By Diana Lyuber
A rogue student levy had the Students’ Legislative Council seeking the authority to eliminate illegitimate fees before a Tribunal on Wed., Feb. 16.
The matter had already been through the Review Board, but their decision not to grant authority left the SLC unsatisfied and appealing to the Students’ Union Tribunal. The Haskayne Student levy, coughed up annually by management students, is the can of worms that started it all.
“The levy is problematic because the money was transferred into an endowment fund and fell out of the control of the SLC,” explained SU Representative Shaun Fluker, who argued the SLC’s position along with Vice-President Operations and Finance Greg Clayton.
“Essentially we’re asking that, if [a fee is] illegal, we should be able to get rid of it, and if someone disagrees with our opinion and thinks that it is, in fact, legal, then they can go through the Review Board,” said Clayton.
Student Faculty Representatives Brent Kettles and Kent Breedlove took issue with what they saw as a blatant attempt to side-step the constitutional process.
“I’m intervening because I want to protect the integrity of the constitution,” said Kettles. “What I want to do is make sure students are consulted before fees are levied against them, or before fees that they care about are terminated.”
Clayton argued that the point of the judicial body is to review the decisions that have already been made.
“They want us to ask the Review Board [before deeming a fee illegal], and then at that time we can get rid of it. But they shouldn’t be making the first decision, they should be reviewing the decision if someone has a problem with it.”
After each side pleaded their case, the Tribunal deliberated briefly and sustained the Review Board’s initial decision not to grant authority to SLC.