Nationwide, post-secondary tuition has been steadily climbing, including the University of Victoria's (UVic) tuition inflating annually. In 2015/2016 UVic tuition rates for a full-time undergraduate student for two semesters were $5,476, by 2019/2020 these have increased to $5,696. Approximately 70.46% of students in Victoria that participated in a Lotay and McGovern (2017) study, reported yearly income that placed them below the national low-income cut-off. Despite the growing student loan debt and student poverty, tuition rates continue to increase and it is time this issue is addressed. 

In March the UVic Board of Governors decided to approve another increase in student tuition, despite the financial barriers that would occur for students due to COVID-19. It was said,

"Increased student fees reflect increases of two per cent for domestic students; four per cent for international graduate students; four per cent for international undergraduate students who enrolled before April 2018 (grand-parented at a lower increase) and 15 per cent for international undergraduate students enrolled after April 2018" (The University of Victoria, 2020).

This was announced amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, with a complete disregard for the financial, physical, and emotional experiences of current and upcoming undergraduate and graduate students. 

In the following months when online classes were being solidified for summer and fall, no news of lowering tuition was released. Due to the global pandemic, the majority of undergraduate and graduate courses at UVic continue to be limited to online distance learning. These have been argued to be a different learning experience than in-person, on-campus classes, and should not be held to the same financial cost. 

It is time for mass reform with university tuition, especially during these times when financial well-being will continue to be compromised as the world prepares for the second wave of COVID-19.

Education is meant to be equitable and accessible, and post-secondary institutions should be responsive to the current climate of the world and the needs of those attending these institutions. Instead, in its current state it only serves those who have the financial means and privilege to access it. It further cements barriers to education for those without the financial means and continues the separation of classes and the oppression of marginalized groups. 

This petition demands the Board of Governors to lower the tuition of online courses to half the cost of on-campus course tuition. Furthermore, to lower the domestic and international student tuition to a cost seen by students to be affordable and accessible by all. Since 'affordability' is a flexible term, defining what affordable and accessible UVic tuition would look like requires dialogue with the UVSS and student representatives of varying backgrounds. It is paramount that a diversity of students are acknowledged within this decision, so that the cycle of institutional oppression can be broken. 

Creating additional bursaries, scholarships, and grants could be counter-argued as an alternative to decreasing tuition. This would be beneficial to implement in lieu of lowering tuition, due to the barriers associated with applying and being approved for bursaries, scholarships, and grants. Lowering tuition for all students addresses the main financial barrier and will create the biggest impact for students' financial, physical, and emotional well-being. 

Edit: In addition, I acknowledge this is not an easy fix for the Board of Governors to achieve without the necessary funding via provincial and federal governments. I fully support collaborating with the Board of Governors and UVSS to lobby for additional funding and opening the discussion around how tuition can be decreased for all students.