Tuition Fees and Work/Study

[jason]

Rochelle writes:

Rex Murphy is talking about whether tuition fees are too high; during the show, Jason and I had this conversation:

Rochelle: are you listening to rex murphy?
Rochelle: it’s about tuition
Rochelle I’m not terribly sympathetic
Jason: no?
Rochelle: tuition fees are fine
Rochelle: it’s the living expenses that are the problem
Jason: I’m very sympathetic about the whole show
Rochelle: if tuition were free
Rochelle: there would still be a ton of students who couldn’t afford university
Jason: yes, but they couldn’t afford to do anything right?
Jason: living is living
Rochelle: well, sure they could
Rochelle:they could afford to WORK
Rochelle: where they actually have an income
Jason: working poor can’t afford to live in toronto
Rochelle: well, there’s that, sure
Jason: living
Jason: that’s the problem
Rochelle: now, if they cut residence fees in half
Rochelle: and meal plan fees
Jason: so yes, there is a problem with ‘living wages’ in cities
Jason: but that’s a bigger issue of which tuition is a part, right?
Rochelle: or, alternatively, made it easier to attend university from their parents’ house in napanee
Jason: I like your man’s approach
Jason: RaEducation
Rochelle: yeah, agreed
Rochelle: I’d love to see education turn into a workstudy sort of thing
Rochelle: so you take fewer courses per term, but you work part time in some socially useful capacity
Rochelle: shelters and libraries and child care
Rochelle: schools
Jason: like the peace corps
Rochelle: yes!
Jason: the EduCorps
Rochelle: those folks who build houses for people
Rochelle: youth programs
Jason: work in appropriate trades
Rochelle: now, wouldn’t that be useful?
Jason: 20 hours work a week, plus summers would pay for your education
Rochelle: register for work, learning and applying knowledge
Rochelle: yes
Jason: optional of course, but ya.
Rochelle: think of the skills they would come out with! Their job possibilities would be outrageous!
Jason: call rex and tell him
Rochelle: I should
Jason: do it!
Rochelle: I’ll email him instead!

And so I did! I sent him this very transcript!