Let’s hear what the student unions come up with as a compromise.
They need to make concessions but considering that this has turned into a battle of ideologies, that’s going to be very hard to do.
The tuition has been increasing since 2007, above the rate of inflation.
Between 1994 and 2007, the tuition was frozen, but at the beginning of the freeze there was a hike of 30%. According to the bank of canada inflation calculator, the inflation between 1994 and 2007 was 30.09%. So effectively since 1994, the tuition has actually been going up compared to inflation.
This of course ignores the hidden increases that come via administrative fees. I remember a long time ago, during tuition freeze there was an article talking about how Universities used fees as a way to get more money from students. They are now a significant portion of the fees that students pay. For example, in 2005/2006, while the tuition was still frozen for Quebec students, I paid 1200$ for fees at McGill (i.e. excluding tuition, and medical care).
This also ignores the costs for books which seem to have gotten quite out of hand as well.
There is very little control that the universities have over the cost of books, to be fair; most professors are conscious of these costs and try to keep them down. The fees are a problem, but the reality is that the schools need more money, and the government refuses to give it to them. (I don’t support the increased fees or the planned increase in tuition.)
I visited the UK this past spring with the intent on moving there but I realised, more than ever, that I am a Quebecois who belongs in Quebec. Vive la Québec, vive la langue française, vive la justice sociale.
“Charest and Beauchamp stressed that, after tax credits, the increase would amount to about 50 cents a day for most students if the hike was spread out further.”
Yeah. Now we’re getting into World Vision TV arguments . “Less than the cost of a cup of coffee!!” The emperor has no clothes and a bad haircut.
@ant6n Don’t forget all the fee hikes that student societies impose on students themselves, all duly voted into place by a few hundred to few thousand people.
@Kevin, jeather
Fair enough. But the point is that the costs of education as whole for students are going up, even when the media portrays it otherwise.
The freeze has been over for many years, and even then costs went up on average.
@ant6n: If the students are under the impression that their expenses (for anything – food, shelter, electricity, education) are generally going to stay static from year to year, then I think that’s their issue.
@ant6n: Sorry, I’m not in Quebec. But when I was, my tuition stayed static from year to year. It was a complete freeze. Since when has that not been the case?
As I wrote, the tuition was frozen between 1994 and 2007. However, at the beginning of the freeze, the tuition was increased by 30%, which roughly corresponds to the cumulative inflation between 1994 and 2007.
ant6n 13:18 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
If you assume 2% annual inflation (it has been lower than that), a 75% increase should happen over 28 years.
Josh 13:53 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
What about if you start counting from the last time tuition increased, ant6n?
marco 13:56 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
Let’s hear what the student unions come up with as a compromise.
They need to make concessions but considering that this has turned into a battle of ideologies, that’s going to be very hard to do.
ant6n 14:20 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
The tuition has been increasing since 2007, above the rate of inflation.
Between 1994 and 2007, the tuition was frozen, but at the beginning of the freeze there was a hike of 30%. According to the bank of canada inflation calculator, the inflation between 1994 and 2007 was 30.09%. So effectively since 1994, the tuition has actually been going up compared to inflation.
This of course ignores the hidden increases that come via administrative fees. I remember a long time ago, during tuition freeze there was an article talking about how Universities used fees as a way to get more money from students. They are now a significant portion of the fees that students pay. For example, in 2005/2006, while the tuition was still frozen for Quebec students, I paid 1200$ for fees at McGill (i.e. excluding tuition, and medical care).
This also ignores the costs for books which seem to have gotten quite out of hand as well.
Antonio 14:42 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
In other related news, a Facebook page has sprung up calling on CLASSE “leader” and media-attention seeking extraordinaire Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois to resign with 3,225 “Likes” at the time of this writing and someone posting a photo suggesting “some men just want to watch the world burn.”
jeather 15:14 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
There is very little control that the universities have over the cost of books, to be fair; most professors are conscious of these costs and try to keep them down. The fees are a problem, but the reality is that the schools need more money, and the government refuses to give it to them. (I don’t support the increased fees or the planned increase in tuition.)
Hamza 15:33 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
I visited the UK this past spring with the intent on moving there but I realised, more than ever, that I am a Quebecois who belongs in Quebec. Vive la Québec, vive la langue française, vive la justice sociale.
Hamza 15:34 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
Oh and uh
“Charest and Beauchamp stressed that, after tax credits, the increase would amount to about 50 cents a day for most students if the hike was spread out further.”
Yeah. Now we’re getting into World Vision TV arguments . “Less than the cost of a cup of coffee!!” The emperor has no clothes and a bad haircut.
Kevin 16:00 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
@ant6n Don’t forget all the fee hikes that student societies impose on students themselves, all duly voted into place by a few hundred to few thousand people.
ant6n 16:14 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
@Kevin, jeather
Fair enough. But the point is that the costs of education as whole for students are going up, even when the media portrays it otherwise.
The freeze has been over for many years, and even then costs went up on average.
Josh 18:11 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
@ant6n: If the students are under the impression that their expenses (for anything – food, shelter, electricity, education) are generally going to stay static from year to year, then I think that’s their issue.
ant6n 21:20 on 2012/04/27 Permalink
@Josh
TO the man in the last row — we’re talking all in inflation adjusted numbers. Jeesh.
Josh 15:41 on 2012/04/29 Permalink
@ant6n: Sorry, I’m not in Quebec. But when I was, my tuition stayed static from year to year. It was a complete freeze. Since when has that not been the case?
ant6n 16:15 on 2012/04/29 Permalink
As I wrote, the tuition was frozen between 1994 and 2007. However, at the beginning of the freeze, the tuition was increased by 30%, which roughly corresponds to the cumulative inflation between 1994 and 2007.