2009

Students presents petition with over 13,000 signatures and interest charges are eliminated on provincial student loans. Government funding continues to rise as fees are frozen.

2008

Student action stops the University’s plan to increase international students’ tuition fees by 10%. The first national system of needs-based grants is established.

2004

Students began to worry as the prospect of the new PC government reversing the tuition freeze came into question. Although the PCs campaigned on keeping the tuition freeze, talks about a provincial deficit concerned student leaders. Provincial NDP leader Jack Harris criticized the government for deliberately exaggerating the extent of the provincial deficit,

On February 4, another national Day of Action was organized by CFS. At MUN's St. John's campus, there were 250-350 students present, as well as representatives from the NLFL, the Nurse's Union, and the NLTA. MUNSU VP External Thom Duggan stated that despite statements to the contrary from the  provincial government, he'd heard insider information that tuition increases were imminent.

At Grenfell Campus, students presented a giant cheque for $220 million, representing the amount of student debt incurred since 2004. They intended to present it to Premier Williams, but since he was out of province, they instead occupied the Richard Squires building. About 400 students occupied the building for several hours. Williams criticized CFS of  "fear-mongering" and "misleading" students, but  again no government officials would fully commit to keeping the tuition freeze.

Later that month, the provincial government finally committed to continuing the freeze.

Also in March, MUNSU and MUN Oxfam organized another sweatshop fashion show, modelling fashion garments from companies who allegedly used sweatshop labour. Students also called on MUN admin to actually implement the no sweatshop code that had been passed by the Board of Regents in 2002.

MUNSU continued to fight against administration and government increasing international students' tuition fees for the third year in a row. Both domestic and international students pointed out that Newfoundland and Labrador offered less community to international students than other provinces, and therefore tuition would need to be significantly lower than other universities in order to keep international enrolment from dropping. Atul Anand, the president of the Multi-Cultural Student Centre, said that in a conversation with MUN VP Academic Evan Simpson, international students were called "replaceable".

In July meetings, the Board of Regents discussed and approved and recommendation to government to end the tuition fee freeze. This angered students, who felt that the Board was going against students’ best interests.

Eddy Campbell, MUN's VP Academic, was quoted saying that low tuition is "essentially a subsidy" to the well-off - this comment was ridiculed by student activists, who pointed out that as tuition was hiked before the freeze, enrolment rates for low- and middle-income students decreased.

In October, amid concerns of the government's upcoming white paper being potentially used as an excuse to increase tuition, the Canadian Federation of Students launched a postcard campaign to influence the report's final recommendations. Over 600 postcards were signed and sent en masse to the Department of Education, each stating that the student who signed supports public funding and further tuition fee decreases.

2003

In January, MUN cut its emergency student loans program because of high demand, having given out over $80,000 and exhausting the entire semester’s fund during the first month of the year.

Later that month, MUN admin expressed plans to increase international student tuition fees by over 21% that year, and a total of 33% over the next few years.

MUNSU and the ISC organized a protest, with both domestic and international students, opposing these discriminatory tuition hikes. MUNSU President Gilbert Salam presented a 1500-signature petition to MUN President Axel Meisen demanding the cancellation of these fees.

They gathered outside the Board of Regents meeting and chanted “dictator” at Meisen, but students were ignored and the fee was implemented regardless.

In late March, the provincial government announced its annual budget, complete with a 5% cut in tuition for domestic students and a new 20% tax credit on student loan payments. This completed the government’s promise of a 25% tuition reduction but left international students facing an incoming 33% tuition increase.

There was then an 11% increase in enrolment applications that year and a 3.6% increase in actual enrolment, which students took as a direct result of the decreased tuition fees.

2002

CFS organized a nation-wide Day of Action for February 6. MUNSU’s priorities for the rally included making sure government stuck to their promise of gradually reducing tuition fees, increased work term equity for nursing and social work students, and ending undemocratic ancillary fees forced on students. About 160 protestors attended, including students, professors, and labour union representatives.

On March 8, MUNSU and MUN Oxfam staged a fashion show to protest sweatshop practices involved in clothing manufacturing, including Nike, American Eagle, and even MUN Bookstore clothing. Students modelled clothing from the companies they were protesting, and urged MUN administration to pass an anti-sweatshop policy for their products. Because it was International Women’s Day, a focus was placed on women working in garment factories.

In early March, the provincial government officially ruled that the act of protesting inside the Confederation Building lobby.

Students were pleased, however, when the provincial budget was released in late March - $3.5 million was added to the university’s budget, creating another 10% tuition reduction. This reduction again did not apply to international students or refugees, who saw the disparity between their fees and domestic students’ grow significantly.

MUNSU Councillor-at-large expressed his frustration with international students being left out of these wins, stating that the university was essentially telling international students that they “are not a part of the campus community, but are here to provide the administration with extra money”.

In October, students again protested MUN admin’s reluctance to create an anti-sweatshop policy for the Bookstore’s clothing. It had been almost six months since MUNSU and MUN admin negotiated their anti-sweatshop code, and the administration had not yet implemented it.

The motion finally went to the Board of Regents in December, Student activists were refused entry into the meeting, but the code was passed, ending the use of sweatshop labour for the MUN bookstore in a huge win for MUNSU.

2001

Because of the pressure put on government by the student movement, the Liberal leadership race had candidates vying for the student vote. Candidate Roger Grimes campaigned on a promise of an immediate 10% tuition cut and an overall cut of 25% within the coming years.

MUNSU invited all three candidates to a forum at MUN, but two of them (Effort and Grimes) declined the offer.

In early February, Grimes won the Premiership, meaning all eyes were on the March budget to see if the promise of tuition decreases would be kept. MUNSU President Keith Dunne, however, was worried that MUN’s operating budget would be cut and the university would rely on differential fee structures and increased funding from the private sector to make up the costs.

On March 22, the provincial government announced that tuition would indeed be reduced by 10% for all domestic students at Memorial. Student leaders were very disappointed that this reduction did not apply to international students, nor those attending College of the North Atlantic or Marine Institute. Nonetheless, it was considered an “education budget”.

Premier Grimes briefly proposed bulk water exports as a compromise to offer free tuition. CFS-NL and MUNSU both spoke out against this idea, condemning the premier for attempting to pit student concerns against environmental concerns.

Jack Harris, leader of the provincial NDP, likened the proposal to blackmail and denounced it.

After the September 11 attacks in the United States, MUNSU and MUN billeted 525 travellers in the TSC. MUNSU also allocated some of their staff to assist with the activities on campus.

In August, the Board of Regents decided to implement a mandatory $40-per-semester fee for access the Field House. Students complained that 90% of the operational budget for the centre was coming directly from student fees, and students had little-to-no say in the matter.

CFS criticized MUN admin for attempting to replace the decrease in tuition with an increase in ancillary fees.

On October 9, a protest was organized to protest these fees.

Protestors sat outside Dean of Student Affairs and Services Lilly Walker’s office, demanding a meeting with her to discuss the undemocratic fees. They spoke about how repairs were needed to certain buildings and that students were insufficiently consulted when the Field House was constructed and when the decision was made to put the burden of that facility’s operational costs on students.

Walker was dismissive of student concerns, maintaining that the fee was in the best interest of students.

Students also questioned whether the Field House would actually be suitable as a concert venue, but administration insisted that it would be.

2000

Students were still frustrated, although a tuition freeze had been implemented, about the increase in tuition over the last several years and the increase in student debt, as well as the government’s messaging about tax cuts.

In response, MUNSU organized another Day of Action on February 2, to protest federal cuts to education as well as tuition still having increased 250% over the previous ten years. The protest was a part of CFS’s Access 2000 campaign and saw about 1 500 students gather in the UC courtyard, chanting things like “A-B-C-D, Education should be free!” The students marched up to the Confederation Building, gathered inside the lobby, and chanted as Education Minister Judy Foote spoke, promising that education was a “very important issue for all of us”.

A report released by the Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU) and the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC) in February claimed that the key to Atlantic Canada’s future was increased funding to their post-secondary institutions.

Students continued to complain about the lack of student representation on the Board of Regents - only 2 out of 28 seats were student representatives.

On March 22, the provincial budget was announced, and the tuition freeze was extended one extra year, totalling a planned three years from 1999-2002.

Both student leaders and opposition parties were concerned however, that students’ tuition wasn’t decreasing.

On May 24, 25, and 26, students staged a silent protest against Prime Minister Jean Chrétien’s receiving of a honorary doctorate of Law.

On September 8, collective bargaining officially broke down between MUN and MUNFA. MUNFA’s main concerns had to do with member pensions and salaries.

Around the same time, CUPE 1615 (campus clerks, office workers, technical staff) also was having trouble negotiating a fair deal with MUN administration. On September 21, their membership voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike vote.

MUNSU maintained a neutral stance on both MUNFA and CUPE’s negotiations.

On October 10-11, CUPE 1615 voted to accept admin’s offer, ending the threat of a strike.

MUNFA held a strike vote on October 20, and 60-61% of their membership voted in favour of a strike. They went on strike on October 31.

On October 31, student protestors staged a sit-in at the university president’s office both to show support for striking professors and to protest admin moving the date of midterm break without consulting students.

On November 3, MUNFA organized a rally in front of the Arts & Administration building where hundreds of protestors, including students, showed support for the faculty union.

MUNSU organized a rally on November 7 calling for the strike to be resolved as soon as possible. Several hundred students attended.

On November 12, after ten days of striking, a settlement was reached, ending the strike.

After the strike was resolved, students were worried that the pay increase given to profs would jeopardize the future of the tuition freeze as the freeze was not guaranteed or officially legislated.

1999

On January 14, Premier Tobin announced a two-year tuition freeze, giving $7 million to Memorial and almost $5 million to the College of the North Atlantic. The Board of Regents voted to implement the freeze.

This allowed Memorial University to be the most affordable university in Atlantic Canada. The College of the North Atlantic also was able to avoid planned fee increases of 20-30% over the next few years.

While generally pleased, the NLFS and CSU were still concerned that a tuition freeze was not enough to address already-accumulated student debt.

On January 20, the provincial PC party announced their proposal for a committee looking into waiving tuition fees entirely, suggesting the potential of free tuition for students’ first two years of post-secondary. They, however, would not commit to waiving the fees, as they were unsure whether or not they could afford it - this worried some student leaders as they were hoping for a stronger commitment to students, especially from a former CSU president himself.

On January 21, NL NDP leader Jack Harris, also former President of the CSU, announced his party’s platform at the TSC food court - he promised that if elected, the NDP would work to fully remove tuition fees within post-secondary institutions in the province. This call for free tuition was well-received by student leaders, who felt that the platform was strong in part because of the party’s collaboration with the CSU and the NLFS.

The NLFS planned another Day of Action for February 4, in order to keep pressure on politicians and remind them that they would be held accountable for the promises they make to students. The February 4 date was chosen as it was directly before the provincial election on February 9.

At this rally, only about 120 students showed up - much lower than previous rallies where numbers were in the thousands - but the work had already been done to make student concerns an election issue.

The Liberals were re-elected, and in their budget announcement on March 22, they confirmed their commitment to a two-year freeze. Students were disappointed, however, that there was very little promised beyond their election platform.

Student activists spoke out against a provincial government student loan policy that negatively impacted student parents, and nursing students protested in support of the striking Nurse’s Union.

The Campus Food Bank continued to struggle, despite receiving donations from the CSU and various clubs & societies. 40% of the food bank’s recipients were under the age of 18, according to Noel Veitch, the co-ordinator of the food bank.

1998

The CSU planned a carnival-themed Day of Action for January 28. This theme was chosen to mock the government’s cuts to education as a farce. About 1 000 students showed up to the protest, which included a mock jail cell for students “sentenced to debt” as well as a stuffed Jean Chrétien which protesters were encouraged to kick.

When the 1998 federal budget was released, some felt that it was an improvement in terms of funding for education. Student leaders, however, were not impressed - there were improvements in tax credits and scholarship funding, but it did not solve the issue of tuition fees themselves. NLFS and the CSU continued to advocate for a province-wide tuition freeze.

During the CSU elections, many candidates campaigned on promises of advocating for a tuition freeze.

Throughout the university, everyone could feel the provincial cuts to funding, leading even the President of the university to publicly state his discontent.

On September 22, about 150 students and community members protested Prime Minister Jean Chrétien as he entered the St. John’s Delta for the Softworld 98 technology gala. Chants of “liar, liar” and “Jean Chrétien has got to go” could be heard, and the crowd was barricaded off by the RNC so that Chrétien could enter the building.

Premier Brian Tobin met with student leaders in October to hear their concerns surrounding the lack of funding towards education, as well as issues with student financial assistance.

Student leaders also voiced concerns about decisions not to rehire faculty, which they said all came back to a lack of government funding, as well as a lack of student representation in education-related government initiatives.

After this meeting, Tobin publicly announced support for lobbying the federal government to restore social funding. While student leaders said they wished he was more publicly aggressive on student issues, they did consider the meeting a success.

On October 5, NLFS chairperson Dale Kirby and CSU president Tracey O’Reilly presented post-secondary issues and concerns to the federal government’s Standing Committee on Finance ahead of the next year’s budget. Jack Harris, the leader of the provincial NDP, was the only provincial politician at the session, and he was in support of the student leaders.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL) also announced support for students, in adopting a stance advocating for free tuition - fully public universities & colleges. They suggested looking at Ireland’s tuition-free model as an example.

On October 21 & 22, the CSU held a referendum on a student dental plan, ending with 75% in favour. The dental plan was then developed and put in place.

The CSU, as well as the GSCU and MISU, all announced referenda for CFS membership for February 1998.

On February 7, several dozen students from the Newfoundland and Labrador Student Action Coalition occupied Premier Brian Tobin’s campaign headquarters and refused to leave until they met with the Premier. They sat for six hours, and eventually won a private meeting with him, discussing their concerns about budget cuts to post-secondary education.

Students were upset that Tobin only spoke to five of them, and the students that did speak with him were unimpressed by his answers, saying that he “dodged everything we said” and offered no assurances whatsoever.

In May, the provincial government announced that Memorial University’s operating budget would be cut by $8 million that year, plus an additional $25 million over the next three years. This was masked by a small increase in the provincial healthcare budget, which frustrated both the university president and the CSU.

As soon as the budget cuts were announced, President May stated that a 10% tuition increase would likely be required, as well as a fee structure change that would impact medical students hardest.

In addition to this, the provincial government closed first-year university campuses in Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor, Lewisporte, Burin, Clarenville, and Carbonear. According to the CSU, this would make it harder for students from rural communities to access post-secondary education.

On May 11, hundreds of Canadian students, including over 30 from Newfoundland and Labrador, attended the On to Ottawa Trek protest organized by CFS, to protest federal funding cuts to education, among other social services.

On October 22, the CSU held another Day of Action, this time with 1500-2500 students marching to the Confederation Building. They carried a black wooden casket marked with the word “Education” and staged an impromptu sit-in at the Higgins Line intersection. When they arrived at the Confederation Building, they demanded entry into the locked building and some started banging on the glass doors. They ended up sneaking into the building and putting the coffin in the Confederation Building lobby before being escorted out.

Education Minister Roger Grimes came out to face the students. Loyola Carey presented him with a list of demands, including a tuition freeze, a plan to phase out tuition completely, and the replacement of student loans with grants. Students at the protest criticized Grimes for his involvement in the tuition hike, despite himself having attended Memorial while tuition was free.

1995

On January 25, 1995, the CSU participates in a country-wide protest organized by CFS against federal cuts to education, with almost 80 000 participants.

In St. John’s, 5 000 students and community members marched to the Confederation Building, blocking off Prince Philip Parkway. In attendance was the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, both the provincial NDP and PC parties, as well as the Young Liberals. The protest made its way to the office of Bonnie Hickey, Liberal MP for St. John’s East, but she was in Ottawa.

Student activists across the country were frustrated by what they felt was the mainstream media reporting on the protest as a “failure”, intentionally highlighting the few organizations that had stated their opposition to the demonstrations, and generally attempting to minimize the impact of the student movement.

During the Spring semester, MUN administration and MUNFA reached an impasse in negotiations for a collective agreement, and there were threats of either a lockout or a strike. On October 17, the CSU announced that they had voted in favour of taking a neutral stance on the labour dispute.

On November 1, MUNFA members voted 85% to authorize a strike vote.

On November 21, MUN and MUNFA resumed negotiations.

CSU president Paul Thornhill, along with several other students, marched to Confederation Building and sat in on question period in the House of Assembly in November, as the threat loomed of a possible 10% cut to federal funding for post-secondary education that could increase tuition by 20%. The students stood firmly against these potential cuts, and asked Premier Clyde Wells to set up a task force to examine the viability of Memorial and to “ensure that Memorial University remains a public priority of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador”. MUNFA publicly supported this request, and MUN administration was reported to have '“unofficially” supported the idea, but the Premier denied it.

1986

The Federal government reduced the growth rate of post-secondary transfers to GDP minus 2%, then again to GDP minus 3, before being frozen altogether in 1990 as a means to cut social transfers. What this effectively did was cut expected funding to the university.

Students rallied against the cuts as $70 Million of the university’s $80 million operating budget came from federal transfers at this time. Concerns emerged as students worried that the costs would be passed onto them.

1984

MUNSU joins the Canadian Federation of Students as Local 35.

1980

Students shut down Prince Phillip Drive after a student is fatally struck by a vehicle,

Students occupied Prince Philip Drive with an estimated 2000 in attendance. Police make arrests until deciding to redirect traffic. The protest ended with the guarantee of construction of Memorial’s first pedways.

1965

Premier Smallwood announces free tuition for students who are residents of the province.

At the time this represented North Americas only free post-secondary education.

1926

Students’ Unions began representing students at Memorial (then, Memorial College).