20090504 - Anssa - Budget Response

The Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations Suite 233, 1657 Barrington St. Halifax, NS B3J 2A1. (902) 422-4068 ____________________________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release

May 4, 2009

Infrastructure Infrastructure funding good, but budget fails to live up to previous commitments (Halifax) – The Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations (ANSSA), representing over 80% of the students in Nova Scotia, expected more in the 2009 provincial budget. ANSSA welcomes the announcement of increased infrastructure funding, but is extremely disappointed in the lack of funds for student financial aid and the failure to live up to student expectations and funding commitments to the province’s universities outlined just over a year ago. “We are pleased that the government has recognized the importance of infrastructure funding at our universities,” explained ANSSA Executive Director, Mark Coffin. “Unfortunately, this spending is only a drop in the bucket compared to the $422 million backlog of accumulated deferred maintenance projects at Nova Scotia universities.” “While infrastructure spending is a much needed investment, the government must keep their previous commitments on student financial aid and on funding to the universities in order to ensure higher education remains accessible, affordable and of the highest quality,” added Coffin. The province of Nova Scotia still boasts the highest tuition rates in the country, with average undergraduate tuition fees totaling $5,932.801 annually. Additionally, the province of Nova Scotia dedicates only 5.5% of total expenditures to post-secondary education; four points below the national average2. Students are disappointed that the province has failed to live up to funding commitments promised last year in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the province and its universities. The tabled budget indicates that Nova Scotia’s universities will receive roughly $1.5 Million less than was originally promised, and according to department spokespeople the MOU has been renegotiated without student consultation. “We are extremely disappointed that students were not involved in the negotiation process for the new MOU, as expected from a clause in the previous MOU and we are concerned about the risk of a reduced quality of education associated with decreased operating revenue at universities,” said Coffin. In addition to infrastructure spending for universities, ANSSA made the following recommendations in their pre-budget submission to the provincial government earlier this year, none of which were acted upon in this provincial budget: o

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The implementation of an up front grants system to support underrepresented students in the higher education system, specifically a grants system that supports Aboriginal and African Nova Scotians as well as first-generation university students. The initiation of a comprehensive review of the post-secondary education system in Nova Scotia. Increasing the province’s total expenditures on post-secondary education to the national average, 5.9%3 of all provincial expenditures. - 30 –

For more information please contact: Mark Coffin Executive Director, ANSSA Tel: 902.422.4068 Email: [email protected]

Emma Cullen Chair, ANSSA Tel: 902.585.2127 Email: [email protected]

The Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations (ANSSA) is a notnot-forfor-profit, nonnon-partisan lobby group representing the interests of over 80% of Nova Scotian students. We are over 36,000 students at Cape Breton University, Saint Mary's University, Dalhousie University, Acadia University and St. Francis Xavier University. 1

Statistics Canada, The Daily. Accessed Online: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/081009/dq081009a-eng.htm Canadian Association of University Teachers, CAUT Almanac of Post-Secondary Education 2008 (Ottawa: CAUT, 2008), p. 3;accessed online at http://www.caut.ca/uploads/ 2008_CAUT_Almanac.PDF 2