Wide spectrum of opinions colours debate over higher education,

Some of the most polarized positions around the Summit on Higher Education table will be from university presidents and student leaders. Here’s a glimpse of what some of them have to say about the crisis in higher education and the summit: Heather Munroe-Blum, principal and vice-chancellor, McGill University — She said McGill has faced serious underfunding for more than a decade, has called the summit a “farce,” and hasn’t pulled any punches about the latest round of budget cuts, which will mean $38 million for McGill over two years. “These unprecedented cuts are not abstract. They will hurt people we care about in our McGill community,” she said. While fighting the government’s “ill-advised” decisions, she said the university must prepare for the worst, including cutting positions, services and programs. “Despite consistent promises of open consultation on the financing and governance of universities, the current government has already determined the actions it will take on a majority of the most important issues,” she said. “The dire situation has now worsened.” Guy Breton, rector, Université de Montréal — In view of the debate about free tuition, Breton recently reminded students that 25 per cent of their university education is already free. That’s because an undergraduate degree in Quebec takes three years, while it requires four years of study everywhere else in North America. So the second year of CEGEP, which he likened to the first year of university, is already free. He also reminded students that the founding document of education in Quebec, the Parent Report in the 1960s, said free tuition wasn’t possible, but loans and bursaries would help make education accessible to students. Imagine, Breton said, a time when there was no debt and universities were virtual ivory towers, “students were asked to pay fees that, in constant dollars, were 75 per cent higher than they are today.” Places like Finland that have free education only accept 35 per cent of applicants, whereas Quebec accepts 80 per cent. “Free tuition has a price,” he said. “In general, accessibility will suffer.” Alan Shepard, president and vice-chancellor, Concordia University — Acknowledging that the recent budget cuts have further eroded the capacity of universities to remain strong in teaching and research, he hopes the summit will explore fundamental issues affecting universities, and “how to pay for these fundamental goals in ways that are fair to all.” He supports the idea of differential fees, when students pay more for some programs than others, but not the idea for differentiation between universities suggested by the CAQ. “Why demote some universities to second tier?” he asked, adding it’s an archaic idea not suited to modern universities. “The summit should not get stuck in the push and pull of tuition fees,” he said in a recent opinion piece in The Globe and Mail. “It should not be the end of the rethink of higher education, but the beginning of a reset.” Robert Proulx, rector, Université du Québec à Montréal — Like all the rectors, he has called on the provincial government to quickly reinvest in universities. As for the summit, he worries that it is focused on the wrong question. “The question of tuition and the question of the mission of universities are two very different questions,” he said. “Universities must be assured of adequate financing to fulfill their missions.” But whether that money comes from tuition or government coffers is “a project for society.” He thinks of the summit as “a point of departure” and hopes it will lead to a more profound reflection on the role of Quebec universities. Martine Desjardins, president, Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ)—Fiercely opposed to any kind of tuition hike, she was front and centre throughout last year’s student uprising. She was recently the target of a smear campaign, with rumours that she would recant her opposition to indexation in exchange for running for the Parti Québécois, something she called an attack on her credibility. In fact, she has made no promises about what would happen if indexation is proposed at the summit, but notes that a 75 per cent increase in fees is no longer on the table and a strike is a last resort. “There’s a lot to discuss before we get to tuition,” she said. But she has been frustrated by the universities’ reluctance to answer questions about funding and maintains they suffer more from mismanagement than underfunding. “My fear going into the summit is that we’ll have discussion, but no action,” she said. Jérémie Bédard-Wien, spokesperson, Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSÉ) — He has argued that students are just as committed as ever to a tuition freeze, and even free tuition, but a demonstration planned for the second day of the summit has only about 20,000 students committed so far. “There will have to be further pressure if indexation comes out of the summit,” he said. “The minimum demand of the Maple Spring was, after all, a freeze.” He said the group, viewed as the most radical of the student organizations, doesn’t enjoy protesting but often finds it necessary. “Historically, what has worked for the student movement is nine general strikes to maintain accessibility to higher education,” he said. Nor does he think if ASSÉ’s push for free tuition is rejected will it mean the group will give up its mission. “Twice, the population has said no to Quebec independence, but does that stop the PQ from continuing to propose it?” Éliane Laberge, president, Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ) — She said a tuition freeze is realistic and doesn’t consider indexation the same as a freeze. “We need something that will preserve an accessible education,” she said. She also views the summit as more of a beginning than an end, but does hope some concrete solutions will come out of it. “Some things need a solution as soon as possible,” she said. Like other student leaders, she is concerned the PQ government has decided on indexation going into the summit. “I just hope they listen to all the participants.”