Media
      fee
      to
      be
      added
      to
      the
      bill
     
     
      by
      Sarah
      Murphy
     
     
      News
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Alternative
      methods
      of
      funding
      must
      be
      found
      to
      resuscitate
     
     
      CIMN.
     
    

    
     
      Since
      UPEI
      Student
      Union
      Council’s
      decision
      to
      cut
      all
      funding
     
     
      allotted
      to
      CIMN,
      efforts
      have
      been
      made
      to
      find
      alternative
      ways
      of
     
     
      providing
      for
      the
      station’s
      financial
      needs.
     
    

    
     
      After
      researching
      and
      inquiring
      to
      other
      universities,
      executive
     
     
      members
      of
      Council
      suggested
      collecting
      a
      media
      fee.
      The
      money
     
     
      gathered
      would
      provide
      for
      the
      cost
      of
      operation
      of
      CIMN,
      along
      with
     
     
      some
      of
      the
      costs
      of
      publishing
      the
      Cadre.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      idea
      behind
      the
      media
      fee,
      since
      we
      are
      no
      longer
      funding
     
     
      CIMN,
      is
      to
      provide
      them
      with
      some
      funding
      for
      themselves
      so
      they
     
     
      can
      carry
      on
      their
      operations.”
      says
      Stephen
      Lewis,
      Student
      Union
      Vice
     
     
      President
      Finance.
     
    

    
     
      UPEI
      students
      are
      unlikely
      to
      want
      to
      foot
      the
      bill
      without
      being
     
     
      asked.
      ©
     
    

    
     
      “It
      has
      to
      go
      through
      referendum,”
      says
      Lewis,
      who
      adds
      that
      the
     
     
      union
      has
      yet
      to
      decide
      with
      the
      outcome
      of
      the
      vote
      whether
      or
      not
      this
     
     
      fee
      will
      be
      mandatory
      for
      all
      students
      or
      if
      students
      could
      opt
      out.
     
    

    
     
      The
      media
      fee
      would
      not
      be
      exorbitant,
      but
      Lewis
      and
      CIMN
      are
     
     
      conscious
      that
      even
      the
      smallest
      amount
      of
      money
      is
      sometimes
      too
     
     
      much
      for
      students
      whose
      tuition
      and
      student
      fees
      are
      rising
      endlessly.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “We
      haven’t
      really
      set
      a
      price
      on
      it,
      but
      we
      are
      looking
      at
      two
     
     
      dollars
      a
      student.”says
      Lewis.
      “We
      will
      see
      after
      the
      referendum,
      what
     
     
      the
      general
      consensus
      is.
      A
      two
      dollar
      fee
      really
      doesn’t
      seem
      like
      a
      lot,
     
     
      but
      then
      again,
      we
      are
      talking
      about
      university
      students,
      and
      fifty
      cents
     
     
      some
      days
      may
      seem
      like
      a
      fortune.”
     
    

    
     
      Rob
      Maclssac,
      CIMN
      Station
      Manager
      agrees.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      think
      two
      dollars
      is
      not
      a
      lot
      of
      money,
      but
      if
      students
      feel
      like
     
     
      it
      is
      being
      forced
      upon
      them
      they
      will
      definitely
      react.”
     
    

    
     
      CIMN
      is
      bracing
      themselves
      for
      this
      student
      reaction
      and
      insist
     
     
      that
      they
      want
      their
      proposal
      to
      be
      as
      clear
      as
      possible
      as
      to
      inform
      the
     
     
      students
      of
      the
      situation,
      without
      forcing
      them
      into
      something
      they
      do
     
     
      not
      want.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      want
      to
      give
      students
      a
      choice,
      we
      don’t
      want
      this
      to
      be
     
     
      ambiguous.
      We
      want
      this
      to
      be
      a
      straightforward,
      and
      completely
     
     
      understandable
      process,”
      adds
      Maclsaac.“We
      are
      not
      looking
      for
      a
     
     
      mandatory
      donation.
      It
      would
      be
      great
      if
      somehow
      we
      just
      got
      a
      whole
     
     
      bunch
      of
      money
      but
      it
      doesn’t
      work
      like
      that,
      so
      we’re
      looking
      for
     
     
      students
      to
      say
      ‘yes,
      we
      support
      this.’”
     
    

    
     
      James
      Panton,
      CIMN
      Music
      Director
      thinks
      the
      media
      fee
      is
      a
     
     
      good
      idea,
      but
      could
      have
      been
      initiated
      earlier,
      avoiding
      CIMN’s
     
     
      present
      financial
      fiasco.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      don’t
      know
      why
      they
      didn’t
      do
      this
      a
      long
      time
      ago,
      because
     
     
      none
      of
      this
      would
      ever
      have
      come
      to
      pass.
      I
      don’t
      know
      why
      anybody
     
     
      ever
      even-thought
      of
      it.
      Most
      major
      universities
      have
      a
      media
      fee
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      continued
      on
      next
      page...