Tired of being stuck on Dal tuition-hike treadmill

Dalhousie University has raised tuition by three per cent in the last two academic years, and it’s looking to do it again. In an email to the student body on Feb. 25, provost Frank Harvey released a draft of Dalhousie’s operating budget for the 2021-22 academic year. A three per cent general tuition increase was recommended “as part of measures to address rising costs.”

Tuition hikes are becoming an annual tradition, but just because Dalhousie can raise fees doesn’t mean it should. Dalhousie continues to cite “increased costs” as its rationale. This argument is not entirely palatable as Dalhousie is receiving $9,479,700 in financial relief from the provincial government. Also, enrolment is up 3.4 per cent this academic year. We are aware that moving online comes with unforeseen costs, and we are appreciative of the fact the university is willing to invest in an appropriate online learning environment.

The “rising costs” argument is confusing and intolerable to many students who chafe at the notion of spending more for a lesser university experience. Not only has Dalhousie left students feeling alienated with its hard-line stance on finances, but faculty as well. The university was seeking to cut faculty salaries and pensions “as a measure to address rising costs.” This friction nearly resulted in a strike in November 2020. Dalhousie is continuing to prioritize fiscal objectives at the expense of trusting relationships with students and faculty.

An undergraduate arts degree cost $7,866 in the 2018-19 academic year and may now require $8,346 this coming September. Due to the pandemic, fewer work opportunities exist for students. Almost two full weeks of work are required just to afford the increased tuition amount in after-tax dollars (assuming a minimum-wage summer job). Dalhousie’s tuition is growing at more than twice the national inflation rate. Institutions should consider the debt that will burden graduates long after they don a cap and gown.

Further, Dalhousie is supposedly a leader in promoting diversity and equality of opportunity. While the school does provide some excellent scholarship opportunities for minorities, diverse groups, and those in need of funding, drastic tuition hikes make education increasingly inaccessible to marginalized groups. These annual hikes alienate current students and continue the worrying trend of inaccessibility of higher education.

As we near completion of a remote academic year, it is conclusive that virtual education is significantly inferior to in-person learning. The university is charging a premium for an inferior service. We are hopeful that in-person learning will be available in the fall, but there is no guarantee.

As two of Dalhousie’s 20,000 students, we call on the board to reject the proposed budget and freeze tuition for the upcoming academic year.