UBC Student Vote for Action Against Tuition and Residence Hikes
After I had read a few other UBC students blogs in regards to the most recent controversy – increase in tuition fee and housing costs, I raised the following questions.
– How ironic is that the University of British Colombia offered 17 tuition waivers for domestic students under special circumstances while proposing a 10% increase in tuition for international students and 20% increase in housing costs for the majority of students?
– How many international students, who are longing for high quality education, are struggling with their financial issues and are unable to afford to attend post-secondary?
– Is UBC one of the institutes, who don’t care about students’ voice and claim their decisions that are all for the sake of the students?
#I AM A STUDENT I HAVE THE RIGHT TO GET EDUCATION
I believe that we students should have the rights to decide whether or not the university’s proposal/decision is beneficial for ourselves, and we students have the rights to say “No” to the university’s unpopular decisions. After all, we students are the customers who pay a large amount of money for the services, the education provided by the supplier, the university.
By analogy, in my opinion, UBC is acting as a monopoly, who has the market power to set whatever price they like to maximize their profits, knowing that there are always students/customers who are willing to pay regardless of how ridiculous the new price is.
Indeed, from a business point of view, maximizing profits is the key. However as a public post-secondary institution, whose responsibility is to provide education opportunities for all students over the world, the University of British Columbia should also have a strong sense of social responsibility, should as well as take international students’ voice and sake into solid consideration.
“Education and affordable housing is a right, not a privilege”. — Ivan Leonce
Without education, what would the world be like?
Web References:
http://www.hercampus.com/school/ubc/ubc-ams-agm-amongst-other-acronyms
http://news.ubc.ca/2014/10/29/overcoming-the-past-seeing-a-new-future/
https://consultations.students.ubc.ca/consultations/international-student-tuition-consultation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_British_Columbia
http://thetalon.ca/ivan-leonces-teach-in-speech-thats-not-consultation-thats-notice/