Board approves student consultation procedures for fee changes

Students will be able to have their voice heard on tuition and other university fees next month.

On Tuesday, the Board of Governors approved new procedures for communicating and consulting with students about any proposed tuition or fee changes at the university. The process is intended to ensure that students have plenty of notice about what they could be paying each fall, as well as the chance to provide feedback before the Board of Governors makes its final decisions.

Though only just approved, the university has organized its budgeting process this year around the timeline outlined in the procedures.

“We wanted to ensure a transparent and thorough consultation process that students can expect, year after year,” says Carolyn Watters, vice-president academic and provost and chair of the Budget Advisory Committee. “We think we’ve come up with procedures that will set us on a clear, collaborative path.”

The university worked closely with the Dalhousie Student Union executive in drafting the procedures. DSU president Chris Saulnier says that many students felt they didn’t have enough time to consider last year’s fee hikes – particularly those in professional programs and for international students.

“This is an effort to create a process that will allow for real feedback and consultation,” he says. “My hope is that it will allow students to have an informed discussion about why these fees are being implemented, whether they’re needed, and how they might apply to their education.”

Consultations in mid-March

The procedures state that the university will provide details of its recommended fee changes at least five weeks before the Board of Governors Operations Committee considers them, communicating them widely to students. That announcement will be followed by public consultation sessions with students, including opportunities to submit feedback electronically, the results of which will be shared with the Board before any fees are approved.

Dr. Watters says that the Budget Advisory Committee is hoping to have its recommendations ready for release around March 1, and students can expect public consultation sessions to be scheduled for mid-March.

Read: Tuition and fee consultation procedures [PDF]