YFS’s “Drop the Deposit” campaign a success; time to pay deposit extended from five days to one month.
York students will no longer have to pay a $450 deposit within five days of enrolling in classes, thanks to the York Federation of Students’ Drop the Deposit campaign.
Instead, full-time students will be required to pay $300 within one month of enrolling, while part-time students will have pay $250.
The drop was finalized in December 2012 after a report was put forth by the YFS, titled Easing the Burden, which revealed that York had one of the highest enrolment deposits in the country. The report was presented to then-Chief Registrar Joanne Duklas and was approved after consultation with other departments of the university.
“York students already face massive financial barriers, and the former enrolment deposit only worked to exacerbate already difficult circumstances,” says Gayle McFadden, YFS’s vp campaigns and advocacy.
She adds that the five-day time limit meant students who were unable to pay the deposit on time would face the risk of being de-enrolled from classes, which may have resulted in frustration among upper-year students who needed to enroll in certain courses to fulfill degree requirements and graduate on time.
“The project was taken on because an amendment to the enrolment policy would relieve a small portion of the financial burden of attending post-secondary education,” says McFadden.
According to McFadden, YFS had been working on changing the enrolment policy for three years, but was able to expedite the process because of the recommendations put forth in the report. The changes were implemented at the start of the 2013 summer term and will also be in place for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Rameeza Ahmed
Assistant News Editor
