Challenging tuition hike is top priority for new UVSS chair

by Joy Poliquin

Troy Sebastian never meant to get into politics. But the new chairperson of the UVic Students’ Society has always been interested in changing the world.

Sebastian, who is from the Ktunaxa nation and grew up on St. Mary’s reserve near Cranbrook, B.C., was exposed to activism at an early age. “My mom was a social worker and activist in the ’80s,” he says. “I was aware of the anti-nuclear war message and the women’s liberation movement, and I was like, ‘Okay, that sounds right.’”

When he transferred to UVic in the summer of 2000, he intended to focus on a degree in history and political science, but ended up involved in the political scene. Then last spring he ran for UVSS chairperson and won. “I’m not drawn to politics in terms of how it’s played,” he says. “What I’m drawn to is the pursuit and hopefully the fulfilment of changing peoples’ minds.”

He hopes to change a lot in the new school year. His priority list includes participating in the university’s development through the campus plan and improving transit to campus. But foremost on his list is battling the tuition fee increase.

“The one thing that’s driven me throughout my life has been the question of rights,” says Sebastian, “and the right to education isn’t negotiable. Anyone should be able to pursue an academic future. We’re cutting short the potential of the next generation if we’re not doing everything in our power to help students get to school. The government needs to realize that having a user fee for education is hindering our potential as a country.”

Sebastian will put pressure on the university to demonstrate how tuition increases benefit students in the classroom. He understands the difficult decision the university had to make, but says increasing tuition isn’t going to cure the issues students face, such as wait lists, course offerings and lab equipment shortages. “What this will do is make it 30 per cent more difficult to pursue post-secondary education.”

Sebastian encourages all students to come by the student union and access services provided by the UVSS.

“Every student should recognize—that this is the beginning of a long journey for them. They have a right to be here, and they have the right to an education free of external influences and financial compromises.”