Open your wallet (again)
Once again, Alberta’s universities are feeling the fiscal pinch. Mount Royal University, for example, is staring down the barrel of a $5.4-million shortfall in 2013-14, and it’s expected to be even worse the year after that.
A two-year provincial funding freeze hit MRU hard starting in 2010, especially since they had just announced six new degree programs the year before as part of the transition to a university.
MRU President David Docherty emphasized in a November 2012 meeting that the institution was not to blame for the financial shortfall, pointing out that, despite a written agreement with the Alberta government, the province chose to freeze post-secondary funding, the Calgary Herald reported.
But, with revenue being less than was expected and costs continuing to rise, guess who is left holding the bill?
If you guessed students, you’re on the right track.
Both the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University have agreed to hike tuition for the 2013-14 school year by 2.15 per cent — the maximum allowed by the province’s tuition increase cap.
However, that’s not going to solve the problem, causing both universities to eye other possible solutions.
The University of Calgary Students’ Union accused administration of attempting to get around the tuition cap with a student service fee increase of $150, though no such fee is being discussed at MRU, Metro News reported.
Mount Royal has yet to decide how they’re going to deal with the remaining shortfall, but most of the obvious solutions available, from faculty cuts to reducing services, are likely to have long-lasting negative impacts on students.
Alberta’s universities rely heavily on provincial funding. When that money is cut off, the province is sticking a knife right into the sides of those they need the most, their educated future (and current) workforce.
If we don’t stand up for ourselves and our schools, we’re jeopardizing not only our own futures but the future of Alberta itself.
Maybe Quebec students had the right idea all along. If we don’t try to dig our heels in and stop sliding down the hill, we’re not going to like what we find at the bottom.