Standing up for lowering tuition

By Brandon White

We can’t depend on the public education system to provide us with the tools necessary to succeed; this was the message that rang louder then any other at the Loyalist College “Student Day of Action.”

The Day of Action was organized as an opportunity for students concerned with the cost of tuition and student debt to gather, discuss, and most importantly, teach each other about what we can do to fight it. Although the turnout was small, with only five protestors appearing, a circle formed on the couches in the cafeteria and a friendly debate was created. It was a place where anyone could speak, and most importantly, be heard as an equal. One of the major draws of the protest was the student-run lessons and discussions being offered for no cost. The students wished to demonstrate that you don’t need to pay to learn. Complaints and concerns were voiced by each of the protestors, and they expressed their opinions on raised tuition costs and debt, and what could be done to improve.

All of this is happening in light of the Ontario Liberal government releasing a new tuition grant for eligible students.  Premier McGuinty unveiled a $420-million dollar grant, which would allow postsecondary students to apply for a new tuition grant. This grant was projected to be $730 for college students, and $1600 for university students. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? For some students, it is.

Tyson Leonard, a first-year Journalism student, and one of the main organizers of the protest, says, “Two thirds of the students in Ontario won’t get this grant. The text book grant that I was able to get doesn’t exist anymore, and I’m not eligible for the new grant.” Who qualifies for this grant? According to the Ontario government, you must be out of high school no longer than four years, your program can be applied to directly out of high school, you’re a full-time student, and your parent’s gross income is $160,000 or less. That feels like a pretty broad spectrum, but it’s more selective then ever. The Canadian Federation of Students chairwomen was quoted, “There are a lot of exclusions to the grant that really don’t make sense. less than 50 per cent of all students in the university sector and one-third of college students will benefit.”

The numbers don’t lie either; the money used to fund this new tuition grant is not coming from new sources, it’s simply being recycled. The $150 “Textbook and Technology Grant”, worth $39-million, the “Queen Elizabeth ‘Aiming for the Top’ Scholarship” (worth $35-million, with over 15000 recipients) have all been slashed in order to help fund this new tuition grant. Why are we cutting scholarships and grants that as a group affect more students, forcing them to make just one grant that only affects students right out of high school?  MPP Theresa Piruzza (L- Windsor West) said, ““We actually have one of the most generous assistance programs in the country. There are a number of different types of grants and assistance that are available those people that may not be eligible for this program.” Regardless, students who have been out of high school longer than four years, and students who usually have had to take on more debt as an adult in order to come back to school, are going to be left with even more financial problems.

It is certainly frustrating for students these days as tuition fees rise every year. According to Statistics Canada, tuition fees rose by 5% for undergraduate programs in the province of Ontario. With tuition fees rising by substantial percentages, and tax grants and benefits being cut, it’s no surprise that students would eventually speak out against the system. How could they not? Military spending by the Canadian government was $22.3-billion in 2011, according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. In the words of Michael Oosting, an Athabasca University student in person at the protest, “Is military spending so important when citizens can’t afford to get educated?”

So what were some of the suggestions put forward by the students? “Abolish tuition,” Oosting said with a grin, “but really, Quebec offers free college to it’s residents, why can’t the rest of Canada do it?” Many countries in the world offer free education to it’s residents; Scotland, Norway, in fact, Greece offered it as well.

Although the numbers were lower then hoped at the protest, the message rang clear to everyone who was present; We must educate ourselves, be critical, and ask questions, in order to truly learn.