Concordia hikes international tuition... again

Tuition thaw turning hot as more increases loom for all students

by ELIZABETH FAURE

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GRAPHIC VIVIEN LEUNG

Two years after the Liberal government decided to lift a decade-long tuition freeze in Quebec, Concordia's students took to the streets again on June 18 to protest the latest fee increase at their university.

The megaphones and chants broke the early morning air to defend the most over-taxed group at Concordia: international students. Despite the opposition, the university's Board of Governors decided to increase international tuition fees by 10 per cent for the second time in two years.

“They didn’t really listen to what we had to say,” said Erik Chevrier, a Concordia Graduate Student Association executive who attended the meeting. He was allowed to speak, but was unable to vote. “It seemed that it was rushed through—this is a huge matter and there was no big discussion about it.”

According to a document posted on the CSU website, "A student, from Quebec [...] will have to pay an additional $600 to obtain a bachelors degree. An out-of-province student would have to pay an additional $1,800 and an out-of-country [student] far more.” The document states that under the new guidelines, "Universities can charge international students as much as they want, opening the door for American style tuition."

Chevrier says that a brief PowerPoint presentation by Concordia VP Finance Larry English outlined the financial benefits the university would derive from the tuition increases. Mr. English did not return a call to be interviewed for this article.

“The university is in debt by about $11 million and they want to raise the amount of revenue coming into the university,” said Chevrier, who argued against the tuition increase at the meeting.

Chevrier says that the latest increase places university out of reach for many students, which could cost Concordia more money in the long-term if the tuition increase leads to a drop in student enrolment.

“When the GSA contacted Concordia administration about previous unexpected tuition hikes made in Summer 2009, the administration replied that the increases were based on the provincial government’s decision,” says GSA Arts director Nadia Hausfather, who organized a protest against the increases.

“We could not find any evidence that the summer increase was mandated by the government," added Hausfather. "What we do know is that the Quebec government mandated tuition hikes for international students for the year 2007-2008 while also allowing universities to increase them by an extra 10 per cent if they so desired.

“Then last fall, the government completely removed the ceiling for international students’ tuition in certain undergraduate programs. Basically the government is giving universities the choice to raise these fees, and Concordia decided to raise them.”

On the day of the Board meeting, protesters from the CSU and GSA were joined by representatives from other Montreal universities who opposed the fee increases. They were all denied entrance into the building by campus security.

“Well, we got there and security stopped us from entering the building,” Hausfather said. “We told them that we were Concordia students and were allowed to enter our own university, but they locked us out.” When Hausfather and other students tried to enter the GM building through the EV building, Concordia security told her that her academic integrity was at risk because she was chanting through a megaphone.

The GSA is planning to host regular workshops on the topic of affordable education and tuition increases throughout the Orientation period.

For Hausfather though, the issue extends beyond Concordia. “We were reading about similar increases at McGill,” she says. “It’s an issue that applies to all students in Quebec, especially now that UQAM’s rector revealed the provincial government’s plan to continue increasing all students’ tuition past 2012. All students should be concerned that their universities are making it hard for people who don’t have money to study.”