Politics bores me Its not like my vote is going to change anything Its the same old song and

dance Its an old boys club I already voted in may, theres really no point in voting provincially. I dont know what the provincial government does. Most of us have been there at one point or another. Why should we go and spend those valuable 10 minutes of our day and cast a ballot if its not going to change anything? Voting is one of the most important aspects of our lives as citizens. Our society would not be able to function if it werent for the political domain. The rules and regulations in place to govern our lives are a result of government. Now why are we talking about this? Well, this October 6th, Ontarians are headed to the polls to vote in the new provincial government. This election is extremely important for post-secondary students & Canadian Citizens like ourselves. I just voted in MayWhy should I vote again? Canada is modelled after a federal system. What this means to us is that the powers of government are shared between the federal government and the legislative assemblies of the provinces. The federal government has authority over the entire country, while provincial governments govern specific areas of territory. The distribution of power is outlined in a constitution, in Canadas case the British North America Act of 1867 (now Constitution Act , 1867). Each body has their own responsibilities, jurisdictions, and interests. In May you voted in the federal elections; October 6th you will be voting in the provincial elections for a whole other set of interests and priorities. What does the provincial government do? Since each province has its own government, they have their own resposibilities as outlined in the Constitution Act, 1867. Some of what the Ontario legislature is responsible for include:

Health Care- hospitals, medical care, OHIP Education- Elementary/secondary schools, post-secondary education, training programs/certification Some social services- welfare, subsidized housing, child-care services Transportation and infrastructure- drivers licences, maintenance and control over highways Civil and property rights Environment and natural resources Provincial courts

How does funding for post-secondary education work? While education falls primarily under the provincial governments banner, it is a joint effort by both the federal and provincial governments under the Canadian

Health & Social Transfer. Funding of post-secondary institutions includes both the funding of the institutions themselves (ie. Direct investment, Research, Infrastructure.) as well as direct funding of student accessibility through the OSAP loans program and grants. In simpler terms the provincial government distributes the money transferred over by the Federal Government as well at its own funds. Ontario spends on average $10,222 per post-secondary student, What do we want? The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) has identified 4 key target areas/pillars in post-secondary education for the upcoming election (via http://www.ousa.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Platform-Chart.pdf) : 1. Affordability:

Fund a tuition freeze at universities and colleges. Lower the interest rate on Ontario Student Loans.

2. Accessibility:

Increase availability if need-based financial assistance. Support early outreach initiatives in schools and communities.

3. Quality:

Fund a training program for all new instructors. Invest new resources in deferred maintenance and capital projects. Improve student support services at colleges and universities.

4. Mobility:

Reduce barriers t credit transfer and expand transfer pathways. Invest in online learning that supports students from all backgrounds.

ONTARIO LIBERAL PARTY Tuition Announcement: Announced with the party platform Forward Together(http://www.ontarioliberal.ca/OurPlan/Platform.aspx) on September 5th Summary: Reduce tuition fees for most full-time college and university undergraduate students with a new grant worth 30% of average tuition fees* Average Tuition fees are over 1000 higher than stated

Whos eligible? Students are eligible for the new grant if they meet the following criteria: Dependent (out of high school for less than 4 years); A Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person; An Ontario resident (student or parent resided in Ontario for 12 consecutive months prior to beginning study); A full-time student (minimum 60% course load as defined by the institution); In satisfactory academic standing (can gain grant back if student returns to satisfactory standing); Studying toward a college or undergraduate credential, excluding second-entry professional programs (medicine, law, dentistry, optometry, etc.); From a family with a combined parental income before taxes of less than $160,000 (about five out of six students). How much is it worth? The grant will be worth 30% of average tuition fees and will increase accordingly each year as tuition rises. For first-entry undergraduate programs, the average is currently around $5,400 so the grant will be $1,600 for all university students this year (regardless of institution or program). For college programs, the average is currently around $2,400 so the grant will be worth $730 for all college students. For a four-year undergraduate program, the total grant would be worth $6,400. In total, the program is expected to cost $420 million in its first year. When will it start? The party is promising to implement the new grant for January if elected. So each eligible student will have half of the grant made available in January 2012 meaning $800 for university students and $365 for college students. The full amount would then be available in September 2012. How will it work? Like many platform announcements, some of the details regarding how the tuition grant will be implemented are unclear. What has been clarified is that the grant will come off of students tuition bills automatically without a separate process. Due to the partys desire to have this grant be accessible to all eligible students (not just those who apply to OSAP), it will be necessary for universities and colleges to know each students family income and dependency status. It is unclear exactly how this will be implemented, but it is likely that the current university and college application systems would be used. For students who receive money from the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), the new tuition grant will not result in a reduction in financial assistance from what students are already receiving. Because the $1,600 is a grant, not an outright tuition reduction (although it functions much the same way) OSAP funding and provincial and federal education tax credits will not be affected. That is no student will have reduced OSAP eligibility or receive fewer tax credits as a result of the new tuition grant. Currently, all OSAP assistance above $7,300 is automatically converted to a nonrepayable grant through a program called the Ontario Student Opportunities Grant (OSOG). This grant is in place to ensure that students with high assessed need are not saddled with unreasonable debt. The party has committed to keeping the OSOG cap at $7,300. While some have speculated that that the new tuition grant will simply replace OSOG funds for the students with the highest need (thereby giving no additional aid to those students), the party has indicated that the grant will be in

addition to any OSOG grant a student receives. That is that the grant will convert the first part of a students loan to a grant, reducing student debt (like other provincial grants). For instance, if a student receives the maximum OSAP package of $12,240, they will only need to pay back $5,700, because beyond the $4,940 OSOG grant, an additional $1,600 would be covered by the new tuition grant. This example assumes that the student was not eligiblefor any other grant programs offered by the province. What will happen with tuition fees? Those students eligible for the new grant will see a reduction in their fees.Thereafter, tuition fees will continue to increase, as it will for students ineligible for the grant. The Ontario LiberalParty has announced its intention to continue regulating fee increases to no more than 5% annually as it does now, but has not publicly declared the percentage increase that will be allowed. Accessibility: To make sure theres a space for every student who is willing and qualified, they will create 60,000 more spaces in addition to the 200,000 new spaces we already created. Accessibility: To help more students get a great education close to home, theyre going to build three new, leading-edge undergraduate campuses in Brampton, Milton and Barrie. Affordability: Continue to provide grants for lower-income Ontario families. Affordability: They are going to support all middle-class Ontario families with a 30% across-the-board postsecondary undergraduate tuition grant. The grant is the biggest single chunk of new education spending, costed at $423 million next year and rising thereafter. That means every year the families of five out of six students will save $1600 per student in university and $730 per student in college. Theyll also make sure students are accountable and responsible for this investment in their future by requiring all recipients of this grant to remain in good standing in their program. The qualifier is for a family to be earning less than $160,000 a year. Affordability: Will continue to help cut student debt through their Ontario Student Opportunities Grant. Will keep the cap on student debt at $7,300 for each year of undergraduate study Affordability: Any student who struggles to find work after graduation or has a very low income will have their loan repayments reduced until their income increases. Affordability: In cases where students cannot find work, their loan payments could be reduced to zero.

Affordability: Students who work in the not-for-profit sector will be eligible for an additional six-month interest-free grace period after graduation. So, if students choose to work for not-for-profit organizations they wont have to start paying off their Ontario Student Assistance Program until one full year after graduation. ONTARIO PC PARTY Tuition Announcement: Contained within the party platform changebook released on May 29th; clarification of proposal announced on August 22nd Summary: Reduce the parental contribution expectations for Ontario Student Loans to increase availability of grants and loans, primarily for middle-class families Whos eligible? Students eligible for the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) How much is it worth? The impact of the change on each student will depend on their individual circumstances and family income. The change will increase the assessed need for most students. For any student currently receiving the maximum OSAP funding ($12,240 for a two-term academic year), the change will not result in any new assistance. However those currently receiving less than the maximum assistance will see an increase in aid. It will also open up OSAP eligibility to more students. For example, a student studying in an arts or science undergraduate program from a family with an annual income below $60,000 already is typically eligible for the maximum provincial assistance and will not see a benefit with this change. The same student from a family making $85,000 would receive an additional $2,500 in grants under the proposed changes. If this students family made $100,000, he or she would receive approximately $300 more in loans and $1,000 more in grants. Finally, the same student from a family earning $120,000 would probably receive no additional aid. The party is proposing to pay for this change in part by eliminating the 75 Ontario Trillium Scholarships for international PhD students, which costs the government $2 million and universities $1 million each year. When will it start? No date has been specified. The earliest the changes could be implemented is for the 2012-13 academic year. How will it work? OSAP is comprised of two loans: one from the federal government and one from the Ontario government. Both programs use different formulas to assess financial need. For students who are considered dependent (single and less than four years out of high school), a portion of your familys income is considered in determining how much financial assistance you need. The contribution expectation varies based on income, with higher income families expected to contribute more to the cost of education than lower income families. Under the current formulas, the Ontario Student Loans Program expects a higher proportion of parents discretionary income to go toward the cost of their childs education than the federal Canada Student Loans Program. The proposal from the Ontario PC Party is to harmonize Ontarios parental contribution formula with the federal governments formula. This will result in lower parental contribution expectations,

which will increase the amount of OSAP loans and grants that middle-income families receive. The students who will benefit the most are those that are already received the maximum assistance from the federal Canada Student Loans Program ($7,140) but are not receiving any aid from the Ontario Student Loans Program. By harmonizing the parental contributions, these students will be eligible for more provincial aid, most of which will be non-repayable since all aid above $7,300 is converted to a grant. What will happen with tuition fees? The framework that regulates tuition fee increases to no more than 5% annually expires at the end of this academic year (2011-12). The Ontario PC Party has not announced its intentions to extend or amend this framework, but have ruled out the idea of a tuition freeze. Accessibility Reduce the parental contribution expectations for Ontario Student Loans to increase availability of grants and loans, primarily for middle-class families.

Currently there are many restrictions on the amount that students can borrow based on expected contributions from their parents. While this policy makes sense from a idealistic standpoint, realistically parents do not always contribute to their children's education, placing the financial burden on the students. This financial burden increases when students do not qualify for the necessary OSAP loans to pay tuition.

Eliminate Ontario Trillium Scholarships for international PhD students

The current government is focusing resources on providing scholarships to foreign PhDs. Due to the already high PhD enrollment of foreign students in Ontario, it makes no sense to provide financial giveaways to these students while middle class students in Ontario are struggling to afford university.

Create up to 60,000 new college and university spaces over the next five years

While many Ontario students have the aptitude and desire to go to university, there is no room for universities to currently expand. The PCs promise to create room for up to 60,000 new college and university spaces.

Accessibility Spend $35 Billion over the next three years on the provinces infrastructure.

The PCs will continue with current plans to spend 35 billion on expanding the infrastructure Universities and Colleges across Ontario.

Mobility Increase cooperation and coordination between universities and colleges, including more credit transfer programs

Students are forced to move to different cities for economical reasons, or sometimes simply reasons out of their control. The current credit transfer programs create difficulty and often increase the amount of time the student spends in university, ultimately increasing their debt.

Increase transparency in foreign credit recognition

The system for recognizing foreign credits is currently broken and inconsistent.

Increase residency placements for medical students from Ontario who have pursued training outside Canada

Ontario currently has a shortage of doctors, being an Ontario resident and receiving medical training in other countries, notably the United States, should not be a barrier to securing a residency placement

Other Commitments

Increase total post-secondary education funding by $600 million over four years. Institutions will be asked to compete for these funded spaces and find new ways to ensure access, affordability and quality. Create over 200,000 new apprenticeship spaces over four years and have colleges carry a greater share of the responsibility for matching apprentices with employers Encourage partnerships between government, the private sector and postsecondary institutions to increase economic development in Northern Ontario.

ONTARIO NDP

Tuition Announcement: Announced on September 15th Summary: Freeze tuition fees for the next four years and eliminate provincial interest on Ontario Student Loans. Whos eligible? All non-international students will be eligible for the tuition freeze. All OSAP recipients, in addition to anyone currently paying back Ontario Student Loans, will be eligible for the interest relief. How much is it worth? Under the current tuition regulation, average tuition fees are allowed to increase by no more than 5% annually. If this regulation had continued, the average undergraduate student would have faced an increase of $330 in 2012-13, while the average college student would have had their fees increase by $120. As a result of the freeze, that increase will not take place. Over the course of the four-year freeze, the value of the freeze would be worth $1,430 for the average undergraduate student and $520 for the average college student. When will it start? The 2012-13 academic year How will it work? Currently, tuition in Ontario is regulated by a government framework that prohibits institutions from raising their overall average tuition fees by more than 5%. Due to the fact that both colleges and universities rely on increasing tuition revenue to meet rising costs, any freeze is typically met with some increase to per-student funding from the government. We estimate that approximately $150 million in additional funds would need to be provided to universities and colleges to make up for all lost revenue tuition increases create. Based on the figures that the party has made public, it does not appear the proposal will fully compensate the freeze. OSAP is comprised of two loans: one from the federal government and one from the Ontario government. Each carry separate interest rates on outstanding amounts. The provincial portion (the Ontario Student Loan) carries an interest rate of prime + 1%. The party is proposing to pay to have this interest eliminated for all those currently paying loans back. The elimination of interest would only apply to the provincial portion of a student loan, meaning that students with OSAP would still have to pay interest on the federal loan (approximately 60% of OSAP). Accessibility Increasing funding to universities to off-set the loss in revenue caused by a province-wide tuition freeze. (Source: http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ontario-election/ontario-parties/ontndp/ontario-ndp-unveils-platform-includes-corporate-tax-hikes-and-contingencycushion/article2179420/?service=mobile) Affordability

Province-wide freeze on all post-secondary tuition(which means the tuition will remain at the current level for a few years)

Elimination of provincial interest on student loans,

Expanding of OSAP to needs based part-time students (Source: http://ontariondp.com/en/new-democrats-can-be-trusted-for-affordableeducation-and-job-opportunities)

Other Commitments Implementing a plan to help students find work after graduation. GREEN PARTY OF ONTARIO Tuition Announcement: Contained within the party platform Its Time released on May 25th Summary: Fund a tuition freeze for the 2012-13 school year, and index all further increases in tuition to the rate of inflation Whos eligible? All non-international students will be eligible for the tuition freeze and continued regulation How much is it worth? Under the current tuition regulation, average tuition fees are allowed to increase by no more than 5% annually. If this regulation had continued, the average undergraduate student would have faced an increase of $330 in 2012-13, while the average college student would have had their fees increase by $120. As a result of the freeze, that increase will not take place. Regulation to the rate of inflation thereafter would likely result in an average of 2% increases annually. When will it start? The 2012-13 academic year How will it work? Currently, tuition in Ontario is regulated by a government framework that prohibits institutions from raising their overall average tuition fees by more than 5%. Due to the fact that both colleges and universities rely on increasing tuition revenue to meet rising costs, any freeze is typically met with some increase to per-student funding from the government. We estimate that approximately $150 million in additional funds would need to be provided to universities and colleges to make up for all lost revenue tuition increases create. This is what the party means when they promise to freeze tuition while maintaining university and college budgets. It is unclear whether the inflationary tuition increases past 2012-13 will be accompanied with increased operating funding for institutions. Accessibility

Additional funding for targeted nonrepayable assistance, academic support, mentorship, and campus exposure programs

o Focus on low-income, first-generation, and Aboriginal students Invest in early intervention programs through other government partnerships Create a federal research program to reduce barriers to post-secondary education

Affordability

Additional funding for a needs-based Canadian national student loan and bursary program o Focus on low-income, first-generation, and Aboriginal students Allow eligibility for student loans up to the rate of tuition, regardless of parental income Decrease the lending rate of student loans to that of the prime rate Extend the payment grace period of student loans to 2 years after graduation Move away from tax-based credits and RESPs Create a student education funding committee to help create a system that better serves student needs Create an opportunity grant for graduate students with financial need Exempt academic materials from the GST

Quality

Support innovation and increase research capacity Investment in undergraduate research fellowships through the federal research councils Integrate education and co-op programs by restoring the federal student summer job program Increase funding to federal research councils by 15% annually for four years Establish a set of comparable statistics to measure quality of post-secondary education across Canada, similar to those of medicare

Other Commitments

Assign provincial transfers for post-secondary education outside of the Canada Social Transfer fund, a portion of which are long-term and predictable Support industry-based job training and apprenticeship programs Emphasize funding to federal research councils for environmental innovation and design Develop a youth community and environment service group that will provide federal minimum wage employment for 40,000 youth aged 18-25 every year for four years Guarantee that copyright policy allows students to properly conduct research in with fair dealing principles

Freedom Party of Ontario They did not have anything specifically on Post-Secondary Education and a decent chunk of the content was focused on their reforms for the high school system. Libertarian Party of Ontario Summary: Privatize all Universities, make schooling up to the student, unregulate tuition fees, cut all government funding. From their Website: Public education has been provided by governments in Ontario for more than 130 years. A long history of government involvement makes it difficult for most to envision an Ontario in which there is no government role whatsoever in providing this important service. Nonetheless, the policy of the Ontario Libertarian Party is to create conditions in which quality education can develop by completely ending all government participation and allowing education to be a matter of individual choice. The inspiration for public education in Ontario was a model taken from the German state of Prussia in the nineteenth century. Its primary purpose was to instil obedience, conformity and, above all, reverence for the Prussian military state. Public education in Ontario continues to be dominated by that regimented learning model. Socializing the student remains of paramount importance. New ideas, creativity, originality and dissent from conventional thinking are discouraged. There are many talented, conscientious educators working within the public system. However, direction by government bureaucrats through the Ministry of Education will always limit what can be accomplished. No amount of fiddling with the existing system or spending more confiscated money on education will fundamentally change anything. Until now, it is only a small minority which has either been able to afford, or has been prepared to make financial sacrifices to receive the benefits seen in private education. The rest have had no alternative but to hope for the best from the public system. Since parents are responsible for raising their children, a libertarian government will return to them the responsibility for educating their children which governments have appropriated. It follows that the education of adult students will in all respects be the responsibility of the student. The mind is the human means of survival which nature has provided. The acquisition and implementation of knowledge in the pursuit of happiness and prosperity are both natural and necessary. Training the mind should be an exciting, empowering prospect, not an ordeal to be endured. Private education will succeed in this where public education has failed. Excellence will be acknowledged and rewarded. There will be an end to political arguments about academic goals and standards, teacher credentialing, school accreditation, curriculum, financing, or whatever else happens to be in dispute at any particular time. Exciting innovation and advances will become the norm instead of the exception. Libertarian ideas must be understood in context. Getting government out of education will eliminate the considerable taxes now levied for that purpose, but more than that will change. Once libertarian ideas are generally accepted, growth of productivity and higher incomes will make it easier to afford a good education.

Everyone, no matter what their circumstances, will have more opportunities than what is now available. Undoubtedly there are some who will have financial difficulty in caring for their children. That number will be small. Over time it will become even smaller. It is normal for humans to cooperate with one another to achieve common goals and, when able, to help others in difficult circumstances. That natural human trait has been stifled by taxes and other obstacles to prosperity which governments have imposed as well as the general culture of irresponsibility which they have fostered. It will flourish when libertarian ideas concerning the proper role of government prevail and result in the election of libertarian governments. Respect for liberty encourages benevolence and wealth creation. When such conditions exist, there will certainly be spontaneous voluntary help for needy children. We have experienced great progress and innovation in fields left untouched by governments. Most advances have come about in unpredictable ways and very few would have occurred if a government ministry had been in charge. We continue to be held back by present day thinking bestowing legitimacy upon government interference in far too many areas of human activity. A total change in that thinking is the only way to end stagnation in education. Communist Party of Canada Accessible Post Secondary Education

Eliminate tuition fees Increase funding for universities and colleges Stop streaming universities into research or teaching End corporate incursions Adequately fund adult and continuing education Strengthen local autonomy and democracy

How much is it worth? Eliminating Tuition represents a 2.4 billion dollar investment. They have also committed to increasing funding of Universities to above the national average, something estiminated to be approximent 1 billion dollars. In total, the investment in annual funding to both students and the post-secondary education system will be about 3.4 billion dollars. When Will it start? Immediately after the election. How will it work? The Communist Party believes that education is a right for all qualified students. They will allow students who qualify for university to go without a cost to them and in order to prevent misapplication of funding, they plan on changing the set up for the Board of Governors of universities so they subject to democratic oversight. They also plan on hiring more faculty in tenured track with a focus on both lecturing and research. They will also end privatization in universities in order to make the schools fully accountable to the public. In terms of credit transfers the communist party support a fully integrated university credit transfer system where credits attained at one institution will fully transfer over to others. They also put a system in place for

employers and other institutions to recognize foreign credentials so skilled immigrants will not be forced to study from the beginning. Transit

Increase federal-provincial funding for public transit Create a crown corporation to build public transit systems and rolling stock Expand GO Transit service and routes; reduce fares Abolish road tolls; expand light rail transit

Family Coalition No information on website - Called and left a message with the party office. Appendix #1 : Primer on Tuition: Throughout the country, post-secondary education (PSE) has traditionally been funded through three main sources: the provincial governments, the federal government, and students. Due to increased institutional operating costs in recent years, the fairness of this balance has been compromised. As provincial operating grants have failed to keep up with the university rate of inflation, students have been required to contribute more through tuition fees than ever before. While students recognize that they should contribute to the costs of higher education as there are both personal and societal benefits, in practice these contributions have grown too quickly and by too much.The following graph illustrates the percentage of university operating costs across Canada recovered by tuition. Where Ontario once had comparable student contributions to other provinces, in 2007 Ontario student fees covered the second highest percentage of university operating budgets. Additionally, Ontario students are charged the highest tuition fees in actual dollars when compared to the rest of Canada, paying an average of $6,307 in 2010-11. From this, it becomes clear that the current cost-sharing model in Ontario is offloading the increasing cost of education onto students. here is substantial evidence that the current level of tuition in Ontario creates barriers to a college or university education for many individuals. Over the last two decades, average tuition for undergraduate students has more than tripled in constant dollars. The average student paid $6,307 in 2010, making Ontario the most expensive province in which to attend university. Average college tuition has increased to $2,300 during this timeframe, and textbook and living expenses have risen as well. Students are by and large struggling to pay these rising costs. The incidence of undergraduate debt rose from 56% to 64% over the last decade, with the average indebted graduate owing over $25,000. The cost of education and accessibility go hand-in-hand. According to the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation, 40% of college students who exit their program prior to completion do so because of insufficient funds. Underrepresented groups, particularly low-income, Aboriginal, rural and northern students are those affected the most by high fees. These students are most likely to go into debt to finance their post-secondary studies, yet far more likely to be price sensitive and debt

averse. Almost 40% of individuals who never attended higher education listed finances as a barrier to participation. Several studies have concluded that tuition increases have a moderate impact on post-secondary participation in low-income students. The argument that increases in financial assistance has offset rising tuition is undermined by the fact that need-based aid has not kept pace with tuition. In fact, the average need-based aid package has increased by just $650 since 1993, in the same time that tuition has increased by $3,000. According to a 2011 poll, affordability of higher education came in second to only quality of healthcare as the issue that most concerns Ontarians, ranking above unemployment and tax reduction. Tuition is obviously an important issue for students, but as polls and conversations across the province indicate, progressive and fair tuition policy is also important to Ontarians as a whole. This is why students have been keen to hear how the different parties plan to tackle tuition fees. The Ontario Liberal Party has proposed a significant reduction in tuition for dependent undergraduate students whose annual family income is below $160,000 and also committed to continuing to regulate tuition increases but did not indicate how much these increases would be. The Green Party of Ontario has proposed freezing tuition for the 2012/13 academic year and subsequently indexing tuition increases to inflation. Ontario New Democrat Party has proposed a complete tuition freeze for the next three years. While the PC has not make any promises concerning tuition. Appendix #2: Primer on Deferred Maintenance: It is well understood that enrolment is likely to grow substantially in the near future. Colleges and universities face a backlog of approximately $2 billion, and it continues to grow. It is of the utmost importance that the learning environments offered to our students are adequate, up-to-date and safe. Investments in new capital assets are critical, but must also not overshadow the need to take care of Ontarios learning facilities. McMaster University itself similarly is in dire need of backlog funding by the provincial government. Multiple classrooms all across campus are in need of infrastructure upgrade & repairs. Furthermore, problematically the current definition of deferred maintenance by the provincial government does not include class room technology and wireless services within the learning environment it covers. Some of the figures of approximate funding needs at McMaster include:

Increased Network Bandwidth across campus: $475K one-time plus $30K annually Network Infrastructure upgrades (to support increased bandwidth, risk mitigation, and replace out-dated equipment): $1.9M Increased wireless coverage for 9 academic buildings: $270K Increased wireless coverage for approx. 100 classrooms: $230K

There are significant long term maintenance costs for classroom AV. Bulbs, for example, can run in the hundreds of dollars each. Technology has become an essential component for university infrastructure in the same way that we'd consider water, electric and ventilation. Often when new campus buildings are put

up the technology is incorporated into the building plan. However, unlike "traditional infrastructure" (water, electricity, etc) technology is not considered in planning for long term maintenance. These items must become part of maintenance or we will forever be in a position of having to "find" ongoing money to maintain it. Similarly A smart board for a modest sized classroom costs 10K. Data projectors only last for about three years and cost in excess of 5K (to get sufficient brightness for large classrooms) and then there are significant installation costs. None of the political parties have made any specific reference to this issue, however the issue was briefly discussed during the all candidates debate on campus on 28th September by the ADFW candidates. Almost all of them at some point or the other referenced a need for maintenance.