A.S. Council sent a referendum to raise student fees to fund University Centers back to Graduate Student Association for approval following further changes to the language of the resolution.
The referendum, which has been a frequent topic of discussion at council meetings this year, is the result of UCEN’s campuswide survey conducted last year, to determine how much of a fee increase students would be comfortable supporting, as previously reported in the Jan. 17 issue of the Guardian.
The results of the survey indicated that students would most prefer a $13 fee increase with a 2-percent consumer price index adjustment. However, GSA recommended an $11 fee increase with a 3-percent CPI adjustment, making the total fee $87.50 per student per quarter, up from the current $76.50.
According to A.S. President Meggie Le, further changes to the language of the referendum mean it might not be included on the spring ballot. Should GSA and A.S. Council fail to finalize the language of the referendum by the March 6 filing deadline, it will be presented to the student body through a special election. However, fewer students are likely to participate in a special election than the spring election.
One of the changes proposed at the Feb. 20 A.S. Council meeting is an amendment that guarantees funding for the Crafts Center. Under the new language, UCEN will be obligated to open fundraising efforts to cover the maintenance and renovation costs of the Crafts Center within a year of the referendum’s passage. UCEN must also match the money that is raised.
Associate Vice President of College Affairs Leonard Bobbitt encouraged council members to get more involved in the process of passing the referendum.
“I want to see more people being interactive with the issue,” he said. “I know it’s policy and it’s a little boring, but as student leaders, we need to actually be aware of this.”
Campuswide Senator Matthew Mayeda reminded council that the referendum had been on the council floor once before.
“I understand that we need to make this student friendly, but we are in a time crunch,” he said. “This is already a pretty well-written referendum.” GSA will finalize the referendum with the next two weeks, either approving A.S. Council’s language or resolving to make further changes.
