Higher tuition fees a MUN decision, not ours: Clyde Jackman

Memorial University's student union says the school is raising tuition fees for some students under the direction of the provincial government — an allegation that Advanced Education and Skills Minister Clyde Jackman denies. 

During a meeting with university president Gary Kachanoski last week, the student union was told the the Newfoundland and Labrador government instructed the university on what fees to increase, said Brittany Lennox with MUNSU.

​"[Kachanoski] said specifically that it was government that pushed him to make these cuts to international and graduate students," Lennox, the director of student life, told CBC News. 

Lennox also said the tuition fee freeze does not include medical students. 

Jackman said his department has been in numerous discussions with the university, but denies ever advising MUN to raise fees.

"We can't directly advise MUN, we can have discussions, but MUN through its Board of Regents ... it has autonomy," Jackman told reporters at the House of Assembly on Tuesday.

"We had discussions about tuition, there's no doubt about it."

Jackman said that the department can make suggestions but it has no authority to enforce fee hikes on Memorial University students. 

Nothing set in stone

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the university said no decisions have been made yet in relation to tuition fees. 

"The university is still analyzing the implications of the budget. We are talking to groups around the university and preparing options for consideration and approval by the Board of Regents, the university's decision-making body for administrative affairs," Dave Sorensen, acting associate director of communications, said in an email to CBC News.

Until the board of regents votes on the university budget in July, Memorial said it will continue to "consult and plan."

High tuition would be 'appalling'

International students, who currently pay three times the tuition fees that undergraduate Canadian students pay, and graduate students will see a 30 per cent hike in the price they pay for tuition, resulting in an additional $4.8-million for the university, said the union.

Raising prices for students in residence will generate $1.9 million, MUNSU said, adding the increase will target the "province's rural youth."

"When we met with the president last week, he seemed very clear and adamant that fees for international and graduate students was be 30 per cent, he seemed very clear he was going to aim for a fee increase for medical student and residence fees" said Lennox.

"The fact that the university and government made these detailed plans without input from the broader university community is frankly appalling."

International students have been on edge since hearing of rumoured tuition increases, said Marina Schmidt, a German student at Memorial's main campus in St. John's. 

Schmidt's father works three jobs in order for her to attend class at Memorial, and fears she won't be able to stay to finish her degree if the cost of tuition jumps. 

"I just hope that they think carefully about what they're doing because it will affect us," she said. 

A town hall will be held on Thursday at the university for students to discuss any proposed changes.