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When arrived to Edmonton to start my graduate studies on 2004, me and
1 m' J: ~, y: @7 Mmy friend rented a very nice, spacious and shiny 2-bedroom apartment
, q4 c% _2 \% A& G9 Min one of the Boardwalk's high rise buildings (Galbraith House) for
0 s7 ^9 j7 G3 B+ S680 CAD(everything was included), believe it or not the same apartment% q; j5 r0 O0 R/ ~
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is more than 1300 CAD now.(I still have a copy of the contract and for6 j3 k4 J2 l2 Y. |# p7 x5 J0 o. Y
1 z% a1 J1 v9 F) c8 f6 N$ I
the current price look at this link
4 ^1 b9 D( |/ Phttp://www.bwalk.com/Rental/infosheeta.asp?projectno=92). 100%
6 o: Y. H" [( Lincrease in housing cost!
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While I was paying 340CAD/month for more than a year, I抦 paying ]- p4 l4 |: J3 K# U
600CAD/month plus utilities right now, some thing around 700CAD/month.
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Other costs of leaving have also increased and the university ) ?& l/ [! m) i- C$ c3 c& }
increases the tuition fee by few percent every year and international 7 s, ~( V D; B* b' s
differential fee was increased by almost 20% last year. Add to this, ; p+ A$ O/ h! R) f- J/ N k
the fact that the university housing has no more space for newcomers 0 \6 t a& ~5 I3 _, U: ?9 Z5 S
and most of the newly admitted students who applied for housing were
6 R2 S+ H4 b7 I% v9 K9 Wasked to look for a residence on open market.
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0 j" s0 G' w1 @: H& {8 YWhile the average cost of living for a typical graduate student has
& Z! q( ~" _4 Q# V" x7 B2 Tincreased by something more than 70% percent we are getting paid
" X' q7 [- k @, }/ n: r4 xexactly for the same amount of money that we were offered in our # }3 R* ?% W, K: C" R0 z( L
admission letter (18000 CAD + 1500 CAD for international students / n5 @/ I& p: C0 v
=19500CAD. What I get is something around 1000CAD/month!!! after ) @6 \7 ^& k; Z3 Z k
tuition fee and taxes). To make the argument easy to understand just
~& c% M4 ]6 D/ \imagine that a new student gets the same amount of money that I am
& |6 [3 i `( t A$ vgetting now and I was getting 3 years ago but he or she (like all of 1 ~& e8 ^# `( [6 P. o- b
us) has to pay twice as much as I was paying for housing when I was % c' ~8 C2 w$ v) u% h
admitted and has to incur at least 70% more in average living costs.
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Also have in mind that Alberta is a rich province and University of
2 b g7 T& u+ @/ S" i j4 O bAlberta has a remarkable record in absorbing various money and grants
( G# @6 H) a: L/ n# q n; ?) j, }# Gfrom different governmental and non governmental sources and graduate
" w: G2 U$ s+ A( H$ Z3 U [students are the main pillars of research work at the university.
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My objective in bringing all abovementioned points in your attention
) }, L0 g9 y$ O6 Y: Gis to question the adequacy of financial aid for graduate and
$ U3 k$ g) M b( D" Vespecially international students. Isn抰 it time for the GSA to take7 _( m9 s* l8 [+ E8 c
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initiative in raising the issue of increasing financial aid for 3 [9 H* Z: g5 t4 Y+ T& j0 e
graduate students so that the can afford this increase in costs?, n2 \" @- [1 e2 c& z3 A) M6 `
5 E" e8 K8 A4 O! q6 l1 APlease come with your experiences and ideas.
Y; A' A; R' h8 {7 C0 sThank you all2 P7 P1 R( \8 A) E
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