By Rob Granatstein
RyeSAC candidates, you don’t mean shit.
This election has seen every candidate make a promise they have absolutely no chance of keeping — the freezing or lowering of tuition.
Erin George’s poster say she will “freeze tuition fees.”
Get real.
Only two people can keep tuition from rising and their offices aren’t found in lower Jorgenson.
Federal Finance Minister Paul Martin is one. If he ever decides to loosen the purse string and fatten up the provincial transfer payments, we might see and end to tuition’s perennial rise.
Provincial Finance Minister Ernie Eves is the other. His spending decisions depend largely on those of the feds. When Martin gives him less to spend, he has to cut. Unfortunately for us, it’s easy to slash education.
Ryerson President Claude Lajeunesse’s name has been unfairly dragged through the mud by some candidates for tuition hikes.
While Ryerson administration could most definitely do more — and this school is being ruled by the almighty buck more and more every day — their hands are tied by the funding decisions made by the province.
So when Ryerson’s funding is cut by the province, they have to compensate the lost moolah. That means it’s coming out of our pockets.
And there is nothing any RyeSAC candidate, no matter how much they bitch, whine and protest can do about it.
So, to the candidates who get elected Thursday, be realistic in your goals and focus on taking care of the many things on campus that need attention.
Because when it comes to the grand scheme of things, you really don’t mean shit.
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