UOIT, Durham College concerned about revenue impact
Jul 04, 2008 - 04:29 AM
By Jillian Follert
OSHAWA -- An Oshawa councillor says he thinks tuition discounts at Durham College and UOIT might be just the incentive needed to make more local kids stay home to get their education.
Councillor Tito-Dante Marimpietri introduced a notice of motion at the last council meeting of the summer, asking that Durham College and UOIT consider offering a price break to all native-born Oshawa citizens and those who have lived in the city for at least 13 months.
"The City and the taxpayers have invested a lot of money in the university and this would be a reinvestment in our community," he said. "There are a lot of people who are struggling to make ends meet and can't afford higher education. To make this the city we want for the future, we need to be able to offer them that opportunity."
Coun. Marimpietri said the idea occurred to him several years ago when he was attending university in Montreal and discovered students who had lived in Quebec for 11 months or more were eligible for discounted tuition.
The issue will be debated once council reconvenes in September.
UOIT president Ron Bordessa said it's tough to comment on the proposal until he knows whether council supports it.
But he is concerned about how an initiative like this would be funded, as the motion is clear the City wouldn't be subsidizing the discounts.
"There would be a lot of foregone revenue there," he said. "The question would be, could we offer the same level of service with less money coming in from tuition?"
Dr. Bordessa said UOIT offers scholarships and bursaries -- many of which are paid for through philanthropic donations -- but doesn't have any tuition discounts because of the potential revenue loss.
Some schools offer rollbacks to seniors and mature students, but Dr. Bordessa couldn't think of any Ontario institutions that offer price breaks based on place of residence.
Also concerned was Durham College president Don Lovisa, who echoed Dr. Bordessa's comments about the financial impact.
"Tuition represents a significant part of our total revenue. We would have to be concerned about how this would impact resources for students," he said. "I hope council thinks about this very carefully."
Mr. Lovisa added Durham College already has a student population that is about 60 per cent local, similar to most colleges.
If people choose to go elsewhere, it's usually because the school doesn't offer the program the student is looking for or it's full, neither of which would be remedied by a tuition discount, Mr. Lovisa said.
Enrolment figures from September 2007 indicate just under 40 per cent of UOIT students are from Durham Region and Northumberland County.
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