U of T students can opt out of non-mandatory tuition fees like the health plan, but to opt out of additional fees, such as OPIRG’s levy, they must apply in person. Not so at Waterloo, where the Federation of Students have passed a motion to allow students to get refundable ancillary fees returned to them online.
Waterloo’s student newspaper, the Imprint, reported that the Feds approved the opt-out policy without consulting or notifying the affected parties—including the Imprint.
Waterloo groups affected by the new refund policy have said it threatens their integrity by exposing them to attacks on their funding.The new policy covers both the health plan and levy refunds. Dan Gillespie, who administers UTSU’s health plan, said it was misguided to lump these fees together in one refund policy.
“Opting out of a levy is not the same as opting out of a $200 health plan,” he said.
At U of T, funds collected for the health plan are handled separately from those collected for student groups. Gillespie is investigating the possibility of having health plan refunds credited directly to students’ financial accounts on ROSI.
“As far as opting out of funding student organizations, there’s no point. The money you get back isn’t worth it (for example, OPIRG’s levy is $5 per student per year) and I think what many organizations are doing is relevant and important,” said Regina Cho, a third-year poli sci student.
In principle, Waterloo administrators have no objection to the policy. Nonetheless, Dennis Huber, the university’s VP administration and finance, told the Imprint that getting the refund system up and running is something “the university will not be committing any resources [to] in the near term.”
