Memorial University students can’t afford silence

It’s 2 a.m. and a Memorial University student is scrolling through Facebook housing groups, desperate to find a room they can afford. Another student is skipping meals so they can save enough money for textbooks. A nursing student is working unpaid shifts on their mandatory placement, struggling to cover rent while still meeting the demands of their program.

This is not just “student life.” This is student survival, and it’s unsustainable.

On October 1, students are gathering at the MUNL Clock Tower at 12 p.m. for the Day of Action: 1999’s Unfinished Business. We will rally, march to the Confederation Building, and send a clear message to our government: students can’t wait any longer for meaningful change.

In 1999, students mobilized, fought back, and won a tuition freeze that kept education affordable in this province for over two decades. The victory proved that when students are united, we can change the course of history. But today, tuition is up, scholarships have lagged behind, housing is scarce, and food insecurity is a daily reality for too many of us. What was won in 1999 is slipping away, and we are determined to finish what was started.

Why we’re fighting

In 2022 the province announced it was ending the tuition freeze, and tuition fees have more than doubled since then. A university education is growing out of reach for many students and many are being priced out of higher education altogether.

Meanwhile, need-based scholarships have not been properly funded or expanded to meet today’s realities. International students—including those from war-torn countries like Sudan, Palestine, and Congo—face impossible financial barriers without access to genuine need-based support. For too many students, scholarships exist in name only, with little impact on the ground.

The housing crisis has hit students hard. We line up at food banks and cram into unsafe or overcrowded apartments, yet students are rarely included in housing strategies developed by the government.

Food insecurity has reached alarming levels on campus. Campus food banks are overwhelmed, yet more students depend on them every semester. Choosing between food and education is not a choice anyone should have to make.

For students in nursing, social work and education, unpaid mandatory work terms amount to exploitation. Students give their time, energy, and labour—often in front-line roles—while struggling to make ends meet without a paycheck. This isn’t training; it’s free labour that devalues both students and the professions they are preparing to enter.

A public good, not a private luxury

Education is not a luxury for those who can afford it. It is a public good vital to the future of Newfoundland and Labrador. Every dollar invested in students pays dividends in healthcare, education, innovation, and community well-being. Yet, by forcing students into debt and insecurity, we are limiting the potential of an entire generation.

Students are not asking for special treatment — we are demanding fairness. The government has a responsibility to ensure that the doors of higher education remain open to everyone, not just those who can pay the price of admission.

What we need now

On Oct. 1 we are asking the government to:

• Reinstate the tuition freeze;
  
• Fully fund and expand need-based scholarships;
  
• Include students in housing strategies;
  
• Provide real solutions to food insecurity on campus;
  
• End unpaid mandatory work terms and ensure students are compensated for their labour.

The Day of Action is about more than protest — it’s about building hope, solidarity, and a better future. Faculty, unions, and community allies are joining us. Different groups will march under their banners, standing together to show that education matters to all of us.

In 1999, students proved that collective action works. In 2025, we’re finishing what they started.

On Oct. 1 at noon, meet us at the Clock Tower. Raise your voice. March with us to the Confederation Building. Together, we will demand the future we deserve.

Because students can’t afford silence — and we won’t be ignored.