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When arrived to Edmonton to start my graduate studies on 2004, me and
, P- ^$ P% P l. D/ E8 p8 Kmy friend rented a very nice, spacious and shiny 2-bedroom apartment
% Q( a- b/ k: Y: r0 I& A3 }in one of the Boardwalk's high rise buildings (Galbraith House) for 7 h9 Q3 Z) p8 R, P" V
680 CAD(everything was included), believe it or not the same apartment5 G* f! ~+ V/ T) r3 ~" C
" ?2 W9 A, R. J/ `( A3 k ois more than 1300 CAD now.(I still have a copy of the contract and for5 Y6 U) l) V6 Y* k$ P3 ]
5 x9 ^& }* H8 i* Gthe current price look at this link , J" P- P: V0 r& P3 Z8 G( e& o
http://www.bwalk.com/Rental/infosheeta.asp?projectno=92). 100%
" }. o7 Q" W- Xincrease in housing cost!6 P3 S A. X) f& E
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While I was paying 340CAD/month for more than a year, I抦 paying ; Z4 z8 ~1 Q9 @
600CAD/month plus utilities right now, some thing around 700CAD/month.! e2 F- Q; X, n0 Y# v( G- F0 S
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Other costs of leaving have also increased and the university
: V8 W# v5 i( \# g$ `$ `- \" Uincreases the tuition fee by few percent every year and international 0 I% V' N: H5 T! W5 {
differential fee was increased by almost 20% last year. Add to this,
( N6 v# A9 d1 m/ O$ F Ethe fact that the university housing has no more space for newcomers 8 A- e+ |- K9 V* g& J
and most of the newly admitted students who applied for housing were ' ^# ]; ~7 c+ c+ m0 E I
asked to look for a residence on open market.) @2 }' Q& O6 ~1 m2 z' C
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While the average cost of living for a typical graduate student has 2 P1 C: N6 E- f& G2 C
increased by something more than 70% percent we are getting paid
" W6 l3 }& c' U/ M0 `exactly for the same amount of money that we were offered in our
7 n+ j7 |% G4 B1 Yadmission letter (18000 CAD + 1500 CAD for international students
& o) u3 j/ q9 t. t. Y=19500CAD. What I get is something around 1000CAD/month!!! after
; ?, S9 `' I; |, V& X$ F6 {, U2 Ituition fee and taxes). To make the argument easy to understand just
2 S: U& ~0 Q; E. m2 Z9 Z& zimagine that a new student gets the same amount of money that I am % G a8 Z4 }- I: O ^
getting now and I was getting 3 years ago but he or she (like all of 2 @# d: u; \' p7 G+ | D! ~. F
us) has to pay twice as much as I was paying for housing when I was
9 L T* L1 Y% Q5 e: T9 tadmitted and has to incur at least 70% more in average living costs.
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2 e5 ~7 m' R% J4 e. B' EAlso have in mind that Alberta is a rich province and University of 7 |7 d- k0 ^6 w2 q$ y
Alberta has a remarkable record in absorbing various money and grants $ u, L# r2 r1 Z- L4 w+ n
from different governmental and non governmental sources and graduate : x) m5 }6 E( U7 o
students are the main pillars of research work at the university.
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) W3 B/ G# r ~My objective in bringing all abovementioned points in your attention 1 H0 o+ y( G" O( E3 q) M7 O
is to question the adequacy of financial aid for graduate and + y5 q$ c0 Z4 `, M
especially international students. Isn抰 it time for the GSA to take
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initiative in raising the issue of increasing financial aid for
8 ]" x2 c9 x* m* u; C/ Igraduate students so that the can afford this increase in costs?8 m8 F; p# Z( f _
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Please come with your experiences and ideas.
, M: V ?& `3 {; Q9 u4 [Thank you all
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