Camosun Student Society | Current Campaigns

RISE UP

Students deserve an education, not debt.

The RISE UP campaign, created by the British Columbia Federation of Students, aims to amplify the voices of students in the fight for fair and affordable education.

High tuition fees, including the unfair, overreliance on international students, to fund BC’s public post-secondary institutions has created a student debt crisis that must be addressed.

It is up to us to fight for a reduction in tuition fees, the regulation of international tuition fee increases and more financial aid. This is all possible if the government steps up to provide adequate funding for the post-secondary system.

This is all possible if students take action together.

Rise up campaign website

Join BCFS campaign

Fund it, Fix it

Tuition fees have skyrocketed over the last two decades, more than doubling since 2001. Where average tuition fees were $2,500 in 2000, they are over $5,900 in 2019; the average cost of obtaining a degree has increased by over $13,700 in tuition fees alone. The reason for this is clear: years of cuts and neglect have resulted in an underfunded system that makes up for funding on the backs of students and their families.

The Federation has joined the University of Victoria, the University of Victoria Students’ Society, and the Anti-Violence Project to fight against the prevalence of rape culture and sexualized violence through their Let’s Get Consensual campaign.

Indigenous students face issues with education attainment and participation in post-secondary education across Canada. Indigenous post-secondary attainment is not only an education issue, but has larger consequences for income inequality and patterns of chronic unemployment.

The high cost of textbooks has become a serious obstacle to accessing post-secondary education in BC. The commercial textbook industry is making huge profits off students who are already facing ever-increasing tuition fees and student loan debt.

Since 2002, the cost of textbooks has nearly doubled. In fact, 26% of BC students choose to not register for a course due to textbook costs, which negatively impacts their academic career. There is a solution to this problem: the implementation of Open Education Resources (OERs).

International students look to Canada for an opportunity to access one of the top ranked countries for higher education in the world. Unfortunately, Canada’s excellent reputation is being used by governments and institutions to recruit more and more international students to fill the gaps in funding with inflated and predatory tuition fees.

RISE UP

Fund it, Fix it

Let’s Get Consensual

Reconciliation Through Education

Open Textbooks Now

Fairness for International Students