Students await NDP action on tuition

But post-secondary institutions say stable funding must be in place first

Students and post-secondary institutions remain at odds over the Alberta NDP’s campaign promise to freeze tuition and roll back special hikes approved by the Tory government late last year.

On one hand, student leaders want to see the incoming New Democrat government tighten legislation around tuition to ensure any increase is capped at the annual rate of inflation and that any loopholes, such as market modifiers, are closed.

But Alberta post-secondary institutions, which have suffered massive funding cuts and random cash injections under several PC leaders in recent years, say talk of a tuition rollback should include discussion of more stable funding.

“Tuition is one part of the funding picture for post-secondary institutions,” David Docherty, president of Mount Royal University, said in an interview Friday.

“Funding levels have gone down over the past number of years, so if there’s an opportunity to bring operating grants back up to offset any changes to tuition that would be a great conversation to have with the province,” Docherty said.

Alberta legislation caps annual tuition hikes to the consumer price index. However, market modifiers — which the Tories promised to abandon after 2010 — allow postsecondary schools to increase rates to be more in line with comparable schools.

In December, the PCs approved 25 of 26 applications from 10 postsecondary schools to increase tuition by as much as 71 per cent this fall for new students. The decision exempted existing students.

The PCs estimated the increases would generate an additional $21 million for the affected schools.

During the recent election cam- paign, premier-designate Rachel Notley promised the NDP would freeze tuition and reverse the recent market modifier hikes.

MRU received approval to increase tuition for three of its bachelor programs this fall, including business administration (30 per cent), nursing (20 per cent) and science (10 per cent).

The University of Calgary, which praised the Tories after the government approved all three of its market modifier proposals (including law, engineering and business), declined to comment Friday.

At the U of C, tuition is set to increase 24 per cent for law students, 19 per cent in bachelor of science and 18 per cent for master of business administration.

Levi Nilson, president of the U of C Students’ Union, said many students strongly opposed the market modifier increases and are now hopeful the NDP will not only reverse the recent approvals but outlaw the practice.

“It would be a great step for them by making sure there is a real (tuition) cap in place,” Nilson said. “For us, a tuition cap would not have loopholes like mandatory noninstructional fees and market modifiers. We’d like to see that rolled into legislation.”

NDP MLA Joe Ceci, who many expect will receive a cabinet position this Sunday, said the party would fulfil its campaign promise but was unable to say how soon it would happen.