Society opposes international student fee increases

The SFSS has issued an open letter expressing their official opposition to the proposed 10 per cent increase to international undergraduate student tuition rates for the 2015/2016 academic year.

This move follows the university’s refusal of certain requests by the SFSS, which included exempting current international undergraduate student from the increase as well as freezing international undergraduate tuition fees at their existing level.

One of the main issues raised by SFSS president Chardaye Bueckert concerned transparency over how the revenue generated from these fee increases will be spent. “We know that $6 million in additional revenue will be realised, but we don’t know [how] it’s being spent, being beyond 25 per cent of the eight per cent tuition increase going to scholarships, awards, and bursaries, which accounts for $1.5 million,” she said.

VP finance Adam Potvin added his support: “I think it’s good of us to hold their feet to the fire.”

Bueckert also officially invited students to demonstrate their opposition at the next SFU Board of Governors meeting on Thursday, January 29. The final decision regarding fee increases for the 2015/2016 year will be made at the next meeting in March of this year.

Funds reallocated for Food and Beverage deficit

The board moved to transfer $24,642 from the society’s unrestricted surplus to account for “worse than expected losses” from Food and Beverage Services, as stated in the agenda.

VP Finance Adam Potvin explained that the deficit “is just accounting for the losses that have already piled up by September 30, so there’s not much of a choice here.”

Potvin estimated that the remaining balance of the unrestricted surplus is now approximately $45,000.