The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) council passed its operating budget for the year, with major financial changes to businesses such as Oliver’s Pub & Patio and Haven Books. This year’s budget features $2.4 million in funding, roughly $200,000 more than what was approved last year.
The largest area of change is directed towards Oliver’s. Whereas last year’s overhead costs for paper supplies and other disposable cutlery came to just over $23,000, the decision to switch to reusable dishes and cutlery have lowered its budget slot to only $8,000, resulting in $10,000 in savings even after purchasing the new tableware.
According to Gavin Resch, CUSA’s vice-president (finance), one of the main issues in previous years was the food quality at Oliver’s, which he said has since been addressed. With food costs being the pub’s main expense after wages, finding ways to manage stock was crucial for this academic year.
“We considered having a kitchen manager to make sure our portioning is correct, because food is expensive. It didn’t look like it was feasible to hire a new $40,000 position, so we decided to have more adequate training and managing for staff,” Resch said.
In addition to structural changes, aesthetic renovations, and entertainment updates are also in the works for this year. A little over $9,000 is budgeted for these new installations.
“We will be setting up video game consoles available whenever Oliver’s is open. Hopefully that will attract students that have gaps between their classes and aren’t really sure what to do with it,” Zameer Masjedee, CUSA’s president, said.
Oliver’s will also open its doors at 10 a.m., one hour later than in previous years. The decision was made due to the upcoming increase in the federal minimum wage, combined with the pub’s lack of early morning traffic, according to Resch.
Haven Books, another CUSA-owned business, was also addressed in the budget.
Last year, Haven Books’ net income totalled $81,000, far less than the $256,000 planned in the budget.
“We saw a dip last year in Haven’s income because our manager was gone on maternity leave so we had to put a lot more on our assistant manager, and for that reason we just didn’t perform as well,” Resch said.
This year, the store’s budgeted net income is set at just under $135,000, with an estimated $14,400 in income from leasing the building’s upper-floor space on Airbnb.
A total of $7,429 was spent on renovating the space in preparation for its availability on the popular online hospitality service. The transition to online sales and delivery options for textbooks is still in the works, Resch added.
Another major update to the budget stems from the CUSA executives’ campaign promise to provide free printing for undergraduate students. Whereas last year’s budget allocated $700 for printing, this year $11,000 was approved, allowing each student to print up to 100 pages during the school year for free.
The free printing service was made possible through the purchase of a new printer, to be paid over the course of five years in yearly instalments of $3,300. Logistical details regarding the service are still being finalized, according to Masjedee.
Due to poor sales and high organizational cost, CUSA’s yearbook, The Raven, was cut entirely from the budget, and a more accurate projection of student and university centre fees was developed, with a five per cent expected increase accounted for in the budget.
Contrary to previous years, the option to re-open the budget during the school year has been discussed, according to Masjedee. This would allow changes to be made following a sudden increase or decrease in revenue.
Despite Oliver’s running at a deficit, Resch said this year’s budget is balanced, and changes to the budgeted net income for revenue sources must remain realistic.
“My job is to bring these businesses to a better position. You look at them individually and gauge what the possibilities are, but you also can’t ignore the past,” he said.
Photo by Julien Gignac
