1989-06-23. MUN Gazette, vol. 21, no. 22

              Gazette
Memorial
University of Newfoundland
Volume 21      Number 22
June 23, 1989
1989-90 budget
Covers basics but improvements,
expansion on hold
The university's 1989-90 budget allows Memorial to hold its ground in
terms of existing services and facilities,
but a number of important projects will
have to wait, according to Dr. Leslie
Harris, president and vice-chancellor.
Dr. Harris was guardedly optimistic
about the university's operating budget
following the presentation of the new
provincial budget to the House of Assembly in early June. This year, the
government grant to the university,
which covers both*the operating and
capital budgets, is $102,300,000, com
pared to $95,200,000 in 1988-89.
Though he had not yet had time to
study its provisions closely, Dr. Harris
felt Memorial would have sufficient
funds to allow the university to maintain its current level of service.
"I think that the operating budget is
quite reasonable — certainly as generous as we could have expected in the
context of the provincial budget generally," Dr. Harris said. "Obviously it
doesn't give us everything we wanted,
but nevertheless it gives us a basic operating budget that is within the limits of
The recent provincial budget called for a 10 per cent increase in
Memorial's
tuition fees for the coming academic year.
Tuition Fees
1988-1990
1989-90
Undergraduates
$582
$640
Medical Students
582
640
Students registered in fewer than four courses
(per course)
154
170
Summer Session (per course)
154
170
Correspondence Course Fees (per course)
154
170
School of Music
105
115
Graduate Student Fees
Masters Candidate Full-Time
377
415
Masters Candidate Part-Time
t    251
276
Doctor of Philosophy Candidate
468
515
Graduate Diploma
270
297
Program Continuance Fee Masters
154
170
Program Continuance Fee PhD
309
340
Post-Graduate Residents & Interns
154
170
Chinese students
call home
Two weeks ago when the brutal
crackdown began on the pro-
democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen
square in Beijing, Chinese students at
Memorial were given the opportunity to
alleviate fears of the fate of friends and
family by calling home, courtesy of a
Newfoundland Telephone Company donation of telephone time.
"We really appreciated it," said
Zhengrong Peng, president of the
Graduates Student Union. "Most of us
called home almost every day and it was
a financial burden." Mr. Peng contacted Memorial's Office of Student Affairs
and Services and it arranged for approximately 50 students to get some phone
time for each to contact friends and family in China.
"It was a good opportunity to tell
people in China the truth," Mr. Peng
said. "That was an objective of our
phone calls. We told them to tell friends
and family what really happened—the
truth." Mr. Peng's family lives about
2000 km from Beijing and the only
newscasts they receive are government-
censored under the martial law that was
imposed after the outbreak of violence.
"The situation in China now is really
bad," said Mr. Peng. "They have a
nationwide hunt to arrest the student
leaders and the independent worker's
union leaders or anyone spreading the
news about the real situation." It's now
being called 'rumor-mongering'in China, and people are being steadily arrested and sentenced to long prison terms,
and even death for their part in the pro-
democracy uprisings all across China.
"I still strongly believe that sooner or
later that people will get the truth and
there will be a nationwide resistance."
said Mr. Peng, "not to use force or
demonstration but to slow down at work
and become lazy."
Mr. Peng believes that it is the task
of Chinese students in other countries
to send the message of the ongoing
events in China and reach the people.
"Eventually people will stand up
again," he said.
what is necessary to keep things going
at roughly the same level as last year."
Even with a larger-than-normal increase in the university's operating grant
and an increase in tuition fees, Dr. Harris described the budget as a "stand-still
budget" because the university must absorb substantial cost increases.
"We received a net increase of about
7.5 per cent, and the current inflation
rate is between 4-5 per cent," he said.
"But a substantial increase in salaries
expanded our base budget to a very considerable degree, with the result that a
much larger increase than normal was
necessary." There are other factors that
will consume a portion of the increase,
including the expansion of the pharmacy program and the opening of new
buildings on both the St. John's campus and the Sir Wilfred Grenfell College
in Corner Brook.
The increase in tuition fees will also
provide added funds for Memorial. At
the suggestion of the provincial government, the university's Board of Regents
recently approved an additional five per
cent increase in the cost of tuition, to be
added to the five per cent increase it had
already approved at an earlier meeting.
Dr. Harris acknowledged that unless
the government adopts more generous
financial aid policies, there may be considerable hardship for some students.
"We have to remember, however, that
even when you take the ability to pay
into account, our fees were well behind
the rest of the Atlantic region."
Plans deferred
Though the university's operating budget will cover the institution's basic needs,
hoped-for expansion and improvements
must wait. "On the capital side of the
budget, the plans we had begun for the
extension of the Arts and Administration Building and for the construction
of a life sciences and biotechnology wing
are both put on hold for another year,
as is the completion of additional space
in the Health Sciences Centre," Dr.
Harris said.
In its provincial budget, government
provided $2 million and suggested that
it be committed to planning. Dr. Harris sees this as a hopeful sign. "You
INSIDE
Recent publications cont'd from May
26 Gazette 6-7
New   B.Ed,   program   for   native
teachers 2
New   company   to   commercialize
ground wave radar technology... 3
could argue that the government, having committed $2 million to finalizing
architectural and engineering plans, intends that the buildings should be built.
It seems that we have postponement
rather than cancellation — a delay of a
period of some time in the provision of
capital."
Additions to university off-campus
course offerings will not affect Memorial's financial situation because they will
be funded separately. "We have agreed
to co-operate fully with government in
providing the services through our continuing studies and off-campus operation as much as we can. However, the
costs of those new programs are covered
by the provincial Department of Education with funding that is separate
from Memorial's budget."
Pending issues
Discussing the broader issues that concern Memorial, Dr. Harris noted that it
is early in the government's mandate.
"We have not had a chance to talk to
government on the developmental side
at all, though preliminary discussions
have given us the impression that the
government is concerned and sympathetic. We will be having in-depth discussions on the university's
developmental activities as soon as
possible."
On his mind are many issues of long-
term importance to the vitality of the institution. "The expansion in Corner
Brook is something our own review
committee recommended even before
government announced it. This will require a very substantial commitment of
money because it involves expanding
into third- and fourth-year courses
which have a higher per unit cost than
first and second year courses."
Another serious concern is that existing areas of the university are showing
the effects of too many years of making do with scarce resources. Dr. Harris cited the library's diminished capacity to keep up with library acquisitions,
aging and obsolete scientific equipment
that needs to be replaced, and deteriorating buildings in need of maintenance.
Bergen-Memorial Exchange Program: Working and living in a foreign country 4
Sciencefare 9
Research 10