MUN student representatives call for tuition freeze and 'a break'

Maddie Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: May 14, 2025 3:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Memorial University pupil representatives are erstwhile again calling connected the committee of regents to intermission tuition increases, arsenic the provincial authorities hits intermission connected its simplification of the tuition offset grant.

A fistful of assemblage students, and staff from the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), showed up astatine MUN's Signal Hill field connected Wednesday to person their connection heard.

Longtime pupil activistic and existent chairperson for CFS Newfoundland and Labrador, Nicolas Keough, wants the committee to see a tuition frost successful its 2025-26 assemblage budget.

MUN has been implementing a 4 per cent summation to tuition rates each twelvemonth since 2022, which ended a previous 22-year freeze.

"We request to spot it this week, and we request to spot immoderate alleviation to students who are truly struggling nether the existent outgo of surviving and lodging crisis," Keough told reporters.

WATCH | Students accidental precocious outgo of surviving is down driblet successful enrollment astatine Memorial University: 

This year's provincial fund included $312 cardinal for the university's halfway operating assistance and $7.8 cardinal for the field renewal fee, which volition prevention full-time students $500 a year. 

Further, $13.7 cardinal is tabled to enactment the university's budget, $4.7 cardinal for the Faculty of Nursing's outer sites and $2 cardinal for the Doctor of Psychology program. 

The demand comes conscionable months earlier Janet Morrison is scheduled to statesman her caller role as the university's caller president. 

Morrison chopped dozens of programs successful her erstwhile station arsenic the president of Sheridan College successful Ontario.

Despite that, Keough is optimistic.

"I deliberation the president has made it wide that she wants to conscionable with the students, that she wants to person a bully narration with the students," helium said.

Outgoing president Jennifer Lokash posted a fund update to the MUN Gazette connected April 23, which says the assemblage anticipates the reductions to proceed for the adjacent 2 fiscal years.

"Given this is simply a one-year pause, alternatively than a forgiveness, attraction indispensable beryllium taken to put the wealth successful pressing priorities that volition assistance Memorial go much sustainable," Lokash wrote.

CFS staffer Ashlinn Pennell said MUN needs to "make the close decision" successful airy of the relief.

She said the outgo of tuition is detrimental to some home and planetary students.

"We request to beryllium giving young radical present opportunities, and that starts with giving them a break," said Pennell.

A written connection sent to CBC News by Memorial University said the institution isn't required to usage the wealth immoderate definite way. 

"The provincial authorities provided nonstop concern to code pupil affordability done the backing of the Campus Renewal Fee," wrote spokesperson Chad Pelley. 

"The intermission successful the simplification of the tuition offset assistance did not see directives connected however the wealth should beryllium spent."

In a aboriginal statement, Pelley wrote that MUN is facing the aforesaid fund problems arsenic different universities crossed the country. That's coupled with little enrolment and accrued inflationary pressure, Pelley continued.

"University leaders, including the committee of regents, indispensable find the champion way guardant to guarantee fiscal sustainability and extortion of the assemblage mission, including precedence connected the pupil acquisition and world quality. The committee is considering the petition from students wrong the discourse of the wide assemblage budget," the connection reads.

"The tuition offset assistance from authorities has been, and continues to be, an concern that funds the university's halfway operations, including teaching and learning, pupil services and the wide supports required to guarantee the world ngo of the assemblage is maintained."

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