UPEI
      Students
      Freeze
      for
      Tuition
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Despite
      the
      freezing
      rain
      and
     
     
      despite
      the
      bitter
      winds,
      three
      dozen
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      slept
      in
      tents
      and
      igloos
      on
      campus
     
     
      last
      week
      before
      driving
      to
      the
      provincial
     
     
      legislature
      on
      the
      back
      on
      Opposition
     
     
      Leader
      Ron
      MacKinley's
      hay
      wagon.
     
    

    
     
      Why?
      To
      protest
      rising
      tuition
     
     
      costs.
      UPEI
      has
      announced
      a
      likely
     
     
      increase
      of
      four
      to
      six
      per
      cent
      in
      time
      for
     
     
      the
      fall
      semester,
      adding
      anywhere
      from
     
     
      $154
      to
      $232
      to
      a
      student's
      tuition
      cost.
     
     
      (The
      cost
      of
      one
      course
     
     
      is
      $387.)
      UPEI
      has
      one
     
     
      of
      the
      lowest
      tuition
     
     
      costs
      of
      the
      Maritime
     
     
      Universities,
      compared
     
     
      to
      schools
      like
      Acadia,
     
     
      where
      students
      pay
      about
     
     
      $6,500,
      but
      Island
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      are
      still
      asking
      the
     
     
      provincial
      government
      to
     
     
      increase
      funding
      to
      their
     
     
      school.
     
    

    
     
      "To
      see
      a
      tuition
      freeze
      would
      be
     
     
      very
      nice,"
      says
      Student
      Union
      President
     
     
      Chris
      Power.
      "We
      want
      to
      see
      fees
      at
      a
     
     
      level
      where
      they're
      realistic."
     
    

    
     
      Tuesday
      night,
      about
      20
      students
     
     
      spent
      the
      night
      behind
      the
      dining
      hall,
     
     
      packed
      into
      tents
      and
      an
      igloo.
      Freezing
     
     
      rain,
      however,
      began
      in
      early
      evening,
     
     
      making
      it
      a
      wet,
      miserable
      night
      for
      the
     
     
      protesting
      students.
     
    

    
     
      Even
      on
      Wednesday,
      it
      seemed
      as
     
     
      though
      the
      weather
      did
      not
      want
      to
      co-
      —
     
     
      operate:
      a
      hard
      wind
      blew
      as
      the
      students
     
     
      travelled
      to
      the
      legislature
      on
      the
      back
      of
     
     
      Ron
      MacKinley's
      hay
      wagon,
      holding
     
     
      bright
      yellow
      signs.
      While
      at
      the
      legisla-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Close
      to
      three
      dozen
      people
      showed
      up
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ture,
      students
      met
      with
      several
      politicians,
     
     
      including
      provincial
      treasurer
      Pat
      Mella,
     
     
      Opposition
      Leader
      Ron
      MacKinley
      and
     
     
      NDP
      Leader
      Gary
      Robichaud.
     
    

    
     
      Basically,
      says
      Power,
      the
      govern-
     
     
      ment
      said
      the
      same
      things
      it
      has
      been
      say-
     
     
      ing
      -
      that
      they
      need
      to
      have
      the
      federal
     
     
      government
      dole
      out
      more
      cash
      -
      and
     
     
      Power
      is
      not
      optimistic
      there
      will
      be
      a
     
     
      tuition
      freeze
      next
      year.
     
    

    
     
      "It
      was
      the
      same
      answer
      we
      get
     
     
      every
      time,"
      he
      says
      of
      the
      meeting
      with
     
     
      government
      officials.
      "We
      haven't
      been
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      too
      successful
      in
      freezing
      tuition
      for
      the
     
     
      last
      few
      years."
     
    

    
     
      Still,
      he
      is
      pleted
      with
      how
      the
     
     
      protest
      turned
      out,
      even
      if
      the
      weather
      dis-
     
     
      suaded
      many
      people
      from
      attending.
     
     
      While
      the
      government
      did
      not
      offer
      any-
     
     
      thing
      new,
      Power
      says
      the
      mission
      of
      the
     
     
      protest
      was
      to
      put
      the
      student's
      concerns
      .
     
     
      into
      the
      public
      eye.
      Considering
      the
      media
     
     
      attention
      garnered
      by
      the
      protests,
      covered
     
     
      by
      the
      local
      media,
      it
      is
      quite
      possible.
     
     
      more
      people
      are
      thinking
      about
      the
      cost
      of
     
     
      higher
      education.
     
    

    
     
      Though
      a
      cap
      on
      tuition
      for
      next
     
     
      year
      is
      part
      of
      the
      request,
      the
      Student
     
     
      Union
      would
      also
      like
      to
      see
      government
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Old
      Cadres
      do
      their
      part
      to
      help
      keep
      the
      tenters
      warm
     
    
   
   
    
     
      invest
      in
      maintenance
     
     
      of
      the
      buildings
      on
     
     
      campus,
      as
      well
      as
      new
     
     
      ones.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Student
     
     
      Union
      met
      with
      Mella
     
     
      two
      weeks
      ago
      to
      dis-
     
     
      cuss
      the
      matter,
      but
     
     
      didn't
      get
      any
      promises
     
     
      tuition
      costs
      will
      stay
     
     
      frozen
      for
      one
      year.
     
     
      Multi-year
      tuition
     
     
      freezes,
      says
      Power,
     
     
      are
      not
      a
      good
      idea,
      as
     
     
      in
      British
      Columbia,
     
     
      some
      universities
      are
     
     
      raising
      tuition
      30
      per
     
     
      cent
      after
      long
      tuition
     
     
      freezes.
     
    

    
     
      While
      it
      does-
     
     
      n't
      look
      like
      tuition
      is
      |
     
     
      going
      to
      be
      capped
      for
      |
     
     
      the
      fall
      semester,
     
     
      Power
      says
      there
      prob-
     
     
      ably
      will
      be
      changes
      to
     
     
      provincial
      student
     
     
      loans
      to
      help
      Island
     
     
      students
      pay
      for
      uni-
     
     
      versity's
      rising
      cost.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      big
      igloo,
      with
      four
      protest-campers
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      What
      whould
      be
      a
      protest
      without
      Blair
      Ross?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -@
      CHEESE
      BURGERS
     
     
      3
      MOZZA
      POUTINES
     
     
      _
      LARGE
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      RINGS