CKUT, McGill’s campus-community radio station, begins its referendum period today regarding a $1 increase in its opt-outable student fee.
CKUT has been operating on the same $4 fee since its launch in 1988. The radio station’s last referendum was held last year, in which a motion to make its student fee non-opt-outable did not pass.
In an interview with The Daily, Elections SSMU Chief Electoral Officer Hubie Yu said she didn’t want to speculate as to the results of the referendum, but is confident in the importance of the institution.
“Referenda in general, not just for CKUT, are important to campus and student life as their outcome can influence the loss or improvement of a service that students – even if it’s only a sector of the population – have come to love or depend on. Referendum results are also important indicators of what students want or believe in, which makes the process such a unique component of democracy at McGill.”
Carol Fraser and Tim Beeler run CKUT’s ‘Yes’ Committee. An official ‘No’ Committee has not been formed.
“CKUT is an important bridge between McGill, the greater Montreal community, and the rest of the world,” Beeler told The Daily. “CKUT is well-loved in this city, and has consistently been voted the number one station in the Mirror’s readers’ poll. For example, we have an intern who came to us from Germany because of how much she loves the show ‘We Funk’.”
The Students’ Society of McGill University failed to pass a motion to endorse CKUT during its meeting last Thursday.