Funding cuts to social services, like mental health counselling, in the latest provincial budget are raising concerns for students at the University of Saskatchewan.
The province’s 2017-18 budget slashed university and college funding by 5.6 per cent — the largest percentage cut in U of S history.
“Every drastic decrease from provincial funding means that money has to either be made up by tuition, by other revenue sources or we see a cut in essential student services and programs,” Kehan Fu, president of the U of S Students’ Union, said.
According to Fu, there is an increase of students using on-campus services — specifically, mental health counselling.
“Right now we do have an amazing mental health team, but having this austerity budget, there’s some anxiety about these services,” Fu said. The services could be scaled back.
Government funding for the U of S accounts for 65 per cent of the operating budget, while tuition represents 26 per cent. To offset less government funding, tuition may increase in 2019.
The cuts in post-secondary funding is planned to save the government $30 million.
