Last updated: May 27, 2011 2:34 pm
Colin McPhail – CUP Atlantic Bureau Chief
FREDERICTON (CUP) — The fiscal reality for University of New Brunswick students remains an unfriendly one. In the fall, undergraduates will see a $200 rise in tuition and the implementation of a $150 ancillary fee to fund the operation costs of the new multipurpose Richard J. Currie Center.
During development of the $62-million, state-of-the-art facility, a possible fee was discussed, but it was not well-received by the student body. It comes as no surprise to see the student union object to its realization.
“The UNB board of governors has manipulated the provincial government’s guidelines of capping tuition increases by including a mandatory ancillary fee of $150 per undergraduate student,” explained Joey O’Kane, UNB student union vice-president external.
During the announcement of the 2011–12 New Brunswick provincial budget, Blaine Higgs, finance minister, set a $200 cap on tuition.
“This is an adverse situation for students. Although the Currie Center will provide a great benefit to some students of UNB, the way in which it was financed is questionable and one that the student union is not comfortable with,” said O’Kane.
Dr. Eddy Campbell, UNB president, said the raise in tuition fees was an unwelcome fiscal maneuver, but a necessary one. The administration has cut $18 million from their operating budget in the past six years to combat their structural deficit.
“Raising the cost for our students is really a measure of last resort at the university. This was proposed reluctantly by the administration and I think it’s fair to say it was adopted reluctantly by the board of governors,” said Campbell.
“We did feel that our overriding need was to be responsible fiscal managers of the university.”
He did note the Currie Center fee is not an unusual measure taken by Canadian universities.
“Fees, such as this one, in support of athletic facilities are very common across the country. The fee that we are charging is really quite modest to those being charged at other institutions.”
Campbell remains firm in asserting the facility is pristine and well worth the incurred costs, describing it as “truly awesome.”
Jordan Thompson, UNB student union president, also argued a lack of student consultation was apparent.
“Essentially increases to fees that affect students, should in fact, be decided on and voted on, by students,” said Thompson.
“The decision to approve an increase to fees while students are away from campus does not bode well for clear and transparent relations between the administration and students.”
Campbell said it was unfortunate students were not on campus, but emphasized the decision was circumstantial and undesired.
“Normally, the board of governors approves the budget in April. But this year we knew we needed more time in order to finalize our budget. There were so many uncertainties, including what the new [provincial] Conservative government was going to do here in our province by way of our operating grant.”
He hopes for improved lines of communication in the coming year.
“The one thing I very much appreciate and enjoy working at the University of New Brunswick is the quality of student representation that we have,” said Campbell.
“This group of students is very able in articulating the student position. It’s been a real pleasure for me, in spite of the fact that [with] this issue we have, essentially, agreed to disagree.”
The news came to light after the university released its finalized 2011–12 budget. The $172.2-million budget saw a 2.8 per cent increase in provincial funding of $4.7 million. Nonetheless, the economic outlook for UNB remains grim.
“The fiscal situation remains very, very challenging,” said Campbell. “The 2.8 per cent increase in our budget was overrun by the increase in our expenses, so we still have a lot work. We are nowhere near close to getting out of the woods.”
Tuition fees accounts for 30.6 per cent of UNB’s operating budget, with 62.8 per cent coming from provincial government funding and the remaining 6.6 per cent from a variety of other sources.
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