The Martlet

Mike Large is representative for grad students in Law, on the GSS Grad Rep Council. Amy Cox is the Director of Communications for the GSS. 

The Graduate Students’ Society (GSS) Graduate Representative Council recently rejected a proposal put forward by UVic related to building a new athletics facility.

The proposal aims to raise more than $20 million over 25 years, to cover 36.7 per cent of construction costs. This will be recouped through increasing mandatory athletics fees paid by students. While GSS opposes the funding scheme for a variety of reasons, they are most concerned that the fee spike would breach the Provincial Government’s Tuition Limit Policy (see aved.gov.bc.ca/tuition/tuition_policy.htm).

The objective of the Policy is to limit annual increases in tuition and specified mandatory fees to the rate of inflation. This limit has been set at two per cent for several years. The policy covers “mandatory fees, including capital construction support (e.g., building fees).” 

“These proposed mandatory fees would be supporting a capital construction project; essentially, they are building fees,” said GSS Chair Adrienne Canning in a letter to the UVic administration.  “As a result, we believe that the proposed mandatory fees are subject to the cap set by the Policy.”  

UVic wants the increase in mandatory athletics fees to begin in 2012. Fees are currently $73 per term and would increase to $128 (not including the summer study period). This would represent an increase of more than 75 per cent over an eight-month school year, likely exceeding the future cap to be set by the Province.   

“To be clear, the council is not opposed to a new athletics building,” said Canning. “However, the council is opposed to any associated funding proposal that threatens to violate the Tuition Limit Policy.” 

The council also opposes UVic’s funding scheme because many grad students already pay significant mandatory fees for athletics facilities that they do not use. UVic students have also been paying a greater proportion of the total cost of athletics at UVic with each passing year, and the proposed fee increase would put the total athletics fees charged by UVic on par with membership fees set by community recreation centres.

UVic will put this proposal to a non-binding student referendum held from Oct. 19 to Oct. 23. The GSS is urging students to get online, and click “no” for an answer.