Originally Posted by huzaifa47

That's sort of what I implied, I suppose the excessive usage of the word VP got it muddled up. In my original email I also mentioned that a number of communications studies majors(or anyone interested in such experience) might be interested in rare communications experience; so much so that they might even take the job at minimum part time wage! The BOD I understand have alot of other stuff to do on a daily basis, this job would fill up the void and liason between all of them.

There was a very similar position last year, although not part of the BoD. It was basically a PR position and they worked directly under Mike Wooder in the Student Life Development department. The actual student who worked there was a presidential hopeful this past year...

As well, many of the other PTMs have a communication function as part of their position, it is just up to the VP Admin to make sure that each PTM is fulfilling their job title properly and thus communicating with the entire student body.

And technically, Communication is considered part of the job description for the entire BoD...

...so there really would be no need to add another position that does the same thing that all the rest do (in my opinion).

Originally Posted by lorend

There was a very similar position last year, although not part of the BoD. It was basically a PR position and they worked directly under Mike Wooder in the Student Life Development department. The actual student who worked there was a presidential hopeful this past year...

As well, many of the other PTMs have a communication function as part of their position, it is just up to the VP Admin to make sure that each PTM is fulfilling their job title properly and thus communicating with the entire student body.

And technically, Communication is considered part of the job description for the entire BoD...

...so there really would be no need to add another position that does the same thing that all the rest do (in my opinion).

I understand, but I suppose "Communication" is a word bandied around far too much, as you said it is part of the job description of just about every MSU employee and a mainstay in every SRA and Presidential candidates platform. But it really isn't working :S Hence I feel that a liaison between all of these people might be beneficial. These people would still be responsible to fulfill their job descriptions regarding "Communications" as a measure of professionalism but there would be someone handling stuff that they don't have the time, inclination or knowledge for. Maybe the availability of the Communications person could even force the PTM/BOD to make more statements since he/she will be pressuring them and coming upto them for information if he/she plans on releasing stuff themselves!

But its just an idea, the other alternative as I mentioned before is that the MSU makes additional efforts in this department to get people engaged and feel inclusive.

But whatever maybe, if Ben is right and it does even loosely come under the umbrella of Operations I will definitely look into it.

Originally Posted by reeves

I don't see it on the payment agreement anywhere. Guess I have a fun day of phone calls to make yay!

Attached is a pdf copy of the supplementary fees:

Originally Posted by saukalra

Attached is a pdf copy of the supplementary fees:

Err I think he needs to find out which of the MSU/MAPS he is part of currently so he needs to find the supplementary fees section ON his payment agreement, as that might hold a clue to to which organization his fees are going to; therefore assuming he is "officially" part of that organization

Originally Posted by huzaifa47

Err I think he needs to find out which of the MSU/MAPS he is part of currently so he needs to find the supplementary fees section ON his payment agreement, as that might hold a clue to to which organization his fees are going to; therefore assuming he is "officially" part of that organization

Oops sorry! My bad. I did not read through the whole thread before and thought he wanted this document.
But yea, like everyone said, his supplementary fees details should be in his payment agreement.

Opting out of the MSU health and dental plans are legitimate ways of getting back some hard-earned student cash if you already have insurance from an outside source. Opting out of other MSU services just because "it doesn't involve you" is the sort of mentality that is not only selfish, but reckless in the operation of a successful student union.

The Student Representative Assembly (SRA) is a valuable resource that gets squandered every year on minor technical changes and clerical errors instead of addressing real student concerns. One major issue is that as both a full time corporation and a union that represents an undergraduate student body of close to 20000 people, there are times when student needs are replaced at the expense of renovations or service revitalization. In order to properly understand this concept, it would be vital to read up more on the history and operations of the MSU.

While the MSU is a bubble of sorts, and a micro-cosm of student leaders "in the loop", there is no reason why the average student could not become more involved. Speaking out is just as easy as saying nothing. Message your SRA representatives, visit MUSC 201, email the board of directors. It's literally that simple.

This year I will be personally undergoing 2 MSU-related projects, 2 engineering/MSU collaborations, as well as my full-time studies and MSU part-time position. If there is anyone in Engineering who wants me to tackle anything MSU-related, I would be more than happy to accomodate them and their ideas. There is only student power when students use the resources that are available to them.

As for the SRA-bashing, it takes a large amount of personal stamina to accuse an assembly of 35 people of not being committed to doing the very best to represent their faculties with every intention of making student voices heard. I would once again urge anyone within the faculty of Engineering who has an MSU-related concern to message me instead of shouting billigerent rants over MacInsiders.

It is the attitude of being holy-than-thou that leads to negative stereotypes and stigmas regarding faculties. I have no problem standing behind ERTW, but not when the people leading the charge have no credibility or legitimacy to their claims.

While I was originally shocked at the MSU fees when trying to calculate my expenses by hand (I didn't know supplementary fees would show up on the Payment Agreement) upon reading more about them I felt quite glad.


We had to pay for a $900 root canal for me last year because despite my complaints about a chronic toothache for over a year, my dentist took the wrong X-ray, didn't include the roots and left us nearly $800 poorer than we would have been had he just taken the proper X-ray the first time.

Another dentist of mine did a sloppy job on my fillings and I have several teeth that need to be examined this year.

I'm personally grateful and indebted to the MSU for their Health and Dental plan because my mum doesn't have to pay inept dentists to repair their mistakes - my plan does.

As for the other services, I may not use them, but I can't complain if I'm getting nearly $750 of something I do use.
If an organization contributes positively to your university experience in an unbeatable way, while we'd like a lot of things changed or amended because we are paying, it doesn't seem right to pay only the dues we benefit from. Very contradictory to that "This is America.* We help each other out" commercial that's going around.


*We are North Americans. Let's not split hairs.

Because I am an idealist and try to ignore the political drama, I think that the MSU, in its deepest core, serves to provide a stronger voice for students (as a collective). It also provides so many services and opportunities for students to be active and that absolutely enriches the university experience (this has probably been mentioned 342523 times). Many clubs would not be in existence without financial backing from the MSU.

Aside from the MSU question though, why isn't anyone asking why we are each paying up to $81.30 per year to fund the building of an athletic centre that many students will NEVER step foot in? OR better yet, why is this fee charged on top of having to pay $102 to use the gym? If we're going to talk about opting out of any fee, this should have to be one of them.

It may be selfish to want to opt out of services that we don't use, but at the same time... its my cash. I'm paying close to a months wage in student fees (I can't recall the split between which ones were University ones and which ones were MSU ones), most of which are for services I will never use. I'm only here to get an education, I can live without on-campus bars and newspapers.

Bushra, you should switch dentists!

Originally Posted by A.Marlowe

I'm only here to get an education, I can live without on-campus bars and newspapers.

"Getting an education" is not strictly restricted to the material you learn in class, we all know this. It is the sum of interwoven knowledge that is learned throughout many mediums and in different situations and environments. It incorporates thoughts from all aspects of life and brings it back to one Understanding.

What the MSU offers you is a ticket to explore your personal potential. You can choose to use the ticket or not by taking advantage of the opportunities presented to you. The MSU doesn't operate hoping that no one uses its services and no one cares about its lobbying. It operates hoping that people get engaged in whatever interests them, and there are a lot of interesting things the MSU offers.

A great way to educate yourself is to put yourself in leadership roles. The MSU offers limitless opportunities, whether it be with SRA, work with a service/business, or as an exec on an interest club. It is up to you to shape the way you want to be educated.

There is a lot of negativity floating around whenever the MSU is spoken by the general population. But listen, it's all about the mentality you enter a discussion with. Negative thoughts feed negative thoughts.

Originally Posted by A.Marlowe

It may be selfish to want to opt out of services that we don't use, but at the same time... its my cash. I'm paying close to a months wage in student fees (I can't recall the split between which ones were University ones and which ones were MSU ones), most of which are for services I will never use. I'm only here to get an education, I can live without on-campus bars and newspapers.

And if that's how society worked, there wouldn't be society/it wouldn't be a very good one.

Instead of complaining about things that can't and won't change, try taking advantage of what is offered to you. You might be surprised. Like Alvand said, it's all about outlook and attitude.

What you can learn and experience outside of the classroom, whether that be in extra-curriculars or volunteering, or whatever, has much more potential and more value than what you learn in the classroom. This is a lesson that I picked up from one of my reps in my welcome week, and it has proved to be true time and time again.