If you haven’t already seen a poster in Sid Smith or a Facebook post shared by one of your friends, you’re hearing now that the Arts & Sciences Students’ Union (ASSU) is going to be holding a Referendum to increase the ASSU fee by $3 per term. You might be thinking, ‘why would I ever want to vote to increase my tuition?’ Well, whether or not you realize or take advantage of it, the ASSU provides many services for Arts & Sciences students, and just a small increase in our fees would go a long way towards helping them provide these services.
The ASSU provides “guidance and counselling, photocopying and faxing, a term test library, print services, cold pop and answering students’ questions.” They fund “over 65 departmental and program Course Unions so they can organize academic and social events for their students.” Not only this, but the ASSU creates and provides many different scholarships and bursaries for students in need of financial aid. They are also responsible for organizing events such as Exam Jam, free coffee days, and bringing in speakers to talk to students.
One of ASSU’s clubs and course unions days held in Sid Smith!
Even if you don’t use these services, think about how miniscule $3 is in comparison to your tuition. It’s roughly the same cost as a latté, a small poutine, or parking on St. George for a couple of hours. Such a small cost to you could really impact another student who is in need. With over 20,000 Arts & Sciences students, that is over $60,000 per term that can go towards providing you and your fellow students with these services and scholarships.
It’s up to you to decide whether or not you want to vote yes for the ASSU fee increase, but make sure that you get out and vote on November 2nd and 3rd to voice your opinion! Voting will be online.
Additionally, if you want to get in touch with the ASSU you can check out their website, facebook page, or email them at students.assu@utoronto.ca.
Photo Source: https://www.facebook.com/assu.uoft/photos/a.376828105810617.1073741837.1…