N.S. student group proposing fee increase

Student unions in the Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations asked to cover rising costs

The Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations is proposing a 25 per cent increase in the fee paid by its most of its members

Student associations at Dalhousie, Acadia, St. FX and Saint Mary's University currently pay two dollars to the association every year for full-time students and one dollar for part-time students. The proposed 50-cent increase for each student will allow the association to meet the demands of rising inflation, says Mark Coffin, vice-president of education for the Dalhousie Student Union.

Membership dues are covered under the DSU's general operations budget, which is funded by students as part of their student union fee. It is not a direct levy like the $1 they pay to be members of the Halifax Student Alliance.

Coffin credits the organization with helping bring about a tuition freeze at Nova Scotia universities and for making progress in advocating for non-deferential tuition fees for students who come from out of province.

Other council members, who commented on the proposal at the DSU's meeting Wednesday night, were concerned about the effect the increase would have on the budget and the sustainability of the increase, especially in the face of a potential drop in enrolment in the coming years.

The DSU's vice-president of finance, Matt Golding, thinks the idea is sustainable for at least one year. He says the DSU needs to look at its budget more carefully, but if funding continues to come in as it does now, the DSU budget could handle the changes. He says it depends on the rise in minimum wage and how much the DSU would then have to pay employees.

DSU President Courtney Larkin is behind the changes.

"This is something that could really help ANSSA. We need to think of all things we need to do that could really benefit our students."

The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada reports that Dalhousie had 13,040 full-time students and 2,100 part-time students in September 2008. Using these figures Dalhousie's membership dues this year would be $28,180.

The increase will not go through if one of the schools in the association's network does not approve the changes. The DSU's council will vote on the fee proposal in two weeks . If approved, it will be the association's first fee increase in five years.

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