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When arrived to Edmonton to start my graduate studies on 2004, me and 0 Z$ `+ `( {$ Z2 [
my friend rented a very nice, spacious and shiny 2-bedroom apartment
2 ~7 k1 U/ k uin one of the Boardwalk's high rise buildings (Galbraith House) for
0 b% O& _! U' c9 [, r: U" {680 CAD(everything was included), believe it or not the same apartment
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is more than 1300 CAD now.(I still have a copy of the contract and for. B7 T/ q8 k; z$ l3 A7 i
5 \) Q. k: I$ Z5 x+ O) m3 Y$ `' R/ |the current price look at this link
& ^% E; X" a3 ?% _/ fhttp://www.bwalk.com/Rental/infosheeta.asp?projectno=92). 100% 6 e, O" V6 P: h% }
increase in housing cost!
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While I was paying 340CAD/month for more than a year, I抦 paying
0 ~. ~% u/ V* H600CAD/month plus utilities right now, some thing around 700CAD/month.
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Other costs of leaving have also increased and the university ) C# u! {4 Z! o: ~. Y. B* H3 }+ `
increases the tuition fee by few percent every year and international
2 P$ q$ f; m1 j% ~. Qdifferential fee was increased by almost 20% last year. Add to this,
6 Z' f" Z! I1 E" x5 ^: Zthe fact that the university housing has no more space for newcomers
& Z" ^/ n4 K" iand most of the newly admitted students who applied for housing were
; Y7 B* m5 n) z$ iasked to look for a residence on open market.
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While the average cost of living for a typical graduate student has
4 \/ Q& [: p0 E& p( ?! V! q6 Pincreased by something more than 70% percent we are getting paid # T) G+ f2 x! q! X. T6 o
exactly for the same amount of money that we were offered in our ! C( N( x$ [7 ^+ Y7 v4 D
admission letter (18000 CAD + 1500 CAD for international students ' p7 ^3 g; G, {
=19500CAD. What I get is something around 1000CAD/month!!! after
' Q) M. g! C k" ftuition fee and taxes). To make the argument easy to understand just
; N/ t' O w0 ^* himagine that a new student gets the same amount of money that I am & T) s; ?: |. v4 C6 f5 R4 s
getting now and I was getting 3 years ago but he or she (like all of
6 ?# S$ f$ ?& l6 I1 R, m# Lus) has to pay twice as much as I was paying for housing when I was
/ y C( G5 G+ P$ }' ]admitted and has to incur at least 70% more in average living costs.
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$ q0 `5 d" V# L; cAlso have in mind that Alberta is a rich province and University of ' N" \' i4 i- m8 P
Alberta has a remarkable record in absorbing various money and grants
/ y: n$ R4 R" L/ C% }6 W8 y" O$ X gfrom different governmental and non governmental sources and graduate
' A1 w0 ]: Z; z0 {( Istudents are the main pillars of research work at the university.; \: P( ~7 ^2 F7 P+ b7 M; b
' o0 \2 C: q! A. ` BMy objective in bringing all abovementioned points in your attention : Z, ^7 S. E' ^* R1 S( A; O
is to question the adequacy of financial aid for graduate and ' E# C1 V+ u4 k9 T( l: e! c
especially international students. Isn抰 it time for the GSA to take
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% W9 U0 j3 u1 A: x0 O6 M# vinitiative in raising the issue of increasing financial aid for
# e! _, c7 c) ~2 o7 fgraduate students so that the can afford this increase in costs?8 y @9 {& h( d4 j& Q
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Please come with your experiences and ideas.
' M0 _+ G5 ]4 G# l( L+ u- tThank you all
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