This directly affects both the grad students of the Physics and Astronomy department in two ways: 1. your tutition, and 2, the amount and quality of beneficial programs/workshops/initiatives that are provided by the GSA directly to us. This INCLUDES our ability to run a ‘Monkey conference.’ If you would like to sign/vote on the issue please come to find Jesse in his office, or at the Pygmy Marmoset conference. All signatures needed by 4pm Friday October 25th, 2013.

Quote from the voting sheet:

Fellow Graduate Students,
Over the years, the York University Graduate Students’ Association (YUGSA) has undergone a few structural changes to better serve its membership. As those changes have resulted in increasing costs of running the YUGSA we are proposing the following referendum question to our membership. Some of the developments that have taken place over the past few years include: a) the size of our membership has increased therefore the costs of providing services has also increased (while the levy amount has remained the same over the years); b) annual increases to staff wages and benefits; c) there has been an increasing demand from graduate students to reopen the grad lounge since its closure last summer; d) ongoing deficit at the end of fiscal year resulting in cuts to services and bursaries. Our aim is to strengthen the YUGSA and reverse the weakening financial situation. We plan to restore the conference, international student, and dependent bursaries, donations and community outreach support funds, thesis and publication support funds, and gender, equity, social, and campaigns funds. And finally, we will aim to increase the Operating Grant Fund by at least 10% to departmental GSAs. Be it resolved that YUGSA will put forward the following referendum question to graduate students:

Do you support a one-time increase of $10 for Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) students, prorated for part-time students, to the annual YUGSA levy, indexed to the Consumer Price Index (CPI)?