Stop Flat Fees
Are you in first or second year Arts and Science? Did you know that the University charges you tuition fees differently than upper year students?
After a $1.3 Billion investment loss, the University implemented a fee collection structure called Flat Fees. Students admitted into Arts & Science programs for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 will pay for 5 full-time courses, even if they only take 4! The majority of UofT students take less than 5 courses so this will hit most students where it hurts.
U.T.S.U. believes that the only sustainable way to address funding shortfalls while keeping education accessible is through increased government funding. Currently the Ontario government ranks dead last in post-secondary education funding in Canada.
The University’s original plan was to charge students for 5 full-time courses if they took only 3! When students learned about the Flat Fees scheme, they decided to fight. Students from all 3 UofT campuses, along with other students from the Canadian Federation of Students, engaged in a letter and email campaign to the UofT administration. Labour unions, faculty members, and college administrators took positions against the proposal. Even the media - from the Varsity to the Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, and the CBC - clearly thought this was a bad idea.
Only the 50-member council that runs this school supported the idea. Governing Council, of which 25 are appointed members of the “community” like bank CEOs and high-ranking officers of major corporations like Rogers Communications. A mere 4 are full-time undergraduate students. But against these odds, public pressure forced the Governing Council to water down the proposal and allow it to return to vote in 2010-2011.
That’s THIS YEAR! If the proposal fails, Flat Fees will be eradicated at UofT. If the proposal passes, Flat Fees will revert to its original plan, and all Arts & Sciences students taking 3 or 4 courses will pay for 5. We cannot allow this to happen without a fight. Students before us were able to make a difference in the proposal, and we need to do the same.
Join the fight! Check out www.stopflatfees.ca and email vpua@utsu.ca to get involved in the campaign to STOP FLAT FEES!
After a $1.3 Billion investment loss, the University implemented a fee collection structure called Flat Fees. Students admitted into Arts & Science programs for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 will pay for 5 full-time courses, even if they only take 4! The majority of UofT students take less than 5 courses so this will hit most students where it hurts.
U.T.S.U. believes that the only sustainable way to address funding shortfalls while keeping education accessible is through increased government funding. Currently the Ontario government ranks dead last in post-secondary education funding in Canada.
The University’s original plan was to charge students for 5 full-time courses if they took only 3! When students learned about the Flat Fees scheme, they decided to fight. Students from all 3 UofT campuses, along with other students from the Canadian Federation of Students, engaged in a letter and email campaign to the UofT administration. Labour unions, faculty members, and college administrators took positions against the proposal. Even the media - from the Varsity to the Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, and the CBC - clearly thought this was a bad idea.
Only the 50-member council that runs this school supported the idea. Governing Council, of which 25 are appointed members of the “community” like bank CEOs and high-ranking officers of major corporations like Rogers Communications. A mere 4 are full-time undergraduate students. But against these odds, public pressure forced the Governing Council to water down the proposal and allow it to return to vote in 2010-2011.
That’s THIS YEAR! If the proposal fails, Flat Fees will be eradicated at UofT. If the proposal passes, Flat Fees will revert to its original plan, and all Arts & Sciences students taking 3 or 4 courses will pay for 5. We cannot allow this to happen without a fight. Students before us were able to make a difference in the proposal, and we need to do the same.
Join the fight! Check out www.stopflatfees.ca and email vpua@utsu.ca to get involved in the campaign to STOP FLAT FEES!