Several student organizations are vying to raise their levy, or establish a new one, in the upcoming spring referenda period starting on March 24.
Organizations included in the referenda are Excalibur, the World University Service of Canada at Keele and Glendon (students pay different amounts to WUSC on each campus), the Graduate Environmental Students’ Association,and Lionheart Productions at Glendon. Each organization was required to collect 1,000 student signatures, or signatures from 10 per cent of registered students in their
respective constituency.
Lionheart Productions’ constituency includes all undergraduate students at Glendon, but not Keele. They will be looking for a new levy of 17 cents per credit, which would translate to $5.10 per year for a student enrolled in 30 credits at Glendon.
Justin Ruttan, artistic director for Lionheart Productions, estimated they had to gather about 300 signatures to have his theatre group added to the spring referenda.
They are aiming to increase the budget for their productions in hopes of increasing student involvement in theatre at Glendon.
“We want to be able to produce bigger and better shows,” says Ruttan.
“Getting the rights to shows can be expensive, and bigger shows can translate into bigger casts, productions, and bigger crews as well.”
WUSC at Keele is aiming to increase their student levy by two cents per credit, with a total student levy of five cents per credit.
Heather Donald, chair of the local chapter at the Keele campus, explains with this increase, they will be able to further support the students they sponsor and bring to York.
Volunteers provide personal and academic support to their sponsored student. WUSC is a private sponsorship program that brings student refugees to York and fully sponsors them for 12 months.
“This makes a difference in someone’s life,” says Donald. “This brings more diversity to York, as these students would be stuck in refugee camps otherwise.”
If students vote to increase WUSC’s levy in the spring referendum, they would pay $1.50 per year if enrolled in 30 credits at Keele.
WUSC at Glendon will also be looking to add five cents to their levy, increasing it from 10 cents to 15 cents. This would translate to Glendon students paying $4.50 per year, if enrolled in 30 credits. Excalibur will also aim to increase our levy by two cents, increasing it from 13 cents to 15 cents. If enrolled in 30 credits, students will pay $4.50 per year.
The Graduate Environmental Studies Students’ Association hopes to increase their student levy by $43.50 for full-time students, and $21.75 for part- time students over the course of three terms.
This would result in a total levy of $118.50 for each full-time student, and $59.25 for each part-time student enrolled in the masters of environmental studies program.
Currently, students pay a total of $28.29 per credit in fees approved by student referenda.
Michael Burton
Executive Editor (Online)
