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Engineering students didn't have a real choice
RACHEL GOTTHILF
In the referendum held in the faculty of engineering on March 6 and 7, students
were not presented a real choice. It is unreasonable to ask students to choose
between a tuition hike of $1,600 per year or ill-equipped labs and inadequate
TAs.
Canadian universities and colleges are still reeling from the aftermath of
billions of dollars in federal government funding cuts made in the 1990s.
For students today, this may seem irrelevant; it is anything but irrelevant.
In nearly all provinces,
Students’ wallets are increasingly the focus of university
administrations as they try to solve funding problems. Consequently, average
student debt in Canada is approaching $30,000.
students’ wallets are increasingly the focus of university administrations
as they try to solve funding problems. Consequently, average student debt in
Canada is approaching $30,000.
Since the tuition fee freeze was established in Manitoba in 2000, government
funding to the university has increased by 42 per cent and enrolment has increased
by over 30 per cent. With protection from tuition increases, student debt in
Manitoba is lower than the Canadian average, but at an average of $18,000, students
are still being saddled with debt in our province.
To further improve affordability, we need a plan in Manitoba to create more
programs and grants targeted at low-income families and to keep the tuition
fee freeze.
Student consultations and polling done over the past few months demonstrate
the vast majority of students and Manitobans support the tuition fee freeze.
Student consultations conducted with approximately 2,000 students indicate 92
per cent of students support the progressive reduction of tuition fees. Polling
recently completed by Viewpoints Research concluded 82 per cent of middle-income
Manitobans support the tuition fee freeze.
Any student at the U of M could argue that our university is still under-funded.
UMSU and other students’ associations of the Canadian Federation of Students
have been meeting with MPs and MLAs on a regular basis to lobby for more funding.
The National Day of Action on Feb. 7, 2007 reminded the public of the need for
accessible, high-quality post-secondary education in Canada.
Students will be watching with great interest the tabling of the provincial
and federal budgets for next year, especially considering the anticipated elections
at both levels of government.
The university administration directed students to vote “yes” in
the referendum held in the faculty of engineering, but one can’t help
but be left with several unanswered questions. Were all of the alternatives
to the predicament explored? Were students apprised of all the facts? Were students
given enough time to thoroughly understand the issue at hand? Students were
simply informed by the administration that a tuition hike was the last resort.
The unfortunate result of the engineering referendum was that students were
pitted against one another; students who could afford to pay more were put in
opposition to those who could not. It is worth noting that at the end of the
day, two-thirds of students did not show support for these proposed fee increases.
The referendum in engineering did not offer a real choice. The fact of the matter
is that students can’t afford to fill the funding gap, and must stand
strong and demand that government restores funding for our institutions.
Rachel Gotthilf is vice-president (external) of UMSU.
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