arts | year in photos
sports | university cup format
the aquarium | see inside for the 2012 spoof
Volume 145 · April 4 · Issue 27, 2012
www.thebruns.ca
brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.
Student voice leaving Fredericton council table Alanah Duffy News Reporter Jordan Graham, who has long been considered a voice for students on Fredericton’s city council, will not seek re-election in May. Graham was elected to council in May 2008, when he was only 21-yearsold. He said he considers his two biggest accomplishments in the past four years to be contributing heavily to the dialogue of municipal spending and seeing a shift in the activities on College Hill. “It’s a much more peaceful and quiet place than it was prior to coming into it. There’s a stronger sense of community and overall, people generally feel safer here and it’s a much more pleasant place to live,” Graham told The Brunswickan. Graham, who once served as vicepresident external of the University of New Brunswick Student Union, was elected to council as a student, grabbing just over 50 per cent of the vote in the last municipal election. He said one thing that motivated him to run for council was the tension between students and other residents of College Hill.
SEE GRAHAM PAGE 3
Jordan Graham is not seeking re-election. Tim Lingley / The Brunswickan
Tuition hike expected Hilary Paige Smith News Editor
Eddy Campbell expects tuition will be raised. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan
Though post-secondar y budget details are still up in the air, Eddy Campbell said a tuition hike is expected. “The government, I believe, is of the view that students need to carry part of the freight in terms of the increase in our expenses,” the university president said on Monday. Though the provincial budget dropped on Mar. 27, the post-secondary education budget had yet to be revealed as of press time on Monday. The government did announce they will be freezing ancillary fees at New Brunswick universities. Campbell said he was surprised the university wasn’t included as part of the budget process. His ex-
pectations are that the budget will be similar to last year’s. Last year, the government lifted the tuition freeze and raised tuition by $200. They also reinstated parental contributions for student loans, meaning students are forced to factor their parent’s earnings into their student loan application. “The minister is going to make an announcement about that in the legislature I hope sooner rather than later. Some things seem to have changed since last year, but that doesn’t make me feel all that nervous,” Campbell said. Campbell said it’s too early to tell how much of a jump in tuition is expected, but they haven’t received any signals that the budget will be all that different from last year’s. The province’s bleak f inancial
situation has a lot to do with it. As of the most recent budget, NB’s deficit was $183 million. New Brunswick students also pay the highest tuition in the country. Ontario, formerly in first place, recently introduced a tax credit for students. “The diff iculty we have is the financial situation of the province is really not good… I think they are going to be looking more for savings than stimulus funding,” Campbell said, when asked if the province would be providing some infrastructure funding to universities. He was optimistic about the $2 million set aside for innovation. UNB has been focusing their energy on innovation recently, especially with the introduction of the PondDesphande Centre. The centre will focus on entrepreneurship and ideas.