Upcoming elections for the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) will see new executives added to the union and questions such as a maximum $120 increase to their health plan and a new wireless fee put to referendum.
Referendum questions will be voted on March 19-20.
The first question asks students if they are in favour of the GSA administering the University Centre fee collected from graduate students for student services, groups and programming, rather than transferring this fee as a lump sum to the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA).
“Those student fees given in a lump sum to CUSA for clubs and societies didn’t give a lot of accountability over what happened to graduate students’ money,” GSA president Grant MacNeil said.
He said the GSA has come up with the proposal so they can give money case by case to clubs and societies.
CUSA is currently suing the GSA for roughly $113,000 in unpaid Unicentre fees.
The second question asks if graduate students are in favour of increasing the annual levy for the graduate student health, dental, and accidental plan by up to $120.
The GSA and CUSA shared coverage until summer 2012, when CUSA left the joint plan to secure cheaper health coverage. The GSA is currently suing CUSA for their actions, which they claim broke contract between the two parties.
MacNeil said students are willing to pay more to receive better benefits with their healthcare.
The third question asks graduate students if they are in favour of a $22.50 per term fee to improve wireless coverage on campus.
The fee would mean students could access software currently available in the public student labs from their personal computers.
The final question asks if students support an increase of the Carleton University Health Service Fee by $5 per term, indexed to inflation, to allow for health services to add an additional two permanent counselling positions to support growing demand.
Nominations for five executive positions with the association, three graduate spots on Carleton Senate, and five spots on the graduate faculty board opened March 3 and are being accepted until 4 p.m. March 7.
Graduate students can vote for candidates March 19-20.
