Carleton’s Board of Governors (BoG) passed its operating budget for the 2021-22 academic year in a virtual meeting held last month.
The $514.9-million budget, passed on April 29, followed the university’s first fully-online academic year due to COVID-19.
The new budget stated university spending during the COVID-19 pandemic has been “conservative” which left Carleton with $8.6 million to spend on new faculty positions, continuing professional staff positions, improvements to Carleton’s IT infrastructure and student support.
This year’s operating budget increased $12.5 million from the year before, projecting an increase in income from tuition fees for the upcoming academic year of about $9 million.
According to the new budget, the rise in total revenue and expenses is due to international tuition fee increases ranging from zero to eight per cent. Domestic tuition fees are slated to stay the same as last year.
Universities in Ontario were mandated by the province to cut domestic tuition rates by 10 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic and freeze them during the 2020-21 academic year, according to last year’s operating budget.
Nathaniel Black, a BoG undergraduate representative, said he disagreed with the tuition increase for international students because they are an especially “vulnerable” population.
Beth Gorham, the Carleton director of public affairs, commented on the increase of international tuition fees in an email statement to the Charlatan.
“The tuition fee increases for international students were approved on March 12, 2020 for a two-year period and no new increases were approved in the budget,” wrote Gorham. “International fees are adjusted based on program demand and market comparisons with other Ontario universities.”
Gorham also wrote financial aid for students would increase in the coming academic year.
“Nearly $100 million will flow this year through student aid and employment, an increase of almost 10 per cent over last year,” she wrote.
The budget was passed one vote shy of unanimity. Black was the only vote against, stating he could not support the international tuition increase.
The next BoG meeting is scheduled for June 1.
A previous version of this article reported Nathaniel Black abstained from the budget vote. In fact, Black voted against the budget. The Charlatan regrets the error.
Featured photo by Spencer Colby.
