With the recent release of the Statistics Canada report on tuition, students have official recognition of what we have known for years: massive government cuts to education spending have driven tuition fees -- and, therefore, student debt -- through the roof.

While Statistics Canada reports the average graduate student tuition for this year will skyrocket by an alarming 14.1 per cent and that the average undergraduate will see their tuition jump to $3,378, this represents only the most obvious increases. University administrators across the country are finding new and creative ways to take student money in lieu of joining students in the struggle to pressure governments to reinvest in post-secondary education.

Here at the University of Ottawa (and we are no exception), our administration decided during the summer to collect both semesters of undergraduate tuition at once, at the beginning of September. Students who cannot afford to pay the extra $2,100 are being fined $40.

The notice they receive says they are being given a "choice" to pay their second installment later, for a fee. In reality, the only choice students have is to lose their interest or their $40.

The executive of the board of governors claims to have been "losing the interest" on the second semester tuition. How can that be? Many of the other universities that have already instituted this system offer many full-year courses.

At the University of Ottawa, where most of our classes are a single semester; students are clearly being asked to pay in advance of services rendered. Could professors demand their entire salary in September, claiming they are "losing the interest" throughout the year? Not likely.

There are a host of other changes welcoming students this year as well: the cost of deferring payment within a semester is up by $10; interest on outstanding balances will now be calculated at three per cent over prime (up from two per cent); and the cost of printing a transcript is up as well. These are among the many hidden tuition increases which inflate the costs of our education far beyond the exorbitant increases reflected in the Stats Can report.

Our administration refused to consult with students prior to making these increases and only sent out the notice in the first week of August, but they were well aware how we would feel about the crunch. In an internal document, kept secret from students, the administration wrote: "when these fee increases are announced, we can expect strong protests from certain students. So, it's critical that all employees dealing with these students be convinced of both the logic behind and, especially, the need for these increases. Individual employees must all stand behind the university's position in this area."

Students are starting to understand the real problem with the "trickle-down effect." The feds dole out tax cuts to the rich and while we are busy paying for an ever-increasing share of the education system, our universities are nickel-and-diming us to death.

Joel Duff
President, University of Ottawa Graduate Students' Association

Angry students at the University of Ottawa organized a sit-in on Sept. 25 that lasted almost three days before the administration conceded on several issues on fee increases. The administration has agreed not to charge students waiting for government loans interest for the 2000-01 academic year and has agreed to strike a task force to examine all tuition and auxiliary fees. The university has refused to repeal the $40 surcharge for "late payments" but has committed to the principle of consultation and communication with students on all future fee increases. -- ed.