St. Thomas University doesn't have a place in the future plans of Brian Deveau's family.

The Prince Edward Island man said his youngest daughter has decided not to attend the Fredericton university because of the long labour dispute that has kept students out of classes for a month.

"It just got to the point where we had to decide between STU and UPEI," Deveau said. "When it came right down to it, we didn't think she should attend a place that holds its students hostage for financial gains."

Approximately 67 students -- 15 more than usual -- dropped out of STU while its faculty was on strike and locked out of the institution.

The strike is over and both sides have agreed to binding arbitration, but the number of dropouts is expected to climb as the deadline for paying fees draws near.

University spokesman Jeffrey Carleton said he isn't worried about STU's ability to retain its student population or recruit new students.

"You lose some and you gain some -- that's the way it is this time of year anyway," Carleton said. "How many are directly related to the labour relations impasse we'll have to wait and see, but at the same time we had 18 students choose to transfer into STU in January."

Carleton said he knows of at least 10 students who have cited the labour dispute as their reason to drop out.

He plans to followup with each of those students, but he said he respects their right to change their minds about their post-secondary education.

"We hate to see any student leave," Carleton said. "But what we have to focus on now is making sure students -- both current and incoming -- know that the reasons our 2,600 students chose to come to St. Thomas still apply."

STU's faculty association and administration will spend the next few months hammering out a final contract with a provincially appointed arbitrator.

But even after the new contract is finalized, Carleton said, STU is still a good school to attend.

"We will still have small class sizes, excellent faculty, low tuition, and be exclusively liberal arts -- offering a learning environment that's unique in Canada," Carleton said. "We do have to rebuild our reputation in the short term and repair the damage that's been done, but I think it's a matter of reminding students of the reasons people choose St. Thomas in the first place."

Kate Crawford, STU's director of recruitment, said she's been getting a lot of questions from high school students about the labour dispute.

But she said she doesn't expect that will have much impact on recruitment efforts despite the fact that some families, such as the Deveaus, have already chosen not to send their children to STU.

"I don't think we have to be more aggressive in our recruitment," she said. "It is a concern (to us) that some students will worry this (labour dispute) could happen again in three years when the new contract expires.

"I think it's a matter of us being able to answer their questions about labour relations."

Crawford said all of the St. Thomas recruiters will brush up on their knowledge of collective bargaining before heading out to high schools this week.

But their message to students is clear.

"Labour relations and contract negotiations happen at every university in the country," Crawford said. "We have had eight strikes in the last eight years, so this isn't a new thing and it's not unique to St. Thomas."

For Deveau and his daughter, it doesn't matter that the labour dispute is almost over at the university.

It doesn't even matter that all universities go through contract negotiations, Deveau said.

"What matters is where my daughter feels she will get the best education and be most comfortable with her professors," he said. "You cannot hold students hostage in a labour dispute and expect them to be OK with it ... St. Thomas is not the place for us."