Students To Show Mass Opposition To Fee Increases

Students To Show Mass Opposition To Fee Increases

Victoria University students will turn out in force tomorrow for the special Council meeting that will consider a proposal to raise tuition fees by 4.5% in 2005. They will also consider a proposal to increase the Student Services Levy by $15 per full time student. The meeting will take place at 4pm in the Hunter Council Chamber on Kelburn Campus.

"The student body are preparing to mobilise in order to show mass opposition to this fee increase, which is without justification, reason or sense" said Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) president Amanda Hill.

"After the three percent fee increase of 2003, and the surpluses recorded by the University over the last three years, students have had enough of Victoria exploiting them for increasing funds" said Hill.

"It has been suggested by the Vice-Chancellor that some of the funding increase given by government this year - totalling a 3.2% increase - could be used for a "discretionary fund" of up to $0.5 million for the new Vice-Chancellor" said Hill.

"This is an abuse of government funding that could be used to alleviate the increasing burden on students" Hill said today.

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