Federal election candidate for the People’s Party of Canada Dana Metcalfe states regarding Memorial University of Newfoundland President Vianne Timmons’s recent media comments, “I don’t like how she played the woman card.”

Metcalfe says, “I believe that all people are capable of accomplishing great things no matter what their gender identity is. I do not feel it is fair to say that she is a woman and should be viewed differently in her interview. She is in a position of authority and has proven herself in her perspective field.” Metcalfe states that a better approach instead of a personal response would have been for Timmons to explain why the hikes happened, who was responsible, and to set a further direction for a resolution to the issue. She says, “those responsibilities come with the career and should remain professional and not about her as an individual. The hikes essentially have nothing to do with her gender rather her position at the university.” 

Regarding the university’s decision on tuition, Metcalfe says, “I am 100 percent in opposition of doubling tuition.” She says that if the federal government can come up with a billion dollars to implement a vaccine passport, they should be able to fund the education system in the long term more adequately. She even goes as far as to say that it should be a priority, “federal funding would be better spent to subsidize students or the university to invest in the taxpayers of tomorrow. Education is an investment to a strong economy.”

Metcalfe states that she agrees with the placement of the posters as a call to action. She says, “Freedom to exercise your human rights is absolute…” Metcalfe then says, “Calling for someone’s resignation is different than an attack on a person it is her position on this matter, not her personally. It would not matter who was in her position; the call to action would have been the same.”

Regarding different opinions on campus, Metcalfe states, “A university is a place to work, but it is also a place to learn. So, it is not limited to the viewpoints of the staff but also the perspective of students. Both need to have mutual respect. Without staff, there would be no university, and without students, there would be no university. When it comes to importance, both are equal and should allow room for communication and conflict resolution.”

Metcalfe argues in favour of the right to demonstrate “protests are an exercise of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Therefore, as unsavoury as it is to some, it is essential in a democracy to exercise those rights. That is how we prompt change and resolution. Protest happens when two perspectives are in opposition. One should never use their powers to suppress another or determine how one’s freedoms are exercised.”

Hopefully, this is the first of many articles on this web page with election candidates expressing their views on post-secondary education.

Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the webpage owner.

On September 15th, 2021, at an economic forum held on Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s Signal Hill Campus, President Vianne Timmons said that they had to increase tuition due to the budget challenges that Memorial is facing. However, they have kept it the most affordable university in Atlantic Canada. She then brought up scholarships and bursaries as an option for those who cannot afford the tuition increase.

Timmons then stated, “I would say that $6,000 for a term now at a university is the best financial investment anyone can make. And it’s not a big financial investment for many families and the ones who it is a big investment, we are going to wrap around supports and do our best. Maybe there’s a student who cannot access university cause of finances, but we are going to do everything we can to make sure that we build a safety net around all of our students.”

Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.

On September 15th, 2021, at a conference on the economic and fiscal trajectory of Newfoundland and Labrador hosted by Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Economics Department, student Matt Barter (me) questioned MUN President Vianne Timmons on the removal of posters across the St. John’s Campus calling on her to resign due to the decision to double tuition fees. I asked if freedom of speech is still a value of Memorial.

Timmons stated that she ordered staff to take down the posters because Memorial is a campus that honours respectful workplace. Ignoring that she is a public figure and the head of a public institution, Timmons stated that if there were a poster with MUN professors on it with the word “resign,” the university would take them down. Timmons also said that if there were a poster with students with the word “resign,” they would do the same. Timmons stated, “[if] they walk around campus and are uncomfortable and feel not valued and supported; I would take them down.”

Timmons then stated, “so they were taken down because they do not honour our respectful workplace policy. I’ve taken a stand… we want to make sure that everyone who works at Memorial University or studies there or comes to visit our campus is respected.”

It is unclear why Timmons talked about hypothetical situations with different people, many of whom are not public figures, at MUN on posters but not herself. Essentially it seems her argument is that a public figure without thick skin should dictate how people are allowed to protest governing bodies and, in this case, how students are allowed to protest the university’s administration. It is wrong for a university figurehead to think that they should be impervious to criticism.

Freedom of speech should not be limited by the level of comfort someone has disagreeing with an idea. If a university value learning, then it is essential to have free speech and debate.

---

Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.

A recently obtained ATIPP request reveals a government document on the history of the tuition fee freeze subsidy that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador provided to Memorial University of Newfoundland. See document below:

Tuition Freeze Subsidy History

• Between 1999 and 2005, successive governments implemented tuition fee freezes and reductions at the public post-secondary institutions without compensation to the institutions for the loss of tuition revenue.

• In 2001-02, a 25 per cent decrease in tuition occurred at Memorial over three years. Government replaced the University’s lost tuition revenue from the 25 per cent decrease, but did not provide any further subsidy increase to the University after that to offset the effect of tuition not increasing thereafter and the University’s domestic tuition has been frozen at current levels since 2003-04 for NL students.

• In 2005-06, Government through its White Paper on Public Postsecondary Education, implemented what was originally intended to be a three-year subsidy to the University to offset the loss of tuition revenue.

• At the time, 70 per cent of University revenues came from the provincial operating grant with 22 per cent from student tuition fees and the University advised it was struggling to find sufficient revenues to cover increasing costs. For example:
• Cost pressures resulting from salary step increases to faculty;
• Cost to keep programs current and at the level that is required to maintain accreditation;
• Inflationary costs related to energy, insurance and library acquisitions; and,
• Equipment and maintenance costs associated with programming.

• To compensate, the University projected at the time that a 17 per cent tuition increase was required in the next year given the then fiscal forecast of the University’s operating grant.

• The then Department of Education, in reviewing Canadian tuition increases for a six-year period, excluding NL, developed several options, including (i) an eight per cent tuition fee increase cap, and (ii) an eight per cent tuition freeze subsidy to cover institutional operational requirements.

• These options:
• Assumed an inflation rate of five per cent for Memorial University expenses for 2004-05 and 2005-06 and 2.5 per cent thereafter;
• Took into account MUNFA’s collective agreement at that time (2.5 per cent wage increases twice a year until it expired in September 2005); and,
• Took into account a $2 million reduction in grant-in-aid in 2004-05 and the University’s request for $470,000 annually to help compensate for lost revenue due to previous tuition cuts.

• The White Paper process applied an eight per cent annual increase as a tuition freeze subsidy to maintain a tuition freeze initially for 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08.

• When the White Paper money ended there was no incremental increase in 2008-09 at first, but the 2009-10 increase then included 2008-09 incremental amount retroactively and was handled outside the budget process.

• This process continued in future fiscal years and the subsidy calculation methodology was not revisited until 2013-14 as the tuition freeze commitment was maintained. The allocations did not always align with fiscal years, and the amount was rounded up or down in some years.

• The average incremental tuition freeze subsidy increase over the period 2005-06 to 2011-12 was 6.8 per cent.

Tuition Subsidy Increase 2005-06 to 2012-13

Year	Annual Incremental Increase to Tuition Subsidy	Annual % in Subsidy
2005-06	$3,600,000	–
2006-07	$3,900,000	8%
2007-08	$4,200,000	8%
2008-09	$4,200,000	0%
2009-10	$4,900,000	17%
2010-11	$5,000,000	2%
2011-12	$5,300,000	6%
2012-13	$5,500,000	4%

• A final decision was made during the budget process to provide the University with $5.5 million in 2012-13 calculated using a four per cent annual incremental increase rate.

• The Budget 2013 process allocated $3.8 million.

• In subsequent years this was rounded up to $4 million annual incremental increase to the tuition freeze subsidy, notionally allocated to support year-over-year inflationary pressures as per the example in the above table. Please see Annex A for table to MUN tuition freeze subsidy allocations rolled into MUN’s operating grant.

See image format of ATIPP below:

Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.

Many students at Memorial University of Newfoundland are calling on the president, Vianne Timmons, to resign over her decision to double tuition fees.

On May 3rd, 2021, Timmons told the media that currently enrolled students would pay the same amount as they were paying if tuition increases.

Timmons stated, “There will be no student who is presently enrolled in Memorial that will be compromised.”

On July 9th, 2021, Timmons went back on her word, and the university’s Board of Regents plan included a yearly four per cent increase starting next year for current students until 2025.

Below are pictures of students holding up Resign MUN President Vianne posters:

Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.

A recently obtained ATIPP request reveals that few students use the EAB Navigate app that the Memorial University of Newfoundland administration spent over $2 million on. The usage statistics from June 2018 to June 2021 state that the new user login was an average of 120 students a month, and return user logins on average was 180 students.

Students used the app to create around 871 appointments each month, and the number of distinct students is 648 a month on average. Students, on average, created 166 to-Dos a month. The number of courses for the Study Buddies section of the app was 96 on average, and the number of unique students was 259 on average.

The quick polls that the university ran on the app had 897 students participate in Fall 2019, 519 students in Fall 2020, and 1232 students in Winter 2021.

The ATIPP also reveals staff usage statistics. For the Fall 2020 progress reports, 1607 evaluations were sent, there were 998 responses from professors, and 82 students marked at-risk. The Winter 2021 progress report had 1503 evaluations sent, 724 responses from professors and 64 students marked at risk.

The total number of student case closures is 279. 6 falls under “Met with student, course dropped,” 28 under “Met with student, referred to help centre,” 19 under “Met with student, referred to instructor,” 173 under “Student contacted 2x, no response,” and 53 under “Other.”

See ATIPPs below:

Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.

A recently obtained ATIPP request reveals that yet another administrative position has been created with a salary over $150K. Dr. Delores Mullings received the appointment as Vice-Provost, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

The appointment is for a period of five years, and upon completion of her term, Dr. Mullings will return to her academic position as Associate Professor of Social Work. The position of Vice-Provost EDI can be renewed for up to five years. Her starting salary is $157,110.

Dr. Mullings is responsible for developing a five-year strategic plan that will serve as a framework for annual plans with goals, activities, and outcomes to be submitted at the beginning of each academic year. During the early stages of her appointment, resources will be identified and then a source of funding provided for the resources.

Instead of hiring yet another administrator with a hefty salary for people at the university to look up at, it seems that a better approach would have been for the university to provide funding for more on-the-ground staff who work with students directly. For example, with the current model at the Blundon Centre for students with disabilities, most staff positions are contractual for one year at a time, which has resulted in a rapid change over in staff at the Blundon Centre. It takes time for staff to learn all the knowledge needed to adequately assist students and build relationships with the students, professors, and staff. This is just one example; additional staff at the Indigenous Student Resource Centre would be good as well.

The students deserve better.

Below is Dr. Delores Mullings’s employment contract:

Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.

The university hired two new Vice-Presidents: Vice-President (Grenfell Campus) pro tempore Ian Sutherland and Vice-President (Indigenous) Catharyn Andersen.

Dr. Sutherland’s salary is $260,000, which is over $75,000 more than his salary as Dean of Music/Associate Professor.  His contract end date is June 14th, 2023 and is subjected to extension dependence on the appointment of a permanent Vice-President (Grenfell Campus). He is entitled to return to his position as Dean of Music and resume for the remainder of his appointed term, or he has the option to extend his existing appointment as Dean of Music to the amount of time as appointed as Vice-President (Grenfell). Dr. Sutherland is also entitled to a research grant of $20,000.

Ms. Andersen’s starting salary is $195,089, which is an increase of over $40,000 from her salary of $154,900 as Special Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs. The administration converted that position into the new Vice-President position. In addition to Ms. Andersen’s salary, the university will also provide funding to pursue a Ph.D. program at the university of her choice. She is also entitled to protected time for studies at 10 percent of work time per month and a paid education leave, beyond annual leave, for four months. The university also promises a faculty appointment upon completion of a Ph.D. program.

Below are the employment contracts:

Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.

Universities used to be places where freedom of expression and freedom of speech was an important value. However, in current times this right of students is under attack by the powers that be.

On Memorial University of Newfoundland’s St. John’s campus, posters asking MUN President Vianne Timmons to resign and stating no to tuition hikes were put up on poles on Prince Philip Drive and Elizabeth Avenue but were taken down by MUN staff several times.

On orientation day and the first few days of lectures at MUN, posters were placed on bulletins boards on campus but were all taken down. The maintenance staff were told by their supervisors, who in turn were told by the higher-ups that there are not allowed to be any political posters on campus and, if they see them, tear them down.

Below is a video of a maintenance staff tearing down posters.

The students deserve better!

Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.