MUN students, faculty join forces as budget vote looms

As Memorial University's Board of Regents prepares to vote on a number of cost-cutting measures, students and faculty have created a group to protest against it.

The newly-formed Student-Labour Coalition represents students, faculty, contract instructors and unionized staff on all of MUN's campuses, a news release said Tuesday.

It's asking that the Board of Regents vote down any changes to students tuition fees and restructuring of the university's pension plan.

The Board of Regents is expected to discuss the university budget at its next meeting on Thursday.

According to the statement, faculty and staff unions on campus passed the university's request for a one-year deferral of MUN's special payment to its pension plan.

However, the MUN pension plan committee unanimously rejected a request to conduct a review of the current plan with the intent of restructuring it.

MUN won't recommend pension plan review

Meanwhile, Memorial University said in a statement Tuesday that it endorses the pension committee's recommendations and that it will not be proposing a review of MUN's pension plan to the Board of Regents.

According to the university, the proposal  will only include the recommendations of the committee, including that the university request a one-year deferral of its special payment and that a study of the pension plan is unnecessary.

"We want to allay any concerns that a study to change the Memorial pension plan is on the table," said Kent Decker, vice-president of finance, said in a statement.

"The plan is healthy and well-managed under the current structure."