McGill dentistry students paying off loan for new building 
Students coming into dentistry at McGill have agreed to pay $5,000 a year to offset the loan for the new $18 million building. Administrator Linda Harrison watches over the work of Chris Godbout, DMD Candidate 2015, in the Pre-Clinic at McGill University's Faculty of Dentistry in Montreal, on Thursday, November 13, 2014. Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette In stark contrast to the fervent anti-tuition hike movement that rocked this province a couple of years ago, students at McGill University’s school of dentistry have agreed to pay a $20,000 surplus fee to help finance the cost of the faculty’s new $18-million state-of-the-art facility. However, as the first year of this creative new fiscal strategy got underway this fall, it seemed some first-year students misunderstood that the $5,000 they had agreed to pay was an annual fee — and now some are worried about maintaining this significant contribution. “The website did indicate the fee, but it was misleading to some students,” said Ryan Siciliano, president of the first-year class. “Many thought it was $5,000 and not $20,000. … Most first-year students find the $5,000 per year fee high.” Could this be the start of a new trend in Quebec’s cash-strapped universities? The 415 students in the Université de Montréal’s faculty of dentistry have also agreed to pay $1,000 a year — starting in 2010 through next winter — to finance equipment upgrades. If this is a new kind of user fee that universities have to institute because of budget cutbacks, it’s unacceptable, according to Jonathan Bouchard, president of Quebec’s largest university students’ federation, the FEUQ. He says a surplus fee financing a new facility “is a slippery slope. Something like that will have tangible effects on accessibility.” But there won’t be opposition from Quebec City. An aide to Higher Education Minister Yves Bolduc, Yasmine Abdelfadel, said students were consulted by referendum and the fee constitutes “an internal decision.” 
Students coming into dentistry have agreed to pay $5,000 a year – or $20,000 – to offset the loan for the new $18-million building in Montreal, on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014. Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette Making things even more awkward is the fact that the $20,000 fee was voted on by members of the student society, who overwhelmingly supported it — although the students who approved it wouldn’t actually be paying it. “Although the upper year dental students voted for incoming students only, they followed school bylaws and received approval from SSMU (Student Society of McGill University). We are confident that students had the best interest of the faculty and future students in mind,” Siciliano said. Paul Allison, the dean of dentistry, said the Dental Society New Facility Contribution was clearly indicated on the faculty’s website. But the misunderstanding stemmed from how the fee structure is presented. Since fees aren’t projected for upcoming years, it appeared the additional $5,000 wasn’t included in the costs for students in years two through four. Oops. When the realization hit, the $5,000 fee suddenly skyrocketed to $20,000. “I think it might have been a problem for me,” one second-year dentistry student who doesn’t have to pay the new fee told the Montreal Gazette. “I think half the amount would be fair.” But another student said it is fair because tuition is so much cheaper here than anywhere. Siciliano said the faculty has been transparent and has explained what is going on and why the money is needed. “We all love the new facility and the faculty has clearly communicated this fee for all future incoming students,” he said. “We had an open forum to discuss it and my understanding is that not many students were upset about it,” Allison said during a tour of the gleaming new facility on McGill College Ave. on Thursday. “We wouldn’t have been able to do this without that money.” “This” is the sparkling new facility directly across from the Roddick Gates, where students can learn their profession in a modern environment: a gorgeous, expansive teaching clinic with a computer at each station; a bright new pre-clinical lab where each station is equipped with a mannequin; and cutting-edge classrooms that facilitate teaching with the latest technology. The move was necessitated by the fact that the faculty’s previous teaching clinic, at the Montreal General Hospital, had to be moved because the space was needed to accommodate overflow from the soon-to-be-closed Royal Victoria Hospital. And the university’s on-campus pre-clinical lab was sorely outdated. 
The exterior of the building housing McGill’s dentistry school at 2001 McGill College. Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette When the provincial government was approached about funding a new teaching facility, the answer was a resounding “No!” So, with $7 million raised mainly from alumni, the school asked its students if they would be willing to help finance the kind of state-of-the-art facility the faculty envisioned. And they got a resounding “Yes!” In addition to the renovation and equipment costs, renting the space costs about $1.5 million a year (Quebec will pay about $440,000) and the university has a 20-year lease. With the students’ contribution, it was calculated the faculty could repay about $800,000 a year and pay off its loan and interest in 20 years. “We understand it’s significant, but it’s still cheaper than any dental school across the country,” said Allison, citing the university’s generous bursary program ($1.4 million in needs-based financial support last year alone) to help struggling students. “And dentistry still remains an extremely good investment.” kseidman@montrealgazette.com
McGill dentistry students paying off loan for new building
©
