are announced. Funding problems do not only lie with the provincial and federal governments. The university’s administration must also be held accountable for its actions with regards to creating the deficit situation within the faculty of engineering. Government funding has been increasing for the U of M during the past several years. For example, for the 2006-07 academic year the province injected $11.8 million in new funding for the U of M. Unfortunately, the U of M has not prioritized this funding for the areas that need it most, like more laboratories and TAs for engineering. Instead we see investments in projects like the Aurora registration system, which is millions of dollars over budget. Additionally, $56 million was spent on building and renovating engineering space. Construction began before all funding was secured and has continued even though all funding has still not been secured. UMES should be calling on the university administration to provide engineering with our fair share of funding. Though we are also concerned about the possibility of losing accreditation, we feel it is important for UMES and all engineering students to have all the information available before calling for a referendum to increase tuition fees. The Dean of engineering is in receipt of the preliminary accreditation report. The Dean has the power to make this report public and UMES should be calling on him to do immediately. It is also important to inform students that accreditation is not directly linked to tuition fees. At Memorial University, students have the lowest undergraduate engineering tuition fees in the country, but also received the maximum accreditation term possible. Also U of M has significantly higher per capita student funding than Memorial University. Again, this calls on the university to explain why its per capita student funding is higher, yet they cannot pass an accreditation examination. We have also come to the meeting today to urge UMES council to consider the impact of having a referendum to increase tuition on the university community. International Students will now be forced to pay roughly $16,000 (since the differential fee would be applied before the surcharge, this number would be about $14,000 now) per year in tuition costs alone. Many will no longer be able to afford an education from the University of Manitoba. We also have several concerns regarding the process UMES has undertaken so far and the lack of communication with society members regarding this important issue. From what our group can tell so far, UMES has been preparing for a tuition fee referendum with little consultation with society members. We have seen UMES painting banners for a “Yes” side of the referendum, even though we have been told by UMES representatives that the referendum has not yet (as of the attempted distribution of this letter) been finalized. UMES is contradicting its own bylaws, which state that pre-campaigning is not allowed. To ensure a fair and unbiased referendum process, UMES must ensure the opportunity for Engineers Against Tuition Hikes to register a “No” side of the referendum, and receive equitable banner space and sufficient time to prepare our campaign. UMES must be more open about the referendum to ensure a fair process. Thank you for considering our suggestion and concerns, and we look forward to working with you to ensure a high quality education for all engineering students. Sincerely, Engineers Against Tuition Hikes The referendum been approved at UMES Council; campaigning officially started Monday, Feb. 26, 6 p.m. and will run until Monday, March 5, at 6 p.m.. Voting occurs Tuesday, March 6 and Wednesday, March 7 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.. Engineers Against Tuition Hikes encourages all UMES members to vote “no” to increasing tuition. Please visit our website at www.EAThikes.ca.


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