Students voted March 11 and 12 against raising the levy for the Carleton Academic Student Government to $2 per semester, according to results released Monday by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning at Carleton.
Of the 3,619 students who submitted ballots, 50 per cent of students voted against the levy increase. There were 1,355 votes—or 37 per cent—in favour of the levy hike.
There were 453 students who abstained.
CASG executives said the referendum, which would have increased the student government’s levy by $1.39 from the current $0.61 per semester, was to increase the support CASG could provide to students.
“CASG’s budget is limited, and this poses a number of restrictions on the extent and the scale of financial support CASG can provide to students,” said CASG vice-president (operations) Vanessa Buecking at the organization’s Feb. 16 council meeting.
“An increase in council funds will mean more opportunities to give back to students,” Buecking said.
According to Buecking, a successful referendum would have allowed CASG to expand the Ravens Academic Relief Bursary (RARB), which provided roughly 150 students up to $200 for academic-related expenses.
The student government could have also expanded the Academic Initiative Fund, which helps fund academic club events, Buecking said.
Matt Gagné, CASG president and president-elect of the Carleton University Students Association, said at the meeting that if CASG had fully funded all 224 students who applied to RARB, it would’ve cost the organization more than the entirety of its 2018-2019 budget expenses.
