Student Beat
University is a unique experience for each individual. Take myself, for example. During my four years of study in business administration I have been in the co-op program, Student Union, Senate and Board of Governors.
We also all have different reasons for being here. Some of us are here to get away from home and “party hardy” for a couple years without really any long term plans. Some of us are here to get in and get out as quick as we can to start “real life.” Some of us are here to learn – not only in the classroom, but from each other. Then there are some of us who are here because we want to make a significant difference.
What classifies “making a significant difference” is also unique to each individual. For some it means making the Dean’s List. For others it’s being a residence leader. No matter what path led you here or what you have decided to do with your time at UNB, there is one thing I am certain about when you want to make a significant difference.
You need to work together.
No man is an island and no single student can be a Student Union. Therefore, it is interesting to observe behaviours of certain individuals who appear to want to make a significant difference. Instead of actually trying to work together to create policies that will work for students, certain individuals feel that they can only make change through anarchy.
Recently a small group of students have come together out of frustration that their views on tuition policy are not being approved at the Student Council table. They call themselves the Coalition for Accessible Affordable Education (CAAE). They claim that “YOUR Student Union OFFICIALLY OPPOSES tuition freezes.”
Upon reading the Oct. 30, 2008 minutes of the UNBSU Council meeting (found online at unbsu.ca) you can find the inaccuracy of this statement. The Council passed a motion 13-4 stating that although “tuition freezes may have a role in a holistic student financial aid plan, these freezes are not sustainable, efficient programs at addressing the affordability of education.”
Council then resolved that the “reallocation of funds from the Tuition Freeze” go towards “targeted assistance focused at addressing high needs students.” Basically, a tuition freeze alongside other programs can work – but not on its own.
What is ironic is that the CAAE is fighting for the same thing – a more accessible, affordable education with more grants and upfront funding. Yet they have not attempted to contact the policy makers of the Student Union to try to work together for the betterment of all students. In fact, when members of the Student Union executive found out about this coalition, they excitedly tried to get more information on CAAE policy. Instead of engaging meaningful policy discussions, the CAAE staged a policy debate and created a campus-wide forum that the Student Union was not invited to.
As such, it seems the CAAE and its affiliates are more interested in pitting students against students instead of working together toward a truly accessible and affordable education. Sure there are some differences, like the CAAE’s push for tuition reductions. Who wouldn’t want tuition to be cheaper? But with a projected federal deficit of $34 billion this year and $30 billion next, as well as an expected deficit next year in New Brunswick, how pragmatic is a tuition reduction when over 50 per cent of UNB’s operating budget comes from the government?
t’s time to put the attacks aside because, let’s face it, the only way to make a significant difference when it comes to accessible affordable education is for us to work together. The rising costs of tuition is not a battle between students, it’s a battle for students.
Bethany Vail is President of the UNB Student Union. Student Beat is a weekly column by UNB’s student leaders examining issues pertinent to students.
Post new comment