Emily Carr University students staged a protest over what they say are significant hikes in tuition fees geared toward international students.
Sukhwant Dhillon/AM 600 Sher-E-Punjab Radio
International students entering Emily Carr in 2030 will face a 30% tuition fee hike.
Emily Carr Students’ Union says that this amounts to an additional $5491.35.
The walkout was initially planned for Wednesday, November 30, between 2 and 4 pm. But, snow delayed that to Thursday.
Dozens of students showed up, carrying signs and spreading their message.
“We are calling on the BC government to intervene immediately to pause this cash grab and
invest in Emily Carr University,” said Kashish Hukku Jani, a spokesperson for the student union told Daily Hive ahead of the protest.Â
“We need to stop financing University deficits from our most marginalized members. Enough is enough.”
A statement from the Emily Carr Student’s Union suggests that the university is currently facing a financial crisis, and fee hikes for international students are one of the potential solutions for finding another $1.8 million in revenue.
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The move is an Emily Carr-specific one, but another spokesperson for the students’ union suggests they believe that the Ministry of Advanced Education “supports this direction as a way to address the chronic university under-funding.
Sukhwant Dhillon/AM 600 Sher-E-Punjab Radio
The spokesperson added that they’re seeing tuition increases for international students across the province.
A statement from the BC Federation of Students says that the Emily Carr walkout to support international students in light of the tuition hikes will take place no matter the weather, with alternate arrangements being made if it rains or snows.
Tuition fees at Emily Carr are already relatively high, and this tuition fee hike for international students is adding insult to injury.
“International students already pay more than four times more than domestic students and, like many other British Columbians, have been struggling during the pandemic and in the face of skyrocketing costs of living in Metro Vancouver.”
Sukhwant Dhillon/AM 600 Sher-E-Punjab Radio
Other local university groups have come out in support of Emily Carr.
Solidarity with our union comrades at Emily Carr fighting against classists and elitist tuition hikes!
UBC— get ready to take action 👀 #StopTheHikes #TuitionFreezeNow https://t.co/MS8owWZ8iU
— CUPE 2278: ORGANIZE UBC! (@cupe2278) November 28, 2022
Emily Carr offered a statement to Daily Hive in response to the planned action.
“Despite being Canada’s top-ranked university for art and design, ECU currently charges the least. ECU operates under the University Act and is required to table a balanced budget as part of its responsibility to the Province as a public post-secondary institution.”
The statement went on to say, “ECU is planning to increase domestic student tuition fees by 2%. Current international students will see a tuition increase of 10%, and no further increases for their remaining time at ECU. New incoming international students will see an increase of 30%. These adjustments will help bring ECU closer in line with our top competitor, OCADU, pending approval by ECU’s Board of Governors.”
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