VOL. CXXXIV, NO. 18
INSIDE EDITORIAL
U of T joins web privacy debate An open letter written last month by U of T post-doctoral fellow Christopher Parsons focused on the current state of Internet privacy and government surveillance in Canada. Parsons’ letter emphasized the importance of this issue to our local community at U of T.
PG 13 COMMENT
Why student movements fail
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1880
10 FEBRUARY, 2014
LIFE & LOVE
LGBTQ students share anecdotes, poems, and sentiments from their experiences looking for love at U of T Page 14
The answer is simple: while wellversed in activist ideology and rhetoric, student organizers in Ontario, including myself, all fail to listen to their fellow students. We get so lost in talking and reading about organization that we fail to stop and give students the chance to participate in the movement.
PG 12 ARTS & CULTURE
Bedouin Soundclash’s Jay Malinowski talks new album
Liberals prep high-stakes budget amid calls for more funding CFS-O, U of T, and OUSA offer reform proposals for post-secondary education James Flynn & Salvatore Basilone
Jay Malinowski & the Deadcoast, fronted by Canadian artist and former Bedouin Soundclash lead singer Jay Malinowski, will soon release their first album, titled Martel. The album is inspired by the life and times of Malinowski’s sailor ancestor, Charles Martel, whose adventures at sea were often retold to Malinowski as he grew up.
PG 16 SPORTS
Picking things up to stay in shape “Do you even lift, bro?” The cry rings out on college campuses across North America. Throughout the continent, 18- to 25-year-olds have discovered the joys and benefits of forcing heavy objects to defy the laws of gravity by making them go in an upward direction.
PG 27
VARSITY STAFF
Members of the post-secondary education community in Ontario are calling on the provincial government to make a number of important changes to post-secondary education in the upcoming budget. The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario (cfs-o), the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (ousa), and U of T are all making demands Ontario’s pre-budget consultations, which run until February 28. The consultations are an opportunity for individuals and organizations in Ontario to submit their priorities in advance of the upcoming provincial budget. The demands include increased funding for post-secondary education, improved post-graduate employment outcomes for undergraduates, and fair graduate expansion allocations. The current Liberal government — which currently has a minority in the legislature — could fall on the budget, which will likely include policies aimed at appealing to voters ahead of an election. Almost all of the demands boil down to an underfunded postsecondary education sector. According to Cheryl Regehr, U of T’s
provost, Ontario currently has the lowest per-student funding in Canada. Regehr would like to see this funding increased in the upcoming provincial budget. “We understand that there are huge constraints that the province is under,” Regehr noted, referencing the province’s $11 billion deficit. “But at the same time, we are very concerned about meeting the needs of our growing numbers of students.” “Ontario’s research universities make a disproportionate contribution to the provincial economy,” she continued, “we need to look for government support to help us offer the kind of great education that we do.” U of T is also calling for graduate expansion allocation that recognizes the different roles of universities in Ontario. A 2009 provincial government plan called for 6,000 new graduate student spaces in Ontario by 2016, but the report did not specify how the spaces would be allocated among universities. Michelle Johnston, a legislative assistant/issues manager with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (tcu), brushed off concerns over post-secondary underfunding. “Despite challenging economic times, the government is continuing to build on its invest-
ments in the post-secondary sector to ensure that students, colleges, and universities have the resources they need,” she said. However, Johnston declined to comment on specific elements of the upcoming budget. “We are unable to comment on what decisions the government will make in the future,” she noted. According to Johnston, the provincial government’s operating grant to universities increased by $1.58 billion — or 83 per cent — from 2002–2003 to 2012–2013. Specifically, per-student funding for universities increased from $6,719 in 2002–2003 to $8,605 by the end of 2012–2013 — an increase of 28 per cent. “This confirms the government’s commitment to maintaining and enhancing the quality of education while maximizing the value from each taxpayer dollar,” Johnston noted. Alastair Woods, chairperson of the cfs-o, feels that the level of provincial funding for post-secondary education is still too low. “With increased funding, we can reduce financial barriers for students while also focusing on increasing the quality of education we receive,” he said. The cfs-o is also calling for a 30 per cent tuition fee reduction over
three years, by repurposing money set aside for the Ontario Tuition Grant and education tax credits. Under the Ontario Tuition Grant, full-time post-secondary students may be eligible for 30 per cent off tuition if they are approved for osap, among a number of other conditions. The cfs-o opposes the Ontario Tuition Grant, noting that less than a third of students have accessed it. Under the cfs-o’s proposed tuition fee reduction, the first year is cost-neutral, and will see a 17 per cent tuition fee reduction after reallocating funds dedicated to the Ontario Tuition Grant and provincial education tax credits. The second and third years will cost $550 million, for a further 6.5 per cent tuition fee reduction per year. The cfs-o has successfully influenced provincial education policy in the past — most recently, in the provincial government’s changes to flat fees. However, the provincial government has consistently pushed back against tuition fee reductions. In 2013, Brad Duguid, tcu minister, released a tuition fee policy framework that allows Ontario universities to increase tuition fees by three per cent per year for the next four years — a reduction
CONTINUED ON PG 9