Students at Macdonald campus are going to the polls this Thursday, Oct. 18 to decide whether or not they would like to pay $3.75 per semester to join the Daily Publication Society and receive The McGill Daily and Le Délit on campus, which are currently available on a free trial basis. Presently, students downtown pay $5.00 per semester for the newspapers.
The referendum announcement was made during an open Macdonald Campus Students' Society meeting last week held in conjunction with Happy Belly, a club that provides a free weekly vegetarian buffet. Many students heard of the meeting through the Mouthpiece, the Macdonald campus newsletter, and though attendance was high, a good number of attendees were only there for
the food.
"I don't think [the meeting] was very effective," said Carol Frost, M.Sc. 2 entomology. "I knew about the meeting through the Mouthpiece, but that's not what motivated me
to come."
Even after the meeting, which ended abruptly after no one responded to the referendum announcement, people were still confused as to the issue on which they were going to be voting.
"It didn't feel like a meeting," said Rosie Gao, U0 applied zoology. "People were eating, so it detracted from the issue. They should have put up bulletins and maybe held a separate meeting so that the people who attended would actually be interested."
MCSS President Lise Cobitz said that the meeting time took place with Happy Belly at the same venue because the executives wanted to reach as many students as possible, adding that a separate meeting would have been more sparsely attended. Despite the apathetic feedback, however, she is not concerned about voter turnout. Only 10 per cent of the campus population, or about 140 students, are needed to reach quorum and there have been no problems with voter turnout in referendums and elections in the past on Macdonald campus.
"I think we might actually get a better turnout than for our elections, as the [MCSS] executive is usually [comprised of] all undergraduate students," she said. "This issue will have a greater impact on graduate students, so they will be more inclined to vote."
A two-thirds majority of quorum is needed for the motions to pass.
2008 Woodie Awards
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