Students Must Vote ‘No’ in Upcoming Per-Faculty Fee Levy Referendum
I read the arguments closely in last week’s issue of The Link about the upcoming vote on having per-faculty fee levy referendums (Vol. 34, Issue 23: “Stronger Together” and “No Renumeration Without Representation”).
There was one line in the article in favor of fee-levy groups that really stood out for me: “What the proposed referendum question against fee-levy groups does is turn student against student in a fight for pennies instead of uniting students together to get back important dollars in university funding, lower tuition and better services, and in providing students with cheaper public transportation, rent, on-campus childcare and more.”
Too often when we deal with poverty or marginalization in society, we are made to think the problem is other people, and that students are unaffected. That’s divisive and wrong.
I know first-hand that fee-levy groups—whether it’s getting a hot meal at the People’s Potato, being able to see a free film every Monday at Cinema Politica, or doing organizing work on diverse campaigns with QPIRG or the Centre for Gender Advocacy—are doing important things to improve the lives of students and enrich campus life for all of us.
I’m scared by how fee-levy groups are being so unfairly attacked by some, but I’m hopeful that students will get informed and cast a “no” vote in the upcoming per-faculty fee-levy referendum.
—Shayla Chilliak
