The Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) Carleton and the Carleton Food Collective have so far failed to reach a deal with the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) to receive their levies.
The two student-funded organizations were asked to provide financial information to CUSA before they could receive their levies.
OPIRG-Carleton’s levy is $6.89 per undergraduate student and the Food Collective’s levy is $2.18.
Yafa Jarrar, OPIRG-Carleton’s outreach and programming co-ordinator, said OPIRG is waiting for their financial statements to be processed. Once they have the final copy, the statements will be available to the public, she said.
OPIRG board member Sam Heaton said CUSA executives can see the 2012-13 financial documents like any other member, once they become available.
Jarrar said CUSA’s actions are “unfortunate.”
“It’s a form of bullying. It’s an irresponsible way of holding and wasting students’ money,” she said.
Jarrar said CUSA’s request goes against the legal agreement between OPIRG-Carleton and CUSA and the “moral commitment they have towards the Carleton community and students.”
“A group of [CUSA] executives . . . are not respecting the student body’s will to have this levy go on,” Jarrar said.
A majority of students voted to maintain OPIRG-Carleton’s levy during a 2013 referendum question.
CUSA vice-president (finance) Folarin Odunayo said all student-funded groups should be financially accountable to the student body.
“This isn’t something that was targeted directly at OPIRG,” Odunayo said.
The OPIRG-CUSA fee agreement created in 1991 states CUSA will distribute OPIRG-Carleton’s levy within 10 days of receiving it from the university. The agreement does not mention a condition to provide financial information.
CUSA president Alexander Golovko said at a Dec. 4 CUSA council meeting his only agreement is to be representative of CUSA members.
An email dated Nov. 28 was sent to CUSA clubs saying their levy cheques were available to be picked up. The email does not request financial information.
Odunayo said because CUSA already has financial documentation for its clubs and societies, requesting this information from those groups was unnecessary.
