Laurentian students in Sudbury vote on building a place of their own
Laurentian University students will decide today if they want to pay a little extra to have their own building on campus. They are holding a referendum on charging an extra fee to all students to build a $10 million student centre.
For a second day in a row, Students General Association President Andy Rollins will be handing out free cookies to lure students to the polls.
But he believes there is a strong argument for having a place that's built and run by students.
"There really isn't any space on campus that the students have invested [in] themselves."
If the referendum passes, each Laurentian student would invest $40 next year. In three years, the annual fee would climb to $114, and would be paid by students until the bill for building the centre is covered, which could take decades.
But paying a bit more doesn't bother first-year sports administration student Mitchell Schnitzler.
"[It] doesn't compare to the $17,000-$20,000 we already pay a year,” he said.
Laurentian 'moving up'
Commerce student Jason Grottoli graduates this year, and won't ever drink in a pub or study in a lounge in this new student centre. But he said, unlike other fees tacked onto tuition, this one will directly benefit students.
"I just feel it's important for students to be getting something back from that."
Even students who graduate this year should vote yes, Rollins added.
“Becoming one of those universities that has its own student-centered culture is going to add that value onto our degree,” he said “You're going to put your name onto a degree that says Laurentian University. You want to be tied to a university that's moving up."
At least 10 per cent of the Laurentian student body has to cast a ballot, and a majority of them have to mark “yes” before blueprints for the new student centre are drawn up.