Board of governors approves university budget

New lab fees introduced to balance budget

TESSA VANDERHART STAFF

The university’s Board of Governors approved the 2007-08 operating budget of $437,405,445 at its June 19, 2007 meeting.

This year, Council on Post-Secondary Education (COPSE) increased its grant to the U of M by 7.2 per cent, the largest increase in 20 years.

But the budget remained short $6.2 million, and as a result the Board of Governors voted to institute laboratory fees.

“Plus, the tuition freeze is continuing into the eighth year; and tuition fees make up 25 per cent of the budget. Plus, enrolment is declining,” said vice-president (external) Deborah McCallum.

Beginning in September, all wet and language laboratories will be assessed a surcharge of $30 per three-credit-hour lab. All dry labs will cost $25.

The lab fees will earn the university $920,000 towards its total operating budget of $437,405,445.

The increases will not apply to faculty of engineering courses, as students in that faculty voted to increase the per-credit tuition on all courses in the faculty, effective this fall.

“We do feel that [the laboratory fees] are consistent with the instructions we’ve received from COPSE,” vice-president Joanne Keselman told the Board of Governors.

“Last year, the Board declined $10 technology fees because they were a ‘fee increase’ — what’s different?” UMSU president Garry Sran asked.

The provincial government’s guidelines for increasing tuition during the tuition fee freeze require that fee increases be reasonable and justifiable, and occur in programs with high graduation rates.

The laboratory fees reflect an increase in the “chemical cost of living,” vice-president (external) Deborah McCallum told the board. For example, the price of hydrochloric acid has increased from $3,360 for 200 units in 1992 to $14,000 in 2006.

UMSU president Sran also asked why the laboratory fees were included for dry labs. McCallum responded that the costs for those labs, computers and TAs, are also increasing.

To avoid passing the lab fees, Sran moved that the fiscal stabilization fund be used to fund this deficit. The fund, which has been used for the past four years to cover small deficits in the university budget, currently contains $4.6 million; it is intended to hold $10 million, or two per cent of the university’s budget.

The motion was supported by UMFA president Tom Booth, who argued that the increase was “reasonable,” but not “justifiable,” according to the COPSE guidelines. He argued that breaking the tuition fee freeze to “tax all students” would be fairer.

“Maybe a lab fee is tuition,” Booth, a non-voting assessor on the board, mused.

University president Emöke Szathmáry put the laboratory fees in context by reminding the board that it approved a $425 ancillary fee in May 2005, because of a funding crunch caused by contractual increases to staff salaries. But, she noted, when it came time to charge the fee, COPSE “freaked” and provided the university with $6.9 million in last-minute funding. It provided similar funding to the University of Winnipeg and Brandon University.

Johanna Charles, a student member of the Board of Governors approved by the government, moved the majority of the board to applause with her position on the increases.

“It’s reality that we don’t have free education for everyone. It’s too bad, but we don’t,” Charles said.

She argued that students need better warning before a fee increase, and that a cap on tuition is more practical.

“The tension is there, and you can feel it, and you can sense it — that there’s no more money there that hasn’t been found,” Charles said passionately.

UMSU vice-president (advocacy) Rachel Heinrichs disagreed. “Basically, this is a public PSE. It’s not retail; you don’t say ‘How much can I get for this?’ and put down for your degree.”

“Three hundred dollars for a science student is a lot of money,” Heinrichs said.

“What’s the rush?” asked Sran as the vote on the lab fees was taking place.

After a short break, during which the approximately 30 students in attendance left, the board approved the 2006-07 audit and the university president’s priorities for the year before moving into closed session.