After failing to win student support last year, the Social Issues Commission (SIC) is back on the ballot.
A motion was approved at Assembly on Jan. 19 to put a new $3.50 opt-out fee for the SIC on the Winter Referendum. This comes after the SIC failed to receive enough student referendum support to continue their $2.00 ‘Equity Grant’ fee in the 2024 Fall Referendum. The fee fell 0.4 per cent short of approval, with 59.6 per cent of students having said ‘yes’ to the fee, and 40.4 per cent having said no. While this past year, the SIC was able to offset the loss of the triannual fee increase with grant from the AMS Board of Directors, this grant isn’t being offered again for the coming year.
In a written statement to The Journal, the Social Issues Commissioner (External Affair) Mujeedat Lekuti, HealthSci ’26, explained that if the fee doesn’t receive necessary support on the Referendum, the Commission will face significant reductions in grants, awards, and key events.
“While we will explore external grants to fill the gap, the reality is that we are unlikely to find sufficient funding to replace the loss of approximately $40,000,” Lekuti said. “This would be a major setback for our mission to support equity, inclusion, and belonging on campus.”
If the funding is approved, however, Lekuti promises to reinvest it directly into the student body, funding grants, awards, and large-scale equity initiatives such as THREADS, Queerientation, Black Farewell, the Black Legacy Mentorship Program and the Indigenous Strengths Mural.
“Specifically, the SIC allocates $15,000 in Equity Grants to support student-led initiatives and $20,000 in awards for students demonstrating leadership in equity work,” she said. “The remaining approximately $10,000 will be used to sustain our programming efforts.”
To ensure funding is approved, the SIC is focusing heavily on outreach and marketing efforts to engage students and raise awareness of what the SIC does.
“It’s crucial that students understand the importance of their vote and the direct benefits this funding provides to the campus community,” Lekuti said. “I encourage all students to use their voices and vote. Equity work requires collective effort, and it’s essential that we come together to promote a more inclusive and supportive campus environment.”
Voter turnout for the Winter Referendum will determine what percentage of approval the fee requires to pass. If voter turnout is between 10 and 14.9 per cent, fees require 60 per cent approval to pass. A turnout of 15 to 19.9 per cent requires 55 per cent approval, while a turnout of 20 per cent or higher requires only 50 per cent plus one vote for approval.
Tags
ams referendum, Social Issues Commission, student fee
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