Feb 7th, The Word is Spreading

Windsor Students Deliver 3,000 Petition Signatures to Sandra Pupatello Calling for the Reduction of Tuition Fees

Canadian Federation of Students Ontario

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

WINDSOR--
Students from the University of Windsor delivered 3,000 petition signatures to the constituency office of Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sandra Pupatello today. The petition calls for the rollback of the McGuinty government’s tuition fee increases, the restoration of the tuition fee freeze, and an increase in funding for post-secondary education.

“Premier McGuinty’s Reaching Higher Plan for tuition fee increases makes going to university even harder for most of us,” said Justin Teeuwen, President of the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance. “Increasing tuition fees does nothing to encourage the ‘knowledge economy’ we’ve heard so much about.”After the McGuinty government increased tuition fees by 4 to 8%, students’ unions across Ontario collected signatures from tens of thousands of voters since the beginning of classes this September. The petitions delivered to Pupatello today follow the delivery of more than 40,000 signatures presented to MPPs and the Premier earlier this fall by students at Carleton University, George Brown College, University of Guelph, Lakehead University, Laurentian University, University of Ottawa, Ryerson University, University of Toronto, and York University.

“Student debt has gone up almost 350% in the last 15 years and that’s because tuition fees have increased four times faster than inflation,” said Lena Mangoff, President of the University of Windsor Graduate Students’ Society. “With increases as high as 8%, graduate students have been hit with the highest of all tuition fee increases in the province.”

“The McGuinty government’s tuition fee increases will result in a claw back of more than $1.30 for every dollar invested in student aid. Meanwhile part-time students aren’t eligible for any Ontario financial aid at all,” said Badaruddin Khuhro, President of the University of Windsor Organization of Part-time University Students.

“Dalton McGuinty has broken his promise to freeze tuition fees at a time when the Ontario government is sitting on a $300 million surplus and new money from the federal government for post-secondary education,” said Jesse Greener, Ontario Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. “The petition of 3,000 University of Windsor students delivered today demonstrates that McGuinty’s plan for tuition fee increases is out of step with Ontario voters.”

The Canadian Federation of Students, Canada’s national student organisation, unites more than 500,000 college and university students across the country, and nearly 300,000 in Ontario. On February 7, 2007, students across Canada will be participating in a National Student Day of Action against tuition fee increases. Visit www.ReduceTuitionFees.ca for more campaign information.