DISCLAIMER: We received this letter in response to the referendum. The current media levy is $4.00 split between The Muse and CHMR, and has not been increased in nearly 25 years. Given inflation and what other university newspapers across the country make with their media levy’s, The Muse has proposed a $1.49 increase split evenly with CHMR. Polls will close at 9:00pm tonight. If you wish to vote, click here.
I recognize the importance of independent, student-led media such as The Muse and CHMR. I think it is vital to keep the media we consume human made, especially considering the rise in AI usage and a drop in consumption of physical media over the past few decades.
However, given the current economic, administrative, and governmental issues we as students face: I don’t think a media levy is the sole solution to the issues that The Muse and CHMR face, and that there must be a better solution for both the general student body and for the The Muse and CHMR.
Coming from a background of being a part of multiple clubs and societies, I fully understand the amount of hard work, effort, and volunteer labour that goes into making these student-led groups happen and thrive. It is hard for most students to find balance between their schoolwork, social lives, and extracurriculars.
However, I believe that The Muse and CHMR shouldn’t be the sole recipients of funding from student tuitions.
I fully agree with having a new vote to hear students’ opinions. In fact, initially I was excited for the levy as it gave students a chance to vote to increase funding to something they want to support.
But it did get me thinking. The initial levy for The Muse was a long time ago (2001) and I believe the opinions of students have changed dramatically enough in the past two-and-a-half decades that the vote should not be a question of “increase funding, yay or nay” but a question of “do you want to fund The Muse and CHMR.”
This progressive transition away from physical media like newsletters, though sad, has been happening for a while now. There are many arguments for and against keeping the printed copies, though it’s my opinion that they should create a sign up list to receive physical copies. This would lower the number of excess prints, can help cut down on costs, and give relatively accurate data on how many students want to keep media physical.
As well, adding a small fee to the newsletters can also help to alleviate some of the financial burden. In addition, a few free copies could be made and distributed across campus as a form of “advertisement” in a sense, it still allows for new readers to find the muse and sign up for physical prints, while also reducing printing fees by knowing the exact amount of copies that need to be printed.
I fully agree with the sentiment to keep it free as long as feasible, though I’d argue when we’ve reached the point of a levy, it’s no longer feasible to operate in the same capacity as usual, and some changes may be beneficial in order to maintain the longevity of The Muse for future generations of students.
Taking into consideration the recent tuition freeze that went into effect, it is a concern of mine and a few other students I’ve spoken to that increasing tuition has a negative impact on the university, and subsequently its student body. At this time, I personally think it’s more important to be building governmental relations opposed to raising tuition after years of debates, protests, and advocacy.
I think it is disrespectful, in a sense, to raise tuition again, when so many students, including those with The Muse, spent so long advocating to stop the rise in tuition for the sake of students. It is not the time to be increasing tuition, it’s our time to collectively plan for how we can get more funding for the university as a whole, faculties, student groups and all.
If there’s going to be a raise in tuition, it should be for fixing our collapsing infrastructure, and increasing accessibility for students, before we move onto securing more funding for vital student services, such as The Muse and CHMR.
Students having access to clean water fountains, working elevators, non-leaky tunnels, and sufficient accessibility to buildings and public spaces on MUN’s campus should be prioritized prior to increasing the funding allocated to any student-led groups. Students need to be able to properly navigate the campus in order to thrive, and with collapsing infrastructure, it makes it harder on some students to get to and from classes.
The Muse has been a key advocate for such and is vital in helping students voice their opinions on a public platform in a supported manner. However, that doesn’t mean they should get more funding before we fix our issues with campus infrastructure.
However, saying yes to this levy directly impacts every student’s tuition, and I personally do not believe that 2⁄3 of 10% of students should have the right to raise everyone’s tuition when it is not a universally used service.
Which is why I am voting no at this time. Until we see more changes from MUN’s administration in regards to generally refurbishing the schools infrastructure as a whole, I cannot in good faith vote in favour of increasing how much I, and other students, pay for tuition.
With all that said, while The Muse and CHMR aren’t a club or society, they should have to fundraise for additional financial help in a similar manner to the clubs and societies on campus. In tandem, clubs and societies should have the same right to funding as The Muse and CHMR do.
In essence, voting no wouldn’t be voting to defund The Muse. Voting no is voting against raising tuition after it’s been frozen. This is a perfect opportunity for the student body to come together and make a difference, we can develop plans for securing more governmental funding for the university that will aid not only the students, but also The Muse, CHMR, and the collapsing infrastructure subsequently.
This also helps to keep tuition affordable, put money back into the pockets of students, and give them the right to choose how and who they support without the necessity of forced fees, and media levies, which is why at this time I implore you to strongly consider the weight your vote has on the student body as a whole.