Election
      Promise
      of
      $1M
      to
      UPEI
      in
      doubt;
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Serious
      doubts
      are
      being
     
     
      cast
      over
      whether
      the
      provincial
     
     
      government
      will
      live
      up
      to
      a
      com-
     
     
      mitment
      to
      increase
      funding
      to
      the
     
     
      UPEI
      operating
      budget
      by
      $1
     
     
      Million,
      a
      pledge
      made
      by
      the
     
     
      Progressive
      Conservatives
      during
     
     
      the
      provincial
      election
      campaign
     
     
      last
      September.
      When
      contacted,
      a
     
     
      spokeswoman
      for
      the
      Minister
      of
     
     
      Education
      would
      not
      confirm
      the
     
     
      provincial
      government
      _
      still
     
     
      intends
      to
      deliver
      the
      additional
     
     
      funding
      as
      promised.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      comes
      as
      very
      trou-
     
     
      bling
      news
      to
      UPEI
      Student
      Union
     
     
      President
      Brandon
      MacKenzie
     
     
      who
      has
      already
      been
      increasingly
     
     
      worried
      about
      the
      extent
      of
      possi-
     
     
      ble
      tuition
      increases
      for
      the
      next
     
     
      school
      year
      beginning
      in
     
     
      September.
      He
      said
      the
      University.
     
     
      Board
      of
      Governors
      had
      originally
     
     
      planned
      for
      a
      4
      %
      increase
      in
     
     
      tuition
      in
      an
      effort
      to
      match
      rising
     
     
      operational
      costs
      such
      as
      electrici-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      great
      party.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Three
      new
      phone
      numbers.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Triple
      minutes.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ty,
      maintenance,
      etc.
      The
      4
      %
     
     
      increase
      was
      proposed
      before
      two
     
     
      important
      events
      MacKenzie
      said.
     
     
      The
      first
      was
      the
      bargaining
      agree-
     
     
      ment
      signed
      with
      the
      Faculty
     
     
      Association
      recently,
      which
      will
     
     
      increase
      the
      operational
      budget.
     
     
      Then
      there
      are
      the
      doubts
      about
     
     
      the
      promised
      additional
      funding.
     
     
      MacKenzie
      told
      the
      Cadre
      the
      4
      %
     
     
      increase
      was
      based
      on
      estimates
     
     
      that
      included
      a
      $1
      Million
      increase
     
     
      in
      funding
      for
      the
      operational
     
     
      budget
      from
      the
      provincial
      gov-
     
     
      ernment,
      one
      of
      the
      Progressive
     
     
      Conservatives’
      election
      promises
     
     
      made
      last
      September.
      If
      the
     
     
      province
      fails
      to
      deliver
      this
      fund-
     
     
      ing
      MacKenzie
      says
      the
      university
     
     
      will
      recoup
      these
      funds
      from
      stu-
     
     
      dents,
      creating
      a
      tuition
      rate
      hike
     
     
      considerably
      higher
      than
      4%.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “There
      hasn’t
      been
      any
     
     
      announcement
      yet
      because
      the
     
     
      budget
      hasn’t
      come
      down,
      but
      fac-
     
     
      ing
      the
      burden
      that
      a
      projected
      $73
     
     
      Million
      deficit
      has
      on
      _
      the
     
     
      province,
      recent
      speculation
      indi-
     
     
      cates
      that
      indeed
      this
      election
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Result
      could
      be
      higher
      increase
      in
      tuition
     
    
   
   
    
     
      promise
      is
      in
      jeopardy
      and
      may
     
     
      fall
      to
      the
      cutting
      knife,”
     
     
      MacKenzie
      stated.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Jean
      Doherty,
      the
     
     
      Communications
      Director
      for
     
     
      Mildred
      Dover,
      the
      Minister
      of
     
     
      Education,
      would
      not
      comment
      on
     
     
      the
      status
      of
      this
      funding,
      except
      to
     
     
      say
      an
      announcement
      would
      be
     
     
      made
      through
      the
      budget
      process.
     
     
      Ms.
      Dover
      was
      unavailable
      for
     
     
      comment
      and
      did
      not
      return
      the
     
     
      Cadre’s
      calls.
      These
      signals
      from
     
     
      the
      government
      do
      nothing
      to
      dis-
     
     
      pel
      rumours
      that
      the
      additional
     
     
      funding
      will
      be
      cut,
      instead
     
     
      increasing
      speculation
      the
      Tories
     
     
      intend
      to
      back-track
      on
      their
      elec-
     
     
      tion
      promise.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Gary
      Bradshaw,
      the
      VP
      of
     
     
      Finance
      and
      Facilities
      for
      UPEI
     
     
      said
      that
      estimates
      regarding
      the
     
     
      bargaining
      agreement
      with
      the
     
     
      faculty
      were
      taken
      into
      account
     
     
      when
      the
      4
      %
      tuition
      increase
      was
     
     
      forecasted
      earlier
      in
      the
      school
     
     
      year
      and
      that
      the
      agreement
     
     
      included
      ‘nothing
      that
      would
      sig-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      nificantly
      alter
      the
      budget.’
      As
      for
     
     
      the
      additional
      provincial
      funding
     
     
      which
      is
      now
      _
      questionable,
     
     
      Bradshaw
      said
      he
      has
      no
      direct
     
     
      information
      regarding
      that
      and
     
     
      there
      has
      been
      no
      formal
      notifica-
     
     
      tion
      from
      the
      provincial
      govern-
     
     
      ment.
      He
      also
      adds
      that
      he
      is
      still
     
     
      optimistic
      about
      this
      funding
      but
     
     
      realizes
      the
      serious
      budget
      con-
     
     
      straints
      currently
      being
      felt
      by
      the
     
     
      province.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MacKenzie
      challenged
      the
     
     
      government
      to
      follow
      the
      lead
      of
     
     
      Newfoundland
      and
      Ontario,
      two
     
     
      provinces
      which
      recently
      initiated
     
     
      tuition
      freezes
      despite
      facing
      large
     
     
      deficits.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “I
      only
      hope
      that
      our
     
     
      province
      could
      use
      Newfoundland
     
     
      as
      a
      benchmark,
      which
      despite
      a
     
     
      much
      larger
      deficit
      again
      commit-
     
     
      ted
      to
      a
      freeze
      and
      decided
      to
     
     
      invest
      in
      their
      future.
      It’s
      too
      bad
     
     
      such
      a
      commitment
      can’t
      be
      made
     
     
      here.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      ~
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      UPEI
      Cadre
      March
      2,
      2004
      page
      5