The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) has passed the summer U-Pass referendum.
The referendum will add a mandatory U-Pass for students taking 1.0 credits in the summer semester at a cost of $192.70 per student.
The referendum passed with 71 per cent of students voting in favour. Total voter turnout was 32.9 per cent, or 8,529 undergraduate students. 1,803 students voted no, and 645 students abstained.
The U-Pass will come into effect for the summer semester beginning May 2016.
University Ombudsman Jim Kennelly said voter turnout was exceptionally high for a referendum of this kind.
“When we had ballots, 4,500 would be considered a big turnout,” Kennelly said. He added that electronic ballots have made a huge difference in turnout.
This was the highest voter turnout in referenda history, with a higher turnout than both this year’s CUSA elections and the Clubs and Societies referendum.
CUSA president Fahd Alhattab he thinks said the high voter turnout in the referendum is a excellent sign.
“I think we see over 8,500 students voting, which is the highest referendum we’ve ever seen,” he said. “From voter turnout being the highest this past election, to the highest referendum, we’re consistently breaking records around student engagement with these issues, which is fantastic.”
“Now that the referendum has passed, we can see the U-Pass for actually this summer, which is a fantastic feat,” he said.
Alhattab added that part of the project’s success is the continuity of executives who have seen the project through.
“It’s something CUSA has been working on for about three years . . . It is a long process. Students don’t always realize how quickly change happens in these associations, but because we have been able to have a successful continuation of executives they’ve been able to pass on this project to see real growth in it,” Alhattab said.
Kennelly said the referendum ran without issue, but the voting patterns were surprising.
“Most people voted on the first day. I thought ‘oh that’s odd, so many people in,’ but we checked the system, everything lined up, computing guys said everything is in order. It’s just everyone decided, or 7,000 people or so, decided to vote on the first day.”
Vice president (student issues) Maddie Adams said the results a “relief.”
“It’s fantastic to see it all the way through,” she said. “I think it’s a really big win for students and an advantage for Carleton. It’s a really great thing.”
