tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549773717728937307.post5891232892111674637..comments2011-10-05T10:48:39.410-04:00Comments on As It Develops at Nipissing University: Nipissing University wins gold medal; defends provincial championshipIan Wassinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01805237642911624376noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549773717728937307.post-23608072756875499722008-08-28T17:09:00.000-04:002008-08-28T17:09:00.000-04:00I am not entirely convinced that the constant cap ...I am not entirely convinced that the constant cap on tuition fees that we are currently experiencing that is instituted by the provincial government is a solution to decreasing tuition fees. Certainly, a limit on the maximum allowable increase of tuition fees is one way to go about managing the increase at a provincial level.<BR/><BR/>However, in the spirit of constantly moving Nipissing University forward (whatever the phrase "moving forward" means) it seems that if the university isn't growing - in terms of student numbers, programs, and professors - that Nipissing will be left to eat the dust of bigger institutions. This viewpoint seems to be the one of the powers-that-be.<BR/><BR/>If the province did not impose a limit on the increase of tuition fees each year, universities would increase tuition fees willy-nilly. Suddenly, more funding would become available for more support staff, professors, and building space all at the cost of the individual student.Ian Wassinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01805237642911624376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549773717728937307.post-54902848764967068082008-08-22T17:34:00.000-04:002008-08-22T17:34:00.000-04:00You make a good point about tuition rising faster ...You make a good point about tuition rising faster than the rate of inflation. <BR/><BR/>I must apologize for the confusion regarding the deficit budget. The budget itself tallies approximately $54.8 million while the deficit sits at over $700,000. as previously mentioned.<BR/><BR/>You can view more budget information and the budget itself (including both revenue and expense pages) at the following website: <BR/><BR/>http://www.nipissingu.ca/administration/Budget2007-2008.aspIan Wassinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01805237642911624376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549773717728937307.post-60135183697476672772008-08-22T14:00:00.000-04:002008-08-22T14:00:00.000-04:00It's not a deficit of $58.4 million (Ian's comment...It's not a deficit of $58.4 million (Ian's comments are somewhat misleading). The deficit is $736,925, and the $58.4 million is the total budget.<BR/><BR/>How would I address this problem? The Council of Ontario Universities, the networking and lobbying group to which every university in the province belongs, should start lobbying the the provincial government to increase their overall support for post-secondary education, rather than lobbying the government to allow larger tuition fee increases. This is the political solution, though there are also many practical solutions. <BR/><BR/>Also problematic is that Nipissing supposedly operates on the concept of "a deficit-free budget" (http://www.nipissingu.ca/aboutus/history.asp under "Fiscal Management"), a plan which it now seems to be abandoning. Frustratingly, the Bachelor of Education program has one again been oversubscribed, ostensibly as a measure to increase the total "funding units" (a.k.a. "students") at Nipissing, in order to decrease the deficit. Services won't be expanded to accommodate this "larger-than-expected" (not) influx of students; faculty and staff will merely be stretched to the maximum once again. <BR/><BR/>However, like I said, the only real solution is a cohesive, single-issue push for proper levels of funding from the provincial government.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549773717728937307.post-86052051532959211992008-08-22T13:09:00.000-04:002008-08-22T13:09:00.000-04:00What alternative would you propose to help pay off...What alternative would you propose to help pay off this $58.4 million deficit?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549773717728937307.post-38293413237121456232008-08-22T12:40:00.000-04:002008-08-22T12:40:00.000-04:00On top of the previous poster's comments, this 4.5...On top of the previous poster's comments, this 4.5 - 8% increase cannot and must not be attributed to inflation. According to StatsCan, consumer prices rose only 3.1% in the 12 months prior to June 2008 (http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Cpi/cpi-en.htm). <BR/><BR/>The University's highest paid employee saw their salary rise from $233,372 to $250,200.04, a 7.2% increase, between 2006 and 2007!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549773717728937307.post-11610848221604830642008-08-22T12:20:00.000-04:002008-08-22T12:20:00.000-04:00Wow, Ian, very well-done. I am especially fond of...Wow, Ian, very well-done. I am especially fond of the quote "In other words, more students will continue to be accepted to Nipissing University at an increased rate in the near future, but the quality of education will not be increasing at the rate of 4.5% or 8% like tuition fees are currently."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com