Chilliwack Progress, September 11, 2012

The Chilliwack

Progress Tuesday

19

3

Sports

News

Hockey Chiefs edge Clippers for season’s first win.

13

Life

Garlic

Haiti

Taking education outside the box.

Improving education in Haiti.

Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D I N 1 8 9 1 • W W W. T H E P R O G R E S S . C O M • T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 2

UFV to throw a block party Information, entertainment and fireworks

choices” to make in how to spend a limited amount of government funding. He said UFV has two budget priorities — providing students with the best undergraduate education possible, and providing the community with an economic and educational partner. “When we do our budgeting, when we do our education planning, it’s with these two priorities in mind,” he said. In March, the B.C. government announced a $70-million cut to its post-secondary education budget over the next three years, which it claimed universities could make up by trimming administrative spending.

Chilliwack’s UFV campus is throwing a celebration to welcome the community and students to its new buildings and campus at the Canada Education Park. Think of it as a housewarming — but for a university. On Sept. 20 the campus will be host to events, music, games, educational booths, and fireworks. The event is a chance to welcome and thank the community for its support during UFV’s expansion, and provide an opportunity for locals to see what’s new at the university. “I look forward to thanking personally the many people who’ve helped build our wonderful community university, and to sharing the fun of our celebration with the many people, young and old, who will benefit from our work together,” said UFV president Mark Evered. “Come see what we’ve built and share in our pride.” There will be numerous activities for all ages from 2 to 7 p.m. at the campus, located at 45190 Caen Avenue . A kids’ zone will feature a bouncy castle, clown, and hair spray station. Food trucks will be set up in the parking lot, along with a picnic area from 2 to 8 p.m. Aboriginal crafters from the Fraser Valley will be selling their art, while local crafters and businesses will also be on hand. A sports zone will feature Sasq’ets, the UFV mascot, and the Chilliwack Chiefs. UFV teams will also be on campus, including the UFV Cascades Golf team, which will be hosting a golf swing clinic. The UFV Cascades soccer teams will also be introducing themselves, as they’ve recently relocated to Chilliwack’s Exhibition Park.

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The new UFV campus has opened with a $2.4 million capital grant from the provincial government, but the school still needs operational funding. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS

Demand outstrips government funding at new UFV campus in Chilliwack Robert Freeman The Progress

The new Chilliwack campus of the University of the Fraser Valley opened its doors to about 2,700 students last week, aided by an additional $2.4 million capital grant from the B.C. government. But government funding on the operational side has not kept pace with student demand in the Fraser Valley, one of the fastest-growing regions in the province. “The funding we need is not only for capital projects, it’s also for our programs and studies,” said Dr. Eric Davis, UFV’s provost and vice-president. He said UFV’s new campus in Chilliwack opened last week at 105

The

percent of its capacity — “that’s five percent more students that we’re funded for.” The Abbotsford campus is operating at 130 percent of its capacity, he said. UFV gets half its funding from the B.C. government, one quarter from student tuition and the remaining quarter from donations and commercial partnerships. “We try to make up that other 25 percent, but we’re stretched to capacity,” Davis said. Because the university’s costs increase each year from inflation, he said, “either we bring in more money or we get smaller” by cutting back student programs. But that flies in the face of student demand for post-secondary

education in the Fraser Valley, one of the fastest-growing regions in the province. “We can’t keep up with the demand,” Davis said, and there are growing waitlists for courses. Students who can’t get into the courses they need take longer to graduate and their cost of education goes up. The B.C. government says taxpayers are providing $55 million to UFV operations this year, up from $35 million in 2001-02, and the number of funded student spaces has increased 35 percent since 2003-04. The government has invested a total $1.9 billion in postsecondary education this year. But Davis said universities and colleges across B.C. have “tough

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