THE VARSITY
Vol. CXXXIII, No. 21
University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
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1 April, 2013
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Ontario announces tuition fees compromise
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The Ontario government released a revised tuition framework last week, setting new guidelines on how much universities can raise annual tuition rates. For the next four years, colleges and universities in Ontario may increase tuition by three per cent each year (one percent more than inflation), down from five percent under the previous framework. The provincial government also hinted it would potentially act against controversial flat or ‘program’ fee structures, such as those implemented at the University of Toronto. Flat fees were a major controversy during president-designate Meric Gertler’s term as dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “We reached what I think it a very positive outcome for students,” said mpp Brad Duguid, Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges, and
Fee diversion approved UTSU largely silent as discontented students
to bring case to UAB Zane Schwartz
ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Capping a year of political turmoil, Trinity and Victoria University students voted overwhelmingly to sever financial ties with the University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu) last week.
Referenda for Engineering and St. Michael’s College students were still in progress as of The Varsity’s press time. The engineers’ referendum closes Wednesday at 8 pm, and St. Mikes’ referendum will run from Wednesday to Friday. Trinity voted overwhelmingly for fee diversion, with 72 per cent of students in favour and 33 per cent voter turnout.
universities even as much as they would like to, so a compromise all around.” “It’s very important that we got a multi-year agreement,” added Summerlee, emphasizing the stability afforded by such a framework. “This will allow universities to start saying ‘Right, we don’t have as much money as we want. How do we plan to continue to provide the kind of education we need but without necessarily as many resources,’ so, fundamentally, it will actually provide a reassurance that we can do the best possible to provide quality education. “I think it demonstrated that this government in particular is very good at listening to all the communities involved, that it came up with a compromise that is a reasonable one. I don’t think anybody will look too kindly at the outcome, but we’re all in a position that we can say we influenced the way the government thought.”
CONTINUED PG 4 The Victoria referendum had a lower turnout, at 11.8 per cent, falling short of a 15 per cent target for the referendum to be binding set in the run-up to the vote. Still, 61 per cent of voters at Victoria cast ballots in favour of fee diversion. The results are expected to go the University Affairs Board (uab) of the Governing Council. uab has ultimate authority in deciding whether fees will be diverted from the utsu to the college councils. UNION’S MUTED RESPONSE The union has maintained its refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the referenda, and declined offers from the divisions to run the ‘no’ campaigns. In its only public statement on ‘secession,’ outgoing vice-president, internal & services Corey Scott reiterated the union’s call for further discussions with dissatisfied members and questioned the referenda’s basis, suggesting that utsu membership
Applied Science &Engineering Bachelors (B.A./B.Sc.) Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) Bachelor of Physical Education & Health (B.P.E.H.) Juris Doctor (J.D.) Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) Bachelor of Health Sciences — Physician Assistant (B.Sc.P.A.) Undergraduate (Mus.Bac.) Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.Sc.N.) Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) Concurrent Teacher Education Program (CTEP) Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (B.Sc.Pharm.)
VARSITY STAFF
Universities, “Moving away from the current tuition framework and reducing it significantly will save the average undergraduate at U of T and other places approximately $1,200 over the course of the framework.” “This is not going to be easy for our universities and colleges,” admitted the minister. “It is a significant amount less revenue they’ll be taking in in the next four years from students, and I think it will be my job and their job to work to find ways to meet these costs and challenges without affecting the quality of education provided.” The chair of the Council of Ontario Universities, Alastair Summerlee, sees the framework as a reasonable middle ground. “On the one hand, there was really strong pressure from various groups to freeze tuition, and on the other, a genuine need for universities to have money to be able to continue to provide the kind of quality of education that we think important, and a government working with a major deficit and not being able to fund
Source: UofT Facts and Figures
Theodore Yan
Tuition increases by Degree
Tuition increases pegged at three per cent above inflation as minister eyes intervention in flat fees controversy
“does not run through the college to which you belong, or the faculty in which you’re enrolled.” Scott’s statement also expressed concern that “if individual students seceded, those students would become ‘free riders,’” subsidized by the remaining paying members. Incoming utsu president Munib Sajjad declined to answer a number of questions on the referenda, including what action, if any, he intended to pursue to keep Victoria and Trinity from leaving. Sajjad declined to indicate whether he would ask the university administration to reject the referenda results, and whether the utsu would send a representative to the uab meeting to discuss the issue. Trinity will be holding a meeting on Monday and Victoria on Friday to discuss the results of
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