What’s a “Building Fee”?

Like most students, September is a hard month for me.  Getting back into a routine is not the only difficult part of September; September is also an incredibly expensive month.  Tuition is due and the cost of textbooks adds up quickly.  Of the over $4,000 I currently owe in tuition and fees, over $500 of that is in fees that students have voted to pay.  Half this cost is the $250 health and dental plan (which you can opt out of if you have alternate coverage through a parent or spouse), and the rest is made up of BUSU and building fund fees, the U-Pass, the Quill Levy, CFS Fee, and WUSC fee.

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Letter to the Editor: words from BUSU President

Hi, everyone. As some of you may know, BUSU held their regular elections for the 2013-2014 academic year last week, on March 18th and 19th.  I ran for re-election, but ended up losing by 30 votes to Stephanie Bachewich.  I had told those close to me throughout the campaign that if I were to lose, I would feel as though the work I did this past year was not appreciated by students.

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Structual Inequality Threatens All Canadians

Structural inequality threatens to erode the societal fabric that binds together Canada’s social democracy. Fundamental Canadian values of fairness, cooperation, compassion and egalitarianism have been swept aside and forgotten by Canada’s public leaders. The philosophy of neoliberalism and its central tenants of competition, individualism, deregulation, and wealth accumulation are transforming the socio-cultural landscape of Canada.

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International Student Recruitment at BU

International students are hugely beneficial to Canada.  They contribute to our economy and our diversity, and they fill labour gaps in our workforce.  Economically, international students contributed $8 billion to our GDP in 2011; the GDP contribution would be $40 billion if we filled labour market vacancies that currently exist by naturalising our international students.

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