A handful of students gathered at MUN’s Signal Hill Campus this morning to advocate for a tuition freeze as the Board of Regents met to discuss whether or not to pause tuition hikes.
The provincial government recently decided to pause cuts to the Tuition Offset Grant and the Canadian Federation of Students is hopeful that means tuition increases at Memorial will be paused.
Nicolas Keough.
CFS-NL Chair Nicolas Keough says students are struggling, and raising tuition when the province has already “signaled a willingness to support students, would be a step in the wrong direction.”
Rana Abuidris. MUNSU’s executive director of campaigns, describes why she believes it is important for a tuition freeze to be put in place.
“Inflation is very real, and does affect students” argues Abuidris. She has heard of students skipping meals, students who still haven’t paid off their tuition fees from last semester, and students who are “living in the worst conditions” because of the “housing crisis.”
She says if MUN gets some financial relief, students should also feel that relief.
Rana Abuidris.
Memorial University responds
Memorial University says it, like many universities across the country, is dealing with a constrained budget, lower enrolment and increased inflationary pressure.
The university was responding to calls from the Canadian Federation of Students not to increase tuition. A small group of students gathered outside a meeting of MUN’s Board of Regents earlier today at MUN’s Signal Hill campus calling for a tuition freeze.
Memorial University says the Board of Regents must determine the best path forward to ensure financial sustainability and the protection of its mission.
MUN says the provincial government’s tuition offset grant helps to fund the university’s core operations, and is required to ensure that the academic mission of the university is maintained.
the university says MUN’s tuition rate remains nationally competitive.
