tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post8711487659525251382..comments2024-03-08T13:21:43.158-05:00Comments on Saideman's Semi-Spew: McGill Math SucksSteve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-22393656502280515692010-09-10T14:15:22.660-04:002010-09-10T14:15:22.660-04:00Thanks, Quinn, for the links and a heavy dose of r...Thanks, Quinn, for the links and a heavy dose of reality. I concur that groups do have to be concerned about the rising costs of tuition. My point is mostly that they seem to think that the status quo does not have some significant consequences.<br /><br />And I am suggesting that the group interests may not be the same as individuals'.<br /><br />And yes, I understand the need to run away from anything called North American. I just, again, think it is a handy recipe for denial sauce.Steve Saidemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-18429151740886874272010-09-10T14:11:49.595-04:002010-09-10T14:11:49.595-04:00The "North American model" is mostly an ...The "North American model" is mostly an issue of QC politics, in that basically everyone has to pay lip service at the very least to the "QC model" which people think of as very different from the rest of Canada and from the U.S. It's deeply tied into QC's nationalism/"distinct society" beliefs, and it would have been extremely unwise for anyone from McGill to openly embrace the "North American model."<br /><br />But I suggest that your economic self-interest argument simply wouldn't resonate with SSMU or left-wing student activists (who are some of the few involved in student politics, which leads to their issues being more represented). What matters isn't the individual's interests, it's the impact of raising tuition on groups. And they're not operating without information at all. I have personally provided them with studies that suggest that raising tuition does have disparate impacts on accessibility of higher educations, among other issues:<br />1. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-004-x/2006001/9183-eng.htm<br />2. <br />(see 4.6, Barriers to Post-secondary Education) http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/cs/sp/hrsd/prc/publications/research/2002-000121/page08.shtml<br />3. http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1558410.pdf?acceptTC=true<br /><br />I've also shared with them arguments for deregulating tuition, such as the one you can find here: http://www.ecclectica.ca/issues/2005/3/Public-to-Private.pdf<br /><br />So they aren't making choices in a complete vacuum. They just have very different preferences from what you seem to think is in their self-interest.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08016383800728603250noreply@blogger.com