[dsahota]

The McMaster Board of Governors will meet this Thursday May 6th at 9:00am in Gilmour Hall 111. At this meeting they will be discussing (and potentially approving) the following tuition fee increases for next year:

Domestic students:
---------------------------
Level 1 undergrad "arts and science and other": 4.5%
Level 2 and above undergrad "arts and science and other": 4%

Level 1 undergrad "professional": 8%
Level 2 and above undergrad "professional": 4%

Level 1 Graduate tuition: 8%
Level 2 and above Graduate Tuition: 4%

International Students:
-------------------------------
all undergrad: 6%
all graduate ("with the exception of some programs where the market demand will not permit this increase"): 6%

Other Changes:
---------------------
-Listeners (i.e., course auditors) will pay full tuition fees
-students over 65: pay full tuition

I urge anyone who can make it to this meeting to please attend to let the Board of Governors know that tuition increases affect students in very negative ways. The above increases represent that maximum amount, under provincial legislation, that the University can raise tuition fees. The Board can decide not to approve this fee schedule and to send the issue back for further study and consideration, but if no one shows up and no one speaks against them, they are likely to just rubber stamp the fee increase (as they did last year).

Speak Up. Be Heard. Don't Remain Silent.
Together, we can make a difference.

An agenda for the meeting is available here:
http://www.mcmaster.ca/univsec/mtgdo...MTG_6May10.pdf

P.S. since someone will ask about my math:
$200 more for tuition = typical undergraduate arts ~$5000 (revised estimate, my bad) * 4% = $200
$1200 more for tuition = international student in upper year engineering ~ $20,000 * 6% = $1200

[Ownaginatios]

This tuition increase better be used to hire more goddamn TAs.

[goodnews.inc]

Or fix SOLAR. Or MUGSI. Or hire somebody else at the Registrar to enter in those GD marks.

[Mahratta]

Originally Posted by Ownaginatios

This tuition increase better be used to hire more goddamn TAs.

That way we might get a strike where more than 1 TA shows up for picket duty

[huzaifa47]

To everyone,

The Undergraduate representative on the Board of Governors is Norman Kearney. You can email your thoughts/concerns to him at [email protected] aster.ca

p.s: Derek, what is the maximum percentage the government can raise tuition for International students by? Is it 6%?

[PandraBear]

Tuition increases will happen whether we want it or not, so we should try to make sure that they are kept to a minimum =(

[Parnian]

I want to know how much of the tuition increase will be going to grants and scholarships.

Overall, this is disgusting. Thank god the government has a cap on tuition fees. Who knows how much of an increase there'd be without intervention.

And I am a fourth year student about to graduate. Thinking about all the new undergraduates who will have to put up with this makes me really hurt for them.

[dsahota]

Originally Posted by huzaifa47

p.s: Derek, what is the maximum percentage the government can raise tuition for International students by? Is it 6%?

This is from page 84 of the PDF (yes I dug through it :|) and its not searchable because the scan everything ... ugh

"The guidelines do not apply to international students, for whom the University received no Ministry funding, and who therefore are subject to differential fees or to cost-recovery programs that do not receive Ministry funding such as various Graduate Diplomas.

Under the Ministry Framework, the University governing boards may increase regulated tuition fees subject to several constraints:

*Tuition fees for Level 1 students in "Arts & Science and Other" programs may increase by a maximum of 4.5%
*Tuition fees for Level 2 students in "Arts & Science and Other" programs may increase by a maximum of 4%
*Tuition fees for Level 1 students in "Professional and Graduate" programs may increase by a maximum of 8%
*Tuition fees for Level 2 students in "Professional and Graduate" programs may increase by a maximum of 4%
*Overall the average annual increase in tuition fees for all publicly funded programs may not exceed 5%, excluding changes in enrollment

So while there's not a strict limit under the guidelines, I believe there is an effective limit as raising international tuition too much would tip the average past the 5%. I'm not sure on this though

[fullsmash26]

There are no regulations on international tuition.

[Chris.Martin]

Joey is right, there are no limits on international tuition, and oftentimes they pay way more than the cost of their education, effectively subsidizing Ontario students.

The tuition debate is going to heat up in two years when the government revises the regulations they have on it. The solution will have to take into account the ballooning costs of the university, and preserving access and affordability of education for students.

[arathbon]

I really don't see how the University can really avoid this. The things we want i.e., better MUGSI/SOLAR etc. all cost money. With governments in such deep debt there's no way they're going to be just writing blank checks to the Universities.

[dsahota]

Originally Posted by arathbon

I really don't see how the University can really avoid this. The things we want i.e., better MUGSI/SOLAR etc. all cost money. With governments in such deep debt there's no way they're going to be just writing blank checks to the Universities.

The problem is none of this money is likely ear-marked for improvements such as those. So we all can be paying a lot more money next year without any guarantee anything will be better. Essentially students are writing the University a bigger blank cheque to the tune of $7.4 million for 2010-11 and likely a $15.5 million bigger in 2011-12 (PACICES Report PDF, Page 14).

The University Administration is still just trying to cover off major structural deficits as a result of a lot of building, the market tanking and investments being devalued, not having enough to cover their pension contributions because they spent the surplus in good years, etc. For example, they still project a Pension and EFB Reserve deficit of $51.9 million for 2010, and $73.6 million for 2011* (PACICES Report PDF, Page 14)

PACICES Report link:
http://www.mcmaster.ca/opr/html/disc...rch_2 010.pdf

[arathbon]

Originally Posted by dsahota

The problem is none of this money is likely ear-marked for improvements such as those. So we all can be paying a lot more money next year without any guarantee anything will be better. Essentially students are writing the University a bigger blank cheque to the tune of $7.4 million for 2010-11 and likely a $15.5 million bigger in 2011-12 (PACICES Report PDF, Page 14).

The University Administration is still just trying to cover off major structural deficits as a result of a lot of building, the market tanking and investments being devalued, not having enough to cover their pension contributions because they spent the surplus in good years, etc. For example, they still project a Pension and EFB Reserve deficit of $51.9 million for 2010, and $73.6 million for 2011* (PACICES Report PDF, Page 14)

PACICES Report link:
http://www.mcmaster.ca/opr/html/disc...rch_2 010.pdf

Well its not like the University has any options now regarding pensions. They can either A) Break legally signed contracts, B) Raise tuition or C) Cut spending.

While I'm sure we have a right to be pissed at past mismanagement, right now, it's already done and the tuition increase is probably unavoidable. The structural deficit is a combination of chronic low income and chronic high spending and one of the two will have to budge, and while we're all upset at tuition increases, we've seen the incredible amount of resistance when the University tries to cut costs.

[JonathanB]

Originally Posted by arathbon

Well its not like the University has any options now regarding pensions. They can either A) Break legally signed contracts, B) Raise tuition or C) Cut spending.

While I'm sure we have a right to be pissed at past mismanagement, right now, it's already done and the tuition increase is probably unavoidable. The structural deficit is a combination of chronic low income and chronic high spending and one of the two will have to budge, and while we're all upset at tuition increases, we've seen the incredible amount of resistance when the University tries to cut costs.

Alasdair,

It is true: there is often resistance when the university tries to cut costs. However, perhaps that is because of how and where the university tries to cut spending. How about, instead of decreasing teaching staff and eliminating programmes--both of which decrease the overall quality of education at McMaster University--they focus upon trimming down administrative costs? Or not spending so much money to take out what little study space there is at Mills Library and replacing it with MacBooks upon which one can do little more than check Hotmail or update Facebook? I suspect that the real problem here is that the top-level decision makers at this university see greater value in frills than in essentials.

[arathbon]

Originally Posted by JonathanB

Alasdair,

It is true: there is often resistance when the university tries to cut costs. However, perhaps that is because of how and where the university tries to cut spending. How about, instead of decreasing teaching staff and eliminating programmes--both of which decrease the overall quality of education at McMaster University--they focus upon trimming down administrative costs? Or not spending so much money to take out what little study space there is at Mills Library and replacing it with MacBooks upon which one can do little more than check Hotmail or update Facebook? I suspect that the real problem here is that the top-level decision makers at this university see greater value in frills than in essentials.

I am all for cutting down administrative costs, but the problem is where do we start, and how do we deal with contracts already in place. Cutting programs and instructors on short term contracts is a short term solution and not one I support, but I acknowledge that even if the University were to commit to cutting administrative costs by 15%, that would not happen overnight, or even in the space of a year. Unfortunately, the University can't continue to run deficit now on the backs of future savings. A tuition increase is definitely a bitter pill, however, I think at this point it will be an easier sell than cutting educational or student service costs.

As to the libraries, I totally agree, the changes stink. I have a strong suspicion, however, that they are responding to feedback they get from students, as most of the population at Mills seems more interested in those activities than studying (hence why I avoid it like the plague).