A Mount Royal University student staged a one man protest Wednesday morning and his actions left administrative staff with a heavy addition to their next bank deposit.
Devin DeFraine is upset with recent changes to the post secondary institution’s fee payment options. The University has implemented an additional fee of up to 1.89% of the cost of tuition for students paying with Mastercard or Visa.
To protest the new charge, DeFraine paid his tuition in full at the Registrar’s Office on Wednesday using approximately 105 kg (230 lbs) of coins instead of his credit card.
The second year Geology Major student hopes his peaceful stance will catch MRU’s attention.
“I'd like them to reverse the decision,” says DeFraine. “I know the U of C's done it in the past and they experienced something similar to this. Hopefully they'll learn from a little coin.”
“If they're gonna nickel and dime us, I'm gonna nickel and dime them.”
Annalise Van Hamm of MRU’s Financial Services says the institute has explained the reason for the fees to the student body.
“Of course this is not a convenient or happy change for the students,” says Van Hamm. “We understand that and we've done our best to work with them, to make sure people understand and understand why the changes are, and I think we've done our best to make as many options available as possible.”
The MRU Student Association is opposed to the credit card fee which works out to approximately $60 per semester.
