Comprehensive fee being renegotiated
Katherine Harding

Have you ever looked at your univeristy invoice and wondered why you are paying $220 per year for the Comprehensive Student Services Fee?

Two "Town Hall/Open Forum" meetings are being put on by the University, the WLU Students' Union (WLUSU) and the WLU Graduate Students' Association (WLUGSA) to solicit public discussion on a renewed Operating Agreement for the comprehensive fee.

The current comprehensive fee, established in 1996, effectively eliminated a number of separate fees (including Health Services, Athletics, and the Dean of Students Office fees) and compounded them into one.

Establishing the fee was a means for the University to introduce a cost-sharing formula and to ensure students that essential services were not removed or cut because of budget constraints. The current fee agreement expires April 30.

The fee re-negotiations currently underway include creating an Operating Agreement on Student Services so that the partnership between WLU, WLUSU, and WLUGSA are more formally documented and recognized.

"The original Comprehensive Student Services Fee was established through a series of motions, and nothing more," said Gareth Cunningham, WLUSU President. "This time around we're ensuring that the students' stake is properly realized through an agreement that covers both the financial and the management side of Student Services at WLU."

The process began in June when Assistant Vice President: Student Services David McMurray, GSA President Rolando Inzunza, and Cunningham drafted an outline of the critical path and timeline for the re-negotiations.

"This is a total partnership between the staff of Student Services, of the University and the student leaders of the campus," said McMurray.

After detailed budget and financial presentations in November and December with the Student Services Advisory Council (SSAC), a working group of representatives from the three groups began drafting the new agreement.

The group has been soliciting input and direction and providing progress reports to the affiliated parties.

"They've effectively served as a reliable sounding board on key issues related to the whole process," said Cunningham.

The recommendations of the working group for the Operating Agreement will be presented for approval to the SSAC on January 22.

The results of that meeting are slated for explanation and discussion at the public "Town Hall/Open Forum" presentations to be held January 27 and 29 from 2-3:30 p.m. in P1025/1027.

"It is our hope and anticipation that graduate and undergraduate students realize the importance and significance of the agreement," said Cunningham.

"The open forums are an opportunity for students to hear about the six months of work that has gone into this to date," said McMurray. "Student representatives have worked incredibly long hours, as we have together, in putting this together.

"We are putting a Laurier trademark on something that is original. There isn't another university out there that has something like this that has the same student input, student authority, and student decision making," he said, adding finally, "it is a true partnership."