Referendum Questions

When students are encouraged to vote in the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union elections on Feb. 4 and 5, they will also be asked to click “yes” or “no” for various referenda questions.

Eight questions from various faculty and student associations were submitted to the board of directors, all of which were passed at the Dec. 4 meeting.

The questions include a school of business and economics faculty based activity fee increase by $7.20 per half credit, a levy for Daughters for Life Laurier that allows students from international war zones to study at WLU, the implementation of a Brantford student life levy, an adjustment to the undergraduate faculty association fee by the cost of inflation for Waterloo as well as an adjustment to the undergraduate faculty association fee for Brantford students at large and those majoring in criminology, leadership and journalism, and two constitutional amendments changing the board of directors quorum to eight and the name of the general manager to executive director.

Some of the questions — such as the SBE levy, the Brantford student life levy and the faculty association fees — can only be voted on by students in those particular faculties or on the Brantford campus.

Colin Aitchison, vice-chair of the Students’ Union board of directors, ended up having to chair the meeting where the board approved the referenda questions which had been submitted.

Aitchison feels that all questions submitted this year are good quality and in “good spirits.”

He also believes that the Brantford student life levy is a good step for the campus to improve their experience.

“I’ve always heard from a lot of Brantford students that they’d like to have an extra pool of money where they can get additional resources to improve their way of life on the Brantford campus,” Aitchison said. “Having the student life levy on Brantford would definitely help with that. They can fund projects like our Concourse revitalizaiton and stuff like that.”

At the Brantford open forum on Jan. 27 and the open forum in Waterloo Tuesday afternoon, Matt McLean, chair of the board and CGO, spoke to each of the referenda questions. McLean read out each question that will be on the ballot, and concluded by opening up the floor for questions.

Evan Little, president of the school of business and economics students’ society, spoke on the importance of raising the SBE levy fee for business students.

Aitchison believes that all eight questions have the potential to pass on results night on Feb. 5.

“I believe so, I don’t see why any of them would fail.”