The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

DOZENS of frustrated and angry college students confronted College of the Bahamas executives yesterday afternoon after it was announced that full-time students would face a $70 increase in non-tuition fees for the up-coming fall semester, with that figure rising to $170 by spring.

Following a press conference in the Michael Eldon building, the students intercepted college council chairman Alfred Sears in the hallway outside the executive boardroom over the budget cuts and fee increases. They demanded to know what had happened to the recommendations made by the students and other college stakeholders.

College president Betsy Vogel-Boze was also intercepted by students with eyewitnesses saying she had to be escorted outside by security.

One witness said Ms Vogel-Boze was reportedly “almost pushed down a flight of stairs” as protesting students followed her outside. However, others have said that that report was “false.”

Community activist Rodney Moncur, who was at the scene, said the students took over the 3rd floor of the Michael Eldon building and were singing “Kumbaya”.

In a statement released by the college’s student union, they admitted that “passions ran high,” but denied resorting to any “behaviour which threatened the personal safety of any individual.”

COBUS said: “Due to the lack of communication and inclusion, members of the union sought to speak to council members - including the COB president. However these attempts were not successful. Thus students’ disappointment and frustration became magnified.

“Though passions ran high, students did not resort to behaviour which threatened the personal safety of any individual, despite reports to the contrary.”

The student union said students had been faced with a “myriad of issues recently, particularly in regards to increased fees” and COBUS members have attempted to address the issues “in a diplomatic fashion.”

But, they said, requests for meetings and information have been ignored by “all entities, specifically the College Council” that passed the fee increases.

At yesterday’s press conference, the president had responded to the widespread student outrage.

“The students are trying to express themselves in every way appropriate,” she said. “They are learning leadership throughout this experience. They obviously do not welcome fee increases, I’ve been on college and university campuses for over 30 years and I’ve never seen a fee increase that was welcomed or wanted.”

The college is “long overdue” in fee increases with tuition having stayed the same since the year 2000. Like everyone else, she said – “our costs have gone up.”

She explained: “Our cost of faculty and staff have gone up, our cost of insurance, our costs of gasoline, our cost of electricity and everything else has increased. Our fees have remained largely the same during that time and our subvention has remained largely the same, during that time – although fluctuating a bit due to the cost of living and the size of our enrolment.

“While we hate to put the burden on our students, much of this is actually being absorbed by the college through the other reductions.”

She added: “Our students are great people and they are expressing themselves as is their right.”

Mr Sears also responded.

“Within an academic institution which prides and promotes academic freedom, the freedom to take a dissident point of view is essential – that’s the very essence of an academic institution,” he said.

“It sensitizes us and it forces us to look for every available alternative and also, in this context, I think it has made it very apparent to me that we need to intensify our efforts to increase the scholarship resources of the institution so that those students who are challenged would not be discouraged, would not find it impossible to continue their education.”

Ms Vogel-Boze explained the fees and cuts were in response to the Ministry of Finance’s call for the college to reduce its budget by 10 per cent next year and 15 per cent the following year.

“This means that for next year we have to reduce our budget by $2.5 million or about a $1.25 million in savings from operational efficiencies and another $1.25 million in cost savings,” she said.

“Following meetings with the college community we have developed the following recommendations – several of them are for increasing revenue. One proposal is to leave a number of vacant positions unfilled. Some of these include faculty positions.”

Among the cost saving measures in the reduced budget area, Ms Vogel-Boze said, are a 40 per cent reduction in travel and subsistence and a 50 per cent reduction in food.

The college also seeks to reduce its utilities bill – primarily electricity – by 10 per cent. COB also wants to “save money in rent” by not renewing off-campus property leases.

“And we are only filling those positions that are essential to the operational efficiencies and the quality of our delivery of programmes,” Ms Vogel-Boze said.

Among COB’s revenue enhancements are increased facilities rental and pricing to incentivise those, increasing automatic teller machines, selling top-up services, “moving revenue generating entities to self-sustainability and eventually to revenue generation,” and revising non-tuition fees.

“Last week, College Council approved revised non-tuition fees. These include two new fees, a reinstated fee and an increase in an existing fee. Most of these will take effect in the fall semester 2013,” the president said.

Full-time students who wish to park on campus, will be charged a $50 fee while part-time and summer students pay half that amount. Only students wishing to park on campus will have to pay.

An increase in the technology fee from $100 to $120 will also take effect. Ms Vogel- Boze explained: “Our existing technology fee has helped us to move our technology forward with wireless networks and technology in our labs.”

A library fee also will be reinstated at a charge of $50. The president explained the fee was “discontinued a few years ago,” but the new Harry C Moore library has “significant expenses” to maintain quality.

Lastly, students will be charged a $100 facility development fee which will take effect in January 2014. This fee relates to improving the campus.

“The impact of these fees for full time students that do not park on campus is $70 per semester for the fall of 2013. For the spring of 2014 for the full-time student, that would be $170, still a bargain by most college and university standards and most private school standards here in the Bahamas,” Ms Vogel-Boze said.

“We will continue to assess the implications of these changes.”