Why all students should vote in the Referendum

Photo courtesy of Orquidia Geraldino

Vote yes for Referendum! This is not just about an increase in Student Activity Fees, this benefits every member of SUNY Geneseo. Go vote yes!

Every two years in the Spring semester, SUNY Geneseo holds its Referendum, which seeks to elect students into the various positions of the Student Association (SA) and allows students to vote regarding the school’s Student Activity Fees. 

The Referendum is a great opportunity for students to have a direct say in how the college uses student funds. One of the ways this is most pertinent is with decisions around Student Activity Fees. One choice students have is to keep these fees mandatory or vote to have them be voluntary. This year, there will also be a vote to increase Student Activity Fees from the current 107 dollars to 125 dollars, an 18-dollar increase. To some students, it may be the reaction to feel that paying less or having voluntary fees is always the right move. While these are valid points of view, it is paramount to consider what this money is used for. 

Student Activity Fees help to create budgets and funds for various clubs, organizations, events, and more under the umbrella of the school’s SA-funded tag. This correlation is why the voting for the SA executive board and the decisions about Student Activity Fees are made together. During the Referendum, you not only vote for the terms under which these funds operate, but you get to choose who has the power to distribute and decide how these funds are best used in support of the student body. 

It might seem like 125 dollars is quite a bit of money to ask for from every student, but when you look at how much these funds do for the students and campus community as a whole, I feel it is put into perspective. Opportunities and services the student body has come to expect, like Spring and Fall Fest, Geneseo Campus Activities Board (GCAB) events, Geneseo Late Knight (GLK) events, culture club dinners, and the campus’s bus, are all funded through these fees. Not to mention the various club sports, department clubs, or even us here at The Lamron, who also operate due to the continued renewal of not just Student Activity Fees more broadly but also having them mandatory.

Senior political science major and SA President Orquidia Geraldino leaves us with this comment, reflecting on previous experiences with Referendum, as well as why they feel it is important to vote ‘yes’ on mandatory fees, “I remember my last referendum, I loved promoting it with my club, the Caribbean Student Association (CSA)…Referendum is not just about student fees, it's about getting a say about how the college uses your funds, it supports staff members on campus, and it brings diversity without making excuses. Without the referendum, I wouldn't have run to be Student Association President, and I'm grateful every day for the opportunities received through our mandatory student activity fees.” 

This shows all the different ways in which referendums and voting ‘yes’ to a referendum help make the college environment a more enjoyable and connected space. SA truly works to make the campus exciting in a location that doesn’t always have much to offer in terms of activities. The opportunities these Student Activity Fees sponsor are not only just in benefit of the students attending the facility, but are a place where students, faculty, staff, and community members/vendors/etc., can all come together and get to know, enjoy, and appreciate one another. 

Voting for Referendum will take place from March 3-6 and will be available online through a digital ballot to your student email.