The
      Panther
      Prints
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ACTION
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Facts
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Post-secondary
      educa-
     
     
      tion
      is
      financed
      through
      gov-
     
     
      ernment
      grants
      funded
      by
      tax-
     
     
      payers.
      Tuition
      fees
      are
      a
      sur-
     
     
      charge
      or
      user
      fee,
      and
      as
      such
     
     
      are
      a
      barrier
      to
      access
      and
      a
     
     
      hurdle
      to
      equity
      in
      education.
     
    

    
     
      Over
      the
      last
      decade
      tui-
     
     
      tion
      fees
      have
      increased
      on
     
     
      average
      140%
      nationally.The
     
     
      average
      tuition
      fee
      bill
      for
      a
     
     
      full
      course
      load
      in
      1996
      is
     
     
      $3,000.Taking
      the
      average
     
     
      minimum
      wage
      in
      Canada
      of
     
     
      $5.58,
      a
      student
      working
      40
     
     
      hoursa
      week
      for
      16
      weeks
      will
     
     
      gross
      about
      $3,500.
      Ifthis
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      has
      no
      expenses
      while
      she
     
    

    
     
      is
      working,
      this
      amount
      may
     
     
      just
      cover
      tuition
      and
      ancillary
     
     
      fees.
      The
      question
      remains
      how
     
     
      students
      will
      pay
      for
     
     
      housing,food,textbooks
      and
     
     
      transportation.
     
    

    
     
      Over
      the
      last
      decade,the
     
     
      share
      of
      institutional
      revenues
     
     
      provided
      by
      tuition
      fees
      has
     
     
      increased
      at
      twice
      the
      rate
      of
     
     
      government
      grants:
     
    

    
     
      Between
      1986
      and
      1991,
     
     
      university
      operating
      revenue
     
     
      increased
      28.9%—an
      average
     
     
      yearly
      increase
      of
      4.3%,
     
    

    
     
      University
      operating
      ex-
     
     
      penses
      for
      the
      same
      period
      in-
     
     
      creased
      31.2%—an
      .
      average
     
     
      yearly
      increase
      of
      4.6%.
     
    

    
     
      Revenues
      from
      tuition
     
     
      fees
      for
      the
      same
      period
      in-
     
     
      creased
      by
      60.8%—an
      aver-
     
     
      age
      yearly
      increase
      of
      8.2%.
     
    

    
     
      At
      the
      same
      time,
      the
     
     
      Consumer
      Price
      Index,
      ameas-
     
     
      ure
      of
      the
      average
      increase
      in
     
     
      price
      of
      basic
      goods
      and
      serv-
     
     
      ices,
      increased
      by
      28.1%—an
     
     
      average
      yearly
      increase
      of
     
     
      4.2%.
     
    

    
     
      Student
      financial
      assist-
     
     
      ance
      is
      often
      the
      only
      avenue
     
     
      open
      to
      students
      who
      don'thave
     
     
      the
      money
      to
      pay
      ever-increas-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      tuition
      fees
      and
      living
      costs.
     
    

    
     
      Student
      borrowing
      con-
     
     
      tinues
      to
      rise.
      At
      present
      over
     
     
      half
      of
      all
      students
      must
      bor-
     
     
      row
      to
      finance
      their
     
     
      education.The
      current
      rate
      of
     
     
      interest
      applied
      to
      student
      loans
     
     
      is
      just
      under
      10%.
     
    

    
     
      Priorto
      1991,85%
      of
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      who
      borrowed
      graduated
     
     
      with
      a
      total
      debt
      load
      of
      under
     
     
      $
      15,000.
      Student
      borrowers
     
     
      graduating
      in
      1996
      have
      an
     
     
      average
      debt
      load
      of
      $24,000.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Why
      are
      student
     
     
      debts
      so
      high?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Increasing
      tuition
      fees;
      a
     
     
      political
      climate
      which
      encour-
     
     
      ages
      high
      interest
      rates;
      a
      high
     
     
      rate
      of
      unemployment
      and
      the
     
     
      lack
      of
      a
      federal
      job
      strategy;
     
     
      and
      the
      elimination
      of
      student
     
     
      grants
      in
      all
      provinces
      except
     
     
      for
      Quebec(and
      minimal
      grants
     
     
      in
      B.C.and
      N.B.)
      over
      the
      last
     
     
      5
      years.
     
    

    
     
      The
      student
      (aged
      15
      to
     
     
      24)unemploymentrate
      for
      July
     
     
      1996
      was
      18.4%.This
      trans-
     
     
      lates
      into
      247,000
      students
      who
     
     
      have
      no
      means
      to
      pay
      basic
     
     
      living
      expenses,
      let
      alone
      tui-
     
     
      tion
      fees.
      For
      those
      who
      do
     
     
      have
      jobs,
      their
      wages
      have
      not
     
     
      kept
      pace
      with
      inflation—Ca-
     
     
      nadian
      workers
      now
      earn
     
     
      roughly
      the
      same
      amountas
      in
     
     
      1976.
     
    

    
     
      The
      increasing
      level
      of
     
     
      accumulated
      debt
      is
      deterring
     
     
      some
      individuals
      from
      continu-
     
     
      ing—or
      even
      beginning—their
     
     
      studies.
     
    

    
     
      Accessibility
      to
      educa-
     
     
      tion
      refers
      to
      a
      system
      which
     
     
      allows
      entry
      to
      all
      potential
     
     
      students
      regardless
      of
      their
      in-
     
     
      come
      or
      ability
      to
      pay.An
      ac-
     
     
      cessible
      system
      of
      post-second-
     
     
      ary
      education
      would
      not
      charge
     
     
      user
      (tuition)
      fees.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Your
      education
     
     
      will
      last
      a
      lifetime.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Your
      student
      debt
     
     
      shouldn’t.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      21
      -
      25,
      1996
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PRAIRIES
      -
      Monday,
      Oct.
      21
      *
      BC
      &
      YUKON
      -
      Tuesday,
      Oct.
      22
      ¢
     
     
      ATLANTIC
      -
      Wednesday,
      Oct.
      23
      ¢
      QUEBEC
      -
      Thursday,
      Oct.
      24
      «
     
     
      ONTARIO
      -
      Friday,
      Oct.
      25
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Get
      involved
      in
      the
     
     
      campaign
      against
      cuts
      to
     
     
      post-secondary
      education
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      rising
      tuition
      fees.
     
     
      Call
      566-0530.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canadian
      Federation
     
     
      of
      Students
     
    
   
   
    
     
      www.cfs-fcee.ca