The pay-what-you-can food service, the Garden Spot, has not received their operating levy for this year from undergraduate students.
Students were refunded the approximately $2 levy last year when the Carleton Food Collective, which manages the Garden Spot, did not operate.
Before handing over the levy this year, the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) needs to see a budget for the year and proof the collective has access to their bank account, according to CUSA vice-president (finance) Folarin Odunayo.
“We want to know where the money is going, we want to know that they have access to it, and we want to know that it’s not just going to some random bank account,” he said.
He said a budget plan is something each organization receiving funds from CUSA needs to provide.
Food collective board member Wesley Petite said he has not heard from CUSA about the levy.
He said communication ended between the two groups when the collective declined an offer from CUSA in October to merge, which CUSA wanted to do to ensure the collective’s accountability.
Instead, the collective submitted a proposal to work with CUSA, which included a list of their own suggested amendments to the group’s financial management.
Petite said that after responding to the agreement and making personal visits to the CUSA office, the collective is still waiting to be contacted by CUSA to hear about the status of their levy.
Odunayo said CUSA has the levy and they will be reaching out to the collective within the next week.
According to Petite, the collective has not received its levy collected from the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA).
GSA president Grant MacNeil said it is normal for the GSA not to pay out their levies at this time of year, but that the food collective will receive their levy from graduate students.
MacNeil said the GSA does not require the collective to present a budget or provide proof of a bank account to receive their levy, as he said he believes the collective should be allowed to remain independent.
Petite also said the food collective should remain as an independent organization and continue to be supported with student levies.
“The collective runs on volunteer support and creativity, rather than money. But the money broadens our options for what we’re able to do, what we’re able to serve to the students,” he said.
“We hope we can resolve this maturely between the two student associations, but if they’d rather talk to a lawyer, we’re ready to move forward in that way as well.”
The next food collective servings are scheduled for Nov. 21 and 27, with donations determining each day’s vegan menu.
