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Don’t force support

Here at Western, students are in a unique and some would say privileged position, where they have the opportunity and the means to provide contributions to a wide variety of charities.

But this doesn’t mean they should be forced to.

That’s what the new referendum from the University Students’ Council is trying to do. It represents an unprecedented reach beyond the USC’s mandate and opens the floodgates for other clubs and charities to seek funding from students.

The merits of supporting the program aren’t the issue here. Few would argue against supporting a refugee student with a Canadian education. But the USC is cherry picking one club for special treatment among a vast system of clubs and charities. Why does the World University Service of Canada get support, but not United Way or Western Heads East or a dozen other non-profit groups? If the fee is approved, the USC would have a tough time turning these other clubs away.

It’s natural for the USC to focus its attention inward on Western students and their existing needs. Student fees are intended to support student services like PrideWestern, Ally Western, along with ourselves and some of the USC’s other operations. Using student fees beyond this scope isn’t the USC’s job — it’s Western’s.

While the USC often promotes charities, it has never made this kind of support mandatory. Students have always had the option to participate in the Terry Fox Run or donate money to Shinerama if they wanted. But they have every right to withhold that money or donate it elsewhere.

The referendum itself is problematic since less than half of campus usually votes in a USC presidential election. It’s not entirely the USC’s fault that voter apathy is so high, but surely they must recognize that a majority of students won’t provide a voice on the issue. Further to that, in the voting booth many students will do the math and decide $0.52 over four years is a small enough contribution to make, ignoring the bigger picture.

The USC can run all sorts of fundraising campaigns using student volunteers to promote the club and its cause. If they’re eager to single out this club among others, they can approve a WUSC week in the University Community Centre atrium. Why not host a weeklong campaign to encourage each student to give $0.50 to the cause — if they choose to.

Most importantly, they can lobby Western to increase their funding to this program. It’s a cause that fits Western’s mandate more closely, especially since increasing international student enrollment is such a concern for Western president Amit Chakma.

Few will argue against the merits of a group like WUSC. But student fees are not the place to fund a club. Arguing against the fee might appear like arguing against the charity, which is likely how the USC was able to approve this referendum. But the fact remains: this referendum sets a dangerous precedent for the USC and should be voted down.

—The Gazette Editorial Board

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