Tyler McKay | Assistant News Editor
Featured Image: How will student organizations fare with decreased revenue? | Cindy Long/Excalibur Publications
Today marks the end of the opt-out period for supplementary fees that was mandated by the provincial government in January of this year as a part of the Student Choice Initiative (SCI).
At York, supplementary fees are assessed on a per-credit basis and are deemed to be either essential or non-essential. Students have had from August 15 until September 18 to opt-out of those fees that have been deemed non-essential.
This supplementary fee opt-out is projected to have a negative ripple effect on student groups across campus. According to the SCI website, this is because “non-essential supplementary fees support student-run programs and services that directly benefit students and enhance campus life and culture.”
Despite opting in, some students are glad that they were given the choice.
“Even though I decided not to opt-out of the fees and believe that we should all support the organizations at our university, it should be the students’ choice,” says fourth-year environmental studies student Sriram Goteti.
“I think that giving the option is fair as there are many students, such as part-time students that don’t have the time or don’t want to involve themselves with these services and should be given the choice to opt-out of the fees,” Goteti adds.
However, there is a general feeling in student organizations that they will see a drop in funding. Regenesis, an environmental organization, says, “The SCI combined with Premier Ford’s other cuts has had significant impacts on our initiatives.”
Randy Reid, manager of the VIBE105 radio station says: “Although we expect a minor dip in our funding due to the cuts of the Ford government, we hope that students will continue to see the value of our contribution on campus.”
At YFS events, students that have opted out of the fees, “may be expected to pay entrance fees or increased costs for services,” according to the YFS.
These potential cuts, compounded with the other cuts made by the provincial government including a budget cut to universities, as well as the changes to OSAP, have forced student organizations to adapt their budgets and diversify revenue streams.
“The discussions that were surrounding the budget was about how we can continue to advocate for students, provide services and fight for students’ rights with a smaller and/or less predictable budget,” says the Canadian Federation of Students.
However, losses are still expected.
“Because of Ford’s cut to university budgets, York University has reduced the number of student work-study job positions by eliminating student groups eligibility from the program, resulting in 20 student work-study jobs with Regenesis being lost,” says Regenesis. “Initiatives such as the Regenesis Cycle York Community Bike Centre have been jeopardized.”
As a result, Goteti says in support of opting in, “I have decided not to opt out of any of the optional fees because I think that we should support these organizations, which provide students with many opportunities and services right on campus. I think the cost of the fees is reasonable considering the amount of services that students can benefit from.”
