VOTE YES to the Per-Faculty Fee-Levy Referendum Question
Concordia students have been told that per-faculty votes on fee-levies would do more bad than good. Some have even preached that this question is “killing” fee-levy groups, or even that those who wrote these referenda hate fee-levy groups completely.
This is completely untrue. The first thing we need to address is that we love fee-levy groups too! We aren’t here to destroy Concordia’s vibrant student life and amazing resources – quite to the contrary. We want to ensure better accountability and responsibility for all fee-levy groups.
The Oxford Dictionary defines community as, “A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.” Concordia is such an amazing University because of its diversity. It’s a school we call “home” because each faculty is so amazing at what it does. Concordians aren’t a homogeneous pool of individuals forced to think a certain way. We refuse to be oppressed. We fight for what we, as multiple communities, believe in. It’s not about the largest groups oppressing smaller ones; it’s about respecting each other’s individual opinions. It’s about understanding that we are proud to support what we believe in. It’s about removing an oppressive system. Each faculty forms its own community, all of which collectively make up Concordia.
In 2008 Art Matters wanted to increase their funding from Fine Arts, while the rest of Concordia continued paying 0.08$ per credit.
“RESOLVED: R-2008-7-8 THAT the Board of Governors authorize the University to collect a $0.22 per credit fee increase (from $0.08 to $0.30 per credit) from all undergraduate students in the Faculty of Fine Arts to be implemented with registration for the Fall term of 2008 (2008/2), in accordance with the University billing, refund and withdrawal policy.“
If the argument is that this referendum can only be used for bad, here is an example showing how per-faculty funding can improve student life. It allows for specific-interest groups to be funded by those wanting to support them, rather than watch them fail to the general student population who doesn’t understand their purpose.
A YES vote holds fee-levy groups accountable for spending and activities, and encourages them to communicate their value to all types of students. As we’ve explained, we remain very open to working with fee-levy groups to promote their purpose to the general student population.
For a representative, accountable, and equal system, VOTE YES to the per-faculty fee-levy question.
—Loïc Sanscartier is a third-year Finance student at JMSB, a Concordia Undergraduate Senator, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Sustainability Action Fund
