Fact
      and
      Opinion
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Stephan
      MacLEOD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      The
      majority
      of
      industrialized
     
     
      countries
      do
      not
      impose
      tuition
      fees
     
     
      on
      higher
      education.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      I
      wouldn’t
      mind
      paying
     
     
      for
      higher
      education
      if
      I
      could
      at
      least
     
     
      get
      some
      Air
      Miles
      or
      Club
      Z
      points
     
     
      out
      of
      it.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      In
      May
      1976,
      Canada
      signed
     
     
      the
      United
      Nations’
      International
     
     
      Covenant
      on
      Economic,
      Social
      and
     
     
      Cultural
      Rights.
      Part
      III
      of
      Article
      13,
     
     
      Right
      to
      Education
      Section
      2
      (C)
     
     
      reads:
      “Higher
      Education
      shall
      be
     
     
      made
      equally
      accessible
      to
      all,
      on
      the
     
     
      basis
      of
      capacity,
      by
      every
      appropri-
     
     
      ate
      means,
      and
      in
      particular
      by
      the
     
     
      progressive
      introduction
      of
      free
      edu-
     
     
      cation.”
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      But
      if
      the
      Canadian
      gov-
     
     
      ernment
      actually
      followed
      any
      of
      the
     
     
      agreements
      it
      signed,
      it
      would
      actual-
     
     
      ly
      have
      to
      do
      stuff.
      Wouldn’t
      you
     
     
      rather
      watch
      curling
      and
      drink
      beer,
     
     
      instead
      of
      actually
      doing
      stuff?
      It’s
     
     
      the
      Canadian
      way.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      In
      Newfoundland,
      no
      user
     
     
      fees
      were
      imposed
      on
      post-secondary
     
     
      education
      until
      the
      1960s.
     
     
      OPINION:
      Coincidently,
      the
      first
     
     
      Newfie
      jokes
      appeared
      around
      the
     
     
      time
      they
      gave
      up
      free
      higher
      learn-
     
     
      ing.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      The
      first
      five
      Quebec
      commu-
     
     
      nity
      colleges
      of
      general
      and
      profes-
     
     
      sional
      training
      (CéGEP)
      opened
      in
     
     
      1967.
      As
      part
      of
      the
      major
      reforms
      to
     
     
      education
      in
      Quebec
      during
      the
      Quiet
     
     
      Revolution,
      CéGEPs
      were
      conceived
     
     
      as
      free,
      public
      institutions.
      CéGEPs
     
     
      continue
      to
      provide
      programs
      of
     
     
      study
      without
      tuition
      fees.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      French
      people
      must
      be
     
     
      crazy
      to
      have
      free
      programs
      of
      study!
     
     
      No
      wonder
      they
      eat
      rubbery
      cheese
     
    
   
   
    
     
      curd
      and
      fat-drenched
      gravy
      slopped
     
     
      on
      top
      of
      french
      fries.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      As
      an
      incentive
      to
      joining,
      the
     
     
      Department
      of
      National
      Defense
     
     
      offers
      to
      pay
      the
      tuition
      fees
      of
      cer-
     
     
      tain
      civilian
      candidates
      who
      enroll
      in
     
     
      the
      armed
      forces.
      DND
      also
      provides
     
     
      for
      the
      costs
      of
      higher
      education
      for
     
     
      selected
      ranking
      members
      of
      the
     
     
      armed
      forces.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      I’d
      be
      willing
      to
      get
      hazed
     
     
      for
      free
      education.
      A
      couple
      of
     
     
      shaved
      testicles
      would
      beat
      working
     
     
      at
      McDonald’s
      any
      day.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Currently,
      children
      of
      faculty
     
     
      and
      support
      staff
      at
      most
      post-sec-
     
     
      ondary
      education
      institutions
      have
      a
     
     
      contractual
      right
      to
      free
      tuition.
     
     
      OPINION:
      UPEI
      does
      not
      offer
      this
     
     
      right
      to
      family
      members
      of
      its
      faculty
     
     
      because
      the
      loss
      in
      revenue
      would
     
     
      take
      away
      from
      the
      money
      needed
      to
     
     
      invest
      in
      useless
      programs
      like
      Island
     
     
      Studies,
      Highland
      Bagpiping,
      and
     
     
      Business
      Administration.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Students
      in
      Canada
      are
      facing
     
     
      an
      average
      tuition
      fee
      increase
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      7.1%
      over
      last
      year
      -
      despite
      the
      fact
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      fees
      were
      frozen
      in
      British
     
     
      Columbia,
      Newfoundland
      and
     
     
      Quebec.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OPINION:
      Canada
      sucks.
      Our
      weath-
     
     
      er
      is
      too
      cold
      to
      piss
      in.
      Our
      national
     
     
      sport.
      features
      neanderthals
      prancing
     
     
      about
      on
      skates.
      Only
      morons
      would
     
     
      invent
      something
      as
      stupid
      as
      the
     
     
      Avro
      Arrow.
      And
      our
      shitty
      tuition
     
     
      increases
      7.1
      motherfucking
      percent!
     
     
      Screw
      this!.
      I’m
      moving»
      to
     
     
      Afghanistan.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Since
      1990,
      average
      tuition
     
     
      fees
      for
      undergraduate
      arts
      have
     
     
      increased
      by
      126%.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      I
      can’t
      think
      of
      anything
     
     
      funny
      to
      say
      about
      that
      fact.
      It’s
      way
     
     
      too
      disturbing
      to
      even
      understand.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      In
      Alberta,
      tuition
      fees
      have
     
     
      nearly
      tripled.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      Alberta’s
      provincial
      gov-
     
     
      ernment
      is
      threatened
      by
      an
      educated
     
     
      populace
      because
      they
      might
      be
      able
     
     
      to
      realize
      how
      batshit
      crazy
      their
     
     
      leaders
      really
      are.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Studies
      show
      that
      tuition
      fees
     
    
   
   
    
     
      have
      the
      strongest
      and
      most
      negative
     
     
      impact
      on
      the
      accessibility
      of
      higher
     
     
      education:
      a
      1995
      study
      showed
      that
     
     
      a
      16%
      increase
      in
      tuition
      fees
      would
     
     
      reduce
      enrollment
      by
      14%.
     
     
      OPINION:
      Thank
      God
      for
      call
      cen-
     
     
      ters.
     
    

    
     
      FACT:
      Governments
      themselves
     
     
      know
      that
      user
      fees
      on
      social
      pro-
     
     
      grams
      restrict
      access.
      Fees
      have
      been
     
     
      imposed
      “to
      make
      people
      think
     
     
      twice”
      before
      using
      public
      services.
     
     
      OPINION:
      After
      all,
      it’s
      not
      like
      the
     
     
      government
      is
      there
      to
      serve
      its
      citi-
     
     
      zens
      or
      anything.
      If
      they
      invested
      in
     
     
      education,
      they
      wouldn’t
     
     
      enough
      money
      left
      over
      to
      build
      their
     
    
   
   
    
     
      have
     
     
      golf
      courses.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      During
      the
      first
      three
      years
      of
     
     
      the
      freeze
      on
      tuition
      fees
      in
      British
     
     
      Columbia,
      enrollment
      increased
      by
     
     
      6.4%
      while
      in
      the
      rest
      of
      the
      coun-
     
     
      try’s
      enrollment
      decreased
      by
      2.7%.
     
     
      BC
      now
      ranks
      second
      in
      provincial
     
     
      participation
      rates.
     
    

    
     
      OPINION:
      So
      let’s
      make
      that
      clear—
     
     
      a
      tuition
      freeze
      results
      in
      increased
     
     
      enrollment
      while
      higher
      tuition
     
     
      results
      in
      decreased
      enrollment.
      Too
     
     
      bad
      the
      people
      who
      decide
      to
      raise
     
     
      tuition
      have
      their
      heads
      stuck
      up
      their
     
     
      asses.
      Otherwise
      we
      might
      actually
     
     
      have
      more
      people
      getting
      educated.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FACT:
      Today
      the
      governments
      of
     
     
      only
      four
      provinces—Saskatchewan,
     
     
      Manitoba,
      Quebec
      and
     
     
      Newfoundland—have
      taken
      or
     
     
      pledged
      to
      take
      bold
      action
      by
      freez-
     
     
      ing
      or
      reducing
      tuition
      fees.
     
     
      OPINION:
      Notice
      that
      six
      provinces
     
     
      are
      missing?
      I
      hope
      everyone
      reading
     
     
      this
      seriously
      considers
      leaving
      UPEI
     
     
      to
      attend
      school
      at
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      provinces
      listed
      above.
      No
      joke.