STUDENT PRESSURE MANDATES CARLETON TO JOIN THE CALL FOR AN IMMEDIATE PROVINCE-WIDE REDUCTION IN TUITION FEES AMIDST CARLETON TUITION FEE INCREASES Student campaign leads the Carleton Board of Governors to reconsider its priorities On March 27, the Carleton Board of Governors voted in favour of signing an open letter to provincial ministers calling for an immediate, fully-funded reduction in tuition fees. The motion passed without opposition. A second victory was made when, in response to the Finance Committee’s single recommendation to raise tuition fees, a Board member moved a motion for the Finance Committee to “get inventive” and present a broader set of budgetary scenarios to the Board for next fall that take into account student hardship. This motion passed without opposition, with one abstention. A campaign for a tuition fee freeze was launched in February by the Graduate Students’ Association and the undergraduate student group the CU Student Action Movement. 1,350 signed postcards, addressed to the BOG, were presented by Carleton students, calling on the BOG to implement a tuition fee freeze and lobby with students for provincial tuition reductions. At the meeting, two motions were presented outlining these two demands. A large contingent of concerned students attended the meeting, but due to a limited seating capacity, they were forced to remain in the hallway outside for the duration its duration. Several board members expressed disappointment at this lack of accommodation for students. At the same meeting, Vice President (Finance and Administration) Duncan Watt motioned for the Board to approve a 3 per cent and 8 per cent increase to domestic and international student tuition fees, respectively. The vote on tuition fee increases has traditionally taken place as part of an overall budget vote in April. Student representative Sarah Cooper spoke at length to the struggles faced by students who endure tuition fee increases year after year, presenting carefully crafted research on the impacts of tuition fees on access to post-secondary education. The board package submitted by Cooper also included a letter of support for a tuition fee freeze signed by CUPE 4600 and the Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA). Despite this impassioned defence of students the Board voted in favour of the proposed increases to tuition. The GSA denounces the Board of Governor’s decision to raise tuition fees. This decision does not represent the interests of students on campus and negatively impacts students’ well-being and the accessibility of education at Carleton University. Yet, thanks to the hard work of students on this campus, Carleton is set to become the second post-secondary institution in Ontario to take a political stance in favour of increased funding for tuition fee reductions. We encourage other campuses across Ontario to pressure their respective boards to openly lobby for fully-funded tuition fee reductions. These steps forward are the product of student mobilization over recent months. As a result of effective outreach, a clear message has been sent to the Board of Governors that students do not support tuition fee increases and cannot afford higher fees. We believe that a strong student presence at the board meeting compelled the BOG to consider student demands. While we believe the Board of Governors decision to increase tuition fees is unacceptable, students should be proud to have successfully pushed the Board of Governors to take a lobbying stance on tuition. The Carleton community must ensure that the university administration is held accountable to the board’s new mandates to lobby the province for increased public funding for reduced tuition fees, and to present in the future diverse budgetary options that do not impose greater financial burdens on students.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 21:22:35 +0000
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