This year, a plebiscite question concerning a possible reduction in funding for some graduate students will be included on the Graduate Students' Association (GSA) election ballot.
A plebiscite differs from a referendum in that it gauges students' opinion on an issue without having a binding policy change.
The referendum question asks students whether or not they support “plans to reduce internal funding for graduate students who receive large amounts of external funding.”
Internal funding is Carleton scholarships, and large external funding includes national grants and scholarships, according to Kimalee Phillip, GSA president.
Phillip said the proposed cut to internal scholarships would be up to 50 per cent of the value of the external scholarship.
The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) decided not to distribute election information to students as a result of this question.
“We did not feel comfortable sending this communication because the plebiscite question does not accurately reflect the original recommendations of the Faculty’s Enrolment and Budget Planning Working Group (EBPWG) said FGSR Dean John Shepherd via e-mail. He also said the funding cut is a recommendation, not an official policy, and an offer to send out the information with the question removed or reworded was denied by the GSA.
"The purpose of a plebiscite is to get a better sense of graduate students’ views and to enable the GSA council to ensure it is acting in the interests of graduate students," Phillip said.
Austin Miller, vice-president (external), said the association hasn’t heard where the money gained from funding cuts would go, which concerns the GSA.
Nick Falvo, vice-president (academic), said there is “support in principle” for the cuts if the money is redistributed to poorly funded students and if the GSA can see that the money is going back to students.