Carleton’s undergraduate union wants more accountability from student-levy-receiving groups, and wants to see financial documents before levies are released, after conflicts in the 2013-14 academic year resulted in levies being withheld from student groups.
The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) is seeking an agreement with the university that would require levy-receiving groups to provide a statement of financial position from a banker or accountant before they receive their levy money, according to CUSA’s vice-president (finance) and president-elect Folarin Odunayo.
“It’s about keeping all the levy-collecting groups accountable, and there are levies that were instituted almost 30 years ago that students right now are paying for, and it’s just about making sure all the money is spent in the right manner,” Odunayo said.
Odunayo’s executive spent this year in conflicts with two levy-receiving groups, Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) Carleton and the Carleton Food Collective. Levies were withheld from these groups until they provided financial documents to CUSA.
Odunayo said the move is fair since the university asks CUSA for the same information before releasing the association’s levy.
The university collects levies from students, established in previous student referendums. It then releases them to CUSA, which is supposed to pass it on to the respective student groups.
Students help fund organizations such as Foot Patrol, the Debating Society, and the Sock ‘n’ Buskin Theatre Company through such levies.
Some of these levies, like OPIRG’s, were established decades ago. The levies can be changed or removed through a student referendum.
Sam Heaton, an OPIRG-Carleton board member, said CUSA was overstepping its authority by seeking this new agreement.
“It’s not the responsibility of levy groups to prove themselves to an outside organization, which is CUSA,” Heaton said. “CUSA has no role in running independent levy groups, and frankly from OPIRG’s perspective this looks like nothing but a power grab.”
Odunayo is part of the A Better Carleton executive, whose members supported a student referendum last year to remove OPIRG’s $6.89-per-undergraduate student levy. The proposal failed at the polls and OPIRG kept its levy.
Heaton said OPIRG-Carleton will provide financial documents, including its latest audited financial statement, to any Carleton student that requests it. Heaton said this showed the organization is accountable to its members already, and according to the agreement OPIRG has with CUSA, the levy cannot be withheld and must be released directly.
CUSA requested financial documents from OPIRG-Carleton last semester before releasing their levy, but OPIRG refused to comply. CUSA released the levy anyway.
OPIRG-Carleton board member Benjamin Diaz said Odunayo is attempting to cover his tracks.
“He released the OPIRG levy because he realized he was in an untenable legal situation and could no longer withhold it,” Diaz said via email in January.
Odunayo said CUSA’s demand wasn’t unreasonable.
“You could, right now, personally get a statement of your personal financial position by going to the bank. I don’t think it’ll cost you a lot of money,” Odunayo said. “So if any random person can do it, then I’m pretty sure that an organization that receives money from students can do it as well.”
