On Sept. 23-24, graduate students voted overwhelmingly in favour of ending their levy fee to the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), a fee which mostly paid for graduate student usage of CUSA service centres.
More than 95 per cent of graduate students voted against the levy and now the money is in the hands of the Graduate Students’ Association to do what they will with it.
Allegations that graduate students were mistreated and turned away from service centres have never been backed up with substantial evidence.
Now that CUSA will not be receiving the money, amounting to around $115,000, they’re caught between a rock and a hard place.
None of the service centres have a surplus. They need this money.
CUSA president Folarin Odunayo said service centres won’t turn away grad students, but they are now providing services to students who haven’t paid for them.
Service centres cost CUSA more than $389,000 to operate. $115,000 represents about 30 per cent of this figure.
This referendum also drives a wedge between the two already diametrically opposed student associations.
Graduate students should vote to reinstate the fee next year. It’s not fair to CUSA and it’s not fair to graduate students who use service centres.
