By Вen Li
By a 30 vote margin, students chose not to pay an additional $7.50 per session for insurance coverage under the Students’ Union Health and Dental plan.
“There’s a chance it might end in August,” said SU Vice-President Operations Robbie White. “Students have said ‘no’ twice [to an increase]. It may not be appropriate to ask for a third time.”
In last year’s SU general election, students defeated a $12.50 increase to the health component of the plan in a 1,819 to 2,659 vote. A $2.00 increase to the dental component of the plan was defeated 2,085 to 2,400.
White notes that the ratios from last year’s vote and the 1,496 to 1,526 vote this year closely mirrors student participation in the plan in respective years.
Despite efforts by the SU to inform students that the fee increase was necessary to cover increasing costs, and that only students on the plan would pay the increased fee, some confusion remained.
“I’ve heard from some people that they didn’t understand why a fee increase was needed,” said White. “Also, some [election] candidates thought that the SU could get a better deal and told people that in their campaigns.”
White said alternative plans could be considered and presented to students by the fall by-election.