April
      1,
      1997
     
     
      _(L-7.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      PETER
      GILLIS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      know
      many
      of
      you
     
     
      blinked
      and
      missed
      the
      SU
      in-
     
     
      formation
      session
      held
      in
      the
     
     
      pit
      last
      Wednesday
      concern-
     
     
      ing
      a
      $9
      raise
      in
      our
      student
     
     
      fees.
      The
      meeting
      was
      the
     
     
      latest
      in
      the
      SU’s
      “consult-
     
     
      then-ignore”
      approach
      to
      gov-
     
     
      ernment
      that
      seems
      to
      be
     
     
      working
      incredibly
      well.
      I
      do
     
     
      wish
      they
      would
      add
      just
      alittle
     
     
      more
      ‘info’
      into
      the
      ‘informa-
     
     
      tion,’
      though.
     
    

    
     
      To
      start
      with,
      the
      ses-
     
     
      sion
      was
      --
      and
      I
      timed
      this
      --
     
     
      45
      seconds
      long.
      Forty-five
     
     
      seconds!!
      The
      presentation
     
     
      consisted
      of
      the
      VP
      Finance
     
     
      standing
      up
      and
      telling
      every-
     
     
      one
      that,
      since
      tuition
      has
      gone
     
     
      up
      a
      lot
      over
      the
      last
      few
      years
     
     
      and
      student
      fees
      haven’t,
      it’s
     
     
      okay
      to
      raise
      our
      fees.
      There
     
     
      was
      even
      a
      nice
      chart
      com-
     
     
      paring
      the
      two
      costs.
     
    

    
     
      Could
      someone
      please
     
     
      tell
      me
      what
      relevance
      the
      cost
     
     
      of
      tuition
      has
      to
      our
      SU
      fees?
     
     
      The
      only
      thing
      that
      matters
      in
     
     
      the
      issue
      of
      raising
      fees
      is
     
     
      whether
      or
      not
      the
      SU
      is
      spend-
     
     
      ing
      more
      money
      that
      it
      is
      mak-
     
     
      ing.
      This
      was
      mentioned
      briefly
     
     
      before
      the
      presentation
      ended
     
     
      and
      it
      was
      time
      for
      questions.
     
     
      What
      could
      we
      ask
      after
      a
      45
     
     
      second
      speech?
      “You
      say
      its
     
     
      okay
      to
      raise
      student
      fees.
      Can
     
     
      I
      have
      your
      phone
      number?”
     
    

    
     
      Next,
      another
      SU
      mem-
     
     
      ber
      jumped
      up
      and
      repeated
     
     
      the
      request.
      After
      receiving
     
     
      no
      questions
      yet
      again,
      she
     
     
      said,
      and
      I
      quote:
      “If
      there
     
     
      aren’t
      any
      questions,
      we'll
      as-
     
     
      sume
      its
      okay
      and
      raise
      your
     
     
      tuition!”
      For
      the
      sake
      of
      argu-
     
     
      ment,
      let’s
      assume
      that
      the
      75
     
     
      caffeine
      junkies
      in
      the
      Pit
      were
     
     
      a
      decent
      representation
      of
      the
     
     
      ENTIRE
      student
      body.
      Since
     
     
      when
      does
      boredom
      imply
      con-
     
     
      sent?
      By
      raising
      our
      fees
      by
     
     
      $9,
      the
      SU
      must
      need
      about
     
     
      $25,000
      more
      annually.
      If
      it
     
     
      does,
      why?
      Is
      it
      due
      to
      rising
     
    
   
   
    
     
      costs,
      or
      mis-management?
     
     
      The
      only
      way
      to
      find
      this
      out
     
     
      was
      to
      look
      at
      the
      books.
     
    

    
     
      I
      asked
      to
      see
      the
      budget
     
     
      for
      1998:
      but
      I
      was
      told
      it
     
     
      wasn’t
      finished
      yet.
      It
      seems
     
     
      strange
      to
      me
      that
      they’re
      so
     
     
      certain
      of
      needing
      extra
      money
     
     
      when
      they
      haven't
      finished
      fig-
     
     
      uring
      out
      what
      they’re
      doing.
     
     
      The
      following
      are
      a
      few
      curi-
     
     
      osities
      I
      dug
      up
      while
      compar-
     
     
      ing
      the
      “97
      budget
      to
      the
      ‘96
     
     
      and
      “95
      financial
      statements.
     
     
      Forgive
      my
      little
      nit-picking.
     
    

    
     
      It
      seems
      El
      Presidente
     
     
      makes
      $413.month
      to
      be,
      well,
     
     
      President,
      while
      the
      Vice-
     
     
      Messiahs
      each
      make
     
     
      $358.month.
      (I
      guess
      it
      pays
     
     
      not
      to
      take
      a
      stand.)
      Has
     
     
      anyone
      ever
      seen
      a
      job
      de-
     
     
      scription
      for
      these
      positions?
     
     
      Also
      included
      under
      SU
      Ex-
     
     
      ecutive
      expenses
      is
      $1,500
      for
     
     
      the
      “Honoraria’s”
      salary,
      who-
     
     
      ever
      the
      hell
      he
      or
      she
      may
      be.
     
     
      Courses
      for
      the
      executive
      run
     
     
      to
      $1,775;
      but
      we
      are
      never
     
     
      told
      what
      courses
      we
      students
     
     
      are
      paying
      for.
      (“How
      to
      Wok
     
     
      with
      tofu
      and
      rice’?)
      Other
     
     
      small
      council
      expenditures
      in-
     
     
      clude
      sweatshirts
      for
      $600,
     
     
      leadership
      courses
      for
      $500,
     
     
      and
      a
      group
      photo
      for
      $150.
     
     
      Have
      we
      found
      our
      $25,000
     
     
      yet?
     
    

    
     
      Then
      there’s
      the
      financ-
     
     
      ing
      for
      CIMN,
      averaging
     
     
      $12,000
      the
      last
      two
      years,
      due
     
     
      to
      be
      eliminated
      April
      30th.
      I
     
     
      wonder
      where
      this
      money
      is
     
     
      going.
      This
      newspaper
      is
     
     
      budgeted
      for
      a
      $19,000
      loss,
     
     
      which
      is
      up
      $4,000
      from
      1996.
     
     
      This
      includes
      an
      extra
      $3000
     
     
      set
      aside
      for
      salaries.
      You
     
     
      mean
      we
      get
      paid?
     
    

    
     
      If
      cutting
      $25,000
      inex-
     
     
      penses
      isn’t
      enough,
      then
      we
     
     
      have
      to
      somehow
      find
      the
      same
     
     
      amount
      in
      revenue.
      Besides
     
     
      our
      fees,
      the
      greatest
      source
     
     
      of
      revenue
      for
      the
      SU
      is
      the
     
     
      Barn.
      Sales
      for
      1997
      are
      budg-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      eted
      for
      $100,000,
      and
      incred-
     
     
      ible
      $35,000
      less
      than
      last
     
     
      year’s
      and
      $12,000
      less
      than
     
     
      *95’s.
      Based
      on
      past
      perform-
     
     
      ance,
      this
      is
      a
      budgeted
      de-
     
     
      crease
      of
      25%.
      The
      net
      profit
     
     
      for
      the
      Barn
      is
      estimated
      at
     
     
      $7,450,
      which
      is
      $19,000
      less
     
     
      than
      ‘96
      and
      $2,000
      less
      than
     
     
      “95.
      More,
      they’ve
      estimated
     
     
      cost-of-sales
      to
      be
      50%,
      which
     
     
      is
      up
      5%
      from
      their
      average.
     
     
      With
      revenue
      of
      at
      least
     
     
      $100,000,
      this
      amounts
      to
      a
     
     
      loss
      of
      $5,000.
      As
      a
      person
     
     
      who
      has
      spent
      the
      better
      part
     
     
      of
      his
      working
      years
      in
      bars,
     
     
      including
      the
      management
      level
     
     
      --
      believe
      me,
      no
      one
      budgets
     
     
      for
      a
      loss
      in
      revenue
      and
      ex-
     
     
      pects
      to
      survive.
      Noone.
      Fur-
     
     
      thermore,
      salaries
      sit
      at
      36%
     
     
      of
      revenue.
      That’s
      $36,000!!
     
     
      Does
      it
      cost
      that
      much
      to
      have
     
     
      a
      few
      bartenders
      sit
      around
     
     
      and
      play
      cards?
     
    

    
     
      Finally
      there
      is
      the
      over-
     
     
      all
      performance
      of
      the
      SU
      it-
     
     
      self.
      They’ve
      estimated
      a
     
     
      $12,000
      profit
      for
      ‘97;
      but
      they
     
     
      could
      always
      screw
      that
      up,
     
     
      right?
      Even
      if
      they
      did,
      they
     
     
      have
      an
      operating
      surplus
      of
     
     
      $35,500
      stretched
      out
      in
      the
     
     
      last
      several
      years.
      Quite
      an
     
     
      accomplishment
      for
      a
      NON-
     
     
      PROFIT
      organization.
      (I
      won-
     
     
      der
      what’s
      become
      of
      that
     
     
      money.)
     
    

    
     
      The
      Student
      Union
      inno
     
     
      way
      needs
      to
      raise
      fees
      for
     
     
      next
      year.
      All
      they’ve
      done
      is
     
     
      blow
      a
      little
      political
      smoke
      in
     
     
      our
      faces,
      counting
      on
      our
      own
     
     
      apathy
      to
      do
      the
      rest.
      The
     
     
      saddest
      thing
      is
      --
      it’s
      going
      to
     
     
      work.
      Even
      knowing
      the
      truth,
     
     
      UPEI
      students
      won’t
      doa
      thing
     
     
      about
      it.
      The
      SU
      will
      merely
     
     
      wait
      a
      few
      weeks
      until
      the
     
     
      next
      scandal
      distracts
      our
      at-
     
     
      tention,
      then
      quietly
      raise
      our
     
     
      fees
      anyway.
      We'll
      never
     
     
      make
      a
      sound.
     
    

    
     
      Welcome
      to
      your
      life.
     
     
      Have
      a
      nice
      day.
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
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