Under the Tuition Rebate program, post-secondary graduates of New Brunswick institutions who work and live in New Brunswick will be able to apply for up to $10,000 cash back on their tuition costs.

?The New Brunswick Tuition Rebate is a major plus for our province,? said Finance Minister Victor Boudreau.

?We believe it helps convince people who have pursued higher education to choose New Brunswick to live and work and to participate in our self-sufficiency project.?

The initiative hopes to combat out-migration from the province, a trend that has been emptying many Atlantic Provinces of their work force and productivity.

Under the program, anyone who has graduated from a post-secondary institution in New Brunswick and either stays in the province after graduation, or returns within 20 years, may apply for the rebate when they file their taxes.

The program follows the government’s announcement in the 2008-2009 Budget that tuition fees will be frozen for all universities in the province.

The New Brunswick Student Alliance, a provincial student lobby group, is looking for more for students, though.

Justin Robichaud, President of the NBSA, said that ?back-door help is not what is needed in New Brunswick right now.?

?This is not up-front money helping access to post-secondary education,? he said.

The NBSA has been lobbying the government to create targeted initiatives that will improve access to post-secondary education for specific groups, such as low-income families.

They are asking the government to commit to recommendations made by a Commission on post-secondary education earlier this year that endorsed a cap on student debt.

The Commission’s recommendations are currently being considered by a working group made of university and community college presidents and government representatives. They are expected to announce their conclusions in late April or May.

On top of a $25 million investment over two years to establish a new set of new graduate scholarships, the government also added $15 million per year for the Indirect Costs of Research program, $21 million over two years to establish up to 20 Canada Research Chairs, and some additional funding for the government’s research councils.

This investment is reflective of fierce competition as other countries invest in research and attract top-level scholars. Canada, meanwhile, has been lagging in graduating Master’s and PhD students.

Indeed, a recent report from the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) revealed that, in 2004, the United States awarded 30 per cent more doctoral degrees per capita than Canada.

Although the focus on research and graduate programs is largely welcomed, it has been met with some criticism.

Claire Morris, president of the AUCC, said that [while] the establishment of Vanier Scholarships for graduate work was an important step, the AUCC had suggested the creation of 6,500 new scholarships for both Canadian and international students. The budget announcement will only allow for 500 this year on top of the 1,000 that were created last year.

?There still is some road to travel,? Morris said.

Aside from the Vanier Scholarships, the government also announced additional funding for its three granting programs: SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR.

Mike Savage, the Liberal Human Resources Critic, said that the $80 million slotted for the programs is ?just not enough to bring the programs up to par.?

Jim Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), also raised concerns with the targeted nature of the funding.

?We appreciate the new research funding, but we’re extremely concerned that the federal government is increasingly targeting research funding rather than allowing the priorities to be established by the research community,? he says.

The money for SSHRC, for example, has to be spent in part on research on economic development in northern resources, and money for NSERC can only be spent on the automotive, forestry, or fishing industries.

?What we know from 50 years of research is that no one is very good at predicting what research is going to be of value theoretically, or to Canadians, or commercially. And so what’s worked the best has been to let scientists fund bright, competent scientists and let them pursue the research that they think is important,? he said.

Graham Cox, chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students? Graduate Caucus, expressed similar concerns.

?The problem is It’s a bit of an unbalanced program the way they’re implementing it. The vast majority of students are in the social sciences and humanities, whereas most of these monies are going to health and science researchers.?

The additional $15 million for the AUCC’s Indirect Costs of Research Program has also been criticized for falling short of what is needed.

The program reimburses universities for any costs that they incur from providing the necessary institutional support to carry out research.

Although Morris noted that their aim is to achieve a 40 per cent reimbursement rate, the additional $15 million barely allows the program to maintain its current level of reimbursement, at approximately 25 per cent.

However, Morris does point to the additional money for Canada Global Excellence Research Chairs as a positive investment. The Chairs so far, Morris said, have been ?very successful to keep Canadian scholars at home, and to attract international scholars.?

Overall, Morris said that, while the government appears to be heading in the right direction by making this investment into research and graduate studies, ?we would like to see some more speed in that direction.?

Savage seconded that opinion, commenting that while the budget indicates a small step in the right direction, research is not something that you can start and stop investing in.

?The need is very high,? he says. ?Although there is more in this budget than we’ve seen before from this government, it is important to keep the momentum going.?

The study, conducted by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC), revealed that over three-quarters of graduates from liberal arts universities plan to continue their education past a bachelor’s degree.

The majority of those students, however, said that they would leave the Maritimes to do so.

Of the students who do not plan to continue their education in the Maritimes, 38 per cent said it was because their program was not available in the region, while 29 per cent responded that the program they sought outside of the region had an excellent reputation.

Mireille Duguay, chief executive officer for MPHEC, said that this is not a surprising trend, considering that most universities in the Maritimes are primarily undergraduate institutions.

?We cannot be all things to all people,? she said, adding that students are often encouraged to study outside of their home region in order to experience living elsewhere.

Although most Maritime universities may not be known for their graduate and research programs, post-secondary institutions across the country are benefiting from a boost in graduate enrolment.

A 2007 study by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) revealed that full-time masters and PhD enrolment has risen rapidly in the last decade, from 65,000 students in 1996 to 102,000 students in 2006: a 57 per cent increase.

Meanwhile, preliminary figures for the Atlantic provinces in 2007-2008 indicate that graduate enrolment in the region is up by 2.9 per cent over the previous year.

This boost in graduate enrolment is also reflected in the labour market.

Over the last 16 years, the number of full-time jobs filled by graduate degree holders has grown from 550,000 in 1990 to more than one million in 2006.

Despite the fact that most students will seek to continue their post-secondary education outside of the Maritime provinces, the survey revealed that a majority of them (73%) and about one quarter of students from out of province indicated that they would like to stay in the region to live and work.

This is good news for a region that faces declines in undergraduate enrolment and an aging population.

The Atlantic Association of Universities (AAU) released preliminary data on university enrolment for the 2007-2008 academic on Oct. 15, confirming fears that enrolment is in decline across the region.

The Atlantic provinces reported an overall 2.9 per cent decrease in undergraduate enrolment with 65,680 students attending university in the region.

New Brunswick was hardest hit with a reported a 3.6 per cent decline.

Nova Scotia is close behind at 3.1 per cent, while Newfoundland’s Memorial University (MUN) and the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), did not report such significant downturns, at only 1.7 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively.

Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia is the hardest hit single institution, with a decrease from last year of 10.1%.

In 2003-2004, when Acadia’s student population blossomed with the Ontario double cohort class, the university boasted 4,329 students.

For 2007-2008 there are a mere 2,963 students, a decrease of over 30 per cent.

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick also have the highest tuition fees in the country.
Nova Scotians pay an average of $5,878 for an undergraduate education. New Brunswick students pay $5,733.

By comparison, the national average tuition fee is $4,524.

The Nova Scotia government promised to lower tuition to the national average by 2011.

A memorandum of understanding between the province and universities has already put a cap of 3.9 per cent on tuition increases. The province further invested in universities this year to keep tuition fees frozen.

Paris Meilleur, executive director of the Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations, expressed some hesitation that tuition will indeed meet the national average.

?we’re hoping that the provincial government will follow through on their promise to bring tuition to the national average by 2011,? she said. ?However, we’re not sure that the investment made so far can keep pace with the promises made.?

Heather Elliott, executive director of the New Brunswick Student Alliance, comments on the negative effect that high tuitions have had on New Brunswick universities.

She says that, ?With such high tuition rates, we are not as attractive to out of province students. It has affected how many people we can draw into the province and who will stay.?

Dale Kirby, assistant professor of post-secondary education studies at MUN, emphasized the importance of tuition in a student’s decision when choosing a university.

?Making tuition affordable is what needs to be done to fill universities in the Atlantic provinces,? he said. ?There is a point where tuition deters significant numbers of people, especially in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.?

He noted the significant increase of students from Nova Scotia attending MUN this year. Newfoundland and Labrador boast the second lowest tuition in the country, at $2,633.

?Although there is no empirical evidence to show that it is high tuition costs that is affecting enrolment in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, there has to be a relationship between tuition and the significant increase of Nova Scotia students at MUN,? Kirby said.

?There are so many students this year [at MUN] that they have formed a Nova Scotia Student Society.?

The decrease in enrolment is exacerbated by an aging population in the Atlantic provinces, combined with out-migration for more lucrative employment in the Western provinces.

?Overall, the drop in population in the region has had an important impact because many post-secondary education institutions rely, for a large portion of their enrolment, on the high school ?feeder? population,? Kirby said.

The news, however, is not all bad for the Atlantic region.

Peter Halpin, executive director of the AAU, noted that there has been an incremental increase in graduate study enrolment.

He also said that there has been an annual 3 per cent increase in international students over the last few years.

On the domestic side, though Halpin pointed to greater efforts in recruitment and branding aimed at students outside of the region.

Changing demographics, however, will continue to affect enrolment in the four provinces? education institutions.

?This is a wake-up call for policy makers,? Kirby said. ?We have to do something because if we don’t educate them here, they probably won’t stay.?

WOLFVILLE (CUP) — The membership of the Canadian Federation of Students may drop significantly in the next year. Three students’ unions have initiated the defederation process and several others are examining their options.

CFS National Chairperson Amanda Aziz has confirmed that her office has received requests for membership referendums from three student societies at British Columbia universities: Simon Fraser, Kwantlen, and the University of Victoria’s Graduate Association.

Concordia University’s Graduate Students’ Union and Cape Breton University’s students’ union are also expected to file petitions this year.

The student societies who have initiated the process of defederation share similar concerns about their relationship to the CFS, including a lack of lobbying success, expensive services and internal dysfunction.

Cape Breton University Student Union (CBUSU) joined the CFS in 2001 but has since become dissatisfied with their membership.

Ian Lindsey, the union’s president, said that the CFS does not represent about 80% of Nova Scotia students. At the provincial level, he said, ?CFS does not have a voice in Nova Scotia.?

Lindsey also critiqued national services and lobby movements.

?Although the Day of Action is a significant event, it is only one day out of 365. Outside of this, we don’t see CFS winning any battles.?

Lindsey also said that many of the services offered through CFS membership can be supplied by individual unions at a lower cost to students, including student handbooks and health insurance policies.

?We researched alternatives and found that, in most cases, we can provide the services on our own, and cheaper,? said Lindsey.

Derrick Harder, President of the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), which was among the first to file petition for defederation, expressed similar discontent with the quality and cost of services offered by CFS, although his complaints focus more on internal politics and organizational dysfunction.

The SFSS is the biggest member students’ union in British Columbia, contributing approximately $400,000 annually to the organization.

?The CFS is not an organization that takes criticism well,? said Harder. ?They seem to go into lock-down easily or, more specifically, groupthink.?

He said that he is concerned about the apparent top-down approach to running the organization. He also accused the CFS of influencing student union elections, arguing that the CFS assists candidates who are considered pro-CFS.

Aziz flatly denied the idea, noting that she is ?not sure where that rumour started from. The idea of us being involved with elections is totally false.?

In addition to these issues, Harder expresses concern over the amount of money that the CFS and its provincial chapters are willing to spend on litigation. The CFS is currently involved with legal action against Acadia University over an attempt to defederate, and acted as a defendant with the University of Saskatchewan when they were brought to court over an attempt to join the CFS.

In Saskatchewan, a former president sued the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union for allegedly not following proper referendum procedures when they voted to join the CFS in 2005. Throughout these proceedings, the CFS assumed intervener status as a defendent with the students’ union.

At Acadia University in Nova Scotia, the CFS has accused the students’ union of not following proper procedures, in accordance with CFS by-laws, when they voted to leave the CFS.

Aziz defended the CFS’s involvement in these proceedings, saying that neither situation has cost the CFS much in lawyer or court fees.

?Since we only participated through intervener status in Saskatchewan, and, at Acadia, the process has mostly just been letter-writing back and forth, with nothing going to court yet, there has been very little money spent in these two proceedings thus far.?

Aziz, however, said that it is the first time that she has been made aware of many of the concerns about cost and quality of services voiced by student societies.

?If a student society has found a way to improve services, I would hope that they would bring that forward to the CFS so that we can continue to improve services for all students. The idea of us offering services is that it is an economy of scale?when we do it in bulk, it allows us to improve services, for example, by using recycled paper,? she said.

?The CFS is what the membership decides to make it,? she continued. ?There are ways of bringing concerns forward and influencing the policies of the union.?

Further, in response to concerns expressed with the effectiveness of lobbying, Aziz emphasized that its strength is in its numbers.

?Putting our issues forward as a united front is how we will get things done. There is a record of victories when we work together and send a united message,? she said, noting that tuition freezes in several provinces are a sign that the message is being heard, including Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

While several students’ unions have opted to begin the process of leaving the federation, though, many student societies have expressed frustration over the defederation process. They claim that it is designed to make it more difficult to leave CFS.

Lindsey notes that former CBUSU presidents had been in favour of leaving CFS, but did not follow through because they were discouraged by it.

The process of de-federating from the CFS involves a petition calling for a referendum that no fewer than 10 per cent of the student body must sign. Once the referendum has been called, the Federation’s national executive must receive six months? advance notice of a vote, including exact dates and times of the vote.

Two weeks of campaigning must precede the actual referendum on de-federation and quorum for the vote is five per cent of the student body.

Following a successful vote to de-federate, an application for withdrawal must be filed with head office. Then, within three months, the national executive of the federation examine all the documents to make sure the appropriate bylaws have been followed and make a recommendation to the voting members of the federation regarding the application to withdraw.

At opening plenary of the next general meeting, the members of the federation vote on whether or not to accept the application.

Although Aziz said that a referendum result would only be overturned at a General Meeting if it were illegitimate, it remains unclear whether or not the General Meeting has the power to overturn a referendum result for any other reason.

Simon Fraser University, the University of Victoria, and Kwantlen University College are all planning to hold their referendums in March 2008.

The results of these referendums and the possibility of similar actions at Concordia and Cape Breton University have the potential to significantly alter the representation of the CFS across the country.

Aziz, however, remains optimistic and hopes that the member institutions will come together.

?Our membership is not static. From our perspective, it is really important that, no matter how difficult it sometimes is, we remain united. We hope that students will see the benefits of being united with other students and the benefits we have in working together cooperatively.?

Rumours surfaced in Sept. that the students’ union at Ryerson University was also seeking to defederate. But according to Nora Loreto, Ryerson’s students’ union president, a motion to that effect served to the union’s Board on Sept. 27 was defeated.

The CFS was formed in 1981 to provide students with a united voice for lobbying, both provincially and nationally. Over one-half million students from more than 80 university and college student societies across Canada belong to the CFS.