On Wednesday, UTMSU spoke to about 30 students on campus in the Presentation Room at 1 p.m. for about two hours during the “Drop the Fees” coalition.
UTMSU representatives discussed being fed up with the obligation to keep up with exorbitant fee increases. The speakers interpreted figures onscreen showing a significant rise in payments over the years.
The representatives spoke about the rising cost of tuition and how it is holding students back. Ultimately, the student union says they are preparing for the goal of, one day, eliminating tuition fees in Canada. At least provincially, they talked about beginning with service charges and the possibility of using taxes—that everyone already owes—to curb costs.
The statement provided during the meeting was that “education is a right”, not an advantage only for the wealthy.
Student involvement was encouraged. The numbers representing costs were shown to the audience on the projection screen, making students aware of the increase in educational costs over the years.
At the end of the event, the student leaders insisted on the need for greater attendance.
“We had an amazing turnout and fruitful discussions. Moving forward we will be having less [talk] and more actions,” said UTMSU representatives in a Facebook post after the event.
The next coalition meeting will be this Wednesday at 1 p.m.
