$500 more for tuition? Try $1,000
Just days before the Liberals table their budget, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is calling on the Charest government to increase tuition by $1,000 a year over a three-year period, instead of the $500 per year plan that is likely to be included in the budget. The organization, whose board of directors includes former Concordia president Judith Woodsworth, justified its position by noting that the Quebec government already funds 68 per cent of the universities’ operating costs, compared to 53 per cent in the rest of the country. However, the group said that the increase should be adjusted according to the field of study, and should be accompanied by a substantial new contribution to the loans and bursaries system.
Fees going up at ConU
Concordia sent an email last Friday informing the student body that beginning with the 2011 summer session, tuition fees will rise as decreed by the provincial government. Quebec resident students and international students will see an increase of about $3 per credit, but out-of-province students will face the most significant increase: $7 per credit. Furthermore, the non-refundable confirmation fee that goes toward a student’s tuition fees will rise from $75 to 100. University spokeswoman Chris Mota explained that this increase was necessary to put Concordia on par with other Canadian universities. She also noted that the reason the late registration fee has been increased from $50 to $75 was to deter students from registering for classes at the last minute.
CSU introduces international service bursaries
Last week’s Concordia Student Union council meeting started off on a positive note, as the council changed the union’s standing regulations in order to include two international service bursaries of $500 each. The bursaries were the idea of Arts and Science councillor Menachem Freedman who, having volunteered abroad the last three summers himself, said that opportunities for funding for students looking to independently volunteer abroad with an NGO were few and far between, which is something he wanted to change. “I think that it’s really important to give undergraduates the opportunity to volunteer abroad,” he said. “I think it betters their education; I think if Concordia could support it, it would better the image of Concordia; and I think it makes the world a better place.”
ASFA elections cheaper than last year
According to ASFA’s chief electoral officer, the cost of this year’s general election as well as the byelection earlier in the year for VP communications cost less than last year’s general election. Nick Cuillerier told ASFA’s council last Thursday that the estimated costs for this year’s election, not including the CEO’s salary, came close to $6,900, compared to $11,600 last year. Cuillerier preferred not to elaborate on the changes he has proposed for next year’s election until they have been reviewed by one of ASFA’s committees.
