Is
      Freezing
      Tuition
      the
      Best
      Thing
      we
      can
      do
      for
     
     
      University
      Students?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      has
      been
      a
      lot
      of
      talk
      this
     
     
      past
      week
      about
      raising
      and
      freezing
     
     
      tuition
      and
      all
      of
      that
      other
      stuff
      students
     
     
      with
      shallow
      pocketbooks
      have
      to
      worry
     
     
      about.
      While
      I
      would
      not
      complain
      if,
      all
     
     
      of
      a
      sudden,
      the
      government
      forked
      over
     
     
      enough
      money
      to
      freeze
      tuition
      costs
      for
     
     
      the
      next
      decade
      -
      or,
      as
      I
      prefer,
      for
      the
     
     
      next
      three
      years
      -
      I
      also
      wonder
      what
      the
     
     
      repercussions
      would
      be
      to
      having
      a
      tuition
     
     
      freeze.
     
    

    
     
      Quality
      education
      requires
      money,
     
     
      no
      bones
      about
      it.
      Somehow,
      some
      way,
     
     
      we
      will
      pay,
      whether
      it's
      the
      day
      we
      regis-
     
     
      ter,
      the
      six
      months
      after
      we
      graduate,
      or
     
     
      the
      taxes
      we
      begin
      to
      pay
      once
      we're
      in
      the
     
     
      real
      world
      and
      working
      at
      paying
      jobs.
     
     
      The
      question
      is:
      is
      a
      tuition
      freeze
      the
      best
     
     
      way
      to
      go
      about
      it?
     
    

    
     
      If
      the
      tuition
      costs
      are
      halted
      for
     
     
      four
      or
      five
      years,
      what
      happens
      when
      the
     
     
      tuition
      freeze
      is
      over?
      Chances
      are,
      the
     
     
      tuition
      is
      going
      to
      jump
      dramatically,
      per-
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      haps
      as
      much
      as
      it
      has
      at
      the
      University
      of
     
     
      Victoria,
      where
      this
      year
      costs
      rose
      an
     
     
      astonishing
      30
      per
      cent
      (though
      on
      the
     
     
      bright
      side
      it
      still
      only
      costs
      $3,600).
     
    

    
     
      Is
      it
      fair
      for
      someone
      who
      has
      a
     
     
      bill
      of
      $3,000
      to
      face
      one
      of
      $3,900
      within
     
     
      the
      span
      of
      one
      year?
      Wouldn't
      it
      be
      better
     
     
      to
      increase
      the
      cost
      gradually
      at
      a
      tuition
     
     
      increase
      of
      10
      per
      cent
      every
      three
      years
      so
     
     
      students
      can
      prepare
      for
      it?
      Think:
      $3,300,
     
     
      $3,600,
      then
      $3,900.
      At
      least
      if
      the
     
     
      increases
      come
      a
      little
      bit
      over
      three
      years,
     
     
      no
      one
      has
      to
      suddenly
      give
      up
      their
      edu-
     
     
      cation,
      which
      they
      will
      have
      to
      consider
      if
     
     
      their
      bill
      jumps
      30
      per
      cent
      in
      one
      year.
     
    

    
     
      Aside
      from
      the
      tuition
      freeze,
     
     
      what
      happens
      if
      university
      becomes
      dirt
     
     
      cheap
      and
      tuition
      is
      frozen?
      Would
      the
     
     
      professors
      lose
      out
      on
      pay,
      then
      leave
      so
     
     
      they
      could
      go
      to
      a
      province
      where
      the
      pay
     
     
      is
      better
      like
      so
      many
      physicians
      have
     
     
      done?
      Would
      thousands
      of
      students
      from
     
     
      across
      the
      country
      flock
      to
      this
      cheap
      uni-
     
     
      versity,
      causing
      over-booked
      classrooms
     
     
      where
      professors’
      attentions
      must
      be
     
    
   
   
    
     
      diverted
      to
      hundreds
      of
      students
      in
      each
     
     
      and
      every
      class?
      Would
      students
      not
      put
     
     
      as
      much
      effort
      into
      their
      studies,
      knowing
     
     
      the
      costs
      are
      so
      minimal
      they
      could
      stay
      in
     
     
      school
      for
      years
      upon
      years
      without
      rack-
     
     
      ing
      up
      a
      big
      debt?
     
    

    
     
      Don't
      get
      me
      wrong.
      I
      would
     
     
      love
      to
      have
      a
      cheaper
      tuition
      bill.
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      would
      really,
      really
      love
      that.
      I
     
     
      can't
      imagine
      what
      it
      would
      be
      like
      to
      not
     
     
      pay
      $10,000
      a
      year
      to
      learn
      a
      little
      Plato
     
     
      and
      English.
     
    

    
     
      But
      I
      also
      know
      freezing
      tuition
      is
     
     
      not
      the
      answer
      to
      a
      big
      problem.
      What
      is?
     
     
      Increasing
      overall
      funding,
      but
      again,
      this
     
     
      is
      a
      pipe
      dream.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      May
      5.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      page
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      Plans
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Surf
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      consider
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      Governments
      have
      no
      extra
     
     
      money,
      especially
      in
      a
      small
      province
      like
     
     
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
      that
      has
      to
      rely
      on
     
     
      the
      federal
      government
      for
      so
      much
      money
     
     
      in
      equalization
      payments.
      Is
      it
      fair
      to
      ask
     
     
      people
      with
      mysterious
      ailments
      to
      wait
     
     
      for
      an
      MRI
      because
      there
      is
      no
      money
      to
     
     
      properly
      equip
      hospitals,
      just
      so
      university
     
     
      students
      don't
      have
      to
      come
      out
      of
      college
     
     
      with
      a
      few
      hundred
      dollars
      less
      in
      debt?
     
     
      Especially
      when
      the
      average
      university
     
     
      graduate
      is
      going
      to
      make
      more
      over
      their
     
     
      lifetime
      than
      someone
      with
      just
      a
      high
     
     
      school
      education?
     
    

    
     
      There
      is
      no
      free
      lunch.
      We
      all
     
     
      pay
      somehow,
      someway.
     
    

    
     
      I
      wish
      I
      could
      propose
      a
      solution
     
     
      that
      would
      work
      other
      than
      tuition
      freez-
     
     
      ing,
      but
      I
      am
      certain
      I
      don't
      want
      to
      face
     
     
      one
      huge
      increase
      every
      three
      or
      four
      years
     
     
      rather
      than
      a
      gradual
      increase.
     
    

    
     
      It
      is
      just
      not
      fair
      to
      those
      students
     
     
      who
      are
      coming
      behind
      us,
      or
      to
      those
      will
     
     
      be
      in
      school
      long
      enough
      to
      face
      some-
     
     
      thing
      like
      a
      30
      per
      cent
      jump
      in
      tuition.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
           
     
     
        
         
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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