Every summer, the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) releases its spending plans in its operational budget. The debate surrounding the budget provides an ideal opportunity for some councillors to draw lines in sand and prepare their talking points for the next general election. Despite all the dialogue, the rhetoric, and the divisiveness that comes each year with the budget, the Association also has a unique opportunity to address the issue of rising costs for students at our school.
So, how can CUSA make student life less expensive?
One of the most significant things CUSA could do to help reduce the financial burden for students would be by covering some of the costs for textbooks in the upcoming year.
Statistics show students spend anywhere between $500 and $1000 each semester on textbooks alone, according to a 2011 Globe and Mail article.
Haven Books, one of the main places Carleton students go to buy and sell textbooks, is run by CUSA. It had a surplus of over $270,000 between May 2014 and April 2015, according to the association’s most recent audit statement.
Not only was Haven the only CUSA business that made more money than it spent, the net revenue from the bookstore exceeded the revenue projected from the budget by almost $90,000. This CUSA-run business has been highly successful, and the association should capitalize on its success.
CUSA can demonstrate social responsibility and advocate for students by offering discounts to students who purchase books early on in the semester. If Haven offered a five per cent discount to students for class books, the business would still run a surplus of over $150,000. A minimal subsidy for textbooks would have little effect on the financial security of the business, and at the same time provide students with the necessary textbooks at competitive prices.
Even if books are only marginally less expensive, the price change resulting from a Haven subsidy may incentivize students to buy their books from a CUSA business rather than from Amazon, Octopus, or the Carleton University Bookstore. This adjustment will result in a larger customer base for the business and will potentially yield greater revenue for our students’ association.
In addition to covering costs, CUSA can also send a clear message to the student body that the association is taking direct action to relieve some of the financial stress. Making student life more affordable is a fundamental step towards reducing the perceived apathy towards CUSA.
Another advantage of a subsidy program is it is far more effective and easier to implement than other proposed cost-saving ideas. As we saw with the Board of Governors meeting this March, the association’s political establishment has no ability and little interest in lobbying actively for lower tuition, so it is safe to assume that dropping tuition is out of the question. CUSA could also reduce its own levies; however the benefit for individual students will be almost negligible and the reduction will be reflected significantly in the decline in quality of services offered by the association.
Subsidizing textbooks would improve CUSA’s political image, encourage greater business from the students the association represents, and most importantly, would be a very easy policy to implement with high returns for CUSA.
CUSA’s pre-budget consultation period is beginning soon. It’s not too late for students to have their voices heard.
