The
      Panther
      Prints
      ¢
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      March
      11,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Drop-in
      applicants
      a
      mystery
     
    
   
   
    
     
      BySARAHSCHMIDT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (CUP)
      As
      the
     
     
      number
      of
      applications
      to
      On-
     
     
      tarlo
      university
      continues
      to
     
     
      drop,
      those
      in
      the
      education
     
     
      sector
      can’t
      seem
      to
      explain
     
     
      the
      trend.
     
    

    
     
      According
      to
      prelimi-
     
     
      nary
      data
      released
      by
      the
      On-
     
     
      tario
      University
      Application
     
     
      Centre,
      the
      number
      of
      high
     
     
      school
      students
      who
      have
      ap-
     
     
      plied
      to
      Ontario
      universities
      for
     
     
      next
      September
      has
      dropped
     
     
      by
      2.5
      per
      cent
      from
      last
      year.
     
    

    
     
      Northern
      universities
      in
     
     
      particular
      show
      a
      significant
     
     
      drop
      in
      applicants
      —
      Thunder
     
     
      Bay’s
      Lakehead
      University
     
     
      reported
      a
      20
      per
      cent
      drop,
     
     
      Laurentian
      University
      in
     
     
      Sudbury
      a
      15.8
      per
      cent
      drop,
     
     
      and
      applications
      to
      Nipissing
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      University
      in
      North
      Bay
     
     
      dropped
      8.6
      per
      cent.
     
    

    
     
      Top
      administrators
      of
     
     
      these
      institutions
      cannot
      agree
     
     
      as
      to
      why
      the
      numbers
      are
      not
     
     
      only
      down,
      but
      at
      their
      lowest
     
     
      point
      in
      nine
      years.
     
    

    
     
      “I’m
      not
      sure
      if
      tuition
     
     
      fees
      make
      a
      big
      deal.
      Students
     
     
      may
      not
      be
      deterred
      because
     
     
      of
      tuition.
      [But]
      they
      may
      be
     
     
      deterred
      by
      the
      panic
      created
     
     
      inthe
      media
      about
      tuition
      fees,”
     
     
      said
      David
      Marshall,
      president
     
     
      of
      Nipissing
      University.
     
    

    
     
      Nipissing
      could
      become
     
     
      the
      first
      university
      at.
      which
     
     
      more
      than
      half
      of
      its
      revenue,
     
     
      52
      per
      cent,
      comes
      from
      tui-
     
     
      tion
      fees
      ifthe
      president’s
      rec-
     
     
      ommendation
      to
      increase
      tui-
     
     
      tion
      fees
      by
      10
      per
      cent
      is
     
     
      passed
      by
      their
      board
      of
      gov-
     
     
      emors
      at
      an
      upcoming
      meet-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      «Si
     
    
   
   
    
     
      NOW
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OPEN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      i
      aca
      aa
      og
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WITH
      YOUR
      MEMBE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      Robert
      Rosehart,
     
     
      president
      of
      Lakehead
      Uni-
     
     
      versity,
      says
      it
      would
      be
      irre-
     
     
      sponsible
      to
      ignore
      tuition
      fee
     
     
      hikes
      as
      a
      key
      variable.
     
    

    
     
      “I
      can’t
      ignore
      the
      fact
     
     
      that
      the
      difference
      from
      last
     
     
      year
      to
      this
      year
      is
      a
      20
      per
     
     
      cent
      increase
      in
      tuition
      fees,”
     
     
      said
      Rosehart.
      “Twenty
      per
     
     
      cent
      in
      one
      year
      is
      pretty
      trau-
     
     
      matic.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      20
      per
      cent
      fee
      in-
     
     
      crease
      for
      the
      1996-97
      school
     
     
      year
      marked
      the
      largest
      sin-
     
     
      gle-year
      increase
      ever
      in
      On-
     
     
      tario.
     
    

    
     
      While
      Rosehart
      sees
      a
     
     
      link
      between
      tuition
      and
      appli-
     
     
      cations,
      many
      people
      involved
     
     
      in
      postsecondry
      education
      say
     
     
      there
      is
      no
      positive
      proof
      that
     
     
      higher
      tuition
      fees
      make
      uni-
     
     
      versities
      unaccessible.
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Cg
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      study
      into
      the
      rela-
     
     
      tionship,
      conducted
      by
      York
     
     
      University
      between
      1991
      and
     
     
      1994.
      linked
      rising
      tuition
      fees
     
     
      to
      the
      significant
      decline
      in
     
     
      undergraduate
      students
      from
     
     
      low-income
      families.
     
    

    
     
      In
      1991,
      an
      estimated
     
     
      17
      per
      cent
      of
      York
      under-
     
     
      graduates
      came
      from
      families
     
     
      whose
      income
      was
      less
      than
     
     
      $20.000.
      By
      the
      1994-95
      aca-
     
     
      demic
      year,
      the
      number
      had
     
     
      dropped
      to
      10
      per
      cent,
      the
     
     
      study
      shows.
     
    

    
     
      Nevertheless,
      Greg
     
     
      Marcotte,
      executive
      director
     
     
      of
      the
      application
      centre,
      says
     
     
      it
      is
      too
      early
      to
      discern
      a
      nega-
     
     
      tive
      trend
      or
      conclude
      that
      eco-
     
     
      nomics
      are
      at
      play.
     
    

    
     
      “Nobody
      has
      done
      any
     
     
      empirical
      research
      to
      say
     
     
      there’s
      a
      correlation.
      There’s
     
     
      no
      evidence,
      anecdotal
      or
      em-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PECTA
      I”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OOLY'
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘MEMBERSHIPS
      REG.
      $12.
      SHOW
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pirical.
      so
      I
      can’t
      confirm
      it
      or
     
     
      deny,”
      said
      Marcotte,
      pointing
     
     
      to
      demographic
      trends,
      some
     
     
      students
      delaying
      entrance
      to
     
     
      university
      so
      they
      can
      work
      to
     
     
      finance
      their
      education
      and
     
     
      others
      entering
      the
      less-expen-
     
     
      sive
      college
      system
      to
      explain
     
     
      the
      decline.
     
    

    
     
      But
      Coline
      Gardhouse,
     
     
      a
      guidance
      councillor
      at
     
     
      Riverdale
      Collegiate,
      a
      high
     
     
      school
      in
      a
      working-class
     
     
      neighbourhood
      in
      Toronto,
      says
     
     
      students
      are
      aware
      of
      rising
     
     
      fees
      and
      do
      not
      apply
      to
      uni-
     
     
      versity
      as
      a
      result.
     
    

    
     
      “They
      re
      scared
      of
     
     
      them.”
      said
      Gardhouse.
      “We
     
     
      see
      it
      here.
      The
      kids
      of
      the
     
     
      unemployed
      or
      the
      working
     
     
      poorarejustnot
      going
      or
      they
      ‘re
     
     
      delaying
      it...
      We’re
      saying,
     
     
      ‘As
      long
      as
      you
      have
      the
     
     
      money,
      you
      can
      come
      to
      uni-
     
     
      versity.”
      That
      is
      wrong.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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