Over four weeks into the Dalhousie Faculty Association lockout, students are growing increasingly concerned about paying tuition for a fall semester that could leave them without classes.
Katie Ritchie is a second-year master’s student at Dalhousie University. As an international student from the United States, she’s not only paying increased international tuition fees, but is also limited to working just 24 hours per week because of Canada’s cap on the number of hours international students can work.
“The fact that I can’t even do my schooling and somehow I still have to not work is very, very frustrating,” she says. “I had enough money when I got to this country, then rent and tuition ate that all up.”
“It keeps me up at night.”
On Aug. 20, Dalhousie’s board of governors locked out almost 1,000 DFA members. The university suspended most fall semester classes until an agreement is reached.
Tuition for the fall term was originally due on Sept. 16, but the university delayed the deadline until after an agreement is reached with the DFA and classes begin.
Due to the lockout, faculty members who are a part of the DFA were unable to access their Dalhousie emails until Sept. 10, although the university re-emphasized that they cannot do any work in a release published on the same day.
“I’m not even taking any classes, but I can’t send copies of my thesis to anybody,” Ritchie says. “I can’t do work and have any of it checked, so it’s very hard to get anything done with the lack of communication. I’m paying $5,000 just to write a paper that I can’t write, and I’m not jazzed about that.”
Despite this, Ritchie emphasized that she is fully supportive of the DFA’s efforts to sign a collective agreement.
Dalhousie’s board of governors sent its most recent offer to the DFA on Sept. 10 following two days of conciliation meetings, but the DFA said it will not bring the offer to its members for a vote.
There are currently no further conciliation meetings scheduled.
“I think Dal is functioning for their own interests, but I trust the DFA much more than I do the board,” says Ritchie. “I think one is working for the people, and one is working for the shareholders.
“It doesn’t make me feel proud to be a student here; it doesn’t make me happy to pay my tuition.”
Dalhousie Student Union fights for tuition refunds
On Sept. 10, the DSU held a rally advocating for students who missed classes because of the lockout to receive tuition refunds.
“The rally was a powerful way to voice student frustration in a way that’s tangible and real to the board and the university,” says DSU President Maren Mealey. “Students are not happy, especially that we’re not getting the classes we’re paying for.”
Many student attendees voiced concerns about the lockout’s impact on their education and their wallets.
“We want to get the money back for the classes that we’re missing. There’s only 12 weeks in the semester, and so far [we’ve missed] two, going on three,” says second-year Dalhousie student Amy Chelariu.
Despite not being optimistic, Chelariu wants the university’s administration to know that students deserve compensation for missed classes.
“I don’t think that we’re going to get anything back, but I don’t want them to think that we’re okay with it,” she says. “Students deserve to be able to plan their lives. It’s important that people hear sooner rather than later so that they know what to do in the meantime.”
Mealey says the DSU hasn’t received any communication from the university about tuition refunds.
