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When arrived to Edmonton to start my graduate studies on 2004, me and " C' D7 y# \7 y. r& z& {
my friend rented a very nice, spacious and shiny 2-bedroom apartment
# K& [) S/ y+ K' h! N5 K4 w ~/ gin one of the Boardwalk's high rise buildings (Galbraith House) for * L: v: O8 f7 Q0 H/ X$ [
680 CAD(everything was included), believe it or not the same apartment
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is more than 1300 CAD now.(I still have a copy of the contract and for
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7 r$ _ @ I$ k1 d' `the current price look at this link ' Q5 l) l8 g, ~/ f' j
http://www.bwalk.com/Rental/infosheeta.asp?projectno=92). 100% 7 o/ r. y8 o7 C; c0 q9 U- x
increase in housing cost!! b3 B4 ?% [1 y1 n/ W
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While I was paying 340CAD/month for more than a year, I抦 paying % b4 c# Q. n0 l; j, J% Z9 m
600CAD/month plus utilities right now, some thing around 700CAD/month.# d1 H! ^! m* A% m0 x+ F; b
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Other costs of leaving have also increased and the university
9 k* _2 N! [- [5 t3 o7 L4 O' \increases the tuition fee by few percent every year and international
# J; @! {# C* Pdifferential fee was increased by almost 20% last year. Add to this,
( L# l) k+ Q2 Q/ C6 }5 bthe fact that the university housing has no more space for newcomers
3 m& y: D c+ |7 i$ Pand most of the newly admitted students who applied for housing were 7 q8 M5 F2 S0 k8 R. h* `
asked to look for a residence on open market.
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' K& J( t0 }: x" J, B5 {While the average cost of living for a typical graduate student has
3 Q/ B; h$ v- i Pincreased by something more than 70% percent we are getting paid 8 ~. q6 }4 x1 h0 c% ^% r
exactly for the same amount of money that we were offered in our 8 f8 u+ ~! L9 p# o
admission letter (18000 CAD + 1500 CAD for international students + R6 W# e( Q9 Q+ p* Q5 L8 U
=19500CAD. What I get is something around 1000CAD/month!!! after / V+ Z/ n, I8 p$ r+ N+ g# ?+ Y
tuition fee and taxes). To make the argument easy to understand just 0 g6 [* E" F1 \ P8 g& C# y
imagine that a new student gets the same amount of money that I am
* V# d, T5 c" g+ igetting now and I was getting 3 years ago but he or she (like all of # p! Q- I0 b) T$ }+ p. p
us) has to pay twice as much as I was paying for housing when I was 9 Z% U, P+ E( C w5 M: Q
admitted and has to incur at least 70% more in average living costs.
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Also have in mind that Alberta is a rich province and University of - a- u6 P8 y% m8 ^3 Z' R9 d$ {
Alberta has a remarkable record in absorbing various money and grants ' I3 W/ q# r$ ^% ]% T
from different governmental and non governmental sources and graduate
" ~" ~" ^: M* wstudents are the main pillars of research work at the university.
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My objective in bringing all abovementioned points in your attention
' }3 N0 L$ e/ G7 ais to question the adequacy of financial aid for graduate and / g+ g, I- L! ^& t7 E' E
especially international students. Isn抰 it time for the GSA to take: a, x1 Z5 d3 ^' Y6 j; l% a
# f5 s0 [, [) V+ {; g# Finitiative in raising the issue of increasing financial aid for : W+ y9 ~' f9 @& \2 g
graduate students so that the can afford this increase in costs?
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, X9 l1 ^ u9 H$ a' H/ TPlease come with your experiences and ideas.; x3 Q! Y* S5 \# f' c7 `/ @5 u1 r$ b
Thank you all
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