International students at Lakehead University are still protesting their tuition fees, saying there hasn’t been much progress as the school year gets closer.
They started calling for lower fees in late June, claiming their fees were increasing too much for their families to afford during the pandemic. On Friday, a small group gathered outside the Field House and Hangar to share more complaints.
Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal is a second-year Honours Bachelor of Commerce student, and says Lakehead acknowledged their concerns in a social media post, but hasn’t taken any action.
“There has been no response that they’re going to change, or reduce the tuition fees. And it’s ridiculous during a pandemic,” he adds.
Kamal claims the higher fees are unfairly affecting international students like him.
Prabhjot Singh Ahuja is the Vice President of Finance and Operations with Lakehead University Student Union, and says the rising costs during the pandemic make Lakehead less appealing for international students.
“A rough estimate would be [international students] give around $50-million to the city every year, that’s with the cost of living and the tuition. If the rate of increase [remains] the same, it’s going to be very difficult for students to come to Lakehead,” Ahuja explains.
The LUSU official says the university shouldn’t be treating them like a source of revenue.
He says schools like Queen’s University in Kingston are more affordable than Lakehead, countering the school’s claim that this year’s tuition increases are below the provincial average.
The school also says it has offered students more support, including those from outside Canada. Ahuja says they are waiting to hear back about more bursaries for international students, but says he hasn’t seen much other help.
“I’d like to know which services are they talking about, because students pay for everything,” Ahuja argues.
He also wants the university to offer more work-study jobs for international students, noting there are only 15 available to them across the entire Thunder Bay campus.
Update August 11: Lakehead University has issued the following comment.
Lakehead will be meeting with LUSU leadership next week to continue discussions related to ongoing and additional support for students, including an expanded bursary program aimed at International students with financial need.
