PANTHER POST

Tuition A-Rising, Students A-paying

by Dylan ROSE |

Reporter

Most tuition fees for undergraduate students at _ the University of Prince Edward Island have seen an increase of 4% this year.

Putting this in perspective, the cost of six se- mester hours for undergraduate students at UPEI was $582 in the 2008-2009 academic year. This year, the cost has risen to $606.

In an interview with CBC News, vice-president of finance and facilities Gary Bradshaw attrib- uted the rise in tuition to structural increases related to wages and benefits, and the cost of utilities at the university. “It is certainly the amount that we have brought to the board as be- ing required to balance the budget for this year,” said Bradshaw.

Exceptions to the increases in tuition include international students, whose fees have gone up to $5000, compared to last year’s $4,410. UPEI Comptroller Philip Hooper states that these fees rose in order to “cover new services and a bursary program for international students.” In comparison, international fees from the 2006- 2007 academic year saw a 6.7% increase going into 2008, from $4,050 to $4,320.

Residence fees have also gone up by 3% from last year. A single room at Bernadine Hall now costs $4,952 compared to $4,807 from the previous year. Addition- ally, Athletic and Administration fees went up by further amounts — to cover New Student Orien- tation, while

Masters and PhD

program fees experienced a rise due to curricu- lum budgets, costs and the introduction of new programs. For example, a Masters of Science now clocks in at $6,372 compared to last year’s

$5,934.

Radio@UPEI Back On Air?

“It seemed like a pretty

by Natalie HUNT sweet idea.” Reporter _ The station, which will be broadcast over the Internet, A third year UPEI student __ will be a mix of different

wants to start a student driven radio station for the university.

Megan Jennings, 20, who is double majoring in

updates.

genres like rock, indie, and pop among others, she said. . There will also be news

Joe Velaidum, a profes-

anthropology and English, wondered why a school in a musically driven place like the East Coast didn’t have its own radio station.

She wanted to start the radio back up at UPEI because it is something she has always been interested in.

sor in the Religious Studies department, is going to be helping out with the station and lending out his micro- phone, which he uses for his lessons, said Jennings.

“We hope to get a coop- erative effort.”

She wants to get it started

after the NSO activities, be-

fore Christmas, with the end of the year as the latest time to have it happen, she said. The only people she’s really talked to about it have been friends but they seemed interested, she said. Jennings doesn’t have a radio background, but she has a broad taste in music and she has lots of public speaking experience. “Who doesn’t like that kind of attention anyway?” She would be nervous but she acted in plays in high school and was an NSO organizer where she was speaking in front of more than 500 students.

September 21, 2009 9

However, most of the remaining student fees stayed at last year’s levels, and despite the rising costs, Bradshaw notes that even with the increas- es, tuition rates at UPEI are some of the lowest in the region.

“It’s another way to work on my public speaking.”

When the radio station does get started she wants to put up posters and have auditions for those people who want airtime. Jennings thinks it would be a good idea for those interested to bring in a musical sample of five or six songs.

The people she is looking for should be positive, en- thusiastic and good at acting or public speaking, she said.