Ed Stelmach’s cabinet quietly changed the rules around raising tuition in Alberta last Thursday through an order-in-council. You can read the new regulation and take a look at the news release that was put out on Thursday evening – but given the time of year and time of day, no one was expecting many news stories to be written about it.
The reason the Government changed the regulation is related to the announcement on April 7 that would raise tuition in six programs at the University of Calgary and University of Alberta starting next September. Those increases would have been illegal if the rules did not change as tuition increases in Alberta are limited to no more than CPI. CAUS fought hard last year to reject the calls to increase tuition and while it was disappointing to see increases in those six programs the majority of proposals were rejected and most students will see an increase next year of no more than 0.35%.
Unfortunately, the new regulation goes further than allowing these six programs to increase. The Minister of Advanced Education and Technology now has the power to circumvent the tuition cap at Alberta’s universities and colleges whenever he or she deems necessary and according to criteria of his or her choosing. Given that Alberta’s institutions already have tuition above the national average, it is not surprising that students are disappointed.
It is important to remember that in the 2008 election the Tories promised to keep the cap, saying they would “extend the commitment to limit tuition increases to the rate of inflation.”
CAUS is calling for the government to reverse the amendment and to put the cap on increasing tuition fees into legislation, so that changes to tuition policy have to be made in the Legislature, rather than behind closed doors. And that will involve working with the government to make new rules that will govern tuition increases but also making sure students and Albertans are aware that the rules of the game are changing.
The Government of Alberta recently released their survey of Alberta’s post-secondary graduates that they do once every two years and there is as always some interesting facts about the class of 2008 that you might not have known. You can download it for yourself here (PDF), or just grab the highlights here (also a PDF).
A trend that has continued is the background of graduates parents – with 70% of post-secondary graduates having parents who attended post-secondary education at some level. This is a strong trend that has held true for many decades and helps give some background at what needs to be overcome in order to increase our post-secondary participation rate – how do we get more Albertans whose parents have no post-secondary experience to enroll in university, college or in a technical institute?
We also saw that the population of First Nations, Métis or Inuit graduates remains shockingly low, with only 3% of graduates considering themselves as Aboriginal. Comparing that to general aboriginal population in Alberta of 6% and considering how young our aboriginal demographic is it is clear we have a lot of work to do.
Those who graduate tend to be satisfied with their education, with 91% satisfied with the overall quality of their educational experience. They think it is worth it too, with 86% believing it was worth the financial cost to them and their families. There were two worrying but expected trends with that number – the higher a graduate’s income the more likely they thought it was worth the financial cost, and the lower a graduate’s debt the more likely they thought it was worth it.
Delving deeper into student debt, we see that 44% of undergraduates received government student loans and that 30% of those borrowed more than $25,000. Graduates from our research universities borrowed on average $22,195. And not everybody borrowed only from the government, with 34% borrowing from private sources like banks or their family. Altogether 63% of undergraduates graduated with student debt.
Most received a scholarship at some point to help offset those costs and debt. Indeed, 79% of undergraduates received a scholarship – likely due in large part to Alberta’s fantastic Alexander Rutherford scholarship program and other needed scholarships – but most awards were less than $5,000 which won’t even cover tuition for their first year.
Another interesting fact springing from the survey was how many of our graduates remain in Alberta. Most don’t relocate after graduation at all – 70% of graduates from our research universities stayed in their community. Of the 30% that moved most stayed in Alberta.
Looking over the survey results it is important that we stress who it surveyed and more importantly who it did not. As a survey of graduates of our institutions it is important to stress that this leaves out those who leave post-secondary before graduation and those who never go in the first place. When determining what we are doing right and where we need to improve our system it is just as important we take into account those who we are not serving well as much as those who have received their degree.
Finally, it was interesting to see where graduates, upon reflection, got the best information in deciding what program and institution to attend. The most popular answer? Institutions’ websites, followed closely by parents and family. We can’t provide a link to your family, but if you are interested in checking out our institutions click on one of the links below.
University of Alberta
University of Calgary
University of Lethbridge
Alberta’s universities have had campus radio stations for many decades – longer than I have been alive – and in that time have become a valuable part of not just the campus community, but the greater community in which they are situated. In a world where people are bombarded with commercial mainstream media we see more and more people seeking out alternative sources of information and media and campus radio was pioneering that long before the age of YouTube and blogs.
The idea of commercial-free radio goes beyond just avoiding ads between content, it is about being free and independent to pursue new ideas, provide content that isn’t driven by advertisers and that is something that fits perfectly with the mandate of universities and their students. That’s why students support their radio stations directly – modest, referendum-approved fees provide some of the operating revenue to these radio stations. In return they offer a rich volunteer experience to interested campus community members, offer news and event coverage on-campus and provide an alternative voice you can’t find elsewhere.
Student fees aren’t the only source of income – pledge drives are a vital part of keeping commercial-free radio alive and thriving at our institutions. All three of our university radio stations are holding their pledge drives RIGHT NOW – and you should consider donating.
Visit their websites, listen online or over the airwaves, and check out the great rewards for donating.
CJSR 88.5 FM at the University of Alberta – www.cjsr.ualberta.ca
CJSW 90.9 FM at the University of Calgary – www.cjsw.com
CKXU 88.3 FM at the University of Lethbridge – www.ckxu.com
Municipal elections will be held across Alberta on October 18, 2010 and Students’ Unions are making sure their students will have access to the resources needed to make an informed decision.
The University of Calgary Students’ Union has been laying the groundwork all summer for their iVote campaign, which is encouraging students to vote through candidate forums, advance polling stations and getting the information out to student on how to successfully cast their ballot. The mayoral forum, with all major candidates expected to appear, will happen tomorrow evening, Sept. 29 at 7:30pm in Mac Hall at the U of C.
You can find out more about their campaign at the U of C Students’ Union website or read the articles in the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun.
The University of Lethbridge Students’ Union and the University of Alberta Students’ Union are also taking the initiative to inform their students and the greater community. The U of A Students’ Union is co-hosting a forum tomorrow night with Edmonton’s Next Gen Committee. The event starts at 6:30pm and is at the Myer Horowitz Theatre. The University of Lethbridge Students’ Union is hosting a mayoral forum in Lethbridge on Thursday in the University Hall Atrium at noon.
Regardless of where in Alberta you live, make sure you take the time to get out and vote on October 18!
Our sister organization the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations (CAFA) announced the winners of its annual Distinguished Academic Awards last week and we are happy to congratulate Dr. Carole Estabrooks from the University of Alberta and Dr. Paul Hayes from the University of Lethbridge on their outstanding work at Alberta’s universities.
Dr. Estabrooks is a professor in the Faculty of Nursing and a Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Transition at the University of Alberta. Her research on the practical health care outcomes and better delivery of health care has received international attention along with millions of dollars in research that is advancing our knowledge in health care.
Dr. Hayes teaches in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Lethbridge and has been researching organometallic chemistry – which is advancing our knowledge of preparing “green” polymers from renewable sources, such as corn. He graduated with a PhD from the University of Calgary just six years ago, but as already made his mark in academia here in Alberta and should be considered one of our rising stars.
Both Dr. Hayes and Dr. Estabrooks are fantastic examples of how important it is that the faculty at our universities not only be superb educators, but also be on the leading edge of discovery within their disciplines. To better attract and support faculty members CAUS is calling on the Government of Alberta to increase the Campus Alberta Grant to institutions as a part of our annual budget recommendations.
Connect with us:
CAUS Members
