The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) released a report about its operations on Jan. 27, disclosing information on the association’s “significant” financial challenges.
CUSA ran $1.2-million deficits in both the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 fiscal years, according to financial statements in the report.
Other financial issues the association is facing this year include staffing challenges and a “budget imbalance.”
The operational update report, created by CUSA president Sarah El Fitori, also outlined the structure of CUSA, the businesses and services it provides and the association’s planned next steps.
The decision to release a report came after the realization that CUSA’s attempts at transparency during Haven’s closure “did not work out” as intended, El Fitori said in a Jan. 27 CUSA council meeting.
“Since then, we’ve realized that students had a lot of questions regarding Haven that actually open up more discussion of students’ general understanding of the way that CUSA operates,” she said.
The operational update attempts to transparently compile all that information in one place, she said.
According to the report, staffing expenses cost CUSA $2.9 million annually while the association brings in approximately $3 million in main income, leaving the association with “no cushion for unforeseen challenges or new initiatives.”
The report also addressed the financial state of CUSA’s businesses, all of which have faced deficits in recent years.
Haven, the off-campus café closed by CUSA in December 2024, lost more than $120,000 in the first six months of this fiscal year. CUSA is now looking to lease the building and is projecting $150,000 per year in revenue from renting out the space.
Ollie’s Pub & Patio was budgeted to lose $98,000 in 2024-2025, but is currently losing $122,000, according to the report.
Rooster’s Coffeehouse was the only CUSA business expected to make money this year, budgeted for a profit of $15,000. Currently, the report states it is losing $17,000.
The report also identified long-term factors, like COVID-19, inflation and enrolment numbers, as contributing to the financial challenges.
To address the issues, the report said CUSA has implemented monthly tracking of expenditures, hired three managers to “quickly professionalize financial oversight” and delegated some full-time staff duties to executive staff.
El Fitori also said the association has undergone a “budget realignment” to address this year’s “precarious” financial situation and keep spending for the rest of the year on track.
As of the end of December 2024, CUSA totalled $3.5 million in revenue, amid $3.4 million in spending, putting the association in a surplus position of $120,000, according to the report.
In March, students will vote in a referendum on whether to raise the CUSA student levy fee to $47.80 per term — an almost 90 per cent increase from its current $22.68 per term.
Campaigning for this referendum begins after reading week, according to Nathan Bruni, an engineering and design councillor and chairperson of CUSA’s finance, fees and funds committee.
Bruni said he plans to speak to presidential candidates to get their opinions on the referendum, and he hopes some of them are “sympathetic.”
“Without this referendum question, they can’t really do much and their executives won’t be able to do much,” he said.
“I’m hoping the presidential candidates understand that if they don’t move in this direction, they’re not going to have a CUSA to run,” he said. “Unless your goal is to be the last CUSA president.”
“I understand that you want to cut student fees, but also, there’s a lot to lose if you lose CUSA,” he said.
The operational update also gave an update on the work of CUSA vice-presidents, including the launch of the student discount card, the advocacy roadmap and Frost Week events.
CUSA will hold a town hall on Feb. 3 to provide students the opportunity to engage with members of the association’s board of directors, CUSA council and president El Fitori.
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
