Election time action: support a BC graduate scholarship program

Let BC's election candidates know we support the creation of a BC Graduate Scholarship!

Over the past few years, the GSS has worked with graduate student organizations at UBC, SFU and UNBC in advocating for the creation of a graduate scholarship program in BC. Our proposal is here.

Elections are a chance to raise important issues, and I hope you will take the time to send the party leaders a message about the importance of funding graduate education in BC.

Provincial graduate funding is important because:

 - Among the larger provinces, only BC has no graduate scholarship program

 - Graduate students contribute to the university as teachers-which in turn helps the ability of the university to accommodate undergraduate enrollment

 - A funded graduate student completes their degree in a timely manner

 - Graduate students contribute to the province-whether through research that benefits BC communities, or by adding to our province's ability to innovate after graduation

Visit http://bcgradscholarship.ca to send your message.

Here you'll find some sample text. You can send it as is, but we strongly encourage you to create your own message.

Please circulate this call to the students and faculty in your department to help us spread the word.

And of course, don't forget to vote on May 14!

Stacy Chappel

GSS Executive Director

Authorized by the University of Victoria Graduate Students' Society, registered sponsor under the Election Act, 250-472-5163.

BC Student Activism goes waaaay back

In a tribute to the students around the world standing up for public post secondary education systems in past weeks, here is some archival footage of BC's first (I expect) student demonstration -- the UBC Great Trek of 1922, which demanded the campus finally be build so students didn't have to study crammed in old huts.

On a personal note, I recently learned my Great Aunt Eunice was a student on the Great Trek, as my cousin found a letter she wrote home describing the demonstration to her family. Guess I know where I get my activist streak!




Here is a bit of a history lesson in a bit of a bland but more structured and informative video about BC's history of establishing universities. Given the financial struggles we are having, it is good to learn from this mini-doc that BC's biggest university fought off closure during the great depression, only 7 years after it opened.



To learn about some current grad student campaigns visit the UVIC GSS at http://gss.uvic.ca

Science & Tech funding boost

CBC is reporting that Industry Canada has announced funds for 310 Canada Research Chairs. See the story here.

There is no write up on the Industry Canada site, although there is a (not very exciting) media advisory.

The push seems to be in particular areas and with at least some focus on commercial/economic outcomes for the research...

Between this and BC's announcement that 2011 is the Year of Science, looks like the coming year might be science-tastic. (Too bad BC is simultaneously is reducing involvement of independent researchers and increasing Big Pharma's input in the BC drug approvals process... read about it in the Globe and Mail or listen to the CBC Victoria radio interview (MP3)).

BC graduate tuition above national average

Statistics Canada produced a report yesterday about tuition for Canadian students by province.

According to the report, graduate student tuition is increasing at a rate higher than undergraduate tuition.



Of interest at UVIC is that BC graduate tuition is above the national average by about $1,000 per year. This is particularly daunting given BC's lack of a graduate scholarship program, and high cost of living.

Obtain the stats can report here.

The UVIC GSS is working with graduate student unions across western canada to advocate for better graduate funding, maintaining tuition caps, and support for students.

BC 2010 budget -- increases for universities and post secondary

From CBC budget review...

"Education: $228 million over three years to boost post-secondary education, including $165 million to increase access to educational opportunities at universities, colleges and other institutions; $40 million to expand education in the health-care sector; $23 million to boost the number of doctors trained in B.C.; and $16 million for assisting immigrants to achieve professional qualifications."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/02/17/bc-deficit-budget-highlights.html#ixzz0h4xX2v38

We'll be digging through the details in the next few days.

BC September 2009 budget update and graduate students

BC's September budget update makes little mention of graduate school, graduate students or research, although graduate studies is briefly mentioned as one targeted area of expansion in the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour service plan.

Capital spending is discussed in the budget speech, with $500 million for capital expansion on campuses--$86.4 million is going to UBC's pharmaceutical research facility--which is a drug commercialization facility. The ministry must disclose projects over $50 million, sp presumably the rest of the capital spending falls under that amount. Other major projects mentioned focus on environmental technologies or research, including Okanagan College's Centre for Green Building Technologies ($27.6 million), Energy House project at Northern Lights College ($7.8 million) and 21 million for UNBC's project involving turning waste wood into energy. Indeed, the investment in research and development mentioned in the budget speech is in green energy.

The Ministry's service plan shows an increase in funds directed to post-secondary institutions (5% increase). Bear in mind there is a 2% price index increase over last year, and UVIC is slated to have a 14% increase in graduate enrollement this year. Meanhile there's a 15% cut back to Student Aid BC--this is for ministry spending so whether this will result in cuts to bursaries, and exactly how this will be handled, is not yet clear. But earlier this year, the Pacific Leaders graduate funding was put on hold, and other student support focussed on helping disabled students, nursing students and those needing loan forgiveness was quietly cut in July (see Vancouver Sun article).

Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Development service plan

http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2009_Sept_Update/sp/pdf/ministry/almd.pdf

Budget speech

http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2009_Sept_Update/speech/Budget%20Speech_Sept_2009.pdf

Pacific Leadership Scholarship being cut?

I heard the BC Advanced Education critic for (Rob Fleming, MLA) saying the Pacific Leaders graduate scholarship has been cut in the recent BC budget.

Please sign this petition to keep graduate student funding in BC!

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/pacific-leaders-graduate-student-fellowships.html

Has UVIC just elected its last chancellor?

Murray Farmer was just elected as UVIC's new chancellor in July.
According to the Ring, 3838 members of convocation voted. Convocation includes UVic alumni, current and former Board of Governor and Senate members, UVic current and retired faculty, staff who have worked at UVIC for 12 months and hold a university degree,

But if the BC government gets its way, Farmer will be the last UVIC chancellor who is elected by convocation. Deep in the University Amendment Act 2008, bundled in with the creation of about a billion new universities all at once, lies the amendment to make the Chancellor appointed rather than elected.

The Chancellor will be appointed thus:

(1) There must be a chancellor of each university, who is to be appointed by the board on nomination by the alumni association and after consultation with the senate or, in the case of the University of British Columbia, after consultation with the council.

(1.1) The chancellor holds office for 3 years and after that until a successor is appointed.

Granted, you could argue the Chancellor is a figure head. But he or she also represents the University all around the world, confers degrees, and is an ex-officio member of BOG and Senate. The right to elect the person who plays that role gives the convocation the ability to decide the "face" of UVic.

I do wonder what the motivaton is. It's not as if no one participates--3838 people just voted at UVIC at the peak of summer holidays! And it certainly seems like we have had excellent people elected in past. So what exactly needs fixing?

BC Budget Consultations

You can give input into the BC 2008 budget by filling out a short online survey here.

I would be very interested to hear the perspective of grad students with expertise in survey design about the structure of the survey as I think the questions are leading. For instance, one of the questions is:

Last year, Balanced Budget 2007 provided an additional $476 million over four years towards housing supports for everyone from the homeless to homeowners. Are there other housing initiatives you would like us to consider?

Seems to me what is described is funding, not an initiative, and it looks at cost only which I would argue inhibits suggestions of spending more. if the questions said "Victoria has 1,242 homeless people in the 2007 homeless count, what housing initiatives would you like us to consider" my guess is there would be a stronger interest in housing those people even if it is expensive.

In any case, whether your issue is how funding for graduate students has been implemented, housing, childcare, or climate change you have until October 19, 2007 to have your say.