Students fume at fees hike

By JULIET ROWAN

Auckland University students are fuming about a fees increase that will see undergraduate students paying up to 5 per cent more fees next year.

The bill for most postgraduate students will rise by 7.6 per cent, or $319.

The university council yesterday approved an average 4.28 per cent increase for undergraduate students and the 7.6 per cent rise for postgraduates.

Among undergraduates, arts and science students face the biggest rise - 5 per cent, or $242.

The university also seeks a 10 per cent increase for medical and health sciences and some high-cost science programmes from the Government.

The Government's fee maxima policy limits fee increases for undergraduate students to 5 per cent and $500 for postgraduate students, meaning the university must apply for an exemption to get the 10 per cent.

The university claims that even with additional Government funding of 3.2 per cent next year it will be left with a $9.7 million shortfall.

Cost increases are expected to run to $19.1 million.

But the Auckland University Students' Association says it is appalled by the fee increases.

President Kate Sutton said the university council had ignored students' welfare and raised fees as high as the fee maxima policy would allow. "They took advantage of that and did it."

The fee increases added to mounting student debt of more than $7 billion, Ms Sutton said.

The students' association would ask the Government to reject the university's application for a 10 per cent increase for medical and health sciences. "We're hoping they won't get that."

The acting vice-chancellor, Raewyn Dalziel, said the university had no choice but to increase fees.

"If the Government had recognised the rate at which university costs are going up and they had funded us for those costs we would have been able to keep our increases to students down."

Professor Dalziel said the burden of increased operational costs was being spread around the university.

Staff-student ratios and staff access to research and conference funds could be affected.

"The students are not carrying this all by themselves," she said.

The university receives 35 per cent of its funding from the Government. The rest is made up from sources including research, sponsorship and donations.

"We have made strenuous efforts to diversify [funding] and we will continue to do that," Professor Dalziel said.

The university would also continue to urge the Government to increase funding.

But student Conor Roberts said the university wasted a valuable opportunity to do so.

Mr Roberts, who plans to do postgraduate studies in politics next year, said if the university had not raised fees, it would have shown the Government it needed more money.

"That would place a call on the Government to better fund universities."

Massey University recently voted not to increase fees next year. Victoria University voted to increase them 4.5 per cent.

Fee increases

* Most postgraduate students: 7.6 per cent.

* Average increase for under-graduate students: 4.28 per cent.

* Arts and science: 5 per cent.

* Business and economics: 3.4 per cent.

* Law: 2.3 per cent.

* Fine arts and optometry: No rise.