VANCOUVER – Students at Vancouver’s Emily Carr University walked out of class at 11am on December 1, to protest the sudden announcement that International students entering Emily Carr in 2023 will face a 30% fee hike – an increase of $5491.35.
Current International students are facing a proposed 10% fee increase on top of fees that are already drastically high – an additional $1830.45 that students will be expected to find before the Fall semester starts.
“We are standing united as a community against this cash grab,” said Kashish Hukku Jani. “This system is broken when it relies on International students to fund chronic university deficits and underfunding.”
Students at Emily Carr University are members of the BC Federation of Students; together, through the Fairness for International Students and the Fund It, Fix It. campaigns, they advocate for funding issues in BC’s post-secondary system.
They implore the BC government to:
• Solve the funding crisis at the University and immediately commit $200 million into the postsecondary system annually; and
• Expand the Tuition Fee Limit Policy to include International tuition fees, capping increases at 2% to be equal to domestic student tuition fee increases.
“Students are currently in the middle of exams and this decision has been pushed four months earlier than the previous year. Students expect this rushed process might be because of a scheme to get as much money as possible from International students before the government introduces a rumoured framework to address the current unfairness,” said Jani.
“I’m not sure that I can finish my education here in BC because my family abroad doesn’t have a lot of money,” said Jani. I have dreamt about my future as a professional here in Vancouver’s thriving creative industries – but I’m not sure that I can afford to stay. We thought this was a government that valued affordability and equity and we need them to step up with funding for colleges and universities in BC.”
According to a release from Emily Carr Students’ Union, the BC government recently announced a $5 billion surplus and students are asking for that money to be re-invested to support the talent that will move BC’s economy forward in years to come.
