UB Belmopan student government agrees with board

Things have simmered down between the faculty and students of the University of Belize and its board of trustees. The increment freeze for the faculty and staff has been removed and the discussions of tuition increase that would have affected students in 2010, postponed. Following a meeting between the representatives of the Board of Trustees and the Association of Student Governments of the university on Monday, a release says that both parties will participate in a consultation process and that tuition adjustments will be implemented only after at least one year’s notice. President of the A.S.G., Stephen Sho, says that the students support the consultative process but are still against any tuition increase.

Stephen Sho, President, Belmopan Student Government, U.B.
“If it was an agreement, it was only for that particular body who were present at the meeting. And also we informed our student body on the meeting and of course there were some recommendations and suggestions to the amendment of that proposed agreement.”

Duane Moody
“What are those recommendations?”

Stephen Sho
“Since it is something that we agreed as a group at that meeting held at NEMO headquarters; one of the things is that the board needs to formulate a letter in which it will be bind and needs to be signed with the following recommendations: that one, the matter whether it is an idea or concept paper, it should be totally rejected.”

Duane Moody
“So they are not going to accept further discussion into tuition adjustments as stated in the press release?”

Stephen Sho
“Yes, that is their recommendation. The board has not made a decision on it, but yet it brought about all of this miscommunication. So the students are saying if that is the case, let that concept paper of the idea be rejected in totality and then start with something new.”

The students are saying that they refuse any increase regardless if it will be next year or the year after. But Sho, who is also the student representative on the board, admitted today that with inflation and cost of living, a tuition increase is possible.