March 18 2002 News Over The Edge Page 4 UBC Approves Hefty Fee Increase, First in Six Years By Ai Lin Choo, Ubyssey VANCOUVER (CUP) — The University of British Columbia on Thursday became the first B.C. universi- ty to increase tuition fees after the provincial government’s decision last month to thaw its six-year fee freeze. Under the new policy, approved by the university's board of governors at its March 14 meeting, undergrad- uate fees for 2002-03 will rise from $2,180 to $2,660, except those in commerce and phar- maceutical science, who will pay $3,270 and $5,400 respectively. Fees for graduate-research programs will increase from $2,165 to $2,660, while those for post-baccalaureate and professional programs will rise over the next three years to approximate fees at Canadian peer institutions. The policy also stipulates that 20 per cent of money received from fee increases go to student financial support, and requires that the board allocate the money by its May meeting. UBC has promised, howev- er, that no student will be pre- vented from enrolling in, or continuing at, the. university because of inability to pay. ‘We believe [the proposal is] fair and reasonable. We also believe that it balances www. THINKCGA.org Certified General Accountants Association of British Columbia accessibility to the largest uni- versity in the province with a commitment to ensuring that we are able to provide quality education to British Columbians,” said Martha Piper, the university's presi- dent. The motion to increase tuition fees passed easily, with little debate. Although some board of governors reps expressed concern about the principles behind the proposal and _ its implementation process, board members mostly supported the tuition- fee increase. Only two mem- bers voted against the propos- al. Ben Pong, a staff represen- tative on the board, said he believed the increased fees will hinder recruitment and retention of graduate students, and emphasized that attract- ing top graduate students is important to maintaining UBC’s reputation as a leading research institution. He and student representative Maryann Adamec _ voted against the motion. Over the past two weeks, many students have criticized the proposal for limiting acces- sibility to the university and for arbitrarily basing tuition on national averages. But after passing the motion, Piper said she believed the increases will not jeopardize enrollment at UBC. “Experience across the country has not shown that changes in tuition have had any effect on demand,” she said. But Annick Gauthier, presi- dent of the university graduate student association, dis- agreed. She said that when gradu- ate fees for international stu- dents were raised in 1996, enrollment dropped = signifi- cantly. “There probably won't be a drop this year,” she said, “but in years two and three, | think numbers will decrease.” The board meeting was moved to the Chan Centre for Performing Arts after student protesters who opposed tuition increases occupied the board’s chambers in the Old Administration Building and refused to leave. The protest- ers, who gathered in the hall- way outside Piper's office at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, spent over 24 hours in the building. Members of the board seemed unaffected by the protests. Student representa- tive Tieg Martin said that although he was elected to represent students, he dis- agreed with demands to main- tain tuition at the formerly frozen rates. “I’m a student representa- tive, but in the board room, I’m a board member,” he said. He added that all the cuts UBC has made in the past few years speak to the necessity of a fee increase. And Piper said the adminis- tration would help students cope with the approved increase. ‘We believe that we can assist [students] through scholarships, bursuries, work- study programs and other means of financial assistance,” said Piper. “But, absolutely, it’s very important that we com- municate this so they don’t see this as a barrier from applying.” Student association presi- dent Kristen Harvey said that although she understands the university's need to increase fees to improve education at UBC, specific goals should have been set. “| still continue to be disap- pointed with the’ rationale behind approving a tuition pro- posal that’s based on the national average. Both the [student association and grad- uate student association] believed that any tuition pro- posal needed to be evidence- based in order to accomplish goals,” she said. An outline of the allocation of funds from the tuition increase will be presented to the board of governors at its next meeting in May. The administration will also be required to provide a detailed report at the March 2003 board meeting describing action taken to improve learn- ing and student support for 2002-03.