Ryerson engineering students will be hitting the polls next week to decide whether they’re in favour of almost doubling their society’s annual levy.
The Ryerson Engineering Student Society (RESS) is asking students to vote in a referendum that would, if passed, increase the current student levy to $65 per year from the current $33.70 — an increase of almost 50 per cent.
This cost would bring RESS in line with what other student societies charge their students. The Ryerson Commerce Society has been charging its members $65 a year since 2009.
According to the society’s website, Ress.ca, the bulk of the money, 74 per cent of the budget, would be handed down to fund additional student groups within RESS, such as the hobby electronics club and rocket club.
Smaller amounts of funding, or eight per cent of the budget, would go towards thesis and capstone grants as well as financial aid for conferences.
RESS will also continue to organize academic and social events.
The site also states the society currently has the lowest student levy among engineering faculties in Ontario universities, although it is the third largest in size at about 3,000 students. University of Toronto engineering students pay the province’s highest levy of $283.97 per year.
If the increase is approved, it would become effective September 2014 and be included in students’ tuition fees.
Engineering students will be able to vote online at my.ryerson.ca from Nov. 4 to 7.
The levy was $20 in 1988, when the society was formed, and got its first increase after a successful referendum held in 2006.
Maham is a former managing editor online for The Ryersonian. She graduated from the Ryerson School of Journalism in 2014.