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Oct 15, 2009

UB students “rail up” and hand board ultimatum at conference

Story PictureMore on the situations at UB, classes were cancelled at all four campuses as of eleven this morning and students descended at the gymnasium at the Garden City Campus to meet the board as planned. When the board was a no show, the students crashed the press conference. The board was handed a statement on the students’ position and an ultimatum to repeal the four hundred percent tuition increase.

Stephen Sho, President, Belmopan Student Government, U.B.
“Of course, it was a board of trustees conference, but because of the magnitude and your presence here, please allow me to make this following presentation. Dear Madam Chair, this is to formally state that we hereby request a recall of item number ten for the concept paper for reduction in subsidy on tuition follow up section A, the concept paper for a reduction in subsidy on tuition was accepted by the board. The proposal calls for a standardized rate of a hundred and fifty dollars per credit across programs. Although we see the need for development and improvement of our national university, we feel that there are other ways in which we can come up with the necessary finances even if there is a tuition increase, we think that an over four hundred percent for the associate programs is extreme and that a more gradual implication of these increases would be more student friendly. We are not here today for any consultation because the time for that has already past. We have assembled to make a bold statement of rejection of that increase on our tuition and to have the board repeal their decision to approve the proposal. We hereby ask that the Board withdraws increase of tuition by over four hundred percent by October twentieth midday. Failure to comply with this request will result in further action.”

Jackie Willoughby-Sanchez
“I am not so sure that as a board we will be yielding to a time because if you may have heard, we are have suspended discussion for tuition. Furthermore all actions were premature…we never made a decision on the issue of fees in totally incorrect.”

Students say they are expecting a response by October twentieth and if not, they will resume protest.


Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.

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