It’s your call: One click could save you $55 per term in athletics fees

Should students pay for a new athletic facility with a “new” $55/term fee (in addition to the current $73/term fee)?

You will be asked to vote on this question October 19-23, 2009 on webvote at https://webvote.uvic.ca

The Graduate Students’ Society is opposed to this fee increase. Here are some of our reasons:

Is this fee increase legal?

The GSS is concerned that the fee increase is not permitted under BC’s tuition limit policy, which caps increases of tuition and fees for current programs at 2% per year. This new fee will be a 75% fee increase for students.

The GSS has sent UVic a letter (PDF) asking UVIC to account for this, and will post any reply we receive on our campaign site here: http://gss.uvic.ca/2009athletics.htm

Who uses and who pays?

In the January 2009 term alone, contribution by students to the Athletics and Recreation budget was $1,082,939.00—without including additional fees paid by students for intramural, weight room, and program fees.

According to UVIC data for January – March 2009, which assumes average usage of 1-3 visits per week, about 30% of undergraduates and 8% of graduate students are using the Ian Stewart Complex (the most popular recreation facility on campus).

Athletics fees: the goal posts keep moving!

Until UVIC purchased the Ian Stewart Complex (ISC), athletic fees increased at a rate almost identical to inflation. Since the purchase of ISC, students have been paying a greater proportion of the cost for Athletics at UVIC each year. In the past decade, the proportion of the Athletics budget covered by student fees has risen from 20% to 38%.

Mandatory fees can be a benefit—if they are less than market rate

Compare this fee proposal to the U-pass... the U-pass costs one quarter the cost of buying a monthly buss pass. Every student pays in, but the cost is kept lower than market rate. In return, transit improves bus service to Victoria campuses.

Now compare the proposed athletics fee proposal to other recreation passes in Victoria *:

No. of terms	Current fee	New fee
One term	$73	$128
Two Terms	$146	$256
Three Terms	$219	$320*
COMPARE
Sannich Rec student pass	285/year
Oak Bay Rec annual pass	$345/year
YM-YWCA pass - family pass	$444/year $780/year

* graduate students will have the option to opt out of the summer term; summer term will be charged at 50%. 60% of graduate students and 20% of undergraduates pay 3 terms of fees per year.

What are the other options?

UVIC says mandatory student fees need to cover 36.7% of the cost of the building—but what are other options? UVIC’s consultation process suggested selling the Ian Stewart Complex as one revenue source. Other options include bigger donor campaigns, a stronger lobby for government support.

UVIC’s facility analysis indicates UVIC will seek to cover costs of the building with the following revenues:

1. New students Mandatory Fee

2. Program revenues

3. Donors

4. Government funding

5. UVIC contribution

What are the arguments in favour of the fee increase?

UVIC made a presentation to the GSS Grad Council about the proposal. It can be found here.

UVIC’s facility analysis (500 pages) can be found here.

UVIC’s/vikes website supporting the fee increase is here

Student facebook group in support of the fee increase is found on the vikes website here

Visit open houses

Help the campaign

Visit the GSS campaign site, download a poster, learn more: all here

Referendum on Health and Dental Plan

Going to the polls... again. (This is it, I swear!)

Grad students will have the opportunity to vote on the coverage and cost of the GSS extended health and dental plans on April 22, 23, and 24th 2008.

The referendum will ask you to choose between the following options:

1. Keep premium at current level with benefit reductions.
2. Increase paramedical coverage to 100%, with $10 co-pay ($230/year, $19.17/month, an increase of $1.58/month
3. Add vision coverage of up to $200 every 2 years ($245/year, $20.42/month, an increase of $2.83/month)
4. Combine options B and C ($255/year, $21.25/month, an increase of $3.67/month)

Choice with the highest number of votes will be selected.

You will be able to vote on webvote and also by paper ballot at the GSS office.

Info on the referendum is here: http://gss.uvic.ca/Healthanddentalreferendum.htm

Info on the health and dental plan is here: http://gss.uvic.ca/health.htm

Referendum update

Some news on the referendum on CFS membership.

Referendum Oversight Committee meeting minutes from March 3 are now online and posted
outside the GSS office.

Campaign period has now begun (until March 20), and graduate students interested in campaigning can join a campaign team via contacts here. It is important to remember that campaigners must register with the campaign teams prior to campaigning.

Upcoming important GSS decisions! Building, CFS, budget, elections!

1. NOTICE OF Special General Meeting considering expansion of Halpern
Graduate Centre

Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Time: 5pm
Location: Grad Centre Room 112-108

All graduate students are encouraged to attend with valid student card.

Special GM Agenda

1.    Approval of agenda
2.    Approval of Building Expansion Plan

If approved, an expansion of the Halpern Centre could proceed Summer 2008.
Proposal includes creation of dedicated grad student lounge, expansion of
kitchen and a minor office renovation.

If approved, financing options could include one or a combination of the
following:
-borrowing from UVic**
-re-distribution of a portion of Capital Fund membership fees to the
Building Fund
-establishment of a line of credit**

Architect’s diagrams, financing options, and sustainability plan for
the proposal will be posted at http://gss.uvic.ca and outside the GSS
office by February 13, 2008.

SGM followed immediately by a regular meeting of Grad Council.

**requires special resolution (75% members present in favour.)

2. OTHER UPCOMING GSS EVENTS:

Referendum on Defederation from Canadian Federation of Students:
March 18-19-20. Have your say on whether we should stay in the CFS.
NOTE: There will be NO WEB VOTE on this referendum.
Instead, there will be polling at two on campus polling
stations from 9-5 each day. Polling station at the University
Centre has been confirmed, but the other is TBA.
This referendum is governed by CFS Bylaws found here.
For ongoing updates on the CFS referendum watch this site for
info: http://gss.uvic.ca/cfsreferendum.htm

GSS Elections: Nominations: March 10 to March 17.
Voting: March 26, 27.
Your chance to get involved in the GSS and work on
everything from finances to special events to the restaurant!

GSS Semi-Annual General Meeting:
Tuesday April 1, 2008, 5pm in the Grad Centre.
This meeting passes the budget for the upcoming year,
ratifies the election, and receives the report of the
outgoing Executive Board.

Info: http://gss.uvic.ca

CFS referendum question, voting method determined

Graduate students at UVIC are going to the polls March 18, 19, and 20 2008 to consider whether to maintain membership in the Canadian Federation of Students.

The Referendum Oversight Committee made the following decisions in their February 4 meeting.

The Question:

The referendum question will be:

Are you in favour of maintaining membership in the Canadian Federation of Students?

YES or NO

Method of voting:
The referendum is governed by CFS Bylaws and is overseen by a referendum oversight committee as per those bylaws.

GSS members should note there will be no web vote in the CFS defederation referendum. Voting will be done at two on-campus polling stations.

Proposed location for the polling stations is the University Centre and the MacPherson Library foyer, but this is subject to bookings so watch for final notice on this on.

Keep up to date
News updates and information on the referendum, referendum rules, etc. will be posted here.

CFS Referendum Updates

Reformation information website
The GSS has established a website to house information on the upcoming referendum on whether to leave the CFS.

The website is a neutral space meant to keep students appraised of the workings of the referendum oversight committee and thus the rules of the campaign. It will likely link to online campaign material for both sides when available.

Referendum oversight committee
The process of the referendum is a bit convoluted. The GSS served the required 6 months notice, and now a Referendum Oversight Committee has been formed. I am calling it "ROC", affectionately.

The ROC is a 50-50 committee made up of two delegates elected by the CFS and two delegates elected by the GSS. The committee is:

From the GSS:
Nicole O'Byrne (Law) and Takuto Shiota (Philosophy)

From the CFS:
Lucy Watson (Campaign Staff) and Ben Lewis (CFS National Treasurer)

GSS ROC reps "arms length"
The GSS Exec has decided, in consultation with O'Byrne and Shiota, that the GSS delegates to the ROC will be "arms length" from the GSS. The GSS Exec felt it was important for GSS members from either (or no) side of the debate have representation on the committee, and the focus of the ROC be on establishing fair referendum procedures.

Since the GSS Executive has formally supported the petition to leave the CFS, the formal independence of the GSS delegates to the ROC formal was especially important.

GSS Office space to be "campaign neutral"
The GSS executive has also designated the GSS Office as "campaign neutral". All materials related to referendum campaigning will be kept out of Grad Centre 102 to ensure all grad students feel welcome in their student union office with questions about referendum rules and processes.

Upcoming issues for grad students at UVIC

At the beginning of each semester I start thinking about what the key priorities will be at the GSS office. I am always a bit overwhelmed at the broad range of subjects I am expecting to deal with, and a bit nervous I am missing something. So here is my list, and I am wondering if others see some I don't?

GSS members have some major decisions to make about our internal affairs.

Building expansion:
Should we expand our building, and if so, how much should we invest in expansion (and how will we get the money?!) Watch for a Special General Meeting in February to look at architects plans and to give your executive board direction on what you want your building to be like, and how it should be financed.

CFS Membership:
March 18-20 graduate students will go to the polls an decide on whether to continue membership in the Canadian Federation of Students. The referendum will be governed by CFS bylaws so the GSS so my big concern at the moment is whether our familiar processes can be used--most of our members use web vote in GSS referenda and elections, but it remains to be seen whether the CFS will agree to that process.

Beyond our student union, grad students also continue to face many other issues in their studies:

Office space continues to be a big concern for students on campus. Perhaps the engineers, with so much experience stuffing themselves into beetles could offer advice on sharing an office with 10 other students (and two desks!)

Expansion of the graduate student population through new provincial funding also poses some problems for our members--what if there aren't enough resources in your department already, and now your population is doubling? Some students are worried they may never find a supervisor.

Funding. After much pressure from both students and university administration, the BC government created a graduate scholarship program in 2007 and redesigned some others, like MITACS. Great news! But is the program design working for graduate students? I would like to hear more from students who are involved in the various funding programs established this year.

Most frustrating to me is that fellowships administration continue to be a problem... and so we continue to be a thorn in the side of the administration. Check out our original report on fellowship policy if you don't know about this issue.

For many students, poverty, housing, immigrant/international students rights and lack of adequate childcare are problems faced in their lives outside of school--but that cause problems academically. Generally support for these campaigns comes in the form of writing letters in support of agencies lobbying effots. For example, the GSS has been active in supporting the BC childcare campaign.