Informal Discussion with CASA National Director

Zach Churchill, National Director for the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, will be visiting the UASU tomorrow. Students who are interested in learning more about the Students' Union's federal advocacy body are encouraged to come to an informal discussion tomorrow evening at 5:00pm in the SUB Lower Level Meeting Room or to attend the meeting of Students' Council at 6:00pm in University Hall, where several of officers of CASA will be giving a presentation to the members of council.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the Students' Union's involvement with CASA please contact Beverly Eastham at vp.external@su.ualberta.ca Continue reading...

Federal Budget

From Academica:

Mixed reaction to PSE funding outlined in federal budget: While the Conservative government is being praised for earmarking $2 billion for post-secondary infrastructure in its latest budget, some organizations are disappointed that only 30% of that funding is going towards colleges. Other groups say the budget fails to address necessary investment in provincial transfers for core operating funding, academic research, and student financial aid. In comparison to the US stimulus package, in which billions of dollars are geared towards higher education, Canada's budget falls short, and may lead to a national brain drain. Budget 2009 | Globe and Mail | CBC | ACCC News Release | CSA News Release | CFS News Release | CAUT News Release | CREPUQ News Release | EPI News Release | AUCC News Release | OUSA News Release

Continue reading...

The Future of Restricted Access

This morning's Take to the Streets event, the culminating piece of the Restricted Access campaign, saw an estimated 700 students come out in the largest Board protest in recent memory. I cannot express how inspiring it was, nor what an impact it will have in the long-term.

Unfortunately, the rent and tuition decisions were passed despite this massive dissent. However, the Students' Union fielded 20 interviews over 2 days as a result of students' efforts, and as we've said from day one, access is about more than one meeting; this is a long-term project that we will continue.

Please see our website next week for updates on what we will be doing following today's decision:

http://www.restrictedaccess.ca

To all those who helped for countless hours to make this campaign a success -- and a success it was -- my sincere and heartfelt gratitude. Your efforts truly will make a long-term difference.

Janelle Continue reading...

Take to the Streets this Friday!

On the morning of Friday, January 23, the Board of Governors is meeting to decide on the rent and tuition proposals. To address this occasion, the Restricted Access movement will be taking to the streets.

Starting at 7:00am, free hot chocolate and doughnuts will be provided at the tent in Celebration Plaza (outside the Admin building on the corner of the bus loop, under the large dove statue -- please view the map posted under photos). From there, we will head to 87th Ave, carrying signs and wearing scarves, to show our support for our fellow students and to send a message to the university, the government, and the general public that access is an issue.


We hope to see you there, and don't forget to bring your red scarf!

You can confirm your attendance on Facebook. Continue reading...

Note 7: Financial Support

This post is the last in a week-long series.

The financial support system for students has demonstrably changed over recent years, but has it improved access to post-secondary education?

If the objective is to improve access by helping students struggling to meet the costs of a higher education, it is clear that government spending is not as effective as it could be. Recent increases in need-based aid are welcome. In the face of rising costs, however, this aid has not so much improved the financial situation of students as simply kept it from deteriorating further.

Increases in need-based aid have not been on the same scale as other funding. In fact, need-based aid comprises only 66% of the total student financial support. A decade ago, it was over 80%. As a result, need-based aid is barely keeping up with the escalating costs of attendance.


And this 66% represents only the value to students. Since this includes loans, which cost less than their value to issue, government spending is even lower. Although the value of need-based support is 66%, the actual cost to the government of need-based aid is only 40% of the total financial support.

While overall need-based aid may lack growth, targeted aid to under-represented groups has actually seen a decrease. Despite a growing population of Aboriginal youth in Western Canada, federal funding has dropped 8.5% from ten years ago.


Where, then, is all the funding going? Largely to tax credits and savings grants, with the intention of distributing funds to everyone, regardless of financial need and without necessarily improving access. This can have adverse effects.

Not only do tax measures not target those in financial need, they actually tend to disproportionately benefit affluent families and students. After all, many of these tax supports cannot be fully used unless the student (or a family member) owes income taxes.

Furthermore, tax measures do not cover costs when they are due, leaving many students with immediate unmet need. If they are fortunate enough to qualify for loans to cover these costs, student debt loads increase. As such, grants are needed both to provide greater access and to prevent debt escalation.

The research used for this and other Millennium studies was indeed comprehensive, but not without limitations. We still lack information, from institutional data to socio-economic profiles. Even with Millennium, we had nothing to match the research and surveying used in the United States, programs that help inform decision-making and define policy.

Despite a surge in the interest surrounding this research, there is no mandate to renew or continue research on access to post-secondary education. We cannot help but wonder where this will leave the issue of access in general.
Continue reading...

Note 6: Participation and Enrolment

This post is part of a week-long series.

In February 2007, Millennium issued a report that argued post-secondary enrolment would decline in Canada unless participation of under-represented youth was improved. The review sparked some controversy, causing Millennium to revisit the report and examine the latest research. This Note documents their findings.

A study released by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (Trends in Higher Education, Volume 1) projected a growth in enrolment in Canada, seeming to counter Millennium's projections. However, the reports agreed on three fundamental points.

First, they both accept Statistics Canada’s population estimates, which show that, after 2016, the number of young adults in Canada will be lower than it is today. Second, they both argue that, in view of this decrease, continued growth in the number of post-secondary students depends upon an increase in the participation rate. Third, they both agree that such a growth in the participation rate must occur if Canada is to produce the type of educated and skilled workforce needed to remain competitive and prosperous in the global knowledge economy.

The remaining difference, then, is whether or not we'll see participation increase. Millennium argues that the participation rate will not rise sinificantly if the children of well-educated or well-off parents enrol in greater numbers. Instead, we must make gains among those whose parents did not attend university, who earn lower incomes, or who are Aboriginal. And these gains will not occur on their own.

Why Access Matters argues that increasing the participation of under-represented populations is unlikely to occur automatically, without governments and universities preparing to meet the needs of a changing student body and putting in place an adequate system of student support—financial aid, academic support services and specialized student services.

Millennium also takes a look at how the job market can affect enrolment. They note that, on the one hand, lucrative jobs are likely to lure prospective students from university, while on the other, there is a need for more education among new workers to meet the demands of the economy. However, it is also noted that many individuals who decided not to pursue higher education are more likely to return if the economy "cools down."

And with the economy having cooled down by now, in conjunction with the fact that Alberta is maintaining its youth population, it does not seem likely that enrolment will drop any time soon. Given this, one must ask if university and government officials will be feeling the pressure to improve access to under-privileged youth.

If not, what will this mean to our already-inequitable participation rate?

In 2003, 46.4% of 19-year-olds from the highest income quartile had pursued some university studies, almost double the 25.4% from the lowest income quartile.

To read the full Note, please visit the Millennium website. Continue reading...

Note 5: Assessing Aid

This post is part of a week-long series.

One of the values on which the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation based their program was "to deliver aid to under-represented students who appear to be under-served by the existing financial aid system." Surprisingly, these under-represented students are those from low-income families.

The assumption that grants are already targeted to low-income students through existing financial aid architecture appears to be incorrect.

Part of this seems to lie in the cost-conscious nature of low-income students, and part in students' dependency statuses.

The need-based system tends to favour those who are considered independent, despite research indicating that many still receive funding from their parents. Moreover, low-income students tend to enrol in less expensive programs, live at home, and work during school, all to reduce their costs. Hence, they miss out. In fact:

Almost 60% of the $1.07 billion spent on grants in 2001 was provided to individuals from the top two income quartiles.

Which is why the Millennium access bursaries were created. By complementing the needs-based system, the access bursaries were meant to fill the gaps in student aid.

Now, as we look to 2009-2010 when the Canada Student Grant Program will replace Millennium, we are faced with a consolidation of federal grant programs. What this entails is not yet clear, but there is certainly a concern that not all students' needs will be met, especially the under-represented. And with no funding in place to continue research, we are already missing the studies and pilot projects meant to identify those very needs. Continue reading...

Note 4: Debt and Persistence

This post is part of a week-long series.

The Restricted Access movement is concerned not only with those qualified students who, for financial reasons, cannot make it to university, but also with those who are forced to abandon their studies due to their financial burdens. This Research Note begins:

There is convincing empirical evidence that qualified students can be driven to abandon post-secondary education if their debt load is too high. This inevitably has an impact on the country’s ability to compete effectively in a knowledge-based global marketplace.

There is an explicit need, this Note determines, for student aid to combat the barriers to access and persistence.

So does debt really matter? Millennium couldn't be more clear on this, indicating that as student debt loads increase, both course loads and completion rates decrease. "In short, debt matters."


The second question is regarding the effect of student aid. Again, the evidence is clear: those who receive grants on top of their student loans are five times more likely to complete their degree than those who rely solely on loans.


It is demonstrated that as well as grants, loan remission works, and for one simple reason: it lowers debt. However, we must first ensure that unmet need is met, as students must be able to meet their cost of living before worrying about their debt load. So although debt certainly matters, "unmet need matters more," indicating that there are even some basic needs we still need to meet.

And it is in our interest to meet them.

Canadians have a significant long-term economic stake in ensuring that every qualified student can pursue a higher education without risking financial jeopardy. Consequently, it is vital that policymakers be aware of the need to ensure that student aid adequately meets the needs of students,but also that it is generous enough to ensure that debt does not drive students to abandon post-secondary studies.

You can read the Note here. Continue reading...

Lethbridge SU

Thank you, University of Lethbridge Students' Union, for showing your support for this movement. We applaud you for recognizing the issue of access as universal, and for calling your students to action.

We hope this issue continues to be recognized across the province and the country, and that all Albertans email their MLA's through the form we have provided. As ULSU noted, "any discourse on restrictions to accessing education in Alberta is a very positive thing."

Let's do our part to keep this discourse alive. Continue reading...

Note 3: Information and Preparation

This post is part of a week-long series.

I discussed yesterday the gap between aspirations and reality for prospective Aboriginal students. Though perhaps not as wide, a gap exists for the general population as well:

The great majority of Canadian high school students — almost nine in ten — hope to gain a post-secondary education. Unfortunately, too many of them won't make it. Only two in five young Canadians graduate from a college or university program by the age of 24 — and this despite the fact that most new jobs require a higher education. Clearly, too many students — particularly those from lower income backgrounds — encounter obstacles that impede their progress through the education system.

This Millennium Research Note examines the effects of a lack of information and preparation, problems, it finds, that compound the financial barriers encountered by low-income families.

One of these problems is student expectations. Students often over-estimate their chances of obtaining financial support, from nearly all sources. And when their expectations are not met, some will be able to find other sources -- but many will not. This is certainly something to think about considering the low completion rates at the U of A.

Another problem is the savings gap. The likelihood that parents have begun saving for their child's education, and the length for which they have been saving, is directly related to family income. With less savings to access, students from low-income families are all the more in need of further assistance, and of further information on how to get it.


For the longer-term, these issues can be addressed through "a concerted effort by governments, colleges and universities, schools, and other education agencies... Long before high school graduation, students and their parents need to be engaged in career planning and preparation for post-secondary education. Together with good financial aid programs, this will help ensure that college and university are accessible for all Canadians."

And in the short-term, we need to do all we can to keep educational costs down for all prospective students.

Read the full Research Note here.
Continue reading...

Note 2: Aboriginal Access

This post is part of a week-long series.

When discussing access, we are, as Millennium puts it, discussing:

The improvement of access so that Canadians from all backgrounds can acquire the knowledge and skills needed to participate in a changing economy and society.

With the growing population of Aboriginal youth, and with the concurrent growing aspirations and optimism, there is certainly a need to provide greater access -- but the climb is a steep one.

Educational aspirations of Aboriginal people are now in nearly the same range as the general population: 70% of those between the ages of 16 and 24 hope to achieve some level of higher education, while 80% of parents hope their children will do so. Just as positive is the indication that most think they can achieve the level of education they want: 72% of the youth, and 70% of the parents.

However, the reality is far below the aspirations. In the case of status Indians, only 20% of those under the age of 24 have pursued some form of post-secondary education, and finances are a clear barrier:

Among First Nations youth not planning to go on to college or university, financial barriers are most frequently cited as holding them back: 59% say they have to work to support their family while 40% say they do not have enough money.

This leads to an interesting point here at the U of A. The university is working hard to make Aboriginals feel more welcome, which was noted as the third biggest obstacle. Commendable, sure, but one must ask what is being done about the looming financial barrier. Raising tuition and housing fees -- especially in today's economic turmoil -- does not seem to be the move of a university looking to increase its accessibility.

The full study can be found on Millennium's website. Continue reading...

Note 1: Affordability in Canada vs. in the US

This post is part of a week-long series.

Many Canadians assume that their education is more affordable than that in the US. Whether they've heard of the astoundingly high prices for institutions like Yale or Harvard, seen the high tuition fees for certain state universities, or just extrapolated from their assumption that our social policy is more egalitarian than in the US -- they might find this comparative research surprising, something both Millennium, who commissioned the study, and EPI, who published it, are quick to point out.

They are also quick to note the limitations of the international comparisons. Loan remission and tax rebate programs, for instance, both have limited data available on one or both sides of the border. Nonetheless, the research remains invaluable, raising the question of whether there is enough aid in Canada. Indeed, both reports bluntly state:

The amount of aid available to Canadian students is not what it needs to be.

How do they arrive at this? In looking for a "comprehensive approach to the notion of affordability", Millennium and EPI look beyond the cost of tuition by adding room and board, and then by subtracting available aid in order to attain what they call out-of-pocket expenses. Their findings are summarized in the chart below.

If we are moving towards a high-cost system -- and the trend in tuition and housing certainly seem to suggest this -- we need to ask two questions. First of all, is this policy shift the best way to ensure greater access, or are there better alternatives? And second, if we are going to follow this policy shift, when are we going to introduce the second half of the equation, namely high-aid? The longer we linger, the more qualified students miss out on an education they deserve.


To read the full study, visit the Millennium Scholarships website.
Continue reading...

Millennium Research

From the Millennium Research Program website:

The Millennium Research Program was launched in 2001 to assist the Foundation in carrying out its mandate to improve access to post-secondary education and provide students with the educational opportunities they need to prepare themselves for the future. The Research Program advances the study of barriers to post-secondary education and the impact of policies and programs designed to alleviate them. It ensures that policy-making and public discussion about opportunities in higher education in Canada can be informed by rigorous analysis and empirical evidence.

Last year, the Government of Canada decided not to renew the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation after its initial mandate is complete. It will be sorely missed.

Over the next week, I will feature one of the program's Research Notes per day, outlining the findings and what they might mean to us. So stay tuned to learn more, and don't hesitate to comment in order to facilitate further discussion on these crucial matters. Continue reading...

Claiborne Pell Dies at 90

Yesterday, former Senator Claiborne Pell died at the age 90. Pell is best known for his sponsorship of the 1973 bill which created what are known today as the Pell Grants.

Originally called the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant program, the federal grants provide non-repayable assistance to low-income families across the United States. Today, Pell Grants continue to help millions of students per year despite having seen little or no growth alongside the escalating costs of access.

In 2005-06, the maximum Pell grant covered one-third of the yearly cost of higher education at a public four-year institution; twenty years ago, it covered 60% of a student's cost of attendance. Continue reading...