Halifax- The NSCAD Sustainability Plan, presented to the government on behalf of NSCAD yesterday, fails to chart a viable path forward for the institution. The report calls for annual tuition fee increases of 6% (3% higher than the provincial tuition fee cap), and a targeted enrollment increase of 10% in the next 4 years.
“The idea that NSCAD can simultaneously increase tuition fees at double the rate of the rest of the province, while exponentially boosting enrollment is entirely unrealistic,” said Caleb Hung, President of the Students’ Union for NSCAD University (SUNSCAD) and University Board Representative. “Expecting existing and incoming students to cover the cost of the NSCAD’s debt effectively places the blame for mistakes made by past administrations on the backs of students.”
The report also includes measures to decrease labour costs by pressuring faculty into early retirement, and makes no commitment to ensuring the quality of academic programming. Students at NSCAD were prevented from taking part in the development of this report when the university removed student representation from its Governance Committee earlier this year.
“It is unacceptable that student voices were absent when drafting this report,” said Yalitsa Riden, SUNSCAD Vice President Financial and University Board Representative. “The energy our administration is using trying to exempt us from the tuition fee cap should be used convincing the government to increase provincial funding to NSCAD.”
The Student Union of NSCAD University (SUNSCAD) is the collective voice for full-time and part-time students of NSCAD University. SUNSCAD advocates and represents the students of NSCAD through our Executives, Councilors, and Representatives. SUNSCAD strives to promote the artistic, educational, social, professional, and recreational activities of NSCAD Students.
SUNSCAD is a founding member of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS/FCEÉ). Through the CFS, SUNSCAD is able to work with over half a million members to provide services, and also to advocate student issues provincially and nationally.
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