A keyboard with a missing “page down” key at the Casa Loma library. Photo: Mick Sweetman/The Dialog
George Brown College (GBC) students may be seeing an increase in the enhanced technology fee come September 2014.
Speaking at the Student Association (SA) board meeting on Jan. 21, John Hardy, director of educational resources for academic services & student affairs said, “our objective is to create a multi-year strategy that keeps you current with the emerging friends of technology in a learning environment, that reflects your voice and responsibility in creating a student computing environment.”
Currently sitting at $110 for two semesters since 2003, according to a presentation by the college shown at the SA board meeting, GBC currently charges the third lowest fees in Ontario slightly above Boreal and Confederation who charge $100 a year. The current average technology fee for a college in the GTA is $189 according to Hardy.
According to Hardy, the college is proposing that the fee increase by 20 per cent per year for the next three years until GBC’s fee is at the median annual technology fee for a college in the GTA.
According to the presentation by Hardy students would see the following fee increases:
Year one: an increase of $11 per semester or $132 for two semesters.
Year two: an increase of $13 per semester or $158 for two semesters.
Year three: an increase of $16 per semester or $189 for two semesters.
After that Hardy says fees would be set at, “a maximum cap set at cost-of-living plus five per cent until the median is achieved and maintained.”
This proposal would apply to all full-time students but has been tabled by the SA for more research.
Funded by the enhanced technology fee, the college’s presentation outlined their hopes of creating mobile-friendly campuses, provide students with an additional 1,000 workstations – local printers and scanners, improve wireless connections across all campuses, and expanding technology-supported collaborative learning facilities in the Library Learning Commons (LLC).
“The first week of April is when the student computing strategy proposal will be presented to the board of governors,” said Mohammad Ali Aumeer, director of Education and Equity for the SA. “Although, before it gets to the board of governors, it must be approved by the SA.”
Extending the hours of the library, which now closes no later than 10 p.m. at the major campuses and earlier at the smaller ones, is on the list of changes along with fixing the Wi-Fi across Casa Loma, St. James and Waterfront campuses.
“Changes would also need to be made to security and safewalk hours,” said Niko Dilawri, the SA’s business representative. “A committee has been formed which will address these issues as currently the college would currently be held responsible if something were to happen to a student after leaving the college during late or early hours.”
Pending approval from the SA, the college will have to wait for a verdict.
