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When arrived to Edmonton to start my graduate studies on 2004, me and
/ V- z% s$ e4 Q) _5 }2 @my friend rented a very nice, spacious and shiny 2-bedroom apartment
, C6 t, F7 x& P" t3 r. tin one of the Boardwalk's high rise buildings (Galbraith House) for / \9 v8 l4 s8 X, b3 S1 [
680 CAD(everything was included), believe it or not the same apartment' H9 a! m9 ~( d: }9 l3 [
7 f# {7 z$ l2 A# g+ ?is more than 1300 CAD now.(I still have a copy of the contract and for
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the current price look at this link 5 O9 ~7 u: Y. G! b
http://www.bwalk.com/Rental/infosheeta.asp?projectno=92). 100%
3 H4 J1 F, K* Y1 c: N* y5 \increase in housing cost!
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% F; z3 W8 G4 ^While I was paying 340CAD/month for more than a year, I抦 paying % c: f7 D* G9 ?8 ]" A) ^$ ~* r, N
600CAD/month plus utilities right now, some thing around 700CAD/month.* T# Q# b0 c6 q
) s6 M9 O" w8 V* G9 WOther costs of leaving have also increased and the university
) i% `! ]: H" A& |' k" Vincreases the tuition fee by few percent every year and international ) V5 E, @: |3 S& }
differential fee was increased by almost 20% last year. Add to this,
) ^( s m3 O: h- ethe fact that the university housing has no more space for newcomers
2 E& E' O4 l+ A) Y. j7 \and most of the newly admitted students who applied for housing were
1 d& \: V5 Z. G- `asked to look for a residence on open market.
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4 f& f( W6 G: x& B* J' y& ?While the average cost of living for a typical graduate student has ) H$ X) a7 n! T8 A* B
increased by something more than 70% percent we are getting paid
' N8 T1 b) z o7 Vexactly for the same amount of money that we were offered in our " J# K$ G1 {7 e
admission letter (18000 CAD + 1500 CAD for international students
" O' o8 O0 j& j* {=19500CAD. What I get is something around 1000CAD/month!!! after
5 D0 |+ t9 O: F L+ mtuition fee and taxes). To make the argument easy to understand just
& X/ }" L5 z" }1 w* Limagine that a new student gets the same amount of money that I am - j, f0 j* H( ], D! @
getting now and I was getting 3 years ago but he or she (like all of 2 x, o3 f' f6 [: \/ _
us) has to pay twice as much as I was paying for housing when I was
* Z6 r" Q' S0 {/ a9 U3 Q, Iadmitted and has to incur at least 70% more in average living costs.
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7 H/ w- ~( s Y* g" X D0 g/ z- rAlso have in mind that Alberta is a rich province and University of ) M0 x0 Y! B8 \* N
Alberta has a remarkable record in absorbing various money and grants
- M& r. |8 V, v' ~! Q7 \# hfrom different governmental and non governmental sources and graduate
4 T; S( Q3 L1 ^' X9 K! j ~$ u* Rstudents are the main pillars of research work at the university.8 H# H8 y* X: b
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My objective in bringing all abovementioned points in your attention ' S8 n1 O8 ~- N+ }5 g; n
is to question the adequacy of financial aid for graduate and / Z, I7 {: J6 P$ C4 T- c
especially international students. Isn抰 it time for the GSA to take
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initiative in raising the issue of increasing financial aid for ; {8 I3 i& p* F( h, g3 `
graduate students so that the can afford this increase in costs?
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4 D. R% ?/ x2 sPlease come with your experiences and ideas." I: E8 ]" [0 Z
Thank you all
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