The FEUQ and the PGSS ask Minister Beauchamp to call McGill to order!

MONTREAL, Sept. 7 /CNW Telbec/ - On the day that Heather Munroe-Blum, the principal of McGill University, appears before the hearings of the Culture and Education Commission, the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ) and the Post-Graduate Students' Society of McGill University (PGSS) are sending a clear message to the Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports, Line Beauchamp, and to the members of the commission. "McGill must respect the rules that govern university education in Quebec. This is true of financial accessibility for students, a fundamental principle of the university system!" declared Louis-Philippe Savoie, president of the FEUQ. "It is not by defying the rules of the Quebec university system that principal Munroe-Blum will improve the quality of university education," added Ryan Hughes, vice-president external of PGSS.

By going forward with the privatization of its MBA program, which will cost nearly $32,500 this year, McGill University continues in its efforts to privatize university programs despite the commitment of the former Minister of Education, Michelle Courchesne, to cut a subsidy equal to the fee increase. "Still, the university administration is pushing forward. Will the minister reimburse students who will have to pay overly high tuition fees? Is she considering new dissuasive measures for McGill? How will the loans and bursaries program help the students who want to take the MBA course at McGill? Minister Beauchamp must immediately respond to these questions," said Louis-Philippe Savoie.

A recently published study shows that the drastic increase of tuition fees in medicine faculties in the rest of Canada has had a disastrous effect on the participation of students from more disadvantaged backgrounds. "By privatizing the MBA program, the principal of McGill is closing the door to people who have the intellectual ability to pursue university studies and who would benefit greatly from the courses offered at McGill. Is this her ideal for university education?" asked Ryan Hughes.

Finally, the FEUQ will publish all relevant information regarding the management of McGill University, just like it has done with other universities. You can consult it at www.vigieeducation.org.

For more than 20 years, the FEUQ has been representing Quebec university students. With 14 member associations and 115,000 members, the FEUQ is the largest youth group in Quebec. www.feuq.qc.ca

PGSS has been bringing together graduate students at McGill University since 1908, and currently has 7,500 students and postdoctoral researchers.

For further information: Mathieu Le Blanc, FEUQ press attaché, office: [phone], Cell: [phone]