Reading material!
This weekend, I will be attending a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Federation of Students - British Columbia Component, at the University of Victoria. To prepare for this meeting, I assembled the minutes of previous Executive Committee meetings that were on file at the Kwantlen Student Association. After doing so, I thought that a good close to the day would involve scanning said documents and posting them online! They can be viewed here:
Alex Usher comments here on the unforseen negative effects of the decision of the government of Prince Edward Island to reduce tuition fees by 10% [PDF]. (The government also committed to maintaining tuition fees to the relate of inflation for the next four years.) Usher suggests that because the provincial loan forgiveness program would continue to forgive students loans higher than $6000, students receiving such loan forgiveness would not see any benefit from a fee reduction.
The problem - as I see it - is this: if what is happening to "Jill" in Usher's story is happening to lots of people in Prince Edward Island, then the net effect is that the provincial government will be spending less money on its student aid program, since so many students would be qualifying for less financial aid. Now, I can only presume that the officials in the Provincial Treasury and the Department of Education have anticipated this effect. They have two choices:
http://www.studentunion.ca/cfs/bc/exec/index.htmlIn other news....
Alex Usher comments here on the unforseen negative effects of the decision of the government of Prince Edward Island to reduce tuition fees by 10% [PDF]. (The government also committed to maintaining tuition fees to the relate of inflation for the next four years.) Usher suggests that because the provincial loan forgiveness program would continue to forgive students loans higher than $6000, students receiving such loan forgiveness would not see any benefit from a fee reduction.
The problem - as I see it - is this: if what is happening to "Jill" in Usher's story is happening to lots of people in Prince Edward Island, then the net effect is that the provincial government will be spending less money on its student aid program, since so many students would be qualifying for less financial aid. Now, I can only presume that the officials in the Provincial Treasury and the Department of Education have anticipated this effect. They have two choices:
- Maintain the threshold for loan forgiveness at its current level, thus disbursing less financial aid to students, thus reducing the budget of the PEI loan-forgiveness program (perhaps to fund the tuition cut?), OR
- Decrease the threshold for loan forgiveness, but maintaining the loan-forgiveness budget at its current level. In this case, the tuition cut would have to be funded by some other souce (tax hike, cut to some other government service, university capital freeze, etc.).
Labels: cfs, post-secondary_education
12 Comments:
Your analysis is half correct, Titus. But there isn't going to be a change in student aid. If there were, they would have announced it. You're assuming provincial finance ministries actually understand student aid. My experience is that they don't and that what I describe here will likley be news to the Finance people.
Here's a more interesting question: given the effects I describe, does CFS support the tuition cut? The answer to that will go a long way to deciding whether or not they care more about ideology or about actual students.
Does anyone else find it really creepy that they only refer to each other by their local numbers?
Wow...how depressing that at age 40something Alex Usher is still engaged in this petty fight with the CFS. It's funny how he transforms any group he is a part of to just advancing his agenda - CASA, Millennium Scholarships, this crazy American lobby group EPI - it's all just the Alex Usher CFS-conspiracy gong show!
Regarding the minutes...I just looked at the most recent one (December 2006) and they mostly seem to be identified by last names rather than local numbers. All the motions have last named (e.g. moved by Beams/Crawford). All the debate is by name too...(e.g. "McFadden said... Vaid said...White said...").
...and those people are listed as the reps for Local 05 or Local 23. They never actually name a school, just the number.
Why is it that CFS supporters seem to come on this blog solely to attack others personally, or attack those people based on their age. Grow up. Most of the CFS people I know are pushing 30 anyway. If you have a problem with Alex, or George, or anyone else who comments on this blog, make it about their argument, and nothing else. Defend an opposing view, don't drag yourself down into the gutter of petty insults.
How about Philip Link?
Last time he was a student was 81... guy has to be pushing 50....
Oh yeah, Link is the head of the CFS to boot!
And how old is Hattie Aitken? I don't think it's stupid for people of all ages to work for student associations. What is bizarre is continuing to obsess over them once you are no longer in school and it is no longer your job. Alex Usher works for an American policy institute and yet he still has a schoolyard pissing contest with the CFS whenever he gets the change. BTW, who's "George" and how was he insulted?
That's exactly my point. Don't criticize the person, criticize the argument.
No one cares that you think Usher is having "pissing contests" with the CFS. That statement is irrelevant and doesn't accomplish anything. If you disagree with Usher, disagree with him, don't insult him.
I was referring to George Pringle who was insulted in the same manner in a comment on an earlier post.
If you can't defend the CFS, don't stoop to insulting those who present a good critique of the CFS.
I feel as though your missing a valid point here. That is the vast majority of students in UPEI, this reduction will be beneficial. There is a small minority where the situation you described would happen but this is clearly in the best interest of the majority. For those it doesn't benefit, they are no worse off then where they started so I don't see what the problem is as it doesn't make anyone worse off.
I feel it is also important to note how often OSAP would give 6000 or just under it to students just to avoid the line. You can always argue this doesn't happen and I can always argue it does but it is something to think about.
Yes, the Jills suffer a minor tax benefit loss, which they'll only feel once they've started earning enough income to have to pay taxes in the first place.
And while Jack benefits some from the program, let's take a look at the effects to Jane. Jane is a mother supporting herself and her child in a low-level position, limited by only having her high-school education. She'd go to post-secondary part-time if she could afford it, but tuitions seem just a little bit too high when trying to budget in food and rent, and her income is too high when she goes to student finance.
This reduction puts tuition in reach, and the policy to not increase tuition by more than inflation means she can be fairly confident it will stay within reach as the years go by.
Does Alex support the tuition cut? The answer to that will go a long way to deciding whether or not he cares about the truly disadvantaged (those stuck in the cracks) or his anti-CFS ideology.
Some said Phil Link was the head of the CFS. Isn't it AManada Asis?
I may be worng but doesn't the CFS run programs and services. Is it not understandable then that you would have acreer positions there to supplement the student leadership?
Or does that make sense to everyone? If it doesn't, I suggest reading a book or perhaps get out into the real word.
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