Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 8, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba Inside Story Winnipeg free press january 1995 to whats u of m degree Worth students reflect on their University Bald Santin education reporter Jason Wiebe moved from Alberta to study political science at the University of he has already run up More than in Bank Loans and is prepared to take on More debt because the program Here has been considered one of the Best in the but by the end of this the departments 20 full time professor positions will be reduced to positions and some of the programs Best profs will be its left Wiebe wondering what kind of program the University will offer him next year and How that will affect his misallocation they added courses to the drama program and remedial English for High school somehow that seems like a misallocation of resources to the third year student when i look at pos secondary i see it As a place of higher what id like to see is a degree in arts Worth what a University degree is Worth these Days is a question being asked not just by but by almost and the degree continually costs Over and above annual tuition increases of at least five per a Federal proposal to drastically restructure pos secondary funding could see student fees triple Over the next five who going to come Here for a year Wiebe if tuition skyrockets to youre not going to be going to the University of Manitoba if you have Good youll be going to the Price is not the Only worry for a group of arts students who agreed to discuss their concerns with the free press had a Long list of ranging from overcrowded classes to a Lack of meaningful academic Mac leans ranking some objective indicators have also cast aspersions on the u of with Mac leans magazines National ranking of Canadian universities rating the u of m As the worst University in the category for the past four the Magazine boycotted by the University Over objections to its cited several other areas where the u of m came up Short compared to similar they included the lowest average entering Grade of firs year students the lowest number of High school grads with a final Grade of 75 per cent or higher one of the largest class sizes in first Marc free press arts students Andrea Pratt from left and Wiebe and Derek Mcbride from left discuss the Good Points and bad Points of attending the University of Manitoba to get a higher storming be Ivory 10wers part 2 worried about the a1 and second year the poorest Library acquisition budget and the worst reputation among other academics and the country leading business yet the facts belie some of the negative for example the University annual Survey of graduating students last Spring found an overwhelming majority satisfied with their in they would recommend the program to a Friend or relative if they would go of the u of is firsthand second year half have fewer than 26 one Quarter have 26 to 50 students and less than 10 per cent have 100 to 250 the average entering Grade of its students is per when asked what they like about the u of the group of arts students can think Only of the variety in said Nicky a third year honors political science most said they attend the u of m Only because its near we live Jamie a third year advanced political studies to go away to another University would be so we Haven any facts Are but perception is they and the classroom reality sometimes Speaks for i was just talking to someone this morning who was quite proud of the fact he was going to be graduating with a three year degree without having gone to any classes this Robertson some say admissions standards should be raised to allow a focus on providing the Best education to the bes qualified there Are too Many courses that Are too said Deborah a third year political science that How people can get through without haying to go to class and still graduate with a among the easy Mahoney is one where All you do is draw pictures on a computer All its there Are too Many people who take those easy courses three years in a Row and get out of represent the u of m and they dont know then it totally devalues the people who majored in political studies or people who had to think and Are actually better people for the i think University is meant for the necessarily the Best and the people who have proven they have the ability to get in but Debbie a second year advanced English i didst do exceptionally Well at High school and i have gotten into Mcgill or but now in doing much better than i Ever did in High Pauls if we followed that i be Here but i am i know what i want to in doing it and in doing Rogers agrees that raising standards is not necessarily the i dont think we should disallow students with poor because there Are circumstances that Lead to poor grades the overwhelming majority of the u of is students Are enrolled in the three year its a general program with no specific Field of the alternative for the remaining Are fou year honors and advanced there considered More requiring students to specialize in a Field of Are often stepping stones to graduate Are believed to attract the better High school the value of a three year degree is being debated at every level on the u of m University president Arnold Naimark wants to change the institutions focus to fou year degrees to attract the better students and enhance the u of is tattered National students fear their degree is not appreciated in the real there was a time when being Able to understand literature or pol Sci or anything was considered a High form of intelligence that was respected and could get you Robertson now that yesterday i be manness in avenge today students at risk tomorrow plan 2000 at u of m tuesday Small schools defended wednesday business report card thursday Cros Canada View the students said there Are High Quality programs at the u of for Wiebe said his father owns an engineering firm in Alberta and he will Only hire graduates from Queens and the u of Rogers said the University architecture program attracts the Best students from All Over North adding programs in engineering and psychology Are All highly but he said Hes worried that 10 or 15 years from the emphasis on jobs and career training will kill much of the University original Core i guarantee you in 15 arts will be Rogers youll see those professions will be very Well and Well probably have a University that will become an elitist the initial mandate was accessibility and were sort of slipping away from its a Campus of Happy campers Lack of parking Are main gripes a Survey of last years graduating class at the University of Manitoba found the vast majority of students were Happy with their academic the Survey found 78 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the of m per cent said they were Dean of arts Raymond Currie said the results Are a vindication of the University and its efforts to provide the Best education the Overall satisfaction of the the value of a Broad All very its very he the conducted annually by the University department of housing and student looked at graduating students in the faculties of management and almost 80 per cent said they would choose to spend their undergraduate years at the u of m again and More than 80 per cent said they would recommend the University to a close Friend or on the almost 60 per cent of graduating students said the University was on uncaring institution that had Little regard for those who paid tuition Currie said he believes the impersonal nature of of the size of the Campus and a highly Mobile student have such a Coig Nuter Currie very Many students come by and when classes Are Over they get Back into their cars and go they dont interact very much or As much As at other supporting curries the Survey found student dissatisfaction greater Only when it came to parking with per cent citing Currie said that with so Many students enrolled on a Par time basis almost or 38 per cent of the student they have More pressing concerns like work and family and Little time for the social interaction associated with University they dont have time to dont meet other students As much As they probably like and they dont meet faculty members As much As they probably the Survey found that 72 per cent of students believed it was important that the University provide training for specific in Only 49 per cent of respondents Felt it was important that the University provide a Broad general education students in education and management placed a greater importance on the University role of Job training than students from the arts about 73 per cent of graduates said they were satisfied with the Quality of about on third of graduates said full Cost tuition fee proposal a pipe dream Bald Santin education reporter Joe Winnipeg free press student carte Jacobson searches for her bag in u of m Bookstore they were dissatisfied with the average size of undergraduate instructional facilities and study the u of m says almost half per cent of its firsthand second year classes had fewer than 26 almost 10 per cent of those classes had Between 101 and 250 students in arts and management expressed the highest satisfaction with the Quality of students in management were significantly More satisfied with their instructional facilities Cory Pollock takes great Delight in a recent Federal proposal that would see University students assume the real Cost of their if the proposal becomes he knows that will mean a three or fourfold increase in student tuition that irrelevant for a student in his final year in Law at the University of Manitoba and a longtime critic of the faculty and administration i really think its in the Best interests of and the financial onus to be shifted on to the individual and away from providing there is also an equitable and generous student loan system in place which would guarantee said past president of the u of m students he said who now pay Between and in annual tuition have Little defence against bad cramped and overcrowded lecture Halls and an overstaffed right universities receive government Grants regardless of the Quality of regardless of what the students Pollock under the be subject to Market pressures and if students said the u of m arts int a Good then i think youll see students Stop going but the Federal dubbed an income contingent loan a pipe dream to Many of its including education minister Clayton to that pushing off society debt to the background that we cant really manness i dont think Well Ever see full Cost recovery for under the Ottawa would Stop its Cash transfers to the provinces for pos secondary the Money would be transferred to a loan fund available to since students now pay Between 20 and 30 per cent of the University operating with the provinces providing most of the its believed tuition fees would increase to make up the missing provincial Ottawa expects to make the loan repayable based on income Levels through the income tax repayment would begin once income hits a certain human resources minister Lloyd whose department has been circulating the suggested Loans would be repaid at a rate of about three per cent a year once incomes hit Axworthy even suggested the Loans might be forgiven if they we rent repaid after 15 or 20 but manness said that proposal is too adding repayment would be Uncertain and leave government again responsible for much of the Day today funding of Jim president of the University of Winnipeg students said such a proposal could be disastrous for Many enrolment and funding would become he adding it would be extremely difficult for universities to Pollock sees the proposal As the solution to most of the University funding and administrative universities will be forced to scale offering their programs in the most cos effective he forcing the three institutions in Manitoba to Stop competing with each other in Many if students didst like what was offered in they would pack up and attend University to attract and their universities would be forced to Pollock said the proposal would eliminate the provinces from the Field of pos secondary education because Ottawa would control the flow of Money to Many believe that would allow Ottawa to develop a National policy on University Pollock said the move to full Cost tuition is because society can no longer afford to subsidize University 4 ;