NUGSS Referendum Results In
Prince George, B.C. – Undergraduate students at UNBC made a clear statement in elections this week.
They voted overwhelmingly in favour of increasing the Northern Undergraduate Student Society Fee (NUGSS) by $6.50 a year to around $42 a year in a referendum held over two days on Monday and Tuesday (349 students voted in favour of the increase while 124 voted no).
The increase was one option to help address all the money the Thirsty Moose Pub has been losing since it opened six years ago (including $40,000 last year).
“It means that the Society will be able to continue operating the pub ourselves, we won’t have to continue investigating leasing options,” says outgoing NUGSS president Arctica Cunningham.
“With this we have an increased source of revenue to be able to cover the losses of the pub to buy us some time to be able to do some better business planning and figure out a way to make the pub more successful.”
Students also voted in a new president this week – Erik Searle – who received 311 votes to David Schroeter’s 113.
“Honestly, I think he will do a really great job for the Society,” says Cunningham. “He’s been very involved with governance at the university all year. He’s built great relationships with people across the university and he was very, very passionate about NUGSS and that showed I guess in the results.”
NUGSS says just 19 per cent of the undergrad population bothered to vote.
Comments
Why have students that don’t go to the pub pay more for something they don’t use. Raise the prices.
It’s socialism at it’s finest. We’ve raised the past couple of generations to expect that everything they want will be paid for by someone else.
Socialism?
It is about the value of money versus an inconvenience.
Probably many did not vote because they figured it is not worth it for the cost of a pint of beer?
I disagree. “Socialism” is the answer to the question, “Why have students that don’t go to the pub pay more for something they don’t use.” The pub being owned and regulated by the community as a whole (the community being the study body) is what socialism is all about.
I have no idea why 81% didn’t bother to vote. Maybe $6.50 is nothing to them? Seems like a rather cavalier attitude given the debt load they’ll have upon graduation though.
I don’t have children using our school system, yet I pay school taxes. Is that socialism?
“I don’t have children using our school system, yet I pay school taxes. Is that socialism?”
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Yes it is.
In that case, so are highways, streets, health inspectors, jails, police, courts, government, military ….. and on and on it goes.
We should all have to fend for ourselves for everything that allows us to survive ….. sort of like the popular TV program, “Survivor”.
If that were the case, perhaps the world would not be overpopulated and we would not have smart phones ……. and posting on here. ;-)
Flat earth believer. LOL
Perception.
Raising the cost of a pint by 25 cents means some will not go to the pub, or drink less, because they compare it to the price elsewhere in town and think they are being shafted by the pub.
Student fees pay for services to students, including the pub.
The question is, did they try to get a commercial operator in town to operate the pub? I have not been following this story from the beginning. Perhaps someone on here knows the answer that question.
I think the biggest problem with this pub is it’s location. Unless you live in residence it’s a pretty useless location for a pub. If you live in town you either have to bus it or cab it or get a designated driver if you want to enjoy it’s amenities.
When I was in University (granted that was a long time ago) many of us lived within staggering distance of the student run pub. Most students can’t walk home from this pub.
When I was a young person, the world was a different place. I never asked it to change … but it did.
Such is life, and it is the reason we will all leave it just in time for it to turn to the worst era this world ever went through. ;-)
NUGSS votes always have an incredibly low turnout. 19% is probably above-average…
Island bound. I’m assuming you receive some benefit from the education system. Possibly a few doctors,nurses police officers among other professionals went through the public education system.
If he does not have children, then he is relying on others to have children or people immigrating to this country educated from taxes paid by people in those countries.
To support him through his later stages in life, if he lives long enough, he will have to rely on the children of others, no matter where they come from in order to support him.
If that is not socialism (reliance on the community for self support), I do not know what is.
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Every time one buys insurance, one engages in an act of socialism. Everyone pays into the system, yet some get more out of it than they paid in, others do not.
Simple notion, yet so hard to comprehend by those in the basket.
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