Thought you’d go to McGill to get a great education at a bargain price? Think again. Quebec is considering lifting the freeze on university tuition, and students are angry. Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper reported last week that riot police used tear gas to disperse students demonstrating against the possibility of increased tuition fees in Quebec.
Almost all Canadian universities are public. This means that in Canada, higher tuitions do in fact harm accessibility. If you can’t afford a state school, you’re not going to college. It’s understandable that Canadian students would be furious about tuition increases.
But if you read four paragraphs down in the Globe and Mail article you’ll find that Quebec students pay an average yearly tuition of $1,668-Canadian. Exchange rate in mind, you’re looking at a four-year college education that costs about $4500 US.
If Canadian students are complaining about increases on a $1,668 tuition shouldn’t Georgetown students be indignant about their tuition increases?
Last week, the Board of Directors announced a seven percent increase in tuition and a five percent increase in housing prices for next year. Higher tuition means higher student debt, more time working to repay loans, and greater personal sacrifice. Georgetown’s intimidating tuition numbers may also convince prospective students not to apply at all.
But some Hoyas may be winners. The University claims that the increases allow greater funding for financial aid. Paradoxically, higher tuition at Georgetown may actually increase accessibility.
Moreover, the University says it will spend the increased input on labor costs. No more complaining about eroding academic departments and lost professors. As for University support staff, at least the unionized ones will still receive health benefits.
However, Georgetown’s admirable promises of a better campus experiences from higher tuitions comes without follow up. This isn’t necessarily the University’s fault. But those who need to be asking questions aren’t.
Whether you gain or lose from tuition hikes, Canadian protests can teach students at Georgetown that pushing institutions to justify their spending often leads to efficiency and greater responsibility. Accountability demanded by taxpayers forces people to ask whether universities are doing everything they can to control cost, while also providing a quality education. In Canada and the United States, answering this question gives more people access to an affordable, first-class education.
Why did the Southwest Quadrangle cost $188 million? What sort of research is Georgetown funding? Can operating costs be reduced without compromising fair wage practices? Those questions are hard to answer without fiscal transparency. And students, faculty, staff and donors aren’t demanding answers every time the University asks for more money or decides to give less funding. However, the more people ask, the more likely is it that the university will respond with solutions.
