Tuition will not be rising ten per cent a year or more at Queen’s after the Ontario government denied the university’s request to eliminate the provincial rules regulating undergraduate tuition.
While the move drew praise from many students—some who went so far as to occupy their president’s office in protest—Queen’s President William Leggett said this will result in immediate funding cuts and the loss of teaching staff.
“Yes, we will be cutting eight billion dollars this year,” he said. “The government has not taken into account the inflationary costs of this university.” He added that Queen’s would also limit the replacement of teaching staff lost to retirement.
On January 23, Ontario Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Dianne Cunningham rejected Queen’s Pathfinder proposal, tabled in December by Leggett.
“The government is not prepared to make any exception to the regulated system of tuition fees at this time,” Cunningham said in a letter to Queen’s.
Presently, tuition fees for undergraduate programs cannot rise more than two per cent per year.
Robyn Hartley, one of the students who participated in the occupation of Leggett’s office last week, was satisfied with the decision. He said more protests against tuition fee hikes may still take place, depending on what students decide. Hartley commented that Leggett “threw a tantrum” after the government turned down his proposal.
“He wants to force it through any way he can, so it’s a lesson for us,” he said. “He wants to make it seem like deregulation is the only solution.”
Leggett said he was quite disappointed with the government’s decision. “We believe we put together a very fair proposal,” he said. Leggett admitted that as a result of the decision, he would be forced to cut money out of this year’s operating budget.
The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) has been supportive of the sit-in, and sees Cunningham’s decision as a success to build on.
“We regard it as a victory, obviously. Students all around Ontario are happy about the decision,” said Rick Telfer, National Executive Representative for CFS.
“However, it doesn’t mean we’re not going to push for our other demands: tuition fee reductions in programs that have been deregulated and genuine fully funded tuition freeze in all programs.”
The CFS has been campaigning against deregulation of tuition fees, and preparing for a national day of action on February 6 to promote a tuition fee freeze and other measures to help students fund post-secondary education.
Hartley said Queen’s students are preparing to get involved on February 6.
“We have to change tactics in light of the decision.”
U of T faces similar financial challenges, said Sheldon Levy, vice-president of government and institutional relations.
“Our situation is not different than Queen’s. The university can’t raise tuition beyond two per cent, there’s no government support for inflation. We face the same financial pressures….”
Levy added that if the budget at U of T cannot be balanced, students might see a similar situation arise here.
