By: Abraham Redda

 

International students are a strong source of revenue for the University. They pay nearly double in tuition costs compared to domestic students. Over the past few years at McMaster, there has been a 6 per cent rise in the tuition costs for internationals.

With the movement for producing more globally aware citizens in universities across North America, McMaster has shown evidence of following suit. The university has students representing over 91 countries worldwide and is the only North American host site of a United Nations University.

The International Student Barometer measures the quality of international student experience. The 2011 ISB surveyed 209,422 international students from 238 institutions in 16 countries.

While McMaster was not one of the ten participating institutions from Ontario, the barometer provides information on general Canadian trends.

According to the ISB, Canadian institutions rank positively, above the international average, in providing safety, eco-friendly environments and Internet access to international students. On average, Canadian institutions were noticeably behind the international average in terms of supporting international students with living costs and financing.

Since there are no caps on tuition fees for international students, the increase in international student admissions nationwide has often been seen as a makeshift solution for the lack of funding that universities have experienced since the ‘90s.

It seems that an expensive education is no deterrant to foreign applicants. McMaster alone has 1,289 international students at the graduate and undergraduate level (as of 2009/2010), contributing to Ontario having the highest number of foreign students in post-secondary institutions in Canada.

Many would argue that an expensive education is worth the payoff.

Angelina Bong, a 4th year Commerce student originally from Singapore, said she ultimately chose McMaster over other Ontario universities because she felt it would give her a well-rounded education.

“I definitely felt a strong pull towards Mac. It’s more open and flexible. I’ve never felt that I was denied any opportunities.”

Bong also highlighted the DeGroote International Committee - a new committee set up by the DeGroote School of Business to increase dialogue within the faculty and incoming and outgoing exchange students.

“It just started, but I see a lot of potential.”

This kind of dialogue is intrinsic to the push for accepting international students. More than just a facet of increasing diversity on campus, international students may choose to stay in Canada after completing their degrees and become valuable contributors to society.

And if they choose to return to their countries or continue travelling, they can create and maintain strong connections between institutions.

“When I complete my studies,” said Bong, “I hope to get a job that allows me to travel around the world.”

Sarah Jayne King, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students, was at McMaster on Sept. 19 to support student activism on the campus.

King gathered in the location where the Occupy McMaster movement has begun to re-establish their headquarters in the Student Centre. She was on campus to support the Occupy students but moreover to promote student activism on campus.

King came to campus specifically to attend the Education Town Hall this past Wednesday. The town hall meetings were taking place on campuses across Ontario in order to address student issues surrounding tuition fee increases and quality of education. The goal of the town halls is to seek student feedback to be submitted directly to the provincial government.

”There’s a movement across Ontario to seek more student input on the issues that are affecting students, especially as the government is in the process of making significant changes to our education systems… and has not been doing a lot to hear from students directly about what they actually think about these changes.”

Although McMaster is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), not CFS, King stated her interest in working with students across the province, regardless of their student union’s affiliation, to address their concerns about current issues in education.

“The reality is… students need to be represented, to voice their opinion when it comes to education issues [or] to other campaigns and movements going on. I’m happy to help where there’s that appetite… and I know that it exists on a lot of campuses.”

King also noted the upcoming Ontario Student Activist Assembly at University of Toronto (St. George Campus) on October 12 and 13. The province-wide assembly aims to bring together hundreds of students to share experiences and engage in issue-based workshops to strengthen student activism in Ontario.

“Students are really worried that these changes [to our education systems] are ways to cut costs. All the while the government has been increasing tuition fees for the past seven years and we have nothing to show for it in terms of quality [of education].”

As many students have already experienced this year, OSAP is no longer primarily a paper process and there will be no more lineups to receive financial aid.

Glen Murray, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, stopped in Hamilton this morning to give a statement about the streamlining of OSAP.

OSAP Express is the new application process, and it affects more than 300,000 applicants and recipients in Ontario. Approximately 15,000 post-secondary students in Hamilton are expected to benefit.

The program requires students to sign a loan agreement once in their post-secondary career rather than each academic year. Its aim is to speed up confirmation of enrolment and direct deposit processes, and to eliminate lineups at the financial aid office.

“This came as a result of student associations advocating for change in the system, and we've delivered,” said Murray.

He said the new program would make receiving student aid easier while saving hundreds of thousands of dollars for institutions that choose to implement it.

“Moving forward, there is going to be a qualitative way in which we spend,” said Murray.

Huzaifa Saeed, Vice President (Education) of the McMaster Students Union, said at the announcement that OSAP Express is a much-needed step toward a more accessible post secondary system.

“The cost of education is a big issue, but a large part of the issue has to do with reception [of financial assistance].”

Pointing to a 2009 federal survey on financial literacy, Saeed said many students are in the dark about financial options and have not taken full advantage of all available student assistance.

Murray’s announcement comes on the heels of the 30 per cent off tuition grant introduced last January by the provincial government.

The grant, promised by the Liberals in the 2011 provincial election, aims to make education more affordable by delivering assistance with less hassle.

The program offers refunds of $1,680 to students in college and university programs and $770 to students for those in college diploma and certificate programs.

"So often, students are eligible for something and they don't know. As a result they end up not accessing that resource," said Ted McMeekin, MPP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.

"Streamlining the process will put it all together for students to get that information."

Since the tuition grant came out, 200,000 refunds have been received, which means approximately 100,000 refunds have yet to be claimed.

The grant is available to full-time students at a public college or university in Ontario whose parents have a gross income of $160,000 or less. Students must be residents of Ontario and must have graduated high school within four years before applying directly to a postsecondary program.

Pension deficit, tuition increases remain parts of University budget

The Board of Governors passed McMaster’s 2012/13 Consolidated Budget last month, and the major points of concern cited by its authors remain largely unchanged from the previous few years.

Following the economic downturn of 2008, the University’s pension investments suffered, moving it to take money from its operating budget to support pension commitments. McMaster has been receiving solvency relief through programs by the Ontario government.

The budget also stipulated that the University “has limited fee-setting ability,” but that “McMaster’s policy is to maximize tuition fees within [provincial] regulations.” It is counting on a three per cent increase for domestic students and a six per cent increase for international students in both 2013/14 and 2014/15.

 

Occupy Glen

A group of Ontario students, including a few from McMaster, spent June 22 occupying the office of Glen Murray, Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, to protest tuition fees.

The occupation was an initiative of Ontario’s chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students, a lobbying group to which the McMaster Students Union does not belong. About 20 students had gathered inside Murray’s office and another 20 were outside, handing out information to passers-by.

The students were there to express concerns over tuition increases outlined in the recent Ontario budget. The occupation was also a show of solidarity with Quebec students, who have been taking to the streets in the thousands over the last number of months to oppose a proposed five-year increase to tuition caps in the province.

 

Access Copyright deal reached

Despite concerns expressed by student representatives, McMaster University signed a deal with Access Copyright that will increase a per-student fee from $3.38 to $26. Along with the deal, Access Copyright removed the $0.10 per-page fee on courseware it charged to universities, though it is unclear if this will mean a decrease in courseware prices charged by the University.

Other universities have taken different directions, either choosing not to download the cost of the fee onto students or working around Access Copyright to establish cheaper copyright deals directly with publishers.

During negotiations, the University published a Q&A document “to provide the students, staff and faculty with responses to some concerns raised to date.” University of Toronto law professor Ariel Katz published a detailed critique of the document, pointing out flaws in both the facts presented in the Q&A and the arguments made.

The Q&A document has since been removed from McMaster Daily News.

Carleton, Guelph, Memorial, Queen’s and Trent are the latest in a sizeable group of universities that have turned down an Access Copyright deal.

A group of Ontario students, including a few from McMaster, spent the day on Friday occupying the office of Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Glen Murray to protest tuition fees.

“We decided to occupy Glen Murray’s office today to bring attention to the fact this week’s budget that was passed does not address students’ concerns at all, and [Ontario politicians] are continuing to increase our fees even though we were promised a reduction in tuition fees in the election,” said Sarah Jayne King, who is chairperson of the Ontario branch of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).

The occupation was also a show of solidarity with Quebec students, who have been taking to the streets in the thousands over the last number of months to oppose a proposed five-year increase to tuition caps in the province.

About 20 students had gathered inside Murray’s office and another 20 were outside, handing out information to passers-by, said King.

She explained that the students had gathered in response to a call for a June 22 “mass mobilization day” proposed by Quebec protestors.

Although Minister Murray did not appear to be present, the occupiers provided his staff with a “peace code,” which explained that they would be holding a non-violent and non-destructive occupation that would last until 5 p.m. Friday afternoon.

The McMaster Students Union is not a member of CFS, but belongs to another national lobbying group, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. There has been disagreement between McMaster student politicians on the appropriateness of the MSU participating in CFS campaigns.

Ryan Sparrow, who was one of four McMaster students at the occupation, introduced a motion, which passed, to the Student Representative Assembly last year that proposed the MSU officially “stand in solidarity” with Quebec students.

CFS has taken issue with the 30-per-cent-off Ontario tuition grant introduced by the Ontario Liberals after the last election, which CFS says was not distributed as widely as advertised. They are proposing an across-the-board, 13 per cent tuition reduction for students to replace the grant.

They presented to the Ontario government's finance committee prior to the June 19 budget vote, offering recommendations that they said would reduce tuition by 25 per cent and not add to the provincial government’s costs.

“Student are upset. Whether or not their students union is a member of [CFS], students care about this issue,” said King.

Of the protests that have been held in downtown Hamilton, this was certainly one of the noisiest.

In a show of solidarity with Quebec students, downtown Hamilton hosted a “pots and pans” or casseroles demonstration at Gore Park on May 30. Demonstrators joined an international movement of solidarity that spans more than 70 cities across the world and continues to grow.

“The issues we’re dealing with in Quebec are part of a broader struggle,” said Ethan Cox, the Montreal journalist whose May 27 article for Rabble.ca set in motion the wave of solidarity casserole protests last Wednesday.

Students in Quebec initially mobilized to protest the tuition increase being imposed by the provincial Liberal government, led by Jean Charest. However, with the advent of Bill 78, which limits the rights of protesters to assemble, the protest movement has evolved to encompass concerned community members from all walks of life.

“Economic systems that promote lower corporate taxes at the expense of social programs … are systems that are broken. And this is the unifying thread, fighting against these broken systems,” said Cox.

The casseroles protest concept, which involves protesters taking to the streets banging pots and pans, was taken from the Chilean Cacerolazos movement, which protested the repressive rule of dictator Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s.

Cox explained that each city has now created their own unique movement that represents their own voices.

The Hamilton event attracted about 150 attendees, comprised of students, community members and union members. It was organized by humanities student Dorian Batycka.

Hamiltonians and McMaster students alike have been pulled together by the cause. Ryan Sparrow, a labour studies student and a former member of the SRA, noted that a majority of the attendees at the Gore Park event were, in fact, students.

Sparrow and many other students believe that the solidarity casseroles should spur a stronger response from McMaster students and students across Ontario.

“Students have said, ‘Well why should they complain, our tuition is already expensive.’ Question is: why aren’t we complaining?”

The SRA brought forth a motion in November that declared the MSU to be in solidarity with Quebec student bodies. The motion did not prescribe any particular action, intending to leave room for students to take individual action.

The MSU is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), one of the two major national bodies that represents students. The other, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), is typically more involved in direct student action campaigns, while CASA takes a political lobbying approach.

Schools in the GTA, such as Ryerson and York, which are members of CFS, have been extremely active in mobilizing students.

The Ryerson community has been particularly active, staging its own demonstrations as well as travelling to Quebec to support student bodies there. “Students in Ontario aren’t immune to the effects of high tuition fees,” said Rodney Diverlus, President of the Ryerson Students’ Union.

“We have the highest tuition fees in the country as well as the lowest per-student funding of any province. This means as education becomes more and more inaccessible, the quality of education received is also decreased … Reality of the situation is that if Quebec students lose, we all lose,” said Diverlus.

Although McMaster students seem to be less active, the casseroles solidarity movement has continued to build steam, and McMaster students remain an integral part of the Hamilton demonstration.

Another casseroles protest took place on June 6.  As the movement continues, student activists have tried to challenge the notion of the ‘apathetic student’ by elevating the volume of a student voice.

 

Farzeen Foda

Senior News Editor

When it comes to tuition, it never seems like there is anyone out there willing to actually take care of it for you, regardless of your grades or financial status.

Maybe luck will be on your side with a new contest by Interac Online, in conjunction with the Student Accounts and Cashiers Office at McMaster.

The contest began on Feb. 6 and will continue until March 15. Students who make payments to their account using Interac Online can win up to $5,000 toward their tuition. This possibility applies solely to students who make up to five payments of any amount to their statement using Interac Online, and will consequently be eligible to win a sum of money proportional to their tuition, up to $5,000.

Students can click on “Pay Now” through their account statement, which can be accessed through MUGSI, noted Liz McDonough, Coordinator of Customer Service for the Student Accounts and Cashiers Office. For students without an outstanding balance on their accounts, the contest is still available through the Interac website.

This initiative is designed not only to give students a well-deserved break, but to promote the use of Interac Online for tuition payments.

For the University, it is the preferred method of payment, noted McDonough, because it is, “safe, easy and quick.” The March 15 contest closure date is meant to encourage students to get their payments in on time, as that is the deadline for payments.

Students who make their payments using Interac Online will be tabulated using a tracking number, thus no personal information about students will be shared with Interac Online. Once the winner is randomly selected, the University will use the tracking number to identify the winner.

Dina Fanara 

Assistant News Editor

 

“Education is our right, we will not give up the fight!”

Feb. 1 was known as the Day of Action for university students across Canada, as many marched through their respective campuses to take a stand against rising tuition fees. McMaster students gathered to chant in Mills Plaza from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

According to the Vancouver Sun, 24 campuses in British Columbia alone were to partake in the rally.

At the McMaster campus, a little over 50 students arrived within the first ten minutes of the event. The CHCH news crew was also present at the event, interviewing students and taking video footage of the rally as it began.

Music was blasting, thanks to a DJ present outside the Student Centre. People were gathering, and signs and snacks were shared. Students showed immense enthusiasm to be a part of such a movement. Though McMaster Security and Hamilton Police were present, no issues of conflict arose.

McMaster student Mel Napeloni said, “we need to have more activism on campus,” adding that it was great to see something that all students can relate to.

While the student group Occupy McMaster played a role in organizing the event, many students from all areas of the University were present, including members of the SRA (Student Representative Assembly), presidential candidates, graduate students and representatives of CUPE Union Local 3906, which represents teaching assistants, sessional professors and postdoctoral fellows on campus.

In a speech to the students in attendence, Simon Granat, SRA representative for the Faculty of Social Sciences, stated that, “we’re taking a stand to say students care about other students.”

Similarly, SRA Health Sciences representative Riaz Sayani-Mulji stated that, “we are the student movement, we can make a difference.” He explained that this is a critical time for students to make their voices heard, because the way the government grant system currently runs excludes two in three university students.

“Education is a human right,” continued Sayani-Mulji, and it’s something that many potential students have difficulty accessing because of cost limitations. According to Rick Gunderman, the candidate representing the Communist Party in the previous provincial election, the solution would be to “cut tuition altogether… attack from all angles that they are attacking us from.”

The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) distributed leaflets to be handed out to students across Canada, outlining their three main goals: to drop student debt, reduce tuition fees and increase education funding.

The leaflet employs the awe-factor to support the movement, outlining that students are left with an average debt of  approximately $37,000 upon graduation, and “tuition fees are growing faster than public transit, rent, food and other costs faced by students.”
After gathering in the Mills Plaza, students marched in unison, cheering, “What do we want? Dropped fees! When do we want it? Now!”

The march route included locations such as the Burke Science Building, the John Hodgins Engineering Building, University Avenue, the Arts Quad and the University Hall archway, concluding in Mills Plaza.

An article from Macleans entitled, “Protests underway from coast to coast,” underlines the finding that over the past twenty years, the proportion of operating costs of universities covered by public funding has dropped dramatically from 81 per cent to a mere 57 per cent.

 

Brian Decker

Executive Editor

The Ontario Liberals’ plan to give a 30 per cent discount on tuition may end up costing some students a little bit more.

The Liberals’ election promise, which offered a 30 per cent decrease in the cost of tuition to students from households earning less than $160,000 per year, may be followed by a rise in the overall cost of tuition starting next year.

The current framework that dictates tuition fees expires at the end of the 2011/12 school year.

“Universities can’t really withstand having no new revenue, because they’re going to spend $420 million on this new grant,” said Sam Andrey, Executive Director of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance.

Whether tuition increases at the current rate of five per cent per year is still to be determined.

Andrey said OUSA is advocating for a lower increase rate, but that no increase at all is unlikely.

“We know changing [the tuition increase rate] to something lower is on the table. That’s something we’re going to be advocating for.”

“With the 30 per cent reduction, I think there is a very low appetite on the part of the government to compensate an outright freeze.”

The plan to offer students a tuition discount is set to take place in January, but much of the details of how it will be implemented and distributed is currently pending confirmation.

Residents of Ontario in full-time, first entry programs (excluding law, medicine and graduate programs) will be eligible to apply for a tuition break for the winter semester, but the process of how and where students apply has not yet been determined.

Andrey said for the winter 2012 semester only, approved students will likely receive a cheque equivalent to 30 per cent of tuition, and that a true 30 per cent discount on tuition won’t start until 2012.

“In all likelihood, it will be something like an $800 cheque for most students,” said Alvin Tejdo, OUSA’s Director of Communications, of the 30 per cent discount in January.

Tejdo said many students could potentially be caught unaware of the cheque’s availability. “It’s going to be really important to tell people to apply for it,” he said.

The process by which students’ financial means are approved – determining whether their household earns less than $160,000 – is yet to be established.

The slow implementation of the remaining details is partially due to the change in governing officials. After the Oct. 8 election, Glen Murray became the new Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, replacing John Milloy. There are also new education critics to be appointed in the opposition.

Andrey said other changes coming to Ontario campuses in the coming year include increasing the availability of mental health and the construction of three new campuses in the Greater Toronto Area, with the site still to be determined.