DSU Statement Responding to Dalhousie’s 2022-23 Draft Operating Budget Plan
January 25, 2022
On January 19, 2022, Dalhousie University Budget Advisory Committee released their draft operating budget plan for the 2022/2023 year. Within the document they outlined recommendations for tuition and fee increases that will impact students attending Dalhousie in the upcoming semester. In the proposed budget, tuition fees account for Dalhousie's largest pool of revenue sitting at 45.8%, while provincial opening grants sit at 44.2%. In 2011, 60% of the university's revenue was from provincial funding and only 31% of revenue was obtained through the collection of tuition.
Since last 2020, amid a global pandemic, students have continued to express their growing concerns around the rise in tuition fees paired with frustration with a lack of services and financial support from Dalhousie University. We called on Dalhousie University to not only stop this increase in fees but to freeze tuition and make the necessary changes to develop a budget that moves towards a universally accessible post-secondary education system. Instead, Dalhousie University has developed a budget that outlines students as its main source of revenue but only allocates 7.9% of its operating budget to student assistance services.
Dalhousie University’s budget memo mentioned working with the DSU to host virtual sessions for students looking to provide additional feedback on the budget. Although we are more than happy to create platforms to ensure that all students can provide feedback on its proposed budget, this statement from Dalhousie misrepresents the current state of the DSU’s involvement in the BAC’s student consultation efforts. The DSU has encouraged the BAC to provide opportunities for the whole student body to engage in consultation on the budget, including providing a better understanding of how student fees are used within the operating budget. However, the BAC has not included the DSU, nor made us aware of any such efforts. It is crucial that student suggestions are considered in Dalhousie’s budgeting process. Year after year, student consultation on budgets is solicited from the administration, yet students’ recommendations are rarely reflected in amendments made to the budget.
Students are in a financially precarious time. With the cost of housing drastically increasing and food insecurity continuing to be a growing problem among students, our needs have not changed. The urgency to address these issues has only increased. We encourage students to submit their budget recommendations to BAC@dal.ca by February 16th.
We remind Dalhousie University that in order to adequately support students, we must
Remove all tuition increases, including differential fees, and freeze tuition for both domestic and international students
Develop a sustainable budget model that prioritizes student services and moves towards universally accessible education
Lobby the provincial and federal government to increase funding for the Advanced Education sector, specifically to reduce tuition costs and provide direct-to-student funding.
Sincerely,
The Dalhousie Student Union Executive & Council
Quick facts
The draft operating budget proposes a 3% increase to tuition fees, with an additional $1,473 for international students.
This is the final year for the yearly additional international increases, which were approved by the Board of Governors in 2019.
A university task force is currently reviewing international tuition at Dalhousie and is aiming to provide recommendations to the Board that would be implemented for new students entering in Fall 2023.
Community feedback is due Feb 16 through Dal’s survey (linked here) or email to the committee (bac@dal.ca).
Tuition, student fees, and budget recommendations are scheduled to be presented to the Board of Governors for consideration and approval in March.