College’s tuition fees to rise two per cent

The College of New Caledonia’s board of directors voted 9-2 Friday to increase tuition by two per cent.

The hike, which will come into effect on Aug. 1, will generate an estimated $130,000 and help the school cover such fixed costs as gas, electricity, mailing and the difference between the Canadian and U.S. dollars, CNC president Henry Reiser told the board.

“This two-per-cent increase allows us to meet those increased costs that we incur just doing business from day to day,” Reiser said.

With the hike, the tuition at CNC will average $2,600 per term, $300 below the typical going rate for the province. The hike works out to $20 per month, Reiser added.

Two directors – operational employee representative Sabreena Macelheron and student representative Lee-Ann Mowbray – voted against the increase.

Speaking to the board, Macelheron noted a $1.3 million surplus for 2016-17 has been projected, the school is in the process of hiring a new executive director of human resources and tuition for international students has not been raised.

Faculty employee board representative Mark Wendling abstained.

He argued the system of funding post-secondary education is flawed in the sense that if the board decides against the increase, it says to the government that CNC does not need money, “and it hurts our argument to get money for anything else for at least the next year.”

Wendling went on to note a provincial election is coming.

“I would ask every one of you board members to request and push the candidates – what are they going to do for post-secondary education and the funding there, because it is broken,” Wendling said.

Acting board chair Lee Donay said in an interview that other steps are being pursued to reduce the burden on students in other ways.

“We’re reviewing our pricing on text books to make sure it’s the most efficient and completely competitive with what UNBC would charge, for example,” Donay said.

“We found we were charging more in some cases.”

The school will seek the provincial government’s permission to put part of the surplus revenue, generated from better-thanexpected enrollment of students from outside the country, towards expanding the digital delivery instruction system to CNC campuses in Vanderhoof, Burns Lake and Fort St. James during 2017-18.

Since the 2015 fall semester, 679 students have taken 25 courses offered through DDI initiative.

There are currently two classrooms equipped with DDI technology on the Prince George campus, in addition to another two classrooms in Quesnel.

The money would also be used to purchase equipment for CNC’s health-related programs – particularly the newly-launched dental hygiene program.

“Some digital radiography equipment, that sort of thing,” Reiser said.

The provincial government has capped tuition fee hikes at two per cent per year at all B.C. postsecondary schools since 2003.