National Day of Action
Interview with Mike Snoddon, LUSU President on the National Day of Action
A motion was passed by the Alumni Association of Lakehead University for an interview to be conducted with LUSU President, Mike Snoddon regarding the upcoming National Day of Action rally. This interview was conducted to inform the alumni of Lakehead University about activities that are taking place on campus. The Alumni Association has not taken a stance on this issue but encourages its members to stay informed about campus activities and issues.
Interview:
Tell us about the event and the issue:
“Education is a Right” is a rally that students of Lakehead University will take part in on February 1, 2012 in the Agora. The rally will protest chronic underfunding of public services and the rising cost of post-secondary education. The rally is part of the Canadian Federation of Students National Day of Action and students will call on the Federal and provincial governments to develop and implement the following recommendations:
- Develop and implement a national vision for high quality and accessible system, of post-secondary education
- Reduce student debt
- Funding for research and graduate studies
- Fund aboriginal education
How much debt are students currently in?
In Ontario students collectively own more than $15 billion to the federal government and 7 Billion to the province of Ontario and even more to banks from private home loans and lines of credit. Students with both government and private loans owe $37,000 on average at graduation.
What are your strategies/tactics for the rally?
In these hard economic times citizens need a tuition break. Community support is going to be the biggest tactic and making sure citizens are well informed. Tuition fees in Ontario are the highest in the country. Fees have raised by 59% in the last 6 years, at 370 per cent the ratio of inflation. If tuition fee increases were capped at inflation, students would be paying a fraction of what they do now.
LUSU will be reaching out to the community, faculty, senate and general administration at Lakehead University to lower student debt in these hard economic times.
What message are you trying to get across?
We want to ensure that government policy has the goal of addressing equality in access to post-secondary education. We are also concerned that the tuition fee grant will exclude students who need it the most. Ontario has the lowest per-students funding in the country, $15,000 less per student then Albert and potential students are reluctant to take on the required debt and associated risks required to pay for their university degree. After graduation, student debt distorts career choice, especially among professionals which in turn undermines access to health care and legal aid.
Student action has proven to work and some examples are listed below:
- $410 million in new need-based grants in Ontario
- Reintroduction of needs based grants in Nova Scotia
- Tuition fees froze in New Brunswick, 2010
- Tuition freeze froze in Manitoba until 2009
- Elimination of interest on loans in Newfoundland & Labrador, 2008
- Tuition fee reductions in PEI, 2007
- Tuition fee freeze In Saskatchewan, 2006
- Tuition fee cap in British Colombia, since 2005
- 30 years of tuition freezes in Quebec
The rally is the beginning step LUSU will be taking in convincing government in making these big changes.
How are you working with internal stakeholders?
LUSU has met with senior administration to discuss where they stand.
How can alumni get involved?
Alumni can get involved by getting in touch with the student union. They can also attend actions or events in the community or email their Member of Provincial Parliament, Member of Parliament, or local/campus newspaper. The students of Lakehead are always looking to recruit individuals as this needs to be done in order to see changes happen.
For more information or to get involved you can visit dropfees.ca or contact the LUSU department
955 Oliver Road, SC-0001
Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1
PHONE: 807.343.8259
FAX: 807.343.8598
EMAIL: lusu%23ca|general
Interview by: Amanda Bahlieda
