tjhorton@csri.toronto.edu (Tim Horton) (03/29/88)
Remember to vote Tuesday and Wednesday on the GSU fee referendum question: "Do you approve of a GSU fee increase of $13.00 per fulltime graduate student ($6.50 for part-time) beginning in the 1988/89 academic year with cost-of-living increments in subsequent years. "The cost of living increase would be determined by a vote of the GSU General Council. The amount would be equal to or less than the increase in the Statistics Canada annual Consumer Price Index up to a maximum of 5% per year. Council will also have the option of rejecting any cost of living increase." Poll Locations: Robarts Library, 11-4pm OISE, 12-3 and 5-7:30pm Med Sci, 11am-4pm GSU Lobby, noon-9pm (Erindale and Scarboro - T.B.A) Note that right now the GSU is about $90,000 in debt. Part of the debt was incurred as a forgiven loan to the CUEW when it organized union representation of TA's. The GSU Bar receives about $20,000 and Sylvester's restaurant receives about $7,500 in subsidies from the GSU budget each year, meaning that even if you don't use the restaurant or bar you subsidize them to the tune of $30,000 a year. Other student councils across Ontario, notably Wester, Wilfred Laurier, and Guelph, all now have 4-5% inflation indices built into their student society fees. This is the first GSU fee increase in 5 years. Here's the current year's GSU budget (good luck interpretting): 12 MONTH BUDGET for 1987/88 REVENUE ======= Fees $342,000 (fees collected with your tuition) GSU Booksale 9,000 Interest 2,000 ------- $353,000 ======= EXPENSES ======== Departmental Grants $ 56,000 (head grants to departmental unions) Grad Supp Health Insur 52,000 CFS 43,890 (Canadian Federation of Students) OPIRG 31,500 (Ontario Public Interest Research Group) Special Grants 2,000 GSU Exec Officers 19,500 Staff 100,718 Benefits 18,546 Office & General 3,000 Fixed Asset Purch 3,000 Maintenance 1,200 Telephone 2,500 Bank Cha & Int 1,000 Legal & Audit 2,850 Travel & Conf 3,200 Handbook 3,800 Duplication 1,500 Xerox Machine 2,280 Elections 1,000 Council Meetings 900 GSU Insurance 700 Grad Insur Admin 300 Orientation 850 Perio & Subs 400 Sports Comm 500 Women's Caucus 500 Sundry Projects 1,000 ------- $354,634 ======= Net Budgeted Deficit $ 1,634