Kevin Harding has written up an account of our day on the Island handing in the SFU Community Coalition Petition, asking that the Province restore funding to postsecondary education in BC.
Perhaps if there is anything I’d like to add to this is that our day was less vague/abstract than the account somewhat illustrates. We hashed out some real time things we will work on to build awareness and also to invite people to get involved in the effort. Mainly, the strength of our coalition is growing, and as we prepare to meet with Minister Coell as a followup to the petition delivery, we note that we meet him as a Coalition, and not as members of our respective affiliated groups.
Our interests concern ensuring that postsecondary education in BC is not destroyed. The targeted funding the Province has proposed DOES NOT meet the real operating costs of the universities. SFU continues to suffer under forced cuts. We are still losing faculty, student funding for awards and bursaries, and an entire program (Canadian Studies). Many of the buildings here have mould throughout — including where I live, and exposed mould in people’s offices (which they cannot use) — sections of the chemistry building are hazards to health, so they go unused.
We appeal to the Province to recognize the need for real money to meet our operating costs, not only for us but for all the universities in BC. The quality of education is eroding, and students are finding it increasingly difficult to afford school, even though the quality is on a downward spiral.
The Coalition meets again this week. And on an internal level, we will be at the SFU Board of Governors Meeting to discuss the implications of SFU’s 2009-10 budget.
In the meantime, the university continues to give faculty the “golden handshake” though we need to find the money somewhere to pay for these exit packages.
