The province’s plan to slash tuition by 10 per cent and revamp the student loan program will end up hurting post-secondary students, a local student union rep warns.
“They’re trying to disguise it as a positive for students, but when you look at the details, it’s disturbing,” said Theresa Vandeburgt, vice-president of the Lakehead University Student Union in Orillia.
While the Progressive Conservatives have lowered the income threshold for those applying to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), they are eliminating free tuition for students from low-income families and are doing away with the six-month grace period students had to start paying back interest on the loans after graduation.
“To see those changes is troubling,” said Vandeburgt. “Some students might have to drop out because they don’t have the means to (pay)."
The changes will mean less money for colleges and universities, and Vandeburgt worries it could lead to staff and faculty layoffs.
That concern was not expressed by Lakehead in a statement it issued Thursday.
“Today, the province announced that Ontario’s universities’ and colleges’ tuition fees will decrease by 10 per cent for the 2019-2020 academic year, and will be frozen for the following year. While this will present challenges for northern universities, we support decisions that increase access to post-secondary education for students,” the statement read.
“We welcome (Training, Colleges and Universities) Minister (Merrilee) Fullerton’s commitment to maintain current grant funding levels and to create a fund to support northern universities impacted by the tuition reduction.”
Lakehead also insisted “quality education for our students remains Lakehead University’s top priority. This includes protecting the supports and services that our increasingly-diverse student population relies on.”
Vandeburgt called to the university’s statement “disappointing.”
“It dismisses the fact that it closes the door for many students,” she said. “To see the university not stick up for those students is disappointing.”
She also doesn’t appreciate the province not consulting with the student union.
“It shows disregard for students. They’re making decisions that directly impact us without consulting us,” she said.
Vandeburgt was at a rally at Queen’s Park when reached by OrilliaMatters on Friday.
“I’m not sure if (Simcoe North MPP) Jill Dunlop can hear the noise here, but it’s clearly not a positive reaction from students,” she said.
She plans to reach out to Dunlop soon.
“We want to know how she plans to support students with this new announcement,” she said.
An email with a list of questions sent to Dunlop’s office Thursday was not returned Friday.
Vandeburgt said the student union will be meeting soon with Lakehead administration. In the meantime, the group is “trying to mobilize the students” and gather feedback on the changes.
“We’re not going to stop talking about this. We’re not going to stop fighting for students’ rights,” she said.
The Ontario chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students, in a statement, also slammed the changes.
“The Doug Ford government has attempted to spin this announcement as a 10 per cent reduction in tuition fees when in reality Ford’s plan will increase out-of-pocket costs for students, diminish the quality of education students receive and undermine crucial student supports on campus,” said the organization’s chair, Nour Alideeb.
“The reality of loans-based financial aid programs is that students from low-income families pay more for their education in the long run. This announcement will make life harder for students and their families.”
