Rumor confirmed! The Dock on Princess announced on Friday, January 25th that they will be playing host to Brandon’s own Reel Brew on Friday, March 15th and Saturday, March 16th during St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
Read moreTalking about food services
The “freshman 15” is a common expression used to describe the weight put on by students during their first year of postsecondary education. The accepted belief is that students, new to being bombarded by stacks upon stacks of work, choose quick means of sustenance which are in nutrition and easy on the wallet so as to better focus on their efforts on school.But what if that isn’t the case?
Read moreThe Harlem Shake at BU: memetic dancing and you
In these times of economic uncertainty, ongoing military conflict in the Middle East and Africa, unprecedented melting of arctic ice, and increasing concentration of corporate control, there is nothing more unifying than the reinterpretation of Internet viral videos and memes, the favored pastimes amongst idle hands and bored individuals of the Internet crowd.
Read moreBrandon University presents: ‘Safer Ground?’
Back in September, The Quill was able to sit down and speak with James Forsythe about his upcoming theatre production. It has been several months now, and with the work of cast and crew, it is mere days away from opening night.
Read moreLocal bands set to rock the PCC
Have your eardrums ever been blessed with the glorious sound of a screamo death/metal core trio, a “punk metal electronic improvisional/jazz and hiphop influenced two-piece drum and bass duo”, and a progressive metal/hardcore quintet all in one evening? Wander to Park Community Centre on Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m. and experience it firsthand as Brandon bands Stand Against This World and Fungus Puck hit the stage with Virden’s Torn From Flames for an all-ages performance.
Read moreYour BUSU candidates
The Brandon University Students’ Union (BUSU) general elections are set to take place on March 11th and 12th. With the campaigning period now underway, The Quill sat down with all five executive candidates to help you make an informed decision before you cast your ballot.
Read moreForsythe’s ‘Safer Ground?’ to premier at the Evans Theatre
James Forsythe’s production Soldier Up premiered on Remembrance Day in 2008. The script was inspired by his conversations with Canadian soldiers. During his sabbatical leave from BU in 2011, while teaching at Concordia University in Montreal, Forsythe repeated the interview procedure with Afghan Canadians.
Read moreMötley Crüe set to play the Keystone Centre
Today, the Keystone Centre has confirmed that 80s metal band Mötley Crüe will be playing the Wheat City on May 6th, 2013, along with special guests Big Wreck.This tour “marks the most expansive run of Canada in the band’s history,” accommodating a total of 18 show dates everywhere from Vancouver to Quebec.
Read moreThe Wheat City could get a little KISS
Pull out your face paint and practice your Gene Simmons tongue curl because KISS is hitting the Wheat City! …Or, well, maybe. A stop in Brandon is yet to be officially confirmed, since dates beyond June aren’t listed on the KISS website, but according to concert dates posted on KISS frontman Gene Simmons’ website, the iconic rock group will be stopping in Brandon on July 18th after playing Estevan the night before.
Read moreBU professor publishes textbook
Earlier this year, Brandon University’s Chair of the Religious Studies Department Dr. K. L. Noll published Canaan and Israel in Antiquity: A Textbook on History and Religion. Exploring the social, religious and political changes in Palestine throughout the ages, the original edition of the text was written in the 1990s while he taught for Pennsylvania State University, and the updated edition was requested by the publisher in light of the new data that has since been collected.
Read moreWinterlude a huge success
From blowing up gummy bears in the chemistry lab, to cheering on the Bobcats basketball teams, there was something for everyone at Brandon University’s second annual Winterlude last Saturday.The day began with over 400 plates of brunch served, before groups began exploring campus.
Read moreBUSU general elections nominations open
General elections for the Brandon University Students’ Union will be held on Monday, March 11th and Tuesday, March 12th. Students can vote at one of the many polling stations that will be open on campus. A full list of voting locations will be advertised well in advance of the elections.
Read moreBUZS’s Darwin Days begin
The Brandon University Zoology Society, also known as BUZS, is hosting a parade of evolution-themed events in celebration of the 204th birthday of Charles Darwin, best-known, of course, for his work On the Origin of Species
Read morePope Benedict XVI resigns
Jaws dropped around the world yesterday when Pope Benedict XVI announced he would be resigning from papacy on February 28. The 85-year-old pope cited health complications as an explanation for his nearly unprecedented move, acknowledging that he required “both strength of mind and body” in order to govern a body of more than a billion Roman Catholics worldwide.
Read moreJustin Trudeau Visits BU
Over 200 people came out to hear Federal Liberal leadership candidate Justin Trudeau speak at Brandon University this past Thursday. The event was organized by the Brandon University Politics Society. President Brad McClelland was thrilled by the chance to host Trudeau. “It’s really important to engage students,” he said.
Read moreYour Money, Your Time: Tuition and Fees at BU
File photo. (Coaxeus / Flickr)
On January 29th and 30th, Brandon University’s Financial and Registration Services hosted “All You Ever Wanted to Know About BU Tuition & Fees” information sessions in the Louis Riel Room to inform students and faculty of standard financial activities within the university. Giving special attention to the division of tuition fees, Director of Finance and Registration Deb Berkan explained how tuition fees are regulated on a yearly basis.
As everyone knows, Brandon University boasts quite loudly about having one of the lowest tuition rates in the country. Financial support for programming and services available to students on campus during and after school hours is made possible largely through government funding (80%), tuition fees (18%), and other miscellaneous fees, including mandatory student ID cards and the newly enforced Student Fitness Fee. Other revenue is generated via Ancillary Service Fees, which operates on a cost-recovery basis to provide services such as the parking spots at any of the various lots on campus and lost ID cards, as well as fees for living in residence, including the cost of room, board, Internet, and maintenance. In response to the ebb and flow of the economy and based on the rate paid in previous years, BU students naturally experience the dreaded phenomenon of rising tuition.
Over the past four years, Brandon University has increased the price of tuition by roughly 13%, with a 2.8% jump for the 2012-2013 school year. The numbers seem unreasonable considered on their own, but we must take into account that the province of Manitoba froze tuition fees from 1999 to 2009, just before a tuition fee reduction of 10%. So in the long run, over a span of fourteen years, tuition fees have risen by less than 1% per year. By comparison, the University of Manitoba upped tuition by 2.8% this year as well, and the provincial-wide sum of tuition increases totaled 3.9% in Alberta, 4.9% in Saskatchewan and 10.1% in Quebec.
While the figures vary between faculties, students enrolled in 24 credit hours in the Faculty of Arts this school year paid $2,914.25. Meanwhile, institutions like the University of Winnipeg and the University of Regina charged anywhere from a little over one hundred to over a thousand dollars for theoretically the same educational experience.
However, due to the different methods used by each post-secondary institute to group fees, comparing statistics between universities is difficult. For example, Brandon University doesn’t group the cost of a health and dental plan with standard student tuition fees, whereas the University of Regina forces students to pay higher tuition in lieu of student fees. Similarly, other universities automatically charge for certain documents (i.e., confirmation of enrollment or letters of permission) potentially sought by students regardless of whether the students actually seek them at all, while BU students need only pay the fee if they request the documents.
Brandon University is able to offer students both their academic experience and a fair tuition for a reason, and it definitely puts other institutions to shame by a consistently-meager yearly tuition increase. As the information session highlighted, there are no hidden fees, and arguably the only concealed element of our university experience in regards to financial burdens is our own privilege.
Exact figures for tuition and fees are estimated by Brandon University by April 15th of each year. This information is sent to Manitoba’s Council on Post-Secondary Education (COPSE), and approved by May 31st, and students are contacted soon after with concrete financial figures.
Republished from The Quill print edition, Volume 103, Issue 20, February 5, 2013.
Justin Trudeau Set To Visit BU Campus
Justin Trudeau will be making an appearance at Brandon University.
Mr. Trudeau will be at the university on Thursday, January 31st for a presentation slated to start at ten o’clock in the morning. The event is touted as, “A Conversation with Justin Trudeau,” and is being hosted by the Brandon University Politics Society.
Read moreSnowientation A Smashing Success
At the beginning of each school year, BUSU and BU Student Services team up to put on a number of orientation events. This year, BUSU wanted to have a second-term orientation as well as our regular first-term orientation. We held events for two weeks (January 7th-January 18th) and called it “Snowientation.”
Read moreDeadline for Work Study Program Fast Approaching
Since 2002, the Brandon University Students’ Union has offered its members a Work Study program. This program allows students to find gainful employment in their chosen fields of study. Through this program, Brandon University faculty may receive funding when they hire undergraduate and graduate students as research assistants.
Read moreBUSU Council Condemns Mandatory HLC Fee
Many students at Brandon University have been speaking out against the recently implemented Healthy Living Centre fee. The Brandon University Students’ Union (BUSU) has listened to these concerns, and responded.
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