VICTORIA MARTINEZ
Senior News Editor

The operations forecast released Oct. 19 highlights the need for maintenance and funding for student residences.

The document also addresses possible tuition rises and the forecast’s role within the longer-term capital plan. Rough estimates put tuition rises at up to 12 per cent in some cases. In general, tuition at the U of S is low compared to similar programs nation-wide, so tuition increases are unsurprising.

The operations forecast is a formal request to the provincial government for sustained and one-time funding, broken into four parts: an operating grant, a capital grant, capital projects funding and investment opportunities.

The university has requested a one-time $38 million for capital projects, though it may expect to recieve less as some of the request was intended for phase II of the College Quarter residences. It is unlikely that the government will provide more funding for the newly-approved project.

The province has already contributed $15 million to building the residences.

“We have been providing fewer opportunities for residence than other universities, and by quite a wide margin,” said Brett Fairbairn, University of Saskatchewan provost and vice president academic. The new residences will “make up much but not all of that difference,” he added.

Phase two will add another 400 beds to the 400 already being built, which will eventually house about 15 per cent of students, a significant improvement on the six per cent currently housed on campus.

Hopefully, the additional residences will reduce strain to incoming students and help boost the university’s profile. On-campus rent, however, is unlikely to see a drop.

“To build quality student housing we can’t charge students what it cost to build them,” said Fairbairn, who also noted that the school aims to keep rent at average market value given location and quality of life. In order to fill the gap between the cost of the new building, subsidies from private donors are key.

About $10 million of the capital project request is targeted for the Gordon Oakes-Redbear Student Centre, which the university has prioritized this year. Once funding is secured, the project is ready to start construction.

The other portions of the grant will go to maintaining and restoring the U of S’s existing buildings and programs.

The operating grant covers ongoing costs of maintaining the university’s offerings, and the U of S has requested a 4.3 per cent increase to this fund. The greatest part of the yearly increase in the grant goes to faculty salaries, as advancement, merit and new contract settlements increase salaries across the board. General inflation, too, plays a part, as do utilities and library acquisitions.

Fairbairn said that target, which would add about $11.5 million to the $267 million the university receives yearly for operations, would essentially keep the university’s offerings on par.

“If the increase is 4.3 per cent, we continue to do what we did last year; if it is significancy less, we have to make significant budget changes. But more than 4.3 and we are able to do some really extraordinary things.”

If the increase is less than three per cent, according to the forecast, the university would face “a serious structural deficit.”

As for the capital grant, the university has requested $35 million for the annual capital grant, which contributes directly to maintenance. That number is significantly higher than the $20 million usually expected, and the $12 million the university received last year.

“The grant must be significantly higher than $20 million to make a dent in deferred maintenance,” said Fairbairn.

The $35 million requested is tiny compared to the existing $617 million of necessary repair. Leaky pipes are the latest and most urgent of these.

In the meantime, the forecast awaits approval from the province for funding.

“Because we have these conversations with the government year in year out, there is a lot of discussion on priorities, and we demonstrate accountability,” said Fairbairn.

With that in mind, the actual framework for university goals was included along with the forecast, up to 2014.

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image: file photo by Robby Davis