Fanshawe students will seek ‘tuition reassessment’ if campus radio station shuts down

Fanshawe students are demanding a partial tuition refund as the school's radio station hangs in the balance. Brent Lale reports.

“If we’re paying full tuition, we expect the full educational experience,” said Julia Seitz, a radio student who is among those who started the petition. “If we’re not receiving the full educational experience, then we do expect compensation.”

The students say they were promised four semesters of hands-on learning and experience with a CRTC-licensed radio station (106.9 the X also known as CIXX-FM).

Earlier this year, Fanshawe announced they could no longer financially support the station and if no partner was found, it would go off the air by the end of the year.

“This is what the journalism program has been built on,” said Ede Brecevic, a broadcast-journalism student.

“It’s really, really sad seeing that element - the main focus of this program - be taken away from us.”

The college is projecting a more than $100 million dollar deficit over the next three years. They plan to cut the radio and media production programs going forward.

On Monday, the college told CTV News the station - which opened in 1978 - is not definitely closing.

“We are currently speaking with interested parties in the community who did respond to the college’s call for folks who might be interested in undergoing the transfer process of the broadcasting license,” said Mary Harrison, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Language, Regional Campuses, and Continuing Education.

“The college is committed both to responding to the students’ questions and to ensuring continued and ongoing quality of their learning experiences as they wrap up their program.”

Harrison adds, the students requested a formal response by Tuesday, Dec. 9.

“We will provide a response to the students as I have noted to you, and we’re not in a position to provide certainty in relation to all of their questions at this time, but we can provide assurance that we’re working through these processes.”

Hundreds of Fanshawe journalism and radio students have gone on to careers in the industry. That includes five current on-air staff at CTV London who got their start on CIXX-FM.

“For me and for others, it was a training tool,” said Nick Paparella, veteran CTV News reporter who graduated from the broadcast journalism program at Fanshawe.

“Think of it, you’re young, you’re just learning the trade and you’re on a licensed radio station that is going out into the community. It was a big plus because as soon as you were done working at 6X, you could go into a licensed radio station and do your job.”

If 106.9 The X goes off the air, it will leave students with the in-house CFRL as their only platform.

“It doesn’t give the same equivalence to being on an actual CRTC licensed radio station,” said Seitz.

“With CIXX, past students have had opportunities to run sales as a station op, actually go on real sales calls, do real promotion stuff for the FM station and also do remotes. If the station is taken away, we won’t get any of those opportunities, which again is in the program description and what we’re paying for.”

The petition states that if the college ignores their request, they will take the matter to the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities.