SLC fee fails at referendum, voters approve all other fees

Student voters said yes to all fees except one: the Student Life Centre (SLC) fee.

The mandatory SLC fee went on referendum to increase by $5.96 from $38.57 to $44.53 to fund the AMS’s operations in the revitalized JDUC. The question failed with 59 per cent of student voters saying “no.” Of the 3,938 students who cast a ballot for the fee, only 41 per cent, or 1,281 students, said yes to a potential increase.

Increasing the SLC fee was necessary to operate AMS-run spaces for students in the new JDUC, according to a statement sent to The Journal by AMS Communications Director Mikayla Crawford. Despite $62 million of the project being funded by undergraduate student fees, the University owns 100 per cent of the building and student groups, including the AMS, must pay rent.

READ MORE: AMS could move to remote workplace if SLC fee fails at winter referendum

It’s unclear how the fee failing will impact the AMS’s return home to the building.

Voters approved the creation of four new optional student fees. Queens Black Academic Society will now have a $0.50 fee and the Social Issues Commission’s Menstrual Equity Project successfully established a $1.10 fee.

Mental health club Proactive Minds secured a $0.20 fee, and a club supporting dental hygiene amongst Kingston’s unhoused population, Queen’s Dental Aid Network, established a $0.75 opt-out fee.

Over 80 per cent of voters said yes to continuing mandatory $1.00 fees for the Sexual Health Resource Centre and the Sexual Assault Centre Kingston.

Students elected to continue to pay the $0.50 Accessibility Queen’s fee and the $0.85 Campus Observation Room (COR) fee, both of which are mandatory.

The continuation of optional fees for the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Queen’s American Sign Language Club, Queen’s Protecting Animal Welfare Society (QPAWS), Union Gallery, ASUS Orientation Fundraising all passed referendum.

Tags

JDUC, Referendum, SLC, student fees

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