The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) passed its budget on Monday evening in preparation for a fully online fall semester.
Despite dramatic revenue decreases from CUSA-run businesses such as Roosters, Ollie’s, as well as The Wing and Haven Books & Café, CUSA anticipates breaking-even this year with a balanced budget.
“We deeply analyzed a lot of our spending and saw where money should be spent and where money shouldn’t be spent,” vice-president (finance) Jacob Howell said. “It’s been a labour of love and passion.”
While revenue from CUSA ancillary fees will increase $137,477 from last year because of the rollback of the Student Choice Initiative, CUSA’s businesses are projected to bring in more than $1.5 million less in revenue than last school year due to COVID-19.
Expenses for CUSA-run businesses are also projected to drop by nearly $2 million, as fewer students are on campus and some businesses, such as Ollie’s and The Wing, are still closed. Howell said that the university barred Ollie’s from re-opening to deter on-campus gatherings.
Howell added he is working on a delivery service for the restaurants to provide additional revenue.
CUSA is increasing expenses on programming and communication by $148,421 to hire an additional staff member and support digital events.
Funding is also increasing for CUSA-run service centres by 20 per cent, a decision that Howell said is to “make sure we still provide valuable programming and support for students who do use those service centres.” Service centres will be open in a minimal capacity this fall.
CUSA president Kathleen Weary, in her council meeting report, said that the association sent a letter to the faculty of deans advocating for pre-recorded lectures on behalf of students, rather than live classes.
“Synchronous learning penalizes students located outside Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and neglects the needs of students in extenuating circumstances due to COVID-19,” the letter reads.
The letter is supported by the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA), Carleton Academic Student Government (CASG) and Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA), among other student organizations.
In CASG’s update to council, the association said it is also working with the senate to reform Carleton’s grading system as a permanent measure, not only in response to COVID-19.
“We’re going to bring Carleton grading into the 21st century,” CASG president Matt Gagne said in a video. “[We’re going to] modernize it so that it’s more accessible, more efficient and more conscientious of what the modern student needs.”
The association is asking for student feedback in an online survey.
Featured image provided by Mark Colley via Zoom.
