Geoff Lister/The Ubyssey
This September, students will have to ask themselves whether they find value in their campus radio station and resource groups.
The 2011-12 academic year is the first that both CiTR (UBC’s campus radio station) and the resource group fees are opt-outable—totalling $5 for CiTR and $1.50 for the resource groups fees that will be reimbursed into SSC accounts.
Students have been able to opt out of the Ubyssey Publications Society fee since 1995.
The AMS resource groups are advocacy and interest groups that include Pride UBC, Colour Connected Against Racism, the Women’s Centre, Allies UBC, the Student Environment Centre and the Social Justice Centre.
Students wishing to opt out will have to go to the resource groups’ and CiTR offices and provide their student numbers.
However, CiTR music director Penny Clark said that having students come into the offices for the opt-out gives them a chance to talk to the coordinators and executive.
“We don’t mind if they want to opt out but I think it’s nice that they get to come see the station in the process of doing it,” said Clark.
“We’ll be talking to them and finding out what they’re interested in, what they’re studying and find out how CiTR isn’t applicable to them…what’s going on here, where are we dropping the ball?”
As for having to budget for the cuts that might come from the new opt-out, Clark said “we’re prepared. We’re used to making do at CiTR. So if not a lot of students opt out that’s great for CiTR, if a lot do, we’ll get by on what we have.”
Students can no longer opt out of student services, such as the Sexual Assault Support Centre, which AMS VP Finance Elin Tayyar said posed a problem because students could opt out but still use them.
The idea that led to the opt-out was partly accountability, Tayyar said.
“If there are a number of students who are really upset at funding these two groups they can opt out and this will allow them to operate more freely.”
Some students complained about having to automatically pay resource group fees last year when the Social Justice Centre came under fire when they helped Students for Palestinian Human rights give funding to the Canada Boat to Gaza.
Now, said Tayyar, “you really have to show your value to students for them not to opt out.”
Opt-outs will take place the last two weeks of September, said Tayyar, who didn’t give an exact date.
Students will fill out a form and need to provide their student number. Reimbursements will be made to students’ SSC accounts through Enrolment Services.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
It sounds good and thanks for telling us, but this article would be much more helpful if you’d just tell an interested student where they need to go to opt out of any/all services. It’s very vague concerning the supposed procedure.
Can I opt out of just the SJC’s share of the resource group fee?
Why didn’t you mention CiTR’s student membership fees are being reduced to cater to students?
Or that they’re being accountable to the referendum result by offering new student services like the new DJ Training program?
Or did you leave those out on purpose?
It’s sort of ironic that it should be so easy to opt out of all kinds of services that cost the individual student so ridiculously little for no other reason than basically not liking them (it’s not like anyone can control whether or not you actually listen to CiTR or read the Ubyssey) while it is almost impossible for a full-time student to opt out of the U-Pass program, even after the spectacularly botched new deal and even if you’re effectively not using it. What about keeping the AMS as a whole “accountable”?
Any idea if I can opt out of the Athletics and Recreation fee? Better question, can anyone tell me what $193.46 actually gets me?
Same wondering.
Why do we have to personally go to the office of CiTR and the Resource Group to opt out those fees? They’re giving us the option to opt out, but they’re making it so inconvenient that very few students would take the trouble to do so.