Five Dalhousie University groups are asking for an increase in levy fees for next year. Full and part-time students pay these levies at the beginning of each semester—that makes every fee-paying student a member of the group, with the ability to vote on fee increases at the same time you vote for executives of the Dalhousie Student Union.
Here’s what’s going on referenda-wise this election period:
Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group (NSPIRG)
Referendum Question: Do you support the direct levy to the Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group (NSPIRG-Dal) be increased by $1.00 per part time student to a total of $1.00 per semester and $1.00 per full time student to a total of $3.00 per semester?
What is NSPIRG? NSPIRG researches social and environmental justice issues and divulges that research to the student population. The group also organizes and participates in activist movements across Halifax and provides research and organizational resources to Dal students.
The levy increase would be the same for both full and part-time students. The increase would go toward paying their workers, adding new staff members and promoting the group. This is the first proposed levy increase for NSPIRG in 22 years.
Dalhousie Women’s Centre (DWC)
Referendum Question: Do you support the direct levy to the Dalhousie Women’s Centre be increased by $0.79 per student to a total of $3.14 per year?
What is the DWC? Contrary to the name, the DWC welcomes people of all genders, said campaigns coordinator Ellen Taylor at the Jan. 11 DSU council meeting. The DWC provides a safe space for anyone who needs it and houses a resource library, kitchen, community garden and children’s space for students with families. The last time the levy was increased was 1993.
Taylor said the DWC “cannot continue to provide service” without a levy increase. A name change is also a possibility in the future in order to become more inclusive.
Alliance of Nova Scotia Schooling Associations (ANSSA)
Referendum Question: Do you support a Dalhousie Student Union fee increase of an additional $3.00 for full-time students and an additional $2.00 for part-time students per academic year, for membership fee increases to the Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations (ANSSA), the Dalhousie Student Union’s provincial lobby organization, subject to ratification by council?
What is ANSSA? ANSSA represents six Nova Scotian universities and colleges on a provincial level; Dal is one of those. ANSSA helps to negotiate with the provincial government and to push post-secondary education agendas, but they do not represent graduate students.
Mark Coffin, currently the sole full-time employee at ANSSA, said at the DSU council meeting that a levy would go toward hiring two more people to work at the organization.
The way it works now, the DSU pays ANSSA out of its operating budget to be a member of the alliance. The levy, if it passes, would be in addition to that payment.
Academic Societies:
Dalhousie Arts and Social Sciences Society (DASSS)
Referendum Question: Do you support a $2 per semester increase in the Arts Society Levy from $6 per semester to $8 per semester per full-time undergraduate Arts and Social Sciences student?
What is DASSS? DASSS represents all students in the faculty of arts and social sciences; only FASS students pay this fee.
The society organizes events, provides funds to individual department societies and acts as a voice for arts students with Dal administration. The levy increase would go toward funding the growing number of undergraduate departmental societies.
Dalhousie Undergraduate Nursing Society (DUNS)
Referendum Question: Do you support a $10 increase, from $30 per year to $40 per year, for the BScN student auxiliary fee? Of which $5 would be used to pay for your Canadian Nursing Students’ Association (CNSA) membership fee and $5 would be used to fund Dalhousie University Nursing Society operating costs and student events.
What is DUNS? The levy for DUNS is only paid by nursing students and goes toward events for those students and operating costs for the society.
DUNS co-president Emma Leon said at the Jan. 11 council meeting that the levy is necessary to meet demands now that Dal’s class sizes are growing and students are getting more involved.
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