Just days before mail-in ballots are due on the multi-million dollar Varsity Centre referendum, the largest student-representative organization backtracked from a previous neutral stance and decided to oppose the levy.
They are now urging students to say “NO.”
At the beginning of January, SAC wanted to remain neutral on whether students should pay a levy fee for the construction of an athletic center in the place of the current Varsity Stadium. But SAC has changed their tune, saying the levy is not in accordance with their mandate because the costs are being borne by students.
According to Agata Durkalec, SAC’s university affairs commissioner, the mandate “ensures that the university is inclusive and an accessible place to be and that should be leading all of our actions.”
“There were diverse opinions on the issue, but it was the only choice we had and a lot of people saw that as valid and got into a whole debate,” said Durkalec.
Others student groups, including the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students (APUS), the Graduate Students Union (GSU) and the Arts and Science Student Union (ASSU) have also taken a “NO” stance on the levy question.
SAC says they are looking out for the most vulnerable students at the university by opposing the levy.
“This levy is a tuition increase in disguise…you can’t fight for tuition freeze and accept this two percent increase at the same time,” said Durkalec.
A banner was put up outside the SAC office that reads “HOW DUMB DO THEY THINK WE ARE?”
Durkalec believes that if the levy goes through, “The precedent set will be astounding and is going to be really hard to go up against in future projects.”
“Basically, I know there are people who can’t even pay for food,” she added. “This levy has no foreseeable end—25 years is insane. It’s a question of priorities. I’ve been a varsity track athlete. It doesn’t really make that much a difference, given that we usually run on the grass …there is no need for a stadium.”
