I would like to respond to the story the Western Star ran on April 3rd entitled “Maria Dussan, international student at Grenfell Campus, says she has had enough with the tuition fee differential.”
It is unfortunate that your reporter did not contact me, as vice-president for the campus, or, I understand, anyone who works with international students, before running this article. Some easy fact checking would have provided a more balanced account; it would have even ensured that my name was spelled correctly.
Allow me to share some information. There is a tuition fee differential for international students at Grenfell Campus of Memorial University, just like there is at every university and college campus across North America. In the fall of 2017 average tuition for international students at Memorial stood at $8,800; for the upcoming academic year it will climb to $11,460.
Easily accessible on the websites of Universities Canada and Statistics Canada are the rates at other Canadian universities. In fall of 2017 at universities in Atlantic Canada the average cost was $15,190, a figure that is certain to rise for fall 2018.
Elsewhere in Canada, average costs are more. For the 2017-18 academic year, outside of the Maritimes, they ranged from $14,450 in Manitoba to $29,921 in Ontario.
This differential fee results from many factors, including that public funding to subsidize post-secondary education understandably focuses on domestic students and that there are costs associated with the administration and programing to support international students.
At Grenfell, we have grown our international student numbers over the past decade from a handful to more than 100 who come from some 40 countries. We are exceptionally proud of this record and enjoy an excellent reputation in numerous countries from where we see large numbers of students joining us each year.
We work hard to make international students feel welcome, engaged, at home, and to take advantage of the many features offered in this beautiful community and region. Just last week, some 20 international students, with tremendous support from numerous Grenfell employees, organized a show to celebrate multiculturalism that highlighted different traditions, food, dance, and clothing from countries around the world, an event that drew a sold out audience of some 100 to the Rotary Arts Centre. We also have an extensive field trip program that brings students to areas of interest that include Gros Morne and Marble Mountain. Many professors and staff host international students at their homes, exemplifying the spirit of community that we believe characterizes the place in which we work and are so fortunate to live.
Like all institutions, we know there are areas in which we can, and want to, improve. Our staff strive to provide a greater range of services to international students. We have worked with exceptional community partners like Coleman’s to improve local transportation support. Grenfell Campus makes international students eligible for a greater percentage of scholarships and bursaries than at numerous other institutions.
It is unfortunate that the Western Star writer did not research how Memorial’s tuition fees for international students compares to other parts of Canada. It is disappointing he did not contact Grenfell‘s administration before running this story. And it is regrettable that he failed to seek out the views of other international students, many of whom would convey a much different story about their Grenfell experience and living in wonderful community of Corner Brook.
Jeff Keshen
VP, Grenfell Campus
